IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /y ^.4^ 1.0 ,f "^ I I.I 2.5 12.2 ■^ 1^ i: 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 -» 6" . V v^ HlOtDgTdDtliC Sciences Corpomtion 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 145S0 (716) 873-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are csecked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. □ Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur □ Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e D Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured pages/ D Pages de couleur Pages damag. i/ Pages endommag6es I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculdes Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqu^es □ Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur D D Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents r~7\ Tight binding may cause shadowi> or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6x6 film^es. □ Pages detached/ Pages d^tachdes I 7 Showthrough/ LJlJ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ □ Quality indgale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 film^es d nouveau de facon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. D Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires; This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqui ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 12X 16X 20X 26X 30X 24X 28X n 32X Th« copy film«d h«r« has b««n raproducad thanks to tha o^narosity of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia L'axamplaira film* f ut raproduit grica A la gAnirosltA da: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha bast quality potsibia considaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacif ications. Las imagas suivantas ont MA raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattat* da Taxampiaira filmA. at an conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copias in printad pnpar covars ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Las axamplairas originaux dont la couvartura an papiar ast imprimAa sont filmte an commandant par la pramiar plat at 9n tarminant soit par la darnlAra paga qui comporta ur.j amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration. soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous las autras axamplairas originaux sont filmte mn commandant par la pramiAre paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration at 9n tarminant par la dsrniAre paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol — »■ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END "). whichavar appiias. Un das symbolas suivants apparaitra sur la darniira imaga da chaqua microfiche, salon la cas: la symboia — »• signifia "A SUIVRE ", la symbols Y signifia "FIN". IMaps, platas, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed baginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as mary frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atra fiimte A das taux da reduction diffirents. Lorsque ie document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seui clichA, il est film* A partir da I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant la nombre d'images nAcessaira. Les diagrammes suivants iliustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 PlxOVU^!aAL UBRAriY, , F'^CT^'^r ''^•. ff' C. The Alaffca Boundary Line. 617 ■iv- BESIDE THE STILL WATERS. I. Ah God! To lie awake at deep of night, And hear the rain down-dripping overhead, And know that joy is quenched and hope is fled, And from all earth have faded glow and light! Have mercy, Father! On my smarting sight Let dreamless sleep its grateful shadows spread; Give me a while to rest as one who, dead, Can reck of nothing! When the east grows white I will he strong, will bravely face once more This dry-eyed agony, not as of yore Soothed by swift-gushing tears ! Now, all my soul, All prayers, all yearning, but reach out and set, Athirst, ablaze, towards one receding goal — One hour's oblivion — to forget, forget! II. My God, I thank Thee ! Ah, I cannot know By what still waters and what pastures green, Close maybe to those secret founts unseen, All human finding fathoms deep below, Whence life itself takes its mysterious flow. Thou hast my spirit led in sleep, to glean Healing and strength ! Grief lingers, yet its keen. Fine throb grows dimmer, fainter, in the slow Advancing dawn. A lark will soar and sing While still a tiny clod of earth may cling To her glad breast: and so, dear Lord, I too Rise from the ground, and, lifting up my voice. As golden morning flushes into view. Remember still, and yet rejoice — rejoice ! ■ c> U Stiiart Sterne. THE ALASKA BOUNDARY LINE. " In endeavoring to estimate its char- acter I am glad to begin with what is clear and beyond question. I refer to the boundaries fixed by the treaty." which Russia ceded to the United States her entire possessions in America. The distinguished orator, whose address on that occasion was an exhibition of pro- These words form the opening of the found historical and geographical research magnificent speech of Charles Sumner in and far-sighted statesmanship which has the United States Senate in 1867, in ad- seldom been equaled, does not appear to voca«y of the ratification of the treaty by have suspected that by coming into pes- "^i-. m 518 The Alaska Boundary Line. Api-il, session of the great territory whose pur- chase he so ably advocated the United States would find itself involved, a quar- ter of a century later, in two controver- sies, both with Great Britain, one of which should concern what he then de- clared to be " clear and beyond question." What is generally known as the " Be- ring Sea controversy," but which might be called with greater prc^mety the " fur seal controversy," has