IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

w..

1.0

I.I

1.25

■-121

1.4

2.5

11.6

Photr^nrphlc

Sciences
Coi^xjitition

93 WMT MAIN ITMIT
WIBITIR.N Y 14SI0

(7)«) i/a^sos

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductiont / Institut Canadian da microraproductiont historlqiias

Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notas 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 checked below.

Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur

r~l Covers damaged/

Couverture erdommag^e

□ Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicuiAe

Df:

Cover title missing/

titre de couverture manque

I — I Coloured maps/

Cartas gAographiques en couleur

Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bioue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or illustrations/
Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other material/
Relii avec d'autras documents

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

La rs liure serrAe peut causer da I'ombre ou de la
distorsion le long de la marge intArieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut qua certainas pages blanches ajoutAes
lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans >• texta,
mais. lorsque cela Atait possible, ces page:^ n'ont
pas 4t* film^es.

Additional comments:/
Commentaires supplAmentaires;

L'Institcjt a microfilm^ le meilleur examplaire
qu'il lui a 6ti possible de se procurer. Les details
de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du
point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite. ou qui pouvent exiger unf^
modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage
sont indiquAs ci-dessous.

□ Coloured pages/
Pages do couleur

□ Pages damaged/
Pages endommagies

B Pages restored and/or laminated/
Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul^es

r~~l^ages discoloured, stained or foxed/
L^ Pages dicolor^es, tacheties ou piqudes

The c
to th(

□Pages detached/
Pages dAtachies

r~T/Showthrough/
I— J Transparence

rn Quality of print varies/

Th«!
possi
of th
filmii

Origi
begir
the li
sion,
othei
first
sion,
or ill(

Qualiti in4gale de I'impression

Includes supplementary material/
Comprand du materiel supplimentaire

Only edition available/
Seule idition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pagan totaiemant ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'arrata. une pelure,
etc.. ont M filmies i nouveau de faqon k
obtenir ia meillaure image possible.

The I
shall
TINl
whic

Mapi
diffe
•ntir
bagii
right
requ
matt

This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked bolow/

Ce document est film* tu taux de riduction indiqu* ci-desaous.

10X UX 1|X 22X

30X

12X

lex

aox

a«x

ill! Ill

32X

The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks
to the generosity of:

Metropolitan Toronto Library
Canadian History Department

The hnages appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in keeping with the
filming contract specifications.

Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cower and ending on
the last page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other original copiei* are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or Illustrated Impres-
sion, and ending on the last pan« with a printed
or Illustrated Impression.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol — •»• (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Maps, plates, charts, etc . may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in one exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

L'exemplaire filmd fut reproduit grAce h la
g6nAro8it6 de:

Metropolitan Toronto Library
Canadian History Department

Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire film6, et en
conformity avec les conditions du contrat de
filmage.

Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprimis sont filmis en commenpant
par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la
derniire page qui comporte une empreinte
d'imprassion ou d'illustration, soit par le second
plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exempleires
criginaux sont filniAs en commenpant par la
premiere page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illjstration et en terminant par
la dernlire page qui comporte ur.e telle
empreinte.

Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la
dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symboie — »> signifie "A SUIVRE ', le
symbole V signifie "FIN".

Les cartes, planches, tableau ., etc., peuvent Atre
filmAs A des taux de reduction diffArents.
Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre
reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A pertlr
de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite.
et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre
d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants
iilustrent la mAthode.

«.••

'M'l-Mifc,

"-<'*":■'-"•

*r> *r:> ^^^cs o

>^2-^ ?lu,V-^^^

JUN £U Wob-

SPEECH OF MR. FAIRFIELD, OF MAINE,

ON THE

NORTHEASTERN BOUNDARY ^UESTION,

DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Thursday, March 8, 1838.

C'-'

k^ c

Mr. FAIRPIETD addressed the House as fol-
lows:

Mr. Speaker: I am in favor of the bill which
Jny colleague [Mr. Evans] proposes to introduce.
What is it, sir? Why, it simply provides that the
President cause the Northeastern boundary line of
the United States " to be accurately surveyed and
marked, and suitable monuments to be erected
thereon, at such points as may be deemed neces^a-
ry and important." And it is a measure so just
and reasonable in itself, and so imperatively de-
manded by the circumstances of the case, that I
trust no member in this House will feel a disposi-
tion to ojjpose it.

In Maine, there is but one feeling upon this sub-
ject. That State, sir, feels that she has suffered
deep and enduring wrongs at the hands of the Bri-
tish Government. She knows that she has been
illegally and unjustly deprived of the property and
jurisdiction in a portion of her territory; that the
valuable timber upon that territory has been the
subject of plunder and waste; that her citizens have
been seizw and imprisoned in foreign jails, without
4law and without right; and that the nation guilty
'of these multiplied and gross outrages not only de-
nies redress, but refases even to agree upon a mode
by which the legality of he acts can be tried, and
an amicable adjustment i.i the difficulties can be
effected. That State also feels that "she has not
been treated by tlie General Government as she has
endeavored to deserve;" though, in her complaints
>upon this subject, she goe« a lillle farther back than
my colleague found it for his purpose to go.

Thjs, sir, is no paWy fucsHon in Maine. It is
true, there have been several attempts to make it a
party question; but these attempts have always
proved abortive. And this bill, introduced by my
colleague, was agreed upon by the dclegalicui from
Maine without regard to politics or party, and is
introduced in nursuanre of an arrangement be-
tween ihcm. It was with extreme regret, there-
fore that I found my o(.|lengue dinpomi to make it
the basis of an attack upon the Administration— to
mingle it with party politics, and, »«rAop», in send
a speech home, to co-oporale with similar efforts
making there. Sir, I think no good can come of
thiacour.se in anyway; and I regret exceedingly
that it should have been thought wise to adopt it.
But this regret, great as it was, did not exceed my
lurnriiia an d as'oiUBh'"'!!' ■■' k^"-*"- i-;~ — • --

the Administration of 1825, while condemning, in
severe terms, the succeeding one, in reference to
their respective action upon this subject. The first,
it is said, nobly asserted and maintained our rights;
while the other, by concessions, frittered away, and
finally abandoned them. Sir, I think (his declara-
tion will be received with some surprise at home,
too; for the genera' opinion there, as I have sup-
posed, has always been directly the reverse of this.
And, as the door to this investigation has been
opened, I trust I shall be pardoned for walk-
ing in, and asking the House to go back with me
to a peiiod somewhat beyor.d that, to which it seem-
ed to be convenient for my collcagne to extend his
inquiries. I will then endeavor to show, that
Maine has been exceedingly ill treated, not only by
the British Government, bi*t by our own Govern-
ment, and by that Admi.iislralion, too, which has
received the warm encmiums of ray colleagua.

In doing this, I beg the gentleman from Massa-
chusetts [Mr, Adams] to believe that it will not be
from any feelings of personal unkindness or dis-
respect to him. I .shall refer to his acts, merely as
a part of the history of the case, and only because
I feel compelled to it, by the course of my col-
league upon this subject. Besides, if I succeed in
my attempt, it will afford an additional reason for
the passag;e of the bill; for, corresponding with the
extent of wrongs suffered by Maine, will be the
measure of her right to re<lress. If she has been
(/ou»/i/ wrongfA, then is she (iout/y en'it/trf lo rtlitf.

Sir, if I have not totally misapprehended the his-
tory of this matter, almost every step in the pro-
gress of the case, taken by the Administration al-
luded to, was adverse to the interests and wishes of
Maine, and, in most instances, against her solemn
protest. That Administration did little or nothing
lo protect our rights and interests, but every thing
to put them in jeopardy.

Of our long list of complaints, let me coll the at-
tention of the House to a few prominent ones. In
the treaty of Ghent it was provided that commis-
sioners should be appointed to ascertain that point
in the highlands lying due north from the source of
the St. Croix, constituting the northwest angle of
Nova Scotia, and to sitrvey the line extending (him
the source «>f the St, Croix to the highlands, and
along the highlands to the northwesternmast head
of Connecticut river. These commisaioners having
sscB sppcifiiwii iii vvsiuiiiui^ wiut ilia trcaiv, ex-

tended their olTicial labors through a period of about
five years, without being able to agree, and closed
their commission by making reports to their respec-
tive Goveriimenls. 3n the progress of the case, a
vast number of documents relating to it were col-
lected, which, with the statements or argument of
the commissioner, were deposited here in the na-
tional archives. Copies of ihese documents Maine
was exceedingly anxious to obtam; and, as early
as 1826, moved in the matter, by the Legislature
authorizing the Governor to procure them, and at
the same time making an appropriation of ^500 to
defray the expense of it, should there be any.
And will it be believed, sir, that our Governor per-
severed in his efforts for a period of over two and
a half years before he succeeded in obtaining
them? His requests were presented in a variety of
forms, and pressed with that earnestness and force
which ever characterized his efforts in the public
service. I refer to the "lamented Lincoln," the
brother of the honorable gentleman from Massa-
chusetts suiing near me. But notwithstanding the
importance of the subject, and our deep interest in
these documents, especially at the time they were
called for, notwithstanding ths offer to pay all the
expetise attending a compliance with our request; and
notwithstanding the Governor proposed to receive
them as confidential, if it should be requested, still
Mr, Clay, then Secretary of State, pertinaciously
refused to furnish them, or have them furnished!

May 29, J 827, the Governor, having disconti-
nued his unsuccessful efforts with the Secretary of
State, addressed himself directly to the President.
In answer to this call . in October following, the
copies were furnished; (wo and a half years having
beet, spent in the accomplishment of that desirable
ob '. In suppor' of these statements, I beg leave
U. -ifer to documents now before me. Governor
Lincoln, in his message to the Legislature, January,
1827, says:

"My Mumedia'opredflcexjior ((Jovornor PuriR] hw noliriioJ
tluMlocuineulscnuiempluiodl)/ a ri'solvi) uf ii (ormBr lA'fiiHln-
turn, relative to our lioiimlary; nml I cnniiot Ijui luMie tliui ilie
porsiin applietl to will fliid ilic obliiifttidtiH of his Kllimtion wo
mudiliud, m to udniil IiIh turriMliin; the proper oHiceri) ol this
Hlalolhat inforiiiation, liv wliicli it tniiy he pn-pured to jiulfje
correCtljr of tlie riBhisorilu' Union, iiiiJ of ii Ibroign nnlion, in
connection with ihiit imlcpomlent rifthi wlilcli It ought to ninin
tain, so fur a^ tin- prudent appilcution oliill itsjuMitmUlu iiicuiib
will permit."

