The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-12-28

| had been assumed certain and fred-to wit: that,
from the source of the ST. Croix the boundary in the
express language Of the treaty should be run directly
no'tito the Highlands &c. snd this had been lDvara-
bly, considered main pillar Of the argument IN sup
port OF the American claim. General Jackson, IN has
earnest desire TO bring this long-pendng controversy
10 an amicable termination, and with an accommoda-
ting and liberal spirit which was emphatically ac-
knowiedged by the British Government now proposed
| through Mr.. Livingston and Mr. McI.ane, successive
y Secretaries of State, that the commissioners should
be no longer restricted by the due north line IN deter
mining the true boundary but, describing mat line,
III they thought proper, they should be at liberty TO
seek the highlands described in the treaty. To the cest
| OF the meridian of the of the ST. Croix and
in any part Of the disputed territory north south OF
the river st. John. What seemed mainly TO produce
the hesitation of the British Government in aceeding
to this proposition was, the doubt entertained by IT
whether the assent of the State Of Maine (Which had
not and probably could not be obtained) would not
be as necessary TO give effect TO an arrangement on
this basis, that Of avowed conventional line
Ii appears TO the committee, therefore, in looking
back to the public and solemn acts OF the Govern
ment and Of lis successive administrations, that tho
| time has passed, If it existed, when we could
| be justified in making the precise line of boundary
claimed by us the subject of sine qua OF nego-
tation or OF the ultima ratio Of assertion by force
Did second arbitration, then, afford the prospect of
a more satisfactory result This expedient seemed
to be equally rejected by all parties-by the United
States, by Great Britain, and by the State OF Maine.
| II such an alternative should be contemplated by any
one as preferable TO the arrangement which has
been mode il is ii TO bear mind the risk and ,ncer
tainty, as well as the inevitable delay and expense,
incident To that mode Of decision We have already
seen, IN the instance Of the arbitration by the King
of the Netherlands how much weight a tribunal of
that sort is inclined to give the argument Of
nienee, and a supposed intention the part of the
M gotiaors OF the treaty of 1888 against the literal
and positive terms employed by the instrument in its
| description of limits. Is there danger, in the
event OF another arbilration that farther research
into the public archives Of Europe might bring to
light some embarrassing (eyen though apocryphal)
document, TO throw new shade OF plausible doubt
OH the cearness of our title, in the view Of sove-
reign arbiter' Such document has already been
communicated t the committee and feel il (said |
Mr. ~ to be my duty to lay it before the Sena'e,
that they may fully appreciate its bearings and do
termine for themselves the weight and Importance
which belong TO it. 1t is due to the learned and dis
tinguished gentleman, (NIr Jared Sparks of Boston,
by whom the document referred to discovered
IN The archives OF France, while pursuing his la
POROUS and intelligent researches connected with the
history OF our country, that the account of il
should be given in his own words, as contained in a
communication addressed by him to the Department
oil State. proceed, therefore, to read from that
communication.
+" While pursuing my researches among the vo- |
luminous papers relating to the American Revolu- |
ton IN the .4rchps des .40airs Erangeres in Paris
found IN one of the bound volumes original letter
from DR.. Franklin to Count de Vergennes, Of which
the following is an exact transcript
"PAssY December 6, 1882.
Sir have the honor of returning herewith the
map your Exc Hncy sent me yesterday | have |
marked with strong red line according to your de
sire, the limits of the United States settled the
preliminaries between he British and American
penpotentares.
with great respect am, &C.,
"B. FRANKLIN"
This letter written six days after the pre-
llminarles were signed and if cou d procure the
Identical map mentioned by Franklin, il would seem
to afford conclusive evidence 10 the meaning af
fixed by the commissioners TO the language Of the
treaty on the,Nbject of the boundaries. You may
well suppose (hat lost no time in making inquiry
for the map not doubling that it would confirm all
my previous opinions respecting the validity of our
claim In the geographical department of the Ar
chiyes ATE sixty thousand maps and charts; but SO
wen arranged with catalogues and indexes that any
one OF them may be easily found. After little re-
search in the American division, with the aid of tie
keeper, came upon map of North America, by
DAnville dated l746, in size about eighteen inches
square, on which was drawn strong red line through
out the entire boundary Of the United States, an
swering precisely to Frankn's description. The
line is bold and distinct in every part, made with red
INK, and apparently drawn with hairpencil, or
pen with blunt point. There is no other coloring
on any part OF the map.
Imagine my surprise discovering that this line
runs wholly south of the ST. Johns, and between the
Ls ld water, of that river and those of the Penob-
scot and kennebec. In short, it is exactly the line
now commended for by Great Britain, except thrt il
comedies more than is claimed. The north line after
departing from the source of the St. Croix, instead
of proceeding to Mars H stops far short Of at
point, and tn ms off to the west to leave the
British side all the streams which flow into the ST.
Johns, between the source of the ST Crox and Mars
Hill 1t is evident that the line from the st. Croix
to the Canadian highlands, is intended TO exclude all
The ,oaters running into the st. Johns.
"There is no positive proof that this map actu-
ally the one marked by Franklin yet, upon any
other superstition, it would be difficult to explain tne
circumstances OF its agreeing SO perfectly with his
description, and of its being preserved in the place
where 1t would naturally be deposited by Count de
Vergennes. also found another map in the Ar
chives, on which the same boundary traced in a
dotted red line with pen, apparently copied from |
tue other.
I" ! enclose herewith map Of Maine, on which | |
have drawn strong black line, corresponding with
the red one above mentioned"
am far from intimating (said MIR. Rives) that the
documents discovered by Mr.. Sparks, curious and
well worthy of consideration they undoubtedly |
are, of weight sufficient to shake the title of the
United States founded the positive language of
the treaty OF peace. But they could not fail in the
event OF another reference, give increased conf
dence and emphasis to the prccnsions of Great Bri-
tain and to exert CORES, ondng influence upon the
mind of the arbter Ii worth while, in this ccnneX
ion, TO ura to what Lord Ashburton has said in one
of his communications TO Mr. Webster, when eX-
planning his views OF the position of the highlands de-
scrbed in the treaty:
"My inspection of the maps and my examination
OF the documents, says his Lordship, "ead me to
very strong conviction that the highlands contempat
ed by the negoators of the treaty were the only high
lands then known TO them-a The head Of The Penob-
scot, kennebec and The wesi Of The ST. Croir and
that they did not precisely know how the north line
from the st. Croix would strike them and if twerc
not my wish to shorten this discussion, believe We
ry good argument might be drawn from the ords OF
the treaty in proof of this In the negotiations wi h
1 Mr.. Livingston, and afterwards with Mr.. Mcl.ane,
this view seemed to prevail and, you are aware,
there proposals to search for these highlands to
the west where alone | be eyc they Will be found