had its beginning, unfortunately iiot its end. within the last decade. In Sumner's day nothing was known which indicated the possible exist- ence of conditions such as have given rise to this dispute. It is a little difficult to understand, however, that so able a dip- lomat as Sumner could have studied the definition of the boundaries of the new territory as found in the treaty of ces- sion without seeing therein the seed of future complications with the English na- tion. That he began by assuming the boundaries to be " beyond question " must have been due in large measure to the fact that, as far as related to the land lines, they were turned over to us exactly as they had been agreed upon by treaty of Russia with Great Britain more than for- ty years earlier, during which period no controversy over them had arisen. He was aware, of course, of the controver- sies between Russia and both the United States and Great Britain, in the first quarter of the century, regarding territo- rial and maritime rights and privileges, but the vagueness, in certain impoi'tant respects, of the English-Russian treaty of 1825 does not seem to have impressed itself upon him. As a matter of fact, the superior im{)ortance of southeast Alaska, which is the only part whose boundary is likely to be in controversy, was not gen- erally recognized at that time, and reli- able information about the whole was so scanty that little attention was likely to be given to mere "metes and bounds." Since the occupancy of this part of the territory by Americans and its fairly full exploration by government officers, its importance has been admitted by us and recognized by the English to the end that the boundary line dividing it from Brit- ish Columbia and the Northwest Terri- tory bids fair to become a matter of dis- pute between the two nations, and one of no mean proportions. Though not of such a nature as to demand immediate settlement, it is not unlikely that it may be involved with two or three other ques- tions at present pending, and about which not only diplomats, but the people gener- ally have been, and are, leeply concerned. The Alaska boundary line is quite worthy of separate consideration on its own ac- count, and it will be a misfortune if any ill-considered act shall result in its being merged with other questions of really less importance, and subjected to the by no means uncertain chances of arbitration. In the treaty which determined the ces- sion of the Russian possessions in North America to the United States, concluded March 30, 1867, the geographical limits (on the east) of the territory transferred are defined as follows : — " The eastern limit is the line of de- marcation between the Russian and the British possessions in North America as established bv the convention between 4/ Russia and Great Britain of February 28, 1825, and described in Articles III. and IV. of said convention in the follow- ing terms : — " Commencing from the southernmost point of the island called Prince of Wales Island, which point lies in the parallel of 54° 40' north latitude, and between the 131st and 133d degree of west longi- tude (meridian of Greenwich), the sc.id line shall ascend to the north along the channel called Portland Channel as far as the point of the continent where it strikes the 56th degree of north latitude ; from this last-mentioned point the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast as far as the point of inte-section of the 141st degree of west longitude (of the same meridian), and finally, from said 1896.] The Alaska Boundary Line. 519 ] point of intersection, the said meridian- line of the 141st degree, in its prolonga- tion as far as the Frozen Ocean. "IV. With reference to the line of demarcation laid down in the preceding article, it is understood : — *' 1st. That the island called Prince of Wales Island «hall belong wholly to Rus- sia (now, by this cession, to the United States). " 2d. That whenever the summit of the mountains which extend in a direc- tion parallel to the coast from the o6th degree of north latitude to the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude shall prove to be at the dis- tance of more than ten marine leagues from the ocean, the limit between the British possessions and the line of coast which is to belong to Russia, as above mentioned (that is to say, the limit to the possessions ceded by this convention), shall be formed by a line parallel to the winding of the coast, and which shall never exceed the distance of ten marine leagues therefrom." Nearly all boundary-line treaties have been found more or less faulty in con- struction when subjected to rigorous tests such as are sure to oome sooner or later. This is doubtless to be attributed in a great degree to the fact that they are usually framed by politicians rather than by geographers ; the advice of the latter being often ignored. The political diplo- mat is generally possessed by a single dominant idea in entering into a conven- tion, to which all others must be subordi- nate, and to the realization of which all other features of the treaty must lead. The convention of 1824 between the United States and Russia, and that of 1825 between Russia and Great Britain (in wnich are to be found the boundary- line articles quoted above), were the re- sult of a determination on the part of the two English-speaking nations to break down the Russian Emperor's ukase of 1821, in which territory extending as low as 51° north latitude was claimed by Rus- sia, as well as complete jurisdiction over nearly all water north of this line, thus threatening the iishing and whaling in- terests and the carrying-trade of both nations. The limitation of Russian pos- sessions to that part of the coast above 54' 40' north latitude and