At the sane session of the LegLslaturc, a resolve
was proposed by a political friend of my colleague,
I Mr. Deane,] The following is an extract:

" By n iiKolve oCihr I,eiri«liiiurnorihiHp(ini(<, piinrtpd.lttniinry
JS, lt«i, thn (lovcriior of ildn Hinio wiih anthorlwHl imd ru-
ijuoHtodio iiiki' Hiich nii'iixiiruHAH In nii^iilthinlt uxpuilioiil nnd
oirHCttml, toprooiiri! I'lrlhi'imo o 'Im^ Htiil<> ccrldlii coj itw imd
dooumaritH, mc. ineniinncd In j-huI renolri;. The Civirnor,
hkving tloiM' all in Ilia poitrr to procnni iJie infonnailon nlhiil<<ii
to In «ald ruHUlvo, liul hia ell'ortH Hu(/iavi»^ limn Hutviin^ful,
your coinmlltpr lire of oplid(Mi thui iliu liiieront* ofihuMiaie
miiy 1)0 Hdvanci'd liy ii rent'Wiil of (he nM|iioRi to ihi* novcrn-
iiienl 01 iha I) nii«<d Miniee, "

Subsetiufnlly to this, viz: April 18, 1827, Go-
vernor Lincoln, in a letter to Mr. Clay, uses the
following language upon this vubjfci:

" It wild with much rifinl, not (iiiiMinKh'd vtHUinormcalim,
thm I ronnidnrod your (/««(((/ of ili(Mii<iMif(|>e rojioriH imd iireii
mcni* of III* riMtmiltwInner^ undttr the treoty of CJIteui "

A^aini in th« nain« lettdr he adds:

"Willi thlnipini ol forofiirniirf, Him hiMtoiivlii Inforinniltn
onlyrtHioan in^iM/ riVd/ tnhrr»f{l. iw wrH ik iin|<oriniii to
fbBPoiintrr, Whhoul *ii» pnrpone ciilinlnlfd in r.irilrdinliUMt
Willi only Miirh pnirleiiofl«wi»ii«linvu randnrml the rcfunnl iiI
CBinpiy wUii hc' rrij:ic3t 3 supjrni iifitJS! i-itfiiry-t urmirprmr
whidh a friend vrnhlttnmnntl lu hikn no iminvr fueJN when
Ii < ix nir freatU unlfi mrei^iittikiU wnfmno " '

And again:

"Asa free, sovereign, anilinde|ienilent nc|rtiblic, may \vc \M
ho. permitted toliave coiniiiMnicaiion with ilio aiitIi(ivitro.i of the
Itiiion; or do lliuy mean iluit we sliall suljMiil implicitly to tlieir
(llrecijoii, liowever Aise it i.iay be, at llie.-ame lime ihai liny
declare liiejr cunvjclion odhu finiprii'ty nj'jcithlnildiiii; in/or-
iiuilinn.' Tlie general concern:! of the Union ;u-e, oi course,
commimicaied only to ilie whole; lint thai which n lates to a
■/Kirticiiliii coiiiiiiiiiiili/, when ilsiluily iniei course <((///(;;((,'» /«•
\f<iniialio7i; seems to wanant the re(|uesi I have niaile, anil
which I am reluctantly hnjullul In rriinr, wiih diis niodilica-
lion, thai any cummtmicaiion made in reiuin will he leceived,
if so rerpiiied, snliject ht nrmlihtion uh iiul/liciiij, beyond
a comniunicaiion 10 ihe I,eL;i.<lati,re, in the usual terms oicuti/l-
dcntiut commniiieiitioiis."

In a letter 10 the President, dated May 29, 16??7,
he says :

'■However di.trotnas^ins; may have been the corrrHiinndenc.
I have liail willi ihe Secretary of Stiller, I cannot decline a
course deliberaiely <letermined upon, or adndl the liclii f that a
represenlation feluiing to the welfare ol Mai le can be unwel-
come."

At the session of Ihe Legislature of Maine,
January, 1828, a report was made upon the sub-
ject of the boum'ary, by a political friend of the
then National Administration. From that 1 extract
the following:

"The delay lo cive information to the Siair of Maine, when
it hml III en au ofteji rcijucslid" — "is ceriainly iv ly t.r/((/u'''
diiiniy."

Upon this point I have no more to say. The
facts speak for themselves, and can be appreciated
by the House without multiplying words on my
part.

Again: Maine assumed the position that the
General Covemment had no constitutional autho-
rity to cede any portion of her territory, either by a
direct delegation of power in the Constiintion, or
indirectly under the treaty making power, by way
of arbitration, or otherwise. This, or rather the
latter branch of the proposiiion, was virtually de-
nied by that Administration. The entire correct-
ness of our positions, however, have been again nnd
again admittctl by the two .succeeding Administra-
tions ; yet my colleague cominentls the first and
condemns the last !

The Administration of that day, claimed the pow-
er to submit ihn tjuestion r f bo>'.ndary to the entire
"exclusion" of Maine, even though it should in-
volve rt dumembtrmtnt of our territory, considering
it as a national question merely, and reganling the
efforts of Maine to present her views upon the sub-
ject to Ihe Executive, as "oft/nmue."

In connection witli these remarks, I beg leave to
refer to the letter of Governor Lincoln lo the Presi-
dent of the United States, dated May 29, 1827. He
says :

"lliivinff leitrned iliat the title iherelo |ihe di»|iiitrd territory)
iR iiivolTcd III the iletnlla of II dlploniiitic iirra.iucinrtii, con-
ducted under llic wiiictum (d the Ii^xuciiiivv Depiiriinent of ih«
t''ederal OovernmenI, Maine, alllmuiili not cutmiillfd, yet
Inmnd from deferefl^B lo tiay u due riKpect to reiuMm", ilio im-
lure mill lorre of which eiie Is, (wintisiuriiiiHn niulmf/iiltri-
uim iinriri , rendered unalilr In ciimfrilwiid, helieves ihal elio
oimht lo piexenl her rTjiiitiinlniiiiini in regard tunny niuaitircp
ihreiiiHnlnB her with injury. "
Again, in the same letter, he Rdd»:

"It iHni>i roniniveriedihiit iherontrolof our foreign rclntltni»
lielonUH lo ihe llniled HlatcnaM lo objerlH which have nrlKi'ii tin
der llie <!ohstlti|tlon or cxlHiinn Iiiwh' Ir't in lei'ard lo riKhln ar
qiilml hy lui liiftppeiiileni party, aiit! IntereMn iii properly vc«ed
liy HctK iiiiierlnr to Ihe uxiittunee of that coniftart, tlie iiitertxiHi
lion of ihii Kederal I^xecilllve, wlihoiil an 'XjiMmt x'"^! •{/
/inirrr, noenintiihettrniiiitouD. No ritmexhian will nmun that
tliii trenty makmit power id foiiipeient lo an nrtironitconiliiit
the wo|>() ol il II r.omhined trunie of the Uuri'rnnirni."

Ill A letter to Mr. Clay, bearing liate NoTcmbei
iC, 'i8a7, Gr>¥. Lina-in sajre ftmhen

" I have nlwi lhl« day rnefivnl \onr rommimleellnn rf I' r
lliiti liK'in I I'i n l-fi'tcii' .1 nil hUi 'i n'n»ib«! :|ia; h

-iiili^ t\ I I'lif-i -i lUiitHfii^. ritf ttiirrirhi'tt'i^tlthltiirhiM^imitKiMiimliii^aHiiiiii intlc.

lie, may wc i.'ii
iitliiivitlos ol'tlic
Illicitly 10 tlu'ir
lime iliat llicy
'ilitiltliiii; ill/or-
iu'c. (il course,
licli RliUes III a
fcdi:iiiiiiit!ii ill-
iivi! luiiilt', iinil
Il iliis iiiiHlilicii-
vill 1)0 U'Ccivnl,
liliuinj, lii^vdni!
Ilenus olcoii/i-

ay 29, Ic.'^T,

r(iriTH)inmlenci

iiiioi ilc'cllne a

It! Iiilii I' ilint a

can lie uiiwel-

( of Maine,
on Ihe sub-
Vicnd cu' the
hat i extract

>r Mill no, ir/i«H
' fii!/ txlriw-

3 say. The

appreciated

urds on my

[in that the
oiial aiithc-
, either by a
istitution, or
iver, by way
r rather the
virtually de-
tirc correct-
en again and
Administra-
te first and

iicd the pow-
to the entire
t should in-
considering
?garding the
pon the sub-
beg leave to
to the Presi-
9, 1827. He

iiulpil itirriinry I
i.mrinriil, con-
iiirinii'iit III tlie
curiDiiliiil, yi't
ciuMinn, llio iiH'
» anitmt/nltri-
I'llvviiH UiHt xhu
II nny inuiuurci>

iii«l«n rclnttimt
liavn nrimiii iin
mil (iii'J^liiN iir
propeiiy vdmaiI
I, till) iiiier|Kmt

mm uriiiil itj

will iiMiri. ihai
rttranftcDiitliiit
iptii."

) NoTembei

iilfRtInn pf t'r
'iiiib^u diit! h

ohlecli -1 1 have had the honor to urge against th^ aubmissiov
to a, foreign umpire of the territorial and jurisdictional riglus
(if Maine, without consuttivg or advisinq her as to the condi-
liuiii, linve not lieen ilcemed available. If any injury shall re-
sult to her, the apfieal will be made lo the people of this coun-
try and to posterity. It has not s,.'emed tirrugant or prtsump-
tuous to have expected a mognilion of her rights, and to
have asked, that, ifahe is to he n-ade a sacrifice, she might not
be devoted wiilinutaoiiie consideratlun on her part ol the lifrms.
• • • When you cautioned us against siigjiesiionB
of compromi.?c luid acl^i of precnuiion, il was not believed ihai
it waf. that you ininlit the more easily throw us within the
power of an'uinpire, but that you intended to intimate that the
powerful arm ol the Federal Government was holiling its ample
shield befoie us. At last we ieani that our strength, security,
and wealth are lo be subjected to the mevcy of a foreign indivi-
diibl, who, ithasbcen eaid by your minister, 'rarely decides
upon 811 let principles of law,' and 'has always a bias to try, il
possible, to split the dilTercnce.' 1 cannot Init yield to the im-
pulse of sayins, most respectfully, that Maine has not been
treated as shehas endeavored to deserve."

In a letter from Gov. Lincoln to Mr. Clay, writ-
ten April 18, 1827, he says:

" An.KiouK, as in my situation I cinnot avoid being, for the
preservation ilurinK my continunnce inodice, and alway.-^ after,
of the rights of the iBtaie, I must express my alarm at a portion
of Mr. Gallatin's letter. He says: 'An umpire, whether a liing
or a farmer, rarely decides on strict principles of law; ho has
always a bias to try, if possible, to split ihe difTerence.' And
yet, I am Intbrmed that tliere has been in progress an arrange-
ment of the preliminary points for constituting such an umpire.
I cannot but hope that no arrangement will be clfecled, which
will endanger Ihe half from the nierei circunistiuicc oi a
wroiigfiii claim lo Ihe tchole, under ihc pitifulveakniss which
is liable to.-^'ptil the difference lielteeen right and wrong."

Again, in his iclter to the President of the 29th
of May, 1827, he says:

y "The treaty miikintr power of the United Htntcson one side,
and his ilrilaniiic Majesty on the other, iicreo to consider the
decision of the aib.tration final and conclusive. I,ct nic eay
that, to a siiiTender of territory involved as a possibility, il will,
I trust, be m.iflc evident that llure i,s aii'iiher piiriy not to lie an
indlircrcnl npectntor of its own ih-lacevation. The mind, in con-
lompliiling our iiiwpi'cls, is cairietl lo the courts ol Kuio|ie,
and led lo sciin Ihe tribunals to which you may refer this sub-
ject. Il would be unsuiiable for me lo conimeni on the disposi-
tions or lalenisof fnieigH sovereigns or Stales; but ii is not in
cold blood that lean aiiiicipaie tlie committinL' the dcBlinies ol
Maine 10 0(1 irre.iponiilile nrliiter, lobe found in aiilsiiint land,
and neces^arihi nnr/iialified to act in the cam:. The characlor
ofthiaarbitersiiiphas bi'ieti portentously exhibited by Mr. Gal-
latin. Hudicc it lo snv, iliat the proiiosed iiibitralion will jeo-
pardise , irilhout her cunaent, andajtainal her trill, the rights
of Maine. ' ' ' Maine, now standing in Ihe phicc
ofliiir parent repuhlic, (Massnchusotts) may deem the fifth urli-
cloofiho treaty of (;hent as having led lo a course endanger-
tng her rights, ami rcndereil more |iniiifuland alarming by her
exclimon from a proper intercommunication anil legitimate
cu»wi«erriV/onim(i|)arty in ihocase.''

Again, lie says:

"Whatever cli trader apperlalned lothe confederation, or to
Itiosn who entered Into that holy league, It is inanifeRt lluil the
HtRlcs were not identilted and confounded with ihe Union, in re-
lation to iho .pitistlons hero prusenteil, under ihu original treaty
ofpeaco anil liniila. I inusl tlieroloro resiiecKully urge, that,
tiowover the policy and principles of the Execuiivo deiinrinient
of the Kaderal Govornmenl may (//c/(i(fl the iniposltloii upon
Maiiio of Ki(«nc(i and forhearance, and however plainly may he
Indicated the ili'«pn8i'tion lo treat llin Buhject as if merely na-
tional, rhtt will not oti.^crva tny procedure by Ihe United sialim
andOreiU llrliain for ilie MTonnco of tier territory and the abro-
gation of her aiilliorlly, without u Hciisibillly too serion.i lo he
ftfltaive."

