Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1841-01-16
THE BOUNDARY QUESTION.

The case of The N. E. Boundary becomes every
day more and more involved in difficulties. The
time when the affair could have been, and should
have been. amicably settled, immediately after the
last outbre X in Maine and New Brunswick, by
sending a special minister 10 Crest Britain, ou'
government suffered to pass by. The following
article OH this subject, from the Portland Advert
ser, deserves attention.
Vague .umors are now in circulation in regard
to new border troubles, but they are SO insubstan-
,ial and come in so questionable a shape, that we
| know not how 80 deal with them and place little
reliance upon them. But one thing we know,
that the British Government, with a forecast that
anticipates trouble, is taking precaution to secure
her position. She means to keep possession ofthe
country north Of the St John: She wants the ter
| ritory aud she is determined to hold it despite the
| clearness of our title and the wholly unfounded
nature of her Presensions. She is consequently
amusing US with negotiations, while she is
strengthening and terrifying her positions. Bar
racks are erecting. roads levelIing and making,
and troops marching and taking post in the very
centre of the disputed territory, while we sit idly
looking on, relying upon the faith of the paper
~defenees entered into for the protection OF the
| rights and property of the parties.
The fac. is,the British post on the Temiscouts
lake is only 81 miles from the st Lawrence; that
they have q we'll made road connecting it with
that river and Quebec on the one side,and the ST
John and New Brunswick on the other, and this
has become now the great thoroughfare between
the two provinces Of their empire. Troops aave
been planted on a central point, are still collecting
there for its defence, and now Mr. Fairfield and
Mr. Van Buren,. remove them if you can. You
| will find them harder customers than the Semi~
mole Indians.
I'VE speak this with no view to create idle alarm,
but with a sincere conviction that after all we
are to be humbugged out of our territory. Look at
the report of Featherstonhaugh, a public com.
missioner, by virtue of bis office entitled to con.
fdence. openly and soIemnly making assertions
tina, are wholly without foundation; affirming de-
libera,eiy in his report that the land at the n. w.
angle of Nova Scotia as claimed by the U Sta,ea,
is elevated but 3ss feet above the sea; when the
fact is disproved not only by the survey of Bou-
Ghetto, the public officer of the British Crown, who
makes it over 1000 feet, and by our own survey
ors who nearly correspond with Bouchctte, but
by nature her-elf in the length and descent of
the streams which are thr6wn on every side from
that point 10 the st Lawrence, the Bay of Cha
leur, and the Atlantic. Feathers,ouhaugh's report
is one of the most uncandid and unfair documents
which was over ushered forth by q public function
ary.
"A case so bad, which reenires such d~isinsen-
Gus advocates and false representations, can only
be supported by force. We caution our State and
National Governments, even at this late day, to
beware of further procrastination. They msst as
sumo an attitude that will not bear denial nor sub.
nit 10 delay. We want no more Of Lord Mel
commissioner nor Lord Palmerston's
arguments in the shape Of Infantry and Light
Artillery. gathering upon our borders a nd es'ab-
fishing themselves in the hear. Of the contested
soil.