the grant- ing of certain maritime privileges for a limited time were the principal results sought after and accomplished, and un- questionably little thought was given to the definition of a boundary line which traversed a region esteemed to be of lit- tle value, either present or prospective. In consequence of this indifference and the apparent absence of geographical in- stinct in framing the treaty, we have an agreement through which it is no v pro- posed to " drive a coach and six " in the interests of the ever aggressive and per- sistently expanding British Empire. It is therefore important for intelli- gent Americans to understand the weak- ness of the articles of agreement upon which our Alaska boundary claims are assumed to rest. They can best be con- sidered in the order of definition in the treaty. In the first paragraph is found the not uncommon but always unfortunate error of " double definition," or rather, in this pai'ticular case, of attempting to fix an astronomical position by international treaty. It could not be known in 1825, and, as a matter of fact, it is not now known, that the southernmost point of Prince of Wales Island is on the paral- lel of 54° 40' of north latitude, for it is almost absolutely certain not to be on this parallel. No harm comes from this, however, as in a subsequent article (IV.) the possibility of this definition resulting in a divided jurisdiction over the lower extremity of that island is prevented by the provision that the whole island shall belong to Russia (now to the United States). The incident is quite worthy of note, however, as illustrating the claim that the dominant idea was the 54° 40' line. The prominence of this idea, in- 163810 520 The Ahtskd Boundary Line. [April, SKETCH-MAP OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA. Showing Points in Controversy, and the Boundary Lines as drawn on Official Maps of the United States and Canada. deed, in the minds of the several powers the east for about fifty miles in order was so great as to give rise to the second to reach the entrance of Portland Chan- ambiguity in the boundary-line definition, nel, or Portland Canal, as it is often which follows immediately upon the heels called. On the absence of anything in of the first. The description says, " Com- the treaty in reference to this eastward mencing from the southernmost point " line has been founded a claim that the (Cape Muzon), etc., " the said line shall use of the name " Portland Channel " is ascend to the north along the channel an error, an oversight, and that the line called Portland Channel." Now, an ex- was meant to be drawn by turning to the amination of the sketch-map of Alaska, north as soon as possible, which would shown above, will make it clear that, be after passing Cape Chacon, the east' beginning with the point of departure ernmost of the two capes at the southern as defined above, one must proceed to extremitv of Prince of Wales Island, and I "April, 1890.] The Alanl-a Boumlarij Line. 521 -60'' 58" r° da. er n- ;n in d e s e I " asci'mliiij; to the north " through Clar- ence Strait and Beliin Canal, and iinally intersecting the iiOth jjarallel of north latitude in Burroughs Bay. The effect of this would he to throw the whole of the great Uevilla-Gigedo Island, together with a large territory hetwaen that and Portland Canal (all of which has heen almost universally recognized as helong- ing to Alaska), over to the 'British side. Preposterous as is this claim, it has for some years received official support at the hands of the Canadian authorities, who have so drawn the line on several of their official m.aps. It is found on a general map of the Dominion of Canada puhlished by the Interior Department in 1887, and it is drawn in the same way upon what purports to he a copy of an official Canadian n>ap of 1884 (accompa- nying Executive Document 146, Fiftieth Congress, second session), although an original, now before me, of same date and title, and with which the copy is al- most identical in other respects, exhibits the line as following the Portland Canal, in accord with the ti'aditional claims of the UniCi-d States. In recent English dis- patches it has been announced that new facts relating to the treaty have been discovered whifch greatly strengthen the later Canadian interpretation of this part of the line, but it is hai'dly to be be- lieved that English diplomats will con- sider this line in any other light than as affording excellent material with which to " trade " in convention, or on which to '' yield " in arbitration. On entering the mouth of the Port- land Channel, which is struck almost in the centre by the 54° 40' line, we meet with another claim of comparatively re- cent date. Just to the north of what must be admitted to be the real entrance to this channel are two considerable islands, Wales Island and Pearse Island North of these is a narrow, dangerous channel separating them from the mainland, and joining Portland Canal above with the open sea. It is claimed that, admitting Portland Channel, as laid down on the maps, to bo the real channel referred to in the treaty, this comi)aratively narrow I)assage is a part of it, and the boundary line must be drawn through it so as to jnit Wales Island and Pearse Island on the Canadian side. This claim is not recognized on the official Canadian map referred to abeve, dated 1884, but it is upon that of 1887. It can have but lit- tle value, except when it comes to the '' general scramble " which is evidently being prepared for. The Portland Canal jn'esents another difficulty in the fact that it does not ac- tually reach the "o(ith degree of north latitude," as seems to be implied in the language of the treaty, and this has been used as an argument to prove that Port- land