Once more:

"It has hwn ursf d thai tlilsfimce.rn In ho r.tclamrelu nnlwtt-
at thai Mninii i< ohirn.iive in presou'lng her views lo the, consl-
iloration of the Kxecutive. It is neveriheluss believed," &.C.

In the same document from which I have been
reading, I find n letter from the Lieutenant Go-
vernor of New BrnnswicU to Governor Lincoln,
dated November ir», 1827, to R naragrnph of which
1 wish t<i call ytmr attention. It seems l!i»t a citi-
zen of Maine had been seized on the disputed ter-
rilory by the provincial authorities, and imprisoned
in the jail at Fredericton. Gov. Lincoln address-
ed «v U'V.i'r u« "h'H. Majesty's Lieutenant Governor,"
Ukiug him lo cttninunicalo the ciixumstances of

the arrest. His Majesty's Lieutenant Governor

replies as follows:

"It is not for me to question the propriety of your Excellen-
cy's opening a corres|)ondence with the Government ol ills
province, on a question now pending in negotiation between his
Majesty's Onvernment and Ihe Government of Ihe linited IStates,
as contracted nnderthe treaty of Gl'.ent; but it would neither U
consistent leithmy sense of duly, nor in conforrmty mth my
inilructio7is, to aive ihe explanations your ICxcelleiricy re-
quests, to any persons excepting those with whom 1 am dlrectetl
to correspond, or under whose orders 1 am placed. Should any
reference bo made by the General Oovernmcnt of the United
States," &c. ...

Here we see the unfortunate and humiliating
condition in which Maine was placed. A foreign
Government had seized and imprisoned her citizens,
and when asked merely to communicate the cir-
cumstances of the arrest', turns up its aristocratic
nose, and says it is not consistent with its seme of
duly so lo do. To the General Government it is
willing to communicate. When we call upon the
General Government for information, there too,
we are repulsed: papers in which Maine is deeply
and peculiarly interested, are locked up in the na-
tional archives, and she is not only denied copies
of them, but her efforts an regarded as very ob-
trusive. Again: on the one hand, the British Go-
vernment had unjustly wrested from Maine a por-
tion of her territory; and on the other, the Go. eral
Government was upon the eve of submitting to a
foreign arbitrator the question in effect, whether
the British Govei"^ . lenl should keep the whole, or
only half of what it.iad thus unjustly taken! Thus
was Maine bound hand and foot, and made rebiy
for the sacrifice. Rciilly, if Maine is under great
obligations to that Administration for its efforts in
her behalf, I confwss myself totally unable lo .«ee
or comprehend them, in relation to this matt?r,
however, I suppose my colleague's political optics
are ."some what knctner than my own.

But the case was finally submitted, and that, too,
under the implied power, so far as our Secretary of
State and his Minister had power to confer it, of
sjMting the difference. This was most manifestly a
fair subject of complaint on the part of Maine,
because it was entirely gratuitous and uncalled for
on the part of the Minister and Secretary. The
written terms of the submission were, upon this
point, perhaps well enough. Why then make de-
clarations inctmsistent with these written stipula-
tions, calculated to lead the arbitrator to an ex-
ercise of power, not strictly granted, and adversely
lo our interests? I nm unwilling to believothat it
arose from any really .'settled feelings of hostility
to Maine, and her then political Government. The
letter of Mr. Gallatin has already been reftjrred to, in
which he says, that "an umpire, wheiher a king or a
farmer rarely tlecides on strict principles of law; he has
always a bias to try, if possitjle to .split the diffe-
rence." Tlie correctness of this position was sub-
sequently reco^tnised and confirmed by Mr. Clay.
In his letter to Governor Lincoln, of November
97, 1827, in reply to some objections which hati
been tuged against the submission lo arbitration,
he says: " Il is true, that it (arbitration) is a mclc
not free from all objections, and JV/r. ClaI/(i(inA(M
tidverted to one, in the extract which ymi give from one
of his /f«er«." And thii, too, was alter the con-
vention was entered into at Loniltm, prescribing
the terms of the submission, that having been done,
September 29, 1887. After, then, il haii been

< .. (.Elll^didHialdt^ -

U.11MSm^iMiii£ti

■i

solemnly agreed, that the arbiter should decide the
question of boundary upon strict principki of law,
that is, accoiding to the terms of the i.ealy of 1783,
and not under the influence of that "pitiful weak-
ness" which "splits the difference between right
and wrong," we find our Secretary of estate ad-
mitting the latter as a valid, though not insuperable
objecliun to arbitration. And here, I thiik, we may
date most of the unfortunate difficulties that have
since grown out of this case. If it had not been
for these unfortunate expressions of our Minister
and Secretary of State, would the umpire ever
have thought of travelling out of the plain letter of
his commission, for the purpose of splitting the
difference between right and wrong? I think not.
And the extent of their influence since, with the
British Government, ia protracting the settlement
of this que!-tion,no man can calculate.

But again: Maine had not only just grounds of
complaint, for submitting the question under the
circumstances in which it was submiited, but of the
selection of the umpire himself. I will not say it
was the worst possible selection that could have
been made, but I may say, that there were many
and, to my mind, insuperable objections to him.
He was, in the first place, under great obligations
to England. He owed her a, debt of gratitude,
which, I suppose he would have been happy of an
opportunity to pay. At the Congress of Vienna,
in 1815, Holland and Belgium were united jind
made one kingdom, under the name of "The
Netherlands;" and, a few months afterwards, Wil-
liam was crowned King, with the title of "King
of the Netherlands." England, it is well known,
had an overpowering influence in that Congress,
and contributed more to the result of a tmion of
Holland and Belgium than ail the other members
combined. And to England, more than to any
other nation, was King William to look to sustain
him in the position in which he had been placed
Whether in consequence of all this, his subjection
to Briti.sh influence was more than it ought to be,
I will not undertake to say; but it is a fact, that at
one time he was called, by his own subjects, "Le
Prefect d'Jinglelerre" — the Prefect of England.

But more than this, he was a member of the
"Holy Alliance"— one of the band of conspirators
against the rights of man. Cherishing the most
deadly hostility to liberal principles, how could he
be expected to feel any particular partiality or
favor for a nation that was doing more to dissemi-
nate these principles than any other nation in the
world 1

His hostility to liberal principles was fully shown
by the tyranny which he exercised upon his own
subjects. In the first place, he abolishsd the right
of trial by jury—" that bulwark of liberty, and
best safeguard of private rights." He then de-
stroyed the freedom of the press, and imposed
punishments for libels upon the Government, from
one year's imprisonment to death. He decreed
that the French language should no longer be the
national language in Belgium. " The Belgians
were to unlearn their mother tongue, and frame
their organs and those of their children to the use
of the Dutch." No man was allowed to advocate
n CBUS8 in the courts, cx<:ept in Dutch. No msn
could devise property, except ia a language every

word of which required to be translated. And no
man was admitted to office, until he had served an
apprenticeship to the Dutch language.

Such tyranny can only be equalled by another
act of the same king, which was this : On the adop-
tion of the constitution presented by himself to the
notables, he declared 527 votes to be a majority of
1,523, on the ground that some of the notables
voted from religious scruples ! The historian de-
nounces this act, as well he might, "a barefaced
outrage on common sense and equity." And this
is the man — a member of the Holy Alliance, exe-
cuting its tyrannical principles upon his own sub-
jects — indebted to England for his crown, and na-
turally opposed to the United Stales as the friends
and disseminators of free principles; this is the
man who was selected to arbitrate upon the rights
of property and sovereignty of Maine, when they
had been assailed by Great Britain ! Verily, if
here is cause for gratitude on the part of Maine, I
will leave it for the particular friends of that Admi-
nistration to discover.

But again : Maine had just cause of complaint,
that the case was not taken from him, when he
ceased to be, what he was when the case was re-
ferred, viz : king of the MtherlanUs. In 1830, his
tyrannical oppression of his own subjects caused a
revolution, which, we all know, resulted in the
independence of Belgium. So that, while he re-
tained the empty title of the king of the Nether-
lands, he was, in fact, only king of Holland.
Shorn of more than half his kingdom, subjects,
power, and influence; and dependant upi the com-
bined powers, one of whom was Englana, even for
the retention of this "smaller half," he ceased to be
that independent sovereign contemplated in the con-
sent to his arbitration. At the very time of his
pretended decision cf cmr case, the question was
pending with the combined powers who should be
made King of Belgium; whether the Government
should pass out of the family of the King of the
Netherlands, or not: the Prince of Orange, son of
William, and Leopold, of Saxe Coburg, being the
principal candidates. England had an overwhelm-
ing influence with the combined powers, and the
King of the Netherlands knew it. Without, there-
fore, alleging that the decision was at all influenced
by these circumstances, they were sufficient to have
authorized our Government to protest against his
proceeding further in the case, and to have invited
him to give up the paper*. This, however, was
not done, and the umpire went on to make what he
called an award, by which more than two million
acres of our land would have been transferred to
Great Britain. Fron this, however, fortunately for
Maine, another Administration, which had just then
come into power, rescued us. Nevertheless, as ray
colleague would have it, the first Administration is
worthy of all commendation, while the latter is
worthy only of censure !

The Governor of Maine, in his annual message,
delivered January, 1831, holds the following Ian.
guage in relation to the subject:

" Hut recnnt ovflnlH hiiviriir dflprlvnd timt monarrli fiho Kiiig
o( thn Nmlinrlanil»| o( llio Krmilogl porlioii of Iuh kltji;(l(ini hy a
ri'voliition, tliuH romlorii^ him necnssurily (InpcnilBiii npon
fdrnlKii i)()Wor lor wiccor nnij support, hi* political Hliimtion
has ticcn su egseritiaily f harigeii iiiai It mar iic iliiubtiui, .ii icaat,
wliotiiar ho will give a Uecialun on tiiia (Inlicate and Important

niesiinn, which was ref.'n-c.l to him under circumstances so
ctfseniially (lin'ercnt fniinlhose winch at present exist, lithe
effect of this revoliiiioii shoolil lie to unite in aiill closer IvmuIs
olainitv ihe (brnier Iriemlly :mhI iniimiite relations (i( the Kin','
or the NeiherliiiidH wiih (ircal Itriiani, whii'h seeins to be pro-
bable, il most Ije eonsiil-riNl iliat tlie aL'reenient to reler woiilil,
in that event, ho reiiilereil oT no avail. WhaieviM eonfhlenee
niay he pnl in ihe justice of onrcanse, liowever clearly oiirri.:ln
may he shown in arsunienl. we reriainly coiilil not be williuii
to submit it to the umpirage of a sovereisn, who is not only the
ally, btti who, by the lorce of circ\ims:ance3, may have become,
in .some measure, the dep-nilant ally of (ireat Britain,"

Similar views were expressed by the Legislatu'-e
of Maine by certain resolutions upon the subject,
adopted February 28, 18-37.

These area portion of the complaints of Maine
against the General Government during the
Adams administration, and, I trust, that all will
perceive them to be ne'ther unjust nor unsvihstan-
tial. I will now pa-s t.) the specific charges of my
colleague against the two succedingAdministrations,
and endeavor to show how far they are right, and
how for they appear to me to be without founda-
tion.

