The respective claims of the United States and Great Britain were as follows, viz: Boundary claimed by United States.-From the source of the river St. Croix (a point of departure mutually acknowledged) the boundary should be a due north line for about 140 miles, crossing the river St. John at about 75 miles. At about 97 miles it reaches a ridge or highland which divides tributary streams of the river St. John, which falls into the Bay of Fundy, from the waters of the river Ristigouche, which falls through the Bay des Chaleurs into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In its further course the said due north line, after crossing several upper branches of the river Ristigouche, reaches, at about 140 miles, the highlands which divide the waters of the said river Ristigouche from the tributary streams of the river Metis, which falls into the river St. Lawrence. Thence the line should run westerly and southwesterly along the highlands which divide the sources of the several rivers (from the Metis to the St. Francis) that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence-from the sources of the tributaries of the rivers Ristigouche, St. John, Penobscot, Kennebec, and Connecticut, all which either mediately or immediately fall into the Atlantic Ocean. Boundary claimed by Great Britain.-From the source of the river St. Croix the boundary should be a due north line about 40 miles to a point at or near Mars Hill; thence it should run westerly about 115 miles along the highlands that divide the sources of the tributaries of the river St. John from the sources of the river Penobscot to a spot called Metjarmette Portage, near the source of the river Chaudière. From this point the line coincides with the line claimed by the United States until the northwesternmost head of the Connecticut River is reached. Great Britain claimed one of several small streams to be the northwesternmost tributary of the Connecticut River, and the United States another. ARBITRATION BY KING OF THE NETHERLANDS. The King of the Netherlands was selected in 1829 by the two Governments as the arbiter, and each laid before him, in conformity with the provisions of the convention, all the evidence intended to be brought in support of its claim, and two separate statements of the respective cases. These four statements, which embrace the arguments at large of each party, respectively, have been printed, but not published (1840). The award of the King of the Netherlands, made in 1831, was as follows, viz: We are of the opinion that it will be suitable (il conviendra) to adopt as the boundary of the two states a line drawn due north from the source of the river St. Croix to the point where it intersects the middle of the thalweg of the river St. John; thence the middle of the thalweg of that river, ascending it to the point where the river St. Francis empties itself into the river St. John; thence the middle of the thalweg of the river Saint Francis, ascending it to the source of its southwestBull. 171-2 ernmost branch, which source we indicate on the Map A by the letter X, authenticated by the signature of our minister of foreign affairs; thence in a line drawn due west to the point where it unites with the line claimed by the United States of America and delineated on the Map A; thence said line to the point at which, according to said map, it coincides with that claimed by Great Britain, and thence the line traced on the map by the two powers to the northwesternmost source of Connecticut River. We are of the opinion that the stream situated farthest to the northwest, among these which fall into the northernmost of the three lakes, the last of which bears the name of Connecticut Lake, must be considered as the northwesternmost head of Connecticut River. We are of the opinion that it will be suitable (il conviendra) to proceed to fresh operations to measure the observed latitude in order to mark out the boundary from river Connecticut along the parallel of the forty-fifth degree of north latitude to the river Saint Lawrence, named in the treaties Iroquois or Cataraquy, in such a manner, however, that, in all cases, at the place called Rouse's Point the territory of the United States of America shall extend to the fort erected at that place, and shall include said fort and its kilometrical radius (rayon kilometrique). However disposed the Government of the United States might have been to acquiesce in the decision of the arbiter, it had not the power to change the boundaries of a State without the consent of the State. Against that alteration the State of Maine entered a solemn protest by the resolutions of 19th January, 1832. And the Senate of the United States did accordingly refuse to give its assent to the award. The arbitration of the King of the Netherlands having failed, fruitless negotiations ensued for a period of eleven years. Unsuccessful attempts were made to conclude an agreement preparatory to another arbitration. The subject became a matter of great irritation, collisions occurred in the contested territory, and for a time it seemed certain that the controversy would result in war between the two powers. In 1842, however, Great Britain gave unequivocal proof of her desire for the preservation of peace, and an amicable arrangement of the matter at issue, by the special mission of Lord Ashburton to the United States. The subject of this mission was the settlement, not only of the northeastern boundary, but the northern boundary west of the Rocky Mountains. Regarding this object of his mission, Lord Ashburton's instructions gave as the ultimatum of the English Government the boundary as above claimed (p. 16), and, naturally, his mission had no result, as far as this portion of the boundary was concerned. An agreement was reached, however, in regard to the northeastern boundary, which, the consent of the State of Maine having been obtained, was embodied in the treaty concluded August 9, 1842. TREATY WITH GREAT BRITAIN, 1842. The following is the text of the portion of this treaty relating to the boundary: ARTICLE I. It is hereby agreed and declared that the line of boundary shall be as follows: Beginning at the monument at the source of the river St. Croix, as desig |