Channel was not really the channel through which it was originally intended to draw the boundary line. But this canal comes to within a very short distance of the .'jGth parallel, probably falling short of it by not more than three or four miles, and possibly by not more than a fraction of a mile. The Salmon and Bear rivers debouch into this canal at its head, and the bed of either may re- present the extension of the inlet to the 56th parallel. In any event, it is a mat- ter of no great importance, as some sort of hiatus must necessarily exist in a line passing from the level of the sea to the summit of mountains. Altogether the most serious trouble is to be anticipated in the interpretation of that part of the treaty, which defines the line as it is to be dx-awn from the head of Portland Canal to the 141st meridian of west longitude near Mount St. Elias. In Article III. the language used is that *' from this last-mentioned point " (where Portland Channel strikes the 56th degree of north latitude) " ihe line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast as far as the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude," etc. But as there was, apparently, even 622 The Aldska lioiindiiry Line. [April, then a doubt as to tlie position if not the existence of sucilj a range, tlie second paragraph of Article IV. was inserted, defining the distance of the line from the winding of the coast, in case tlie as- sumed mountain range might ))e found to run further from the shore than was then supposed. Although most interest- ed in the other features of the treaty, it is evident that British diplomacy, with its accustomed shrewdness, was looking after secondary as well as jirimary cpies- tions, and was by no means disposed to trust to the possible meanderings of any little -known range of mountains, even though drawn upon the ma}> by its own explorers. It was provided, therefore, that while the *' summit of the mountains parallel to the coast " should furnish the boundary line whenever such line would be ten marine leagues, or less, from the coast, if it should appear in the future that said mountains carried their sum- mits to a greater distance inland, then the line was to be drawn " parallel to the winding of the coast," and so as never to '' exceed the distance of ten marine leagues therefrom." It is important to note that this article may be regarded as containing something stronger than a quasi-admission on the pai-t of Great Britain that the stri{) of territory con- ceded to belong to Russia should be in width ten marine leagues from the coast line : it also implies that this is the maxi- mum width to which she will consent, and that there is nothing in the treaty to prevent her making it one league or half a league, if, in the future, she is able to do so and the mountains j)iit'Mel to the coast do not stand in the way. When this treaty was made, and in- deed until a comparatively recent date, the charts of the region prepared under the direction of Vancouver were the most reliable at hand. One of them (it is like- ly to have been the French edition) was doubtless before the authors of the ar- ticles defining the boundary line. All show^ a welWefined range of mountains, running nearly parallel to the coast line, and renjoved from it by a varying dis- tance, sometimes as great as forty miles or more. It is now known, however, and has been known for several years, that the very regular and neatly drawn mountain ranges which Vancouver's map exhibits owe their origin to the imagination of his draughtsman more than to anything else ; that is, as far as their form goes. In- deed, it is probably just to say that they were intended only as conventional re- presentations of the fact that mountains were seen in almost every direction, and especially in looking from the coast to- ward the interior. Within the past few years many topographical maps have been executed, and many photographs have been made of these mountains as viewed from the sunnnits of some of those which are accessible. Very ex- cellent viqjvs have been obtained from elevations of four thousand and five thou- sand feet, looking towards the interior and extending far beyond any claim of the United States. These show a vast " sea cf mountains " in every direction, generally increasing in elevation as the distance from the coast increases. Seen from a distance or from the deck of a ship at sea, they might easily create the impression of a range or ranges " par- allel to the winding of the coast." As a matter of fact, there is nothing of the kind, but only the most confused and ir- regular scattering of mountains over the whole territory, at least until the Fair- weather range, south of Mount St. Elias, is reached. Of course it is quite possi- ble to draw a series of lines from moun- tain summit to mountain summit, which would form a line parallel to the coast, or any other assumed line, but no one can deny that the language of the treaty implies a range of summits extending " in a direction parallel to the coast." As the mountains which actually exist cover the territory down to the water's edge, the logical application of the mountain- summit definition, if it is to be applied )ril, 181)0.] The AhtHhn Boundary Line. 523 at all, is to draw tlio line from peak to peak along the scacoast, and this our friends on tlie other side have not hesi- tated to*do. It is so drawn on the ofh- cial Canadian map dated 1887, and also by Dr. G. M. Dawson, director of the Dominion Geological Survey, on his map submitted to siiow proposed conventional boundary lines. Naturally, tliis line, in common with all recently drawn maps of the Canadian government, practically leaves little to us except the group of Islands lying off the mainland. While nominally allowing