And, first, in relation to the agreement or under-
standing had between the Governments of the Uni-
ted States and Great Britain, as to occupation and
jurisdiction ofVthe disputed territory. The Adams
administration," it was alleged by my colleague,
took high ground and maintained it manfully,
while the succeeding Admuiistrations had frittered
away the agreement, and, finally, abandoned both
possession and jurisdiction to the British. Now,
this may be so, but I have not yet been able to .see
it, and, I think, the flou.se will find Ihe same difli-
culty with in y. SI If, after examining the instance.s
particularly cited and relied upon by my colleague.
For the origin of this agreement the letter of Mr
Gallatin to the Sfcrelary of Slate, daled .Tulv, lSiJ7,
is referred to, in which he savs: "Mr. Canning
also susire.sted the proprieiy oi' abstainiiiK, on both
sides peniliii'jf ihe suit, from «»iv ncl nf si>verris;nlii
over the coutrsted /cnifori/." We next find the
agreeineni allu 'd to in a letter of Mr. Clay, Se-
cretary of Slate, to the Governor oi' Maine, Novem-
ber i27, 18-J7, which was overlooked by my col-
league. He says: "Boih parties iland pledged to
each other to practice forbearance, atul to abstain
from furihnr acts of sovereiKniy, on the unoccupied
tcasU, until the question of rial;! is settled." Now,
as that Admiiiisiraliim has been complimented for
making a good agn-ement and adhering to it, ii is
worth our while, for a moment, to examine these
two statements of Ihe iii-'t'eemeni, and see how far
they coincide. By iMr. 'rallaiin's statemeni, 'both
sides were to abstain from any acts of sovereignlv
over tkecdnlestcd lerrUnrif — that is, over (/ic ir/jo/c.
By Mr. Clay's statement, we were "lo abstain from
furliier acts of sovereignly over the unoccujdcd
lOrts/t'," iVc. Here is an impoilani ddference. If
Mr Gallatin's agreement had been adhered to,
Great Britain could nut have cxeiried aiiv acts of
sovereignly even over the selllemenl nf J\lmlawnska,
But as Mr. Clav has chaiigiMl ii, Great Briiain is
only restriiMeil to ihe nniHrupied lon^/c. This is a
very pretty In '..'iniiint; for ihe Administration which
has received such high encomiums.

But let us s;o one step farther. The next notice
wr liiid ot this agreement, is in a letter from Mr.
Clav to Mr. Vauuhan, bearing dale January 9,
iQid. After complaining of certain trespasses up.

on tlie territory, in cutting timber, whicli, it was
alleged, had been done under the authority ol the
British Government, he adds: "1 need .scarcely
remark, that the proceedings, thus diiscribed, are in
opposition to the understanding which has e.tisted
between the Govertunents of the United States and
Great Britain; that, during the pendency of the ar-
bitration, which is to settle the question of bounda-
ry, neither party should exercise any jurisdiction,
or perform any act, on the disputed territory to
strengthen his own claims, or to effect the state of the
property in issue."

Here, also, we find important modifications of
the agreements before staled. In both of these
agreemenhs, the acts of sovereignty from which the
iiarties were to abstain were unqmUfiid acts of
sovereignty. Now, it is not any act of jurisdiction
or sovereisnty whatever, but those acts only which
have for their object lo strengthen the claim of the
party exercising it; and in proportion, therefore, to
the difficulty of deciding upon the precise object of
either of the parties in any particular act of juris-
diction exercised, is the agreement made loose, in-
definite, and worse than none. Here, then, are
three attempts to state the agreement, and neither
agrees wiih the others. They all differ in very
e.s-ential particulars. If, therefore, my colleague
should have succeeded in .showing, as he attempted,
that the succeeding Administration had stated the
agreement differently, at different times, and that
some degree of confusion had been produced upon
the subject, I think .MJine allowance should be made
on account' of the example which, it is perceived,
bad been set them by their predecessors.

But as this last version of the agreemen' seems
to have lieen settled down and practised upon as
the real a!::reemenl or understanding in the case, let
us see what it is, and what is the fair construction
of it. There are two branches to it; one relating to
Ihe JKri.^dicftfm, and the other to the property, in the
territory;— the parlies were not to exctcise any
acts of" sovereignty to strenalben their ow i claims,
or to do any act which vhould affect the -'alue of
the property. B was lo coniinue during \ht' pen-
dency of the aibitration. This I take to oe the
fair construction of the agreement. Now, how did
it apply to the actual state of things? Why, Great
Briiain had possession of Madawaska village;
Miine had possession up to that, or nearly so,
and the laud lying above Madawaska might
be regarded as "unoccupied wasio," which neither
inrty'"had in actual exclusive pos.session. Hence,
iK.th" parties might continue to exercis« jurisdiction
without any violation of the agreement, provided
-hev kept within their usual and accustomed limits,
and committed no ww or/iirl/ifr act of jurisdiction.
The ri -his of properly were to remain unlouched,
that 1-^ iiHiher were lo sell ihe land or cut off the
limber Here is the ii;;reemeiit, .inil h^M'e the mode
r applving it, though we therein make a large
..(inees'^ion'in favor of Great Britain, lo wii: in ad-
miilin"b'"r jiirisdictiim over Madawa.ska vili.ige.
M;iine^alwavsdenie<l this "H"'' :^ wrtain Mr. Bar-
r,.ll who seemed lo have imbibed strong prejudioe.s
a.'aiiist Maine and her interests, wn* appointed by
Mr Clay to go to the British Provrrn-ei-. to r.ullect
the faets in this case. He reported that Great
Britain was in posunion of Madawa.ska. This

—M

«■»•*»

aftpfvvards beins; recognised ami confirmeil hy Mr. | been committcii by rriiish s^ubjccts, and net on ac-
Clav, Maine louncl herself reluctantly obliged to j count of any «c^ cf snvaelgnty by the Britis-h Go-
yield a fact which she had always before, and ! vermnent. Ttie a2;reemciil, it will ho recollecled,
rightfully, contested, unless ihe issuing of a few ! was of two branches, one touching the property,

commissions in a militia, not in esse, and a few
acts of a like tharacier, were sutlicieni to consti-
tute possession. That die loregoing is a fair con-
struction of the agreetnent, I refer'to Mr. Clay's
letter to the Governor of Maine, bearing date No-
vember 27, 1827, in which he says:

"Hjih panics stand pledt'eilio oacli (itiior lo praotici! forbcnc-
anre.aniltn nlistnin konxfinlhrr acis of povciei^nty on the
unoccupied iraste, umil il'iefincstionol' right i8 settluj."

But, whatever may be the true construction, I
would now inquire by what right or authority was
this agreement made? If the disputed territory
belonged to Maine, and that Administration ex-
pressly admitted it, where did ihe General Go-
vernment derive its power to say that Maine, a
soveieign State, should not extend her jurisdiction
over it? Would not such a power involve that of
alienating the territory? If the General Govern-
ment can rightfully deprive us of our property and
bestow it upon another for one month, I do not see
why it may not be done for one year, or for an in-
definite period. This question of authority occur-
red to the mind of my collea!:u(?, when speaking of
the agreement as having been made by General
Jackson's administration. It was all right and pro-
per, in his estimation, for Mr. Adams's Administra-
tion to enter into such an arrangement, but to con-
tinue it merely, by the succeeding Administration,
was all wrong, and he calls for the authority.

Pursuing the order of my colleague, we now
come to the first act of the new Administration, in
which it is said that the agreement or understand-
ing is entirely changed, and very much to our dis-
advan tage. That, Mr. Hamdton makes il a ques-
tion of properly between the citizens merely, and nol
aa.iestion of soveriignlij and jurisdiction between
the two Governments. In a letter from Mr. Hamil-
ton to Mr. Vaughan, under date of March II,
18"a9, he say.s:

"I have rtcnivfd, and la'd holbro the rrosidenlof th;; i:nitnd
Stales, llie nnie, with its lim-l isiircs, which yog did mc the
iioiior til writ!' to nie on tin; 7ili of this 111011111, in answer to a
rfipresi-ntatioii whirii was made to voii hv Mr Clav, on thr 9ili of
January Inst, at ihi! instance o( tlic (inveriior of MassachiiWiits,
concemini dnprcdations eotiiplaini'd of hv him aL'ainsl inliahi-
tantsofthi^ Province of New llninKwick, in rniiins timber,
prcparins Inmher for market, luul eivcioL' riiills, upon the soil
.'ftho teriitorv in ilispuK' hiMween the tlnileil S;ale,s and firi'ii'
Ilrilain; .and I am direcie 1 hy the I're.-ideni 1,1 state, in n ply,
as! have much pleasnre in dnins, that he ilerivcH jirciit Kalis-
faction frimi the inforination contained in ycnir commiin'Caiion,
;is he eppecially perceives hi the proni|)"l and eiiercelic mea-
sures arlopied liy ,'^ir Howard l)oii!:las>, l.ieiileti.ant fJovrTnoi
of the Province in tpiesi on. ,and derailed in the enclosure refer-
red lo, a pledue ol the same disimsilion on liic pan of ihe an-
thoriiiesof ihal Province wliicli aniina'es tills (iovernnu nt, 10
enforce a sirict olifervancc^ of ilie nnderJlandiii!.' Inlween tlie
I wo (■'overnmeiits. tlinl the ritizeihi iir mihirrfs-nriii'i/fiT ulialt
ixereisi' an;/ acts of oinn'ig/n'i) in llm ti:^ii'iiti'd U iiitorij
uhiixt the lillv lu it rri/iiiins tni.setlli'd."

Now, alihough Mr. Hamilton was at t!io hmd of
the Slate Depatiment for a few days only, under a
temporary Mrrangeinent, and probably had not
givfn Ibis subject much of his attention, yet, on a
fair construction of what he has said, taken in con-
nection with Ihe circumstances of the case, it will
be found that there ij in fact no chanw in iho
agreement or misslalein«nt of it, made by him. It
will be perceived, that the correspondence ihen was
in regard lo certain trenpasses alleged by us to liave

and the other the- jiirisdiciioii. It is, therefore, fair
to piosume, that Mr. ILunilion alluded to that part
cf the agreement v;liich bore upon the questions
then under considtration, without intending to set
out the whole agreement, or those parts of it bearing
on questions not then drawn into di.scussion. This
construction is deemed to be strictly in accordance
with the fiiir and Icgiiimate lulcs of interpretation.
But if he was in an error, the Governor of Mas-
sachusetts fell into it also. For, ('n recurring to his
letter to Mr. McLane, then Secretary of Slate, un-
der dale of November I, 1833, we find the follo^\•-
ing remark relative to the agreement, viz:

"Prejudicial as the delay in the .«clllcmint of tliis long vexed
aiilijectof lioiindiMv islothe riahls of property which Massa-
chusetts claimed in the disputed lerrltory, and impatient tis both
the CJovernnienl and the people have become at the inireasona-
bleness and perliii.acity of the advetTary pretensions, and with
the present state of the (piesiioii, yet the Executive ofthis Com-
monwealth will nol cens-e to respect the undcrstniiiling wlilcli
has been had liei ween the Goveniinents of the two ciuintricR,
thai 710 act oficrong to the property of cither .■^■hall he commit-
ted diirina ilic peniiinc of measures to [tiro luce an amicable ad-
justment of Ihe controvdsy."

Here it will be perceived that Governor Lincoln,
in his statement of the agreement, confines it lo the
property merely. Now, how is this? No one, I
presume, will accuse that gentleman of a disposition
to relinquish any rights belonsing cither to Masj^a-
chu,setts ov jNlaine, as connected with this subject.
For myself, I have always regarded him and his dis-
lingui.shed brother among our best friends, and
foremost in avowing and maintaining our claims,
and in repelling British pretensions. The only
true solution of the matter is this: thai Governor
Lincoln was corresponding with Mr. McLane,
upon ihe subject of certain trespasses alleged to have
been commitietl upon the properly of the disputed
territoiy; and hence he cin.fined himself, in his re-
ference lo the agreement, lo that part of it only
which related lo the sul^'ject mailer of discu.ssion.
In this, he and Mr. Hamilton adopt the same
course, and neither change the agreement, or yield
any rights belonging lo the Slates of Maine or
Ma>sachusctts.