us a narrow strip, which is perhaps not quite all covered by high tides, it makes several short cuts which serve to break the continuity of our coast line, and to give considerable seacoast to British Columbia. Against the mountain-summit theory, the contention of the United States is, or should be, that as it is unquestionably proved that no such range of mountains exists as was shown on the charts of Van- couver, and as the high contracting par- ties evidently had in mind when they agi-eed to the treaty, it becomes neces- sary to fall back upon the alternative de- finition, which places the line " parallel to the winding of the coast," and not more than ten marine leagues distant there- from. It may be claimed that this was to have application only in localities where the range of " mountains parallel to the coast " was more than ten marine leagues from the coast, and that it vanishes when said range disappears. In reply it may be said that there are indications strong- ly pointing to the actual existence of such a range far beyond the boundary limit towards the interior ; but even if it be finally known that no such range ex- ists, either more or less than ten marine leagues from the sea, the intent of the agreement can be distinctly proved ; and in the impossibility of executing one of its provisions, an alternative, specially provided for the failure of that jne, must be accepted. Bat as soon as we suggest that both the spirit and the letter of the treaty would be satisfied by drawing the line ten ma- rine leagues from the coast, we are met with some astounding arguments an to what is meant by the coast. A well- known English authority has contended, in effect, that the coast line from which this distance should be measured should be drawn tangent to, and so as to include, the islands lying along the coast. The effect of this wouhl be practically to ex- clude us from the mainland, and to throw valuable parts of the islands theniselves over to the Canadian side. In the face of the plain statement that the line is to be drawn " parallel to the winding [*•*'- nuosltes'] of the coast," it is not believed that this point can be seriously urged. Should it be found possible to project a line satisfactory to both parties, from Dixon's Entrance, at some point of which it must begin, to the region of the Mount St. Elias Alps, there will be no difficulty in agreeing ujjon the remainder of the boundary. From the point where it strikes the 14l8t meridian west longitude it is to be extended along that meridian '• as far as the Frozen Ocean." Since it is an astronomical line, its position can be ascertained as accurately as circumstances require. In order to remove a not uncommon but erroneous impression that the Alaska boimdary line is now, and has been for some time, in a state of adjudication, it may be well to say that thus far nothing has been done except to execute such surveys as have been thought desirable and necessary for the construction of maps, by which the whole subject could be properly presented to a joint boun- dary - line commission whenever such should be appointed, and on which the location of the line could be definitively laid down if a mutual agreement should be reached. Such a survey was first brought to the attention of Congress in a message of President Grant in 1872. It was not until 1889, however, that the work was begun by the United States 624 Thv Ahtshd lif itidary Line, [April, Coast and Goodotic Survey, wliicli sent two parties to the valley' of the Yiiiton, in the vast interior of the territory* with instruetions to establish camps, one on that river, and tlie other on its branch the l\n-eu))inc, both to be as near the 141st meridian as possiltle. Tiiese par- ties were to carry on a series of astro- nomical observations for tlio purpose of determining tlie location of the meridian, to execute such trianifulalion and topo- gra])liical surveys as were necessary for its identification, and to establish perma- nent moninnents as nearly as might be upon the meridian line. They remained at their posts, under stress of weather and other unfavorable conditions, for two years, during which their work was done in a manner quite sufficient for any demands ever likely to be made upon it. The two most imj)or- tant points on the boundary, where it in- tersects the two great rivers named above, were thus determined, and a y.;ar or two later the position of the boundary merid- ian in relation to the summit of Mount St. Elias was established. Jt is diflieult to see what more will be required for a long time to come, as far as relates to this ])art of the boundary line. In south- east Alaska, where all the uncertainties as to definition of the boundary line exist, peculiar and in a certain sense insuper- able obstacles are met with in the actual survey or " running " of a line in the or- dinary sense. In nearly all of the pro- posed routes most of the line passes through a region practically inaccessible, or at least not accessible without the ex- penditure of enormous sums of money and many years of time, wholly dispro- portionate to the end to be gained. To attempt to make anything like a detailed topographical survey of the wide region covered by the several claims, of suffi- cient accuracy to satisfy the conditions, and to " run " a line wherever it slio\dd finally be located, would involve labor and expense impossible to estimate in advance, but sure to be extraordinarily great. In view of these facts, it was determined to nuiko such a survey as would enable a boundary-line connnission to fix upon any one of several " conven- tional " lines whidi had been suggested already as satisfactory substitutes for that of the treaty, now generally admit- ted to be impossible of lealization. In July, l