My colleague [\Tr. Evans] next refer; us to the
letter of Mr, Van Biiien, then Secretary of State,
to Mr. Vaughan, under dale of May II, IS^'l), for
further proof of a change in the ngretmcnt, and of
a virtual abaiuloiunent of the risdits of Maine. If
that letter be susceptible of any such interpretation,
then I have studied the English language to no
purpose, Mr. Van Biiren says:

"The imdi'tsiened r /»ui"/ ac'/"/f-.i'(r in llin sii|ipo:-iiion tlmf,
because tlie iiL'iail ol his Itritaiiiiic Majesty tlioni.'lu pioper,
in the proceeding's lieliire the coniniii-^iiniers, to linj cliiiiii. 10
all iliai porl'on of Ihe Sale of Maine which liesnorih of a lino
rniiMin'.' weslerly iVoni Mars Hill, and desifoiiti d as the limit
in- lioiindarv oltiie iiiiii^h claim. Ihn^tii/t/i' I'liitril •Stiili.t. or
thr S'lntr of Mnini . ri iisiit lo hii ri- Jiiri.idiclion in Ihr territo-
ry lliiis claimed In the view of lliislioveriinii ill, his llniamiic
Majesty's neeni mirhl. with fy""' /"*'"''''"'*'' ''■''"'"'''-''' '•'"
claim to ((»// (i^/iT ii>t(li>-imlnl jiait of till Stale, -.{yt lo claim
ihe portion ill it which be h.iMlr.cwii in cpie-iloii; iind In siicli
case, Ihe Meiitenatii (Jnveriior of New llninswick coiilij
siiiely ooi hn\e considered a coniinniiiice on Ihe pan ol ihu
Ihniiid l^lales, and of ihi' Slate of Maine, lo oxercise lliur ac<'iis-
totned jiirij-dlcliou and isnilioriiy. to be an encroachnient. I!
so, in what liuht are we to resai'd' the conliniied act-^ of inrisilic
lion now exercised liy liiiiiin the Madawaskaselllemenl I Moro
limn twenty years at'o, laran iracis of land, lyin^i westward of
Muf!) Hill, uiidnorihwiu'd on ihu river Urflioolj', wcio ijiaulud liy

'^o one, I

(ho Siate of M,is.<aduiSDt's, which iraols nve hcl nn.l pnase^sc.l
umlcnliiMO irraiils to lliis (liiv;a\ul iho l-imeil teiaios, ami Ui«
Stoics or M;i^i-iichiHotlsiiii(l!Maii-.c, in siiccesMon, /m.-e ni-rr
rra^'-.llo exo.rcUt thai in.rh'.Vc;io» whicli the uiiMill il concli-
lion olihe couiiiry in Hwii region, and other circumsiance.^, ad-
miileil anil rciiuiieil.-' .... i c .u

Here is a plain, clear, and distinct avowal ot me
justice of our clainu, anil a forcible and manly vin-
dication of them. lie insists on both our jurisdic-
tion and pos^ession, and yields nolhins;. Surely
Maine can find no fault wilh this. But a para-
graph at the close of the same letter is referred to
pariic.ularly, as containing the unfortunate modifi-
cations of the then subsisting agreement. It is as

follows : „ „ , n

" The unilcrsisnoil inihil?.'? iho hope that Mr. Vaiighan w;ll
perceive, in ihe iniiniier iirwiiifh ihe Presiih ni, (hscnniinaun?
bctw.'en tlie rifihls of ihid Coveninieiil anil their present exer-
cise, has Ufeil the ihsr.reiion conlirieiliipon him— an aiMilloual
evidence of the desire wliir.h he sincrely entertains=. and which
he ha«i lieietofore caused to be communicated to Mr. Vanghan,
lliat both Governments shouUI, as far as practicable, ahstaiii
from all acts of anilioriiv over the territory in dispute, w iich
are not of Immcdiaie and indispensable necessity, and whicn
would serve to crtaleor increase excitement whilst the matter
is incoiirseofarbiuadon," ikc.

Here, it is said, by the qualification of imme-
diate and indispcnsible necc.'-siiy," a door is opened
for British asgression, and a latitude given that

' But

Govctninciit which it did not possess before.
I would inquire whether it be any thing more than
what Mr. Clay says, in hi* letter to Mr. Vaughan,
of February 20, 1838, viz:

"Nn- can thcv |cri-iain nets of ihc Uriiish Govcrnmcnil be
reconciled widi ihai mniiial Ibrliearance le perform any )fc(r
(id (if ."orfi-'iLniii/ wjiliin ihe cUspnu'O teriiloiy, Unrniy: (i.
Icndiniyliistrivl'lhi:ii this c'K.imn of Ha- purly 'Xciasui!; il,
which. 11 ha> lict n e.vpfcied, wcndd lie nbscrvi d by the two
Govenmieni.--, dniinL' die proL'ress of their endeavors amicably
to a. Ijiisune ipiesiliiii (li boundary."

If persons, not sulijecis of either Government,
fiT instance, slioulii go on to the " unoccupied
waste" lor the purp<>se of pkinderinu it of its tim-
ber, wluit shall be dcme ? Shall boih parties so
cons'rue the aurtenicnt or understanding l>etween
thein, in rcgaid to the ahMninins from the exer-
cising <«f jiiristiction as to compel eai.h other to
standby and .sec such trespass pio-ecuied widi im-
puiiitv? Or should each party have the right to ar-
rest and puni-h the intrudfi? The latter, undoubt-
edly, ami more especially so, beoause it would not
be done for Ihe purpose of '■'■strenglhe.n\ns;lhe claim
o/'<.'if j)ii»7y," and wi.ttid be of "immfdia/e and In-
dts)ifi>!,(ib!i' nectsiitij.^'

Thi.s view is .siipportinl b\' reference to a report
made to the Lesislalureoi Maine, in January l?--29,
by a gentleman who was, auit still is, Ihe ptditical
friend of my colli ague. His language is thus
'•T:;ere :-eenis to have Imm'h an tnidcrstamUi.p he'weon the
fiiivennnciil ol the t'niuu Stales and the Ihiiish Govcrninent,
earlv In ISili, that each party sli mid alisiain Ironi any acts
which iniiilit be construed into an exi'rcisi'of the riahls ol sove-
veiL'iiiv 01 soil over the dispnied territory, r.rfri I f<,rlln; pin-
past lifiirinirriii^il in i/.i llitujinscnt nldle, WM\ the linal
Jc'erndnation oftheipiestion." . ,-<

The next cause of complaint atjain.st Gen. JacU-
pon's adminisliaiion (>n my mlleasue's list, he de-
rives from a li'lter of Mr. nanUliPiid to Mr. Li-
vingston, dateil October 1, 1831. Mr. Hankhead,
after aliudinc to certain proceeditiiis on the part if
Mniiie toiichini: the dispiiied lerriti ry, say*:

"Tiie no '.er-'i'Micd rcL'reis sincerely tli.il thi"-'e irregular pro-
.•eedinLMsh mid havi^ lieen h mI recourse to, diirini: ii periud
wheii tbc iinciidH nf bound. iry i^ in a ccniiveof settlement, and
111 oiiP I'itimi to /Ac f/rs/(f v}'-;!rcsi'i{ hy t'l'' Vrnnrii tit, 'Amf,
pendlnpthodlsciissiiin of tlitil (pirslion, llin NIatr of Maine
■)lniHUli<fra<nfri)m rtiiniiiillhiff tniy ncl irliirlii'(iiil(l htivii-
itriird into n rinliiliotiof thv ivi^hhnriiii^ tunilury."'

Here, it is said, we see the President ignobly

yielding the possession of the disputed territory to
(Great Britain, and desiring Maine to acquiesce in
it. And, if the facts were .so, I would unite with
my colleasrue in almost any language of reprehen-
sion that he might choose to employ. But where, I
ask, is the evidence that the President ever express-
ed any such desire? It is only to be found in this
letter of Mr. Bankhead. But, on referring to a
communication from Mr. Van Buren to the GrO-
vernorof Maine, of March 18, 1831, it will be
found that the President is entirely misunderstood,
and his language palpably misquoted. It runs
thus:

"In makin" this communicatinn to your Excellency, 1 am in-
structed by the President to express his desire, that while me
matter is under deliberation, no ."ti'.ps may be takin oymc
Stale of Maine, wiili regard to the disputed territory, nincli
mishl'hp calculaled to inleirnpt or embarrass the action
oj Ihe Executive branch of this Government upon the sub-
ject."

Thus, simply by citing the authority upon which
Mr. Bankhead predicated his remark, the whole
charge and complaint of my colleague falls to the
ground. But it is said thai, in a letter of Mr. Li-
vingston, while Secretary of Slate, to Mr. Bank-
head, October 17, 1831, the e is an entire acquies-
cence that Great Britain should have the exclusive
jurisdiction of the disputed Urrilory. In this letter,
my colleague says, all is abanduned, yielded, given
up; and that now we have not a light to set a foot
there, Sir, I have read that letter in vain to find
any such acquie.scence in the British claim, or
abandonment of our own. On the contrary, it re-
cognises the subsisting agreement between the two
Governments, and insists on a strict compliance
with il. The object of the communication was to
procure the release from imprisonment of certain
perj-oiis who had been at rested and imprisoned by
the Provincial Government. It seems ihat in 1830,
just before Ihe awaid of the royal umpire. King
William, the Legislature of Maine incorporated
the town of Madawaska. Bui, as appears in the
communications of the Governor upon the subject,
il was merely in anticipation of the award, and
without any intention of having any formal orga-
nization under iht; act of incorporation, until after
the awatd should be duly promulgated; never for a
moment doubting that it must be in favor of
M.iine. Ceilain individuals, however, without in-
str ciions or authority from the Government, ap-
plied to a justice of liic peace in Bangor, to issue a
warrant lor calling a meeting of li-e inhabitants,
fi r lilt' purpose of organization, and choice Oi
officers. The warrant was issued; and while in the
prosecution of liieir design, they were arrested and
imprisoned bv the Provincial Government, on the
ground that their acts constituted a violation of the
agreement, about which .so much has already been
said.

Mr. Livingston sought to procure their release
in Ihe first place, on the ground Ihat their acts,
beiiiir unaiuhorized, and not followed out, were no
violation of Ihe agreement; and secondly, that even
il it were so, the Provincial Government could not
rightfully proceed to try and convict them. It might
be a cause of complaint asainst our Government, if
their acts were auihorizcd; but to procceil to try,
convict, and punish them, would be u practical de-
cision of the question of exclusive ji(ri,9(J«ction;and
against this he remonstrated in earnest lanjjuas'B.

Now in all this, what is there to condemn'? I am
unable to perceive any thing.

But my coilesiiue has insututed a comoarison
between the curse of Mr. Livingston in the fore-
going case, and the course of Mr. Clay in the case
,o^o %'"'"^^' '"','* imprisonment of Johr. Baker in
1828. It is said that Mr. Clay used stronger lan-
guage m requiring the release of the prisonc-r than
Mr. Livingston used. That is rather a small mat-
ter evenil n be so; but it appears to me, that Mr.
i^ivingston, in the positions he assumed, took the
higher ground of the two. They both refused to

^^r !a ^ ^''", "'' """^ ^'''^^"^'' "••>" had been
arrested, but denied the right of the Pro^'incial
trovernment to proceed to trial and conviction, be-
cause it would be iiactical decision of the ques-
tion ot right to exctusive jurisdiction. Whclock
was arrested for acts done and committed i-,> the
vUlage of Madaicaska, in the possession o' the
British; while Baker's settlement, Mr. Clay says
appears to have »:een made outside of the Mada-
waska settlement, upon contiguous waste lands."
And hence he adds:

" Whatever juri.sdiclion the Oovernment of \ew Brunswirk
fined to It, coudn,)t Ije nghtlully extended to Uaker ;'nd his

^e:zi^C^t:::iT '"•"^'"''"^ ."^the^..ovi^.aiG:j.

Thus we see, that while Mr. Clay was lienyin?
the right of the British Government to try and
punish Baker, inasmuch as he lived out of Mada-
loaska settlement, on the unoccupied waste, Mr
ilrl^"^''^" ^^^* denying their right to try and punish
Wheelock for an act done in the settlement of Ma-
dawaska itself. This is manileslly higher ground
than that assumed by Mr, Clay, and yet my col-
league can see in the course of the former every
thing to praise, and in the latter every thin"- to
condemn. -^ "

In the case of Greely, however, Mr. Stevenson
is conipliinrnicd lor the bold and manly tone in
which he denounced the arrest of Greely n^ an
outrage, demanded his release, and denied the juris-
diction of the British Government. Sir, I am" glad
that this Administration, or any one of its members
can perform any act in a manner to please my
colleague. But, he adds, Mr. Stevenson assumed
It upon his own responsibilitv, not having received
mstructions Irom this Government of a similar
character.

To this, I can mnke no more efleclual answer
than to turn to Ihe letter of instructions itself from
Mr. Forsyth to Mr. Stevenson, under date of July
12, 1837. I here find that he expressly calls the
seizure and imprisonment an "oltiugk npnn the
personal liberty'' of one of the citizens of Ma ne-
and, after dwelling brielly upon the argiimeni of'
the case, he closes by saying: "You are directed
immediately upon the receipt of this despati-h k]
bring the subject to the notice of his Majesty's Go-
vernment, and to DKMANo, as a matter of justick
and UKiiiT, the prompt release of Mr. Greely, and a
suitabk indemnity for his imprisonment.'' Our incli-
nations must hav8 become belligerent, indeed if we
would retjuirc any thing more than this; and one
woulil naturally think, that the materials for Onili-
finding were very scarce, when such circumMances
are seized upon ns matters of grave accusation
against the Admiuijtraiion.

But It IS said, further, that the British Govern,
ment has acquired possesion of the disputed terii-
tory by means of a warden, and that this warden
was appointed with the knowledge and concurrence
of President Jackson. Where ,s the evidence of
(his? ISone IS to be found except in a letter from
Sir Archibald Campbell to Sir Charles R. Vaughan
■January 20, 1834, in which he says: ''Mr!
McJ.aughlan was appointed to the warilenship o\'
he country w.th the knowledge and ccncurrenceof
the I resident; and it is not conceived, therefore,
hat any iair ground of objection can be taken to
lus laiihlul performance of the duties of his office."
It nill be observed, that he o )es not allege that
Frmdejii Jackson concurred in the appointment:
and from the information to be fathered from the
documents, it is manifest that it could not have
been him, lor the appointment was made before he

f^uu^f?^''^''^- ^y "^^ foregoing letter of Sir
Archibald Campbell, we learn that the name of the
warden is McLauchlan; and on turning back to a
letter from Sir Howard Doiglass to Mr. Vaughan,
dated February li, 1829, we shall find the follow-
i.-.g in relation to this gentleman and his appoint-
ment: ^'

"In order that your oxcellency ninv have fii!' (•iiviim«nn
ual, and recent infonnaiio,, ..,.„.{ Hd.suhec.,/;: c ■ " n res'-

u'^T^fel'^n^'i'^" 'r" '""""""^^' xi"'" 'l'e>ii.!;'„cl",'errl
loi.Mlliavedespalclied a inack^lrate olihis rountv-ii "entlc-
man m wliosc prudence and .li-creiion I place iho llrnlest rell
aiKo-wuh ,n.lruni.,n. to in..pecl all tile lun Ik r r„ ,, L aV.y
where near the line,- etc. etc. " Ifavins ma.le t).i.. i,,. mi, f
tns ^onl enian will be ,lirr,M to r, main in the. avpn^a^^
lUecountry. wilh orders to enloree the slrieie.t ob4rvm,ce of
.::;MM><triiclionrl havn already civen to seize any lindx r," etc
■ the report Irom Mr. MeLain-hhn,, the n,a?imrale whom I
am ahout to despatch on tin. duty, will prohahlv reach vrMir
excellency mahout three we''ksat'ier this cominiinicaiioii ■'

This IS the only evidence I can find of the ap-
pointment of an agent or warden; and it will be per-
ceived that this was dunng ;hf i.vistenee of that
Administration which, according to my cor.'ague's
Views, did so much lor Maine, .-.nd to whicir she
owes such a liebt of gratitude. For myself, how-
ever, I do not believe iliat any Piesident concurred
in that appointment. It was a matter of i„fh-cnce
merely on the part of Mr. Campbell and he was
probably as much mistaken in that as v.-n have
already seen Mr. Baiilchead was, in undertaking to
stale the Predent's " desires."

Mr, Camptell in the same letter, speaks of a
" conventional frontier;" and this furnishes my col-
league with the occasion to inquire bv what autho-
rity the President had assented to a "coiii/entional
frontier," and to complain of the Adminisiration for
its criminal abandonment of our teiritory and our
rights. Sir, how easy is it to magnitV trifles into
importance, to see mountains in iiKile-hills, when
our vision is diseascil? Of the sincerity of my col-
league I do not doubt; hut in this instance, at'least,
his strong feelings of opposition to General Jack-
son's administration— an opposition which can see
ni) good, but unmixeil evil in all its ads— has
misled and deceived him. Tiie convenlioiinl fron-
tier, of which Mr.Campbcll speaks, is nothing more '
or less tha.. that «hich was^^slal)lished by J\Ir. Clay
himself, in the agreement before alluded to. If the
British Government weie to retain the posses-
si(>n i)f Madawaska scillnncnt by the agiemiieiit,
why, then, is it not manifest that the hwndar>i line
of that settlement is, for the time beinsr, a "co'tiven- •
tiunal frondcrV Nothing can lie plainer; and no

tish Govern'
isputed teni-
this warden
concurrence
! evidence of
I letter from
it. Vaughan,
>ays: " Mr.
irdenship of
iicurrenceof
l', therefore,
be taken to
f his office."
t allege that
ppointment;
;d from the
Id not have
le before he
etter of Sir
name of the
i back to a
•. Vaughan,
the follow-
^is appoint-

!', circiinisian-
3. coilain tro.s-
liisiniicil terri-
ny— ii gentle-
flnnest reli-
'("camps any
iii.-» iri.-'peciion,
inijirrpurt of
iibstirviiMcc of
tiinix r," etc.
itiaii' wlinin t
y reach vimu-
nicaiidii,''

of the ap-
ivill be per-
ce of that
col'i^aEjue's .
which she
y'.sell', how-
concurred
f i»ffrenve
id lie was
^ v"r! have
?rtaking to

eaks of a
cs my col-
hat autlio-
is'cntional
(ration for
)' and our
trifles into
il>:, when
)f my col-
', at least,
lal Jack-
ii can see
acts — has
')iinl fron-
liiiiginore ■
^Vr. Clay
o. li' the
E posses-
iiK^iiiriit,
ulary line
"conveif '
; and no

evidence can be found (published or unpublirjhed)
of PreGident Jackson, assenting to any other con-
ventional frontier.

After the rejection of the award of the King of
the Netherlands, agreeably to the advice of the Se-
nate of the United States, negotiations were opened
with the British Government, for the settlement of
the line according to the terms of the treaty of 1783,
and my colleague complains of Mr. Livingston's
pusillanimity in invilins negocialior.s, and apologiz-
ing for the rejection of the award. I deny *hat
there was any apology, or any thing approaching to
it. F" stated the fact of the rejection, and then,
in pla. : and manly terms, gives the grounu;, of it.
And as to theinvUation to enter upun negotiations,
pi -y why should he not have invited it? Should
he rudely have insisted, or a.<surned a right lo com-
mand'? Sir, I am no friend to the old system of di-
plomacy, characterized by duplicity, indirectness
aid intrigue. No sir, I prefer General Jackson's
mode of saying right on, in plain, direct, and forci-
ble language, what he had to say — o! asking for
nothing but what was right, witb a determination
to submit lo nothing wrong. But inviting negotia-
tions, it appears to me, is in no way inconsistent
with this.

[Mr. Evans said that his colleague was entirely
mistaken; he (Mr. E.) had not complained of Mr.
Livingston either for a .suppo.sed "apology" or "in-
vitation" to negotiate.]

Well, sir, then I mu.<t let it go for my mistake,
though 1 finu it upim my minutes of that gentle-
man's speech, 'nksn at the moment.

But complaint is made of Mr. Livingston for
proposins: to the British Government a new princi-
ple of survey, lo wit: to abandon the due north
course from the source of the St. Croix, if need be,
in order to strike the highlands named in the treaty
of 1783. If Mr. Livingston had stopped here, it
appears to nic, he wotild have been fully justilied.
It is a fnmiliar principle, that courses and distances
shall yield to monuments — that which is more cer-
tain shall control ihat v.'hich is less certain. The
highlands, which divide the head waters of the
rivers flowing into the Ailaritic ocean froiii those
which fall iiilo the river St. Lawrence, \% one of the
monuments named in the treaty of 1783, and if it
be necessary to diverge from a true north line from
the source of the St. Croix to strike these high-
lands, I can see no objection to it. But lo the cor-
rectness of the position that we should diverge ui the
v;est and not to the east, to the left and not to the
right, I cannot assent; nor will Maine yield her as-
sent to a proposition so dangtri>us and suicidal in
its nature.

I have thus followed my eolleasue thron^'h his
list of cliars"."! again:*! the Avlministrations of
Genrr.U Jacksim and Mr. Van Biiren upon this
5ubject, and have endeavored to set things rig!)t —
approving aiul condcmninu:, as tlie circiimstiuiecs
s.'emed n, require. Nothing i^ to be gained by
unnecessarily impugning the course of the General
OoVernimiil. Onr object now is to procure the
passsagi' of this l)iU — i" lake one decisive step to-
watds re.>i(iriiig to Main.-i her long lost and mnch
abu^ed rim.ts. In this we need the aid of the
f.AiMU'ral &o,'(«rnment, and confiiiently e.vpect to
receive it, in both its Legislative) and E.vecutiie

branches. We call for the passage '>f this bill, as
a measure not only mild and , rudent iu itself, but
imperatively called for by the rights of Maine, and
corresponding obligations on the part of the Gc"-
ral Government. Maine is so unquestionabij
right, and Great Britain so palpably wronr: in this
matter, that I cannot belie ye any member who
hr.s looked at all into it will refuse us his vote.

But I am aware that, fr )m the circumstance of
this question being soraew!iat local in its charac-
ter, and perhaps from the circumstance, too, that
Maine has been so meek and uncomplaining under
injuries, it is not generally welt understood. I pro-
pose, therefore, as briefly as I can, lo give an ab-
stract of our title, and the questions now pending
between the two Governments.

The northern and eastern boundaries of the
United States, and, con;5equently, of the State of
Maine, are thus defined in the definitive trt;aly of
peace between Great Britain and the United States,
concluded at Paris the 3d of September, 1783:

Art. i. Anil tliat all Jlspiitus which micht arise in future on
the subject ol the boumlarie.s of the paid United Stales inay be
prevented, it is hereby acrecil and declared that the following
are, and shall be, their Ijnundariea, viz; From the northwest
ansle of Nova Scotia, to wit; that anrle which is formed by a
line due north from the enn-ce of the St. Crid.'c ri»'.. ..o tlie
hiuhlanda, aloiis the said highlands which divide (hose riversthat
empty theniaelvesintothe river St. Lawrence, from those which
fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the northwesternmnst head of
the Connecticut river; llience down along the middle of that
river to the forty-fifth dei^ree of north latitude," &:c. ''East, by
a tins to b;-! drawn alone the middle of the river St. Croi;;, from
ii.^ mouth in the liay of Fnndy lo its souice: and fnmi its source,
directly north, to the aforesaid hti,;hlanda, which divide the rivers
that fill into the Atlantic ocean from those which fall into t'le
rii-'cr St. Lawtonce."

The first question thatarose under this treaty,
was, as to the true river intended by the St, Croix.
Provision was made for the settlement of it in the
treaty of 1795, commonly called ^ ''.s treaty; and
in li')'^, the commissioners appointed in pursuance
of the ] revisions of this treaty, determined that the
river called by the Indian name of Schoodiac was
the true St. Croix, and accordingly placed a monu-
ment at its source, which now remains as one of
the acknowledged and undisputed boundaries be-
tween the United States and the British colonies.

At that time every thing else was supposed lo be
well understood. There was no ether uncertainty
or ambiguity alleged. There was «^o dispute or
(juestion made as lo the localities of the monuments
referred ^<< in the :reaty oi TSS. There was then
no pretence ol title to the now disputed territory .set
up. All these things, a« we .shall perceive, were
after-thoughts, suggested by the supposed conv.--
nience ant' all-graspuis cupidity of Great Britain.
Al the negotiation of the treaty of Ghent in
1S14, the Briii.sh cmnmissioners asked for a cession
of a part of this now disputed territory for an
equivalent. Our ministers substantially replietland
lighifully, that they had n'> authoritii fo cak. That
the territory belonged to Massachusetts and Maine,
an." no power mmld divest their title. Then, /or
the first timi-, a doubt was suggested as to the boun-
dary. This doubt in a short time ripened ir.to a
claim; and this claim, founded upon pretences of
title !he most prepo.sterous, has been urged ever
since, if not with the mo-^* ronwutnmate pffiontery,
at least with a pertinacity worthy uf a better cause.
However, provision was made in that treaty
(1814) for the appointment of cornmissioners lo

survey ihc lint?, end, in case oC disaproeoient, a
submiision of the question tn some IVhiuIIv >;ne-
reign was provided for. The commis-ioners ap-
pointed uruler this provision of the treaty, afler
attempts extending through a pirrioc' of about five
year», conld not agree ; and thereupon, in piir-
suatice of the treaty stipulations, the case, in 1827,
was referred ; William, king of the Netherlands,
as I have before staled, being selec'ed as the arbi-
ter. The evidence was laid bef )re him, and the
case argued with distinguished i''?i!iiy by Messrs.
Preble and Gallatin, but n-iihout success. Not-
withstanding his strong bias for Great Britain, and
adversary feelings for the United States, the case
was so clear thai he could nnt deckle agauist us, and,
situated as he was, he would not decide for us. lie
therefore decided neither way, but advised a com-
promise, by which the highlands were to be sought
in ihe bed of a river, and by which Maine would
have lost about two million acres of land. This
advice was rejected by the United Slates, and after-
ward by Great Britain hersulf, and thus we were
broujtlit back to the point from which we started
in 1H14.

After this brief history of the case, I will call
the attention of the House a^ain to the terms in
which the boundary is dfscnbed in the ireaiv of
1783.

"From tlio northwest aiialc iif N.ivii Scntin, viz: iliiil nnslc
whicli i.<<iiiriiu'(l liy a luw. dniwii iliic iinrili iVuin ilic source (it
ihe l»i,. Cruix rivor to iIk^ liiuhliinils ; iilniiu' llic naiil hiiii'iiiids,
wliicli tliviilo llioscMiVi'i-H ili.il fiiiipiy (lii'iiH<'lvc!i iijio iIh' Si.
Lnwrt'iicr, Irum tlnwo wliicli full iiiKi \\w AiLimii^ orcan, (ti the
noriliwiMioniiiiost liead ol' (.'onm^ciiciit nvt-r.' " lOiinl, liy a
.dm til he iliawn nlniK; iho DiiiMh; uC ilio river Ki, Cniix, (Vnfii
(i« niiPiilli, ill lilt! l)iiy (i( Kiiiiily, Id lis KiiMi'i'; ami iVum iix
soiuvoilirt'ctly iiorili 1(1 iho afori':.i.iiil lii.'Uliiiitl.s, wliiiji ilivtilc
llio rivi'r.-< ijiat lall iiii.) ilio Allanlio oeoaii Voin ili.ise whirli
lall inlci ihi' iiviT Hi. I.iwrcnrc."

With such a clear, unambiguous, nml lucid de-
scription of boundaries, it i< diflicult to conceive
how any controversies .should have ari.sen in regard
to them, anil esprcially thai any serious doiilits
shouhl have been entertaim d as to the Irue iiittnt
and meaning of the terms employed. A glance at
the map, nr.d a slii;lit attention to the topo;;raphy of
the country, will only tend to increase our sui-
ju'ise.

It will be perceived, that runninir nearly parallel
with the river St. Lawrenec, exlfiiilmg liom the
head of Connecticut river lui ihe west, nearly to
Cape HosKicres on (be oast, and ni iui average dis-
lance of .some iwrniy-five or thiriy miles, is a lidge
or height o( land, from which How iv op|)»i,-.iie di-
rections two elavscs of rivers; Ihe fir»;i failiiiiT into
Ihe river Si, Lawrenrc, inul the other, mediately,
into t'lr Ailaniie ocean, iliioii;;h ceriain (zulfs ami
bny.s. This hei«hl of laml separating lite rivers
aforesaid, is not a chain of minu'iaitut, but iiiny |
more prop-rly be termed "a ridRe of broken hiah-
land:<," its average height being nbdui (ifieen hiin-
• Ired (ee't above the level ol the sea. Al the Icr-
mination of the American lui--, the heiidit is «>ver
"•ixleen hundred fret, aeeoidinii to Ihe survey of
Mr. Uouclieite. under British auihoriiy, in I HI 7,

About folly nuirs north from ihe .smirce of the
St, Croix, is an isolated mountain or pn»l. .called
Mars Hill, which, iiecordini; lo Mr. B'Mieiieiio, is
eleven hundied fret hiKh. Hcaliered alonit wester-
ly from ihis, are numerous niouniaiiis or hills, near
which the I'cnobscut nnd its branches lako Ihejr

li.se, but not lorming any ngular and connected
chain. Near tiiat point of the highlands which we
allege consiitutes the northwest angle of Nova
Sciitia, it will be percfivcil iwo rivers take their
rise and flow at nearly riaht angles, the Metis into
the river St. Lawrence, and the Ilistigoucheinto the
bay of Chaleurs, and thence inio the Ailantic
ocean. Other features of the country will be ad-
verted to as I proceed, and as may be found neces-
Faiv.

The points now in controvensy between Great
Britain and the United States arc as to the locality
of the northwest angle of Nova Scotia and the
highlands named in the treaty of 178.3, and the
northwestcrnmost head of Connecticut rivtr. The
laiter, contending that the northwest angle of Nova
Scolia is at the termination of a line due north
from the source of the St. Croix to the highlands
dividing the head waters of the river Risligouche,
which flows into the Atlantic ocean, from the
Kiurce of the river Metis, which flows into the river
Si. Lawrence. Great Britain, on the other hand,
Cfmtends that the line due norih from the source of
the St. Croix should terminate at Mars Hill; that,
there is the northwest angle of Nova Scotia; that,
there are the highlands intended by the treaty; and
that, Iroiu this, the line extends westerly along a
range of hills to the north werternmoit head of Con-
necticut river. This claim, however preposterous
it may appear, has been puisu'd with a pertinaci-
ty, zeal, and seriousness thai perhaps eniiile it to a
sober answer.

And first with regard lo the starting point — the
northwevt angle of Nova Seoiia. Where is it? The
terms of the treaty of 1783 inform us; "to wit: that
angle which is formed by a line drawn due north
from the source of the St. Croix river to the high-
lands" "whiili divide those rivers that empty them-
selves into the St. Lawrence In in those which fall
into the Allanlic ocean." We arc n.it to stop at
Ihe first highlands on the course, nor the most
»ii')i(ii/«iiKni,v lands, nor hu'lihuids ol (im/di ycription,
other than thuse which </»ric/p the sourrestfllii rivers
afnrisaid. This is an imporlaiil and highly de-
.scrijitive adjunct, wiiicii cannot be overlooked or
disregyrdrd without doin;' violence to the plainest
princi|>li's of eonstrnetinn. Wiibout ii, ihe phrase
"bii'lilands" w.iild be indefinite iiikI indeterminate.
With It, the meaning is too < Icar and pieci.se to
leave any room I'm ilmbt oringiMiiouscnnstruction.
But what are Ihe objrciion>i taker by the Brili>h
Govi rnmeiit lo onr position! Fust, it is sjnd that,
as a m:«lier of lact, tlienaie no "hii;liland>" with-
in 'he meaning of ilic inaty of 17f>3, wlier>' ( ur
rinih line, from the source if the Si, Croix, lermi-
nau s. Now, if we udi.iil, for ihe .sake of the ai-
gnmeiit, titat there is no monniain or liiii;e hill at
tin' lerminaiiii.i of our line, \et ihe denial of tho
existence i'\' "hi^hliimts" at that plao would seem
lo come Willi ;oi ill I'Moe liom tin s^' who insist
ihai .V(ir,i Hill is ''hij,',lilai,d»;" for, by a survey of
Mr. BoucIh iitf, a British lopoiiiaphieal nirveynr,
made in 1815, it nppeais thai ihe lund al the li I'lm-
nation of the Amrncan line is over iriDllft'l above
the level of the SI a, while M.ii.s I lill is diily IlliO.
Land, IKMI feel hiidi, ii highlniid, but that which in
liliiii iei't hiL.'ii, IS niij iii'/iilanol To such gross ab*

■surdities do ourni.t .rmiies litul iheinsilvoai driven

ind connected
nds whicli we
jjle of Nova
eis take their
he Metis into
oucheinto the
the Ailantic
ry will be ad-
Ibund neces-

!tween Great

the locality
•otia and the
783, and the
t rivtr. The
ngle of Nova
le due north
ihe highlands

Ristigouche,
in, from the
into the river
other hand,
the source of
IS Hill; thai,
Scotia; that,
3 treaty; and
erly along a
head of Con-
pro postfrous
a pertinaci-
uiiilie it to a

sr point — the
re is it? Tiie
"to wit; that
11 due north
to the high-
empty them-
^e which fall
. to .stop at
'r the most
ydi .'■(•ription,
•s (///((' rn.'f IS
. highly de-
^er!oid<ed ov
llif plainest
, ihf phrase
dclcrmiiiate.

1 pHTIH" to

nnstruction.
f the nrili>li

IS >iiii(i that,
amU" with-

when* (nr
'ruix, ifTini-
^ of Ihe ni-
liiige hill at
I'tiial of the
Would seem

who insist
<i survey of
I Mirvfyur,
il ihc It iiiii*
IMt'l nliovo
(only IKiU.
at which in

iiKi'os-i ab*
Ives iliiven

...nipportimunjiiM. and pruuudless caim. But,
.. rMation to this point, we would advert to the
,,-,„msinnce. imder which this b..undary was
no.eeauponinihe treaty ol 17e^3. 1^ '-<;"'"" f,''
!,v loth of the ccmieiiding parties, that Mit h" >
luap, published in 1755, i. the only one which the
luJolialorsofthe treaty had '•^f'"'^ '';^'"\f '''^
lime, and by which they ^vcle gu ded At that
,„i,r but liitle accurate infoimatiim had been olj-
tamAl of the face of this part of the couniry; and,
bv i.a inspection of Mitchell's map, it will be pcr-
•eivcd that little else beside the river- altcmplcd
10 be delineated. Consequently, by ....... the ma-

Ivcrs of the treaty must have been principally go-
verned. Hence the selection of the very appro-
p.iate and significant term "highlands. ' 1 hey
perveivrd on the map two classes of nvers flowing
in opposite directions— one class i.Mo Ihe river St.
Lnwrence, and the other into the s. .—and that the
.oiirces of these rivers were divided by a narrow
siripof land. With any knowledge, iheiefore, o
die laws of natnie, must they not have regarded
dii-^ strip ofland mote elevated tnan that lying on
Hiher side of il? Ami i\ot being awar- of the ex-
Kl-ucc of mounlaiiis, none bein« laid down on
.Mitchell's map, would there not seem to be a pe-
(• iliar apposilcncss in the use of the term "high-

li.nds?" , , , . , , , .

Mars Ilill cannot be the hishlands intended in
tl treaty of 1783, (as contended for by the British
(MiveniuienI,) tiecanse il is entirely desdlnte of the
a ijuncts named in Ihe treaty. Instead of being a
continuous Iracl <d' elevated land, il is an insulated
p-ak, or mounl.iin. Again, and what ouL-hl to be
lecarded as conclusive upon Ihe MibjccI, it does
Mil "divide the rivers llial empty themselves into
h*- river St. Lawrence, from those which fnll into
■he Ailanlic ocean." So far frmn this, it is one
hundred miles Irom ihe sources of the rivers falling
into Ihe St. Lawrence, and ilividts two tributary
sfnrtiiu nf one rivrr, to wit: the rivtr SI. JdIiixs.

Again; il i« said by the British Governnifut that
ihi- rivers Ilisligouchc and St. .Johns are not riv.-rs
•iillm:: iiilo the Jllanlk oceun, because they empty
ibenisfdves, mcdiiilely. Ihe first through the GulfoJ
St. l.aicrence, and the Inller ihiMUgh ilie Ihuj nf
i;,uihi. This argument, if il prove any thing,
pi.ivi-: loo much. If ihis povilmn be tenable, then
ihere were no rivers between Ihe norlhwet angle of
.Novii Seotia and the lu-ad id' Coniiec'.icul river,
lltl'in^ iul'i the .Itiiutic ocenii, inasmuch as all of
them fall lirvt iiiio bays or sounds: the Si. Croix
!i,io the Buy of Kunilv', the reiudiseoi into a hay of
Ihi.snme name, Ihe Keiinebeck and .\ti(lroseo;,'gin
iiiui the Sagadahoek, and ihe Coniii-etieul into
Long Island Sound. But the commissioners who
nciTotialed the ireatv, cftl.iiiily did regard nomr
I ivi rs bvuvecii the points afore^iid as falling into
me Allui.iicoi'eaii, for they are so expre-sly named
iOii. dt'MMilied III the Iri-alv. Does it not, ihen,
e< ticlnsively follow, thai, in llie view of ihi- eom-
tnisRioner*", a rivi-r might be said lo full into lln-
ailanlic ocean, ilmuah it first disehaiKPtl itself into
1) hay or siiindf and if one of the rivers could be
ko regarded, by parity of reason, iiiij;hl not all the
olh'fi/

Aliniir. ilial, the cmiililUsionors oonsidered thr*p
tiiiyi Rnd mill's a^ n pari of the wa or Atlantic '

rcean, mav be gathered from the terms med by
t!-.em in another part "f Hie treaiy. l^y the h r
ariicle, il is provided "that the people ol "heUnUec
States .-ha", continue to enjoy unmo p,>ted the ri^m
t,. take fish of ev..ry kmd on the Grand Bank, at^cl
on all the other banks of Newtoundland; also, m
the Gulf of St. Lawrmce. and at ail o(/.er I'laces m
the ..« where Ihe inhab:lanls 5" t^l\ /'"""' '
used at any time heretid'oie to fish." Ueie, u is
llerceived, ihey consider ibe Gulf of St. Lawrence
as n part of the sea or Atlantic ocean.

E. ides, the commissioners speak ^'"'7 /" ]^°
classes of rivers, the first falling imo the St. Law-
rence river, and the other into the Atlantic ocean.
Now, as Ihe Ristigouche and St. Johns certainly do
notf^U into the river St. Laurence, to what class
can they be assigned, but to those falling into me

Atlantic ocean? , „„_,„,

But without relying upon these clear and cogent

proofs' of the views and inlLnlions of the commis-
'loners, it is believed that the usual and common
acceptati.m of Ihe term s-.a or ocean p'o^^"-""^^ j*!^
bays etc. before named. "Sea, in its general
sense, embraces the whole body of .salt waters on
the globe. Its great subdivisions are designated by
the names of Atlantic ocean, Pacific, l'^-''^^"' Aj"';''^'
Aniartic oceans, etc; and each of these is a general
appellation, embracing, when not specially or im-
pliedly excluded, all the bays, gulls "»\ "^'j''
which are only portions of such ocean, being U rmea
by the indentures of the shores to which it exlentis,
or by ailiacant islands."

But the claim of Ihe United Stales, thus clear
and indisputable upon general reasoning, will be
found not only to bo justified, but rendered <k ubly
certain, by rderence to the documentary evidence

'"l'uthX"ar 17r.3, th. war bet.veeti K".Mand ami
France resiilied in a relinquishment by the hitter of
a 1 ri.'hl to Nova Scotia, and a cession of CAnada.
F.ngland then became the undispuied owner of both
Brovinee*; and, .luring the same year, a Royal pro-
clamation issued establishing boui.dari.v> to tho
Province of auebec, or Lower Canada. 1 hat por-
tion of the proclamation applicable to this (luestion,
was in Ihe following words, viz:

,,„,! ih m^L.tilu- <JnU..rrti l,..wr.mr.. m < ..p.' »"^"'"'„.

Ill 1774 the foreg.mm boundaries were solemnly
confirmed'in an net of Parliament, entitl.'.l "An
Act f.'r making more edectuiil provisi.ui lor the
.rovernm.Mit ot the Pn^vince of Uuebec, in North
Aiii.Tica." The woi.ls are as f.dlows, viz; "Boimd-
ed oil the south by a line from thf Uatj nf Chakur$,
,l^,lllr the /ii,K/i/.Mi.i.f, ie/.ir^ ihvine Ihe rivern that f.iijif.V
Ih^mulvn into the rmr St. Uwreucefrom thnne wliM
t„ll into Ihe iiM, I., a point in 450of norlheru lati-

"' f h.. boundaries of Nova Scotia, as drfined also
in I7ri3, ill the e.oimnission of llu* Gnvermir, were
III ihe l.dlowing wonh, viz:

M,.h" . .-V-* III.' .M.lriin.-.. .It tl- ll»y 'I >'i",">>. u„\,v mn , I,
i.r lliP rivn 1*1. «!r..ll<, \V Ihr^nUI rinr to lUnniiin. „,i. l.y
.. ).■... ./..,.„., ,/,„ nnrlh. n-imi Ihi MC li> Ihr HMiHin nlwumtitry
7,1 imr't'i'ioity or mitlnv, m th- imriiiwani i.y ili.. «.i.l i..Miri.
.Wy,M r'.r u» ilio w«i«r« «xii«iniiy of th« lliiy ul Cliolcur«,

|Mhe Mstward by the sni.I bay, anJ the Gulf of St. Lawrence,

Then followed the treaty! of 1783, in which our
boundaries are described as follows, viz: /rotn the
northwest angle of Nova Scotia, to wit: that an^le
wh ch !>; fomed by a line due north from the source

h Lit f' !"['' ,'" ^^' highlands; along the said
highlands which divide the rivers that empty thein-
se ves into the St. Lawrence, from those which
lall into (he Atlantic ocean, to (he northwestern-
mos head o( Oonnejticut river, " east bv a line to
be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix,
Irom Its mouth in the Bay of Fundy to its source,
and rotn i(s souice directly north to the albresaid
highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into
the Atlantic ocean from those which fall into the
river St. Lawrrnce." No one can doubt, it is pre-
sumed, that, by adopting nearly the same piiraseoio-^y
the makers of this treaty, intended to place the
boundaries of the United States where the boun-
daries o( Nova Scotia and Canada were establish-
ed by the foregoing proclamation, act.andcom-
Jiiission, and that (he terms and phrases were
used in the same .sense. Indeed this position has
been assumed by the British Government it.self,
and constitutesthe basis ofaii argument by Mr.Chip-
man, the British ageni, under the treaty of 17D4,
the object then being to ascertain what river was
intended by the St. Croi.x, and this (lu.stion about
the hishlands and north we.M angle of Nova Scotia
not then having entered into the imagination of
man.

Between (he period of the ctiiblishineiit of a se-
parate Government for Lower C.inada, (1T(J;{.) and
the definitive treaty ol peace betwt/en Great Britain
and the United States, (178:j,) a great number ol
Bnii.sli maps were compiled and piiblisbcl, in
winch the boundaries o( Nov.i Scolia and Uuehec
are d( niieaied, precisely in accordaiiee with ihe
present claim of the United Stales: the weMem
I.nc o( Nova Scotia crossing the St. John.s, and
extending to the liighiaiids; while not one can bs
lound afjieeiiig with the present pretensions of Greal
lirilain. The titles (d .some of thes maps, with the
times of publicniion, areas follows, viz:
..| .','.'l'''i',r,^ ''"*^ ,""11"" ih- llriilNh DoiniiilniMin Nirlb Am...

I ll,WllhlholimllMn(llio(J,.v,Tlini(M,lHMIIM..xnl rrt,, l,v ,(„.

t!'i 'n'*' "' I"'!","". «ii'' """I'll by |iii.rbiiiinl|M„, <),Mi.l».r 7ib,
S'r or 17.',;i." ^^ ■ '^'"■'""' "'"'H'"!'!'"'-, l"i lb.. AmmuhI I{„.

I.. 'lV^rMr*n,",!7 "'"' "•''■'"■"•" T'' "' ""■ '"•'""'' <>"'"lninn.
Ml rsi.rili Ainrrb-M, iircdhllim iiMbrli-Miuv cit 17(K), ilivi.lcilliiio

';;,;;;:;;;■''' i'rov,„,.,.,.„n,ii,Mi.hr ,., \\.\,.-u;u „,!, ';.';':'

iiutb)riiii)miiiilnHii„i,„mlrii|,il vaibuK., bvTbo-.. Kurlnii uni.

\<m.-~., iiiH,iol Ndiib Aiiinira, liv .1. I'nbnn.l, wiib cm

IIn^II II. m '■''.'''''.''' '.'!" '"'l-'^VrinriiU IroMI ICAnvllJ,., Mil.li.
ell, Mini llnllln, liy I, DiIukmIii'Mi'.

"17(1(1- A inaiMiiib.. Hrl'lHi Duiiibildiiii in Nnnh Amrrini.
nn "iMllnl bv lb.. I.ii.. liralv i.f ii..,,.'... 17(11 .1 |||,|., .. '

''1.70 fliliisl, |.;,„p,r,. |„ isl.Mib Ain,.||..a, wiib lb.. VV.'Mln.
ilin li^h..<, anni'v.'il i.t VVyniK.'N |||.>iiiry.

IbnlHiiimmMr D'Anvlll... A,- aIh,.. iI„. m.'W ,IIv|.|..iiV ,„■■

.•..r.liml.,||M,|„i„,rn.ly,>( inw..; by IVl.'i I , ,.,.,.uf„, ,!„.,•,

I7,i ^ iiiii|...iili.. Ilii'i.li |»„ininj,iii«|ii N..ril. Aim'iira.
ucc..Hb.l( (,. lb.. M..aiy ..I 171) I; l,v IVicr ll.-K, «..,.m»|.b..r.

I77.v-N.iri|i Aiii.rici nmlihR Wi'Ki lii.li..«, wiib ibi. .i|.i..i.
MlB .-..af-iN ..( |;iir..|... uimI \(rirn. Publli<hi.|| M.-cordlim III m
01 rai'diiiiii ii(.

"177(1 ,\ m'W iiiim .if ibr pr.nlnr UmoIw. iircihllna (..

(tin royal |M'.«'laiiini|.m .it ib.. /ili ,.( Ort.ibir. i;i,;ii li,.m i(i.>
l'_ri.iic iBiirviyM. iiMuii.iM|.,l wliliiliiiM. ni.nlo lUlfr lbi. war. bv
I anialii I .iiviT, Hii.j olb.. r •MWcers in his MsMv'a ac«W
r«<iy..raiiil H..iiiM.|i. ' ^ -t-f'"

''17711. V mi'.'thI iiniMif III.. N.iiili,.rii |ii|itp.b .•"Imil... In
Aiin.tli'.t, which rinii'ii'lit'iKJi ih.. pmvlnnt .itUiichtfo, ilio Un-

v;-rnnicnt of Newr.n.nlnml, Nova Scotia, New England aiul

B.?:r,';fTra&c.'" '"""^ ""»"-'-"'y "- AdnlS "'

w"^!7'7''^'1''"',"",'! '■■""■"■ert map .if Norih Anicrim, wi,h ihc
W...-. In.lm iHlan.ls,. hvi.hHl ancmliriKtoth.; lani liea.y..fpe .-.■,
c,.nclii,le,I at Pans, Oih February, 17(B; wherein «r« par c.V
larly.listin.nui.beaibe seven,! |.rovm.-,e« ami cloni-Vwi ,
rompoae tin llritish Knipire; laid .1„wn accnliim to ilielni.si
surveys and ci.rrecte.l (Vom theorifzinal materials .,f (J„vt. ,.,.
I'ownall, member o( Purliament.
pJ'l'J^''— Tlio British colonies in North America. By William

"1778. -A new mat.ofNMfih Am.Tica. from the latest disco
verics. Engraved lor Carver's Travels. '

During this period also, in all thecommission-- to
the several Governors of Nova Scotia and Cana.la,
the description of boundary is the same, correspiuil-
ing with Ihe royal proclamation of 17G3, and all the
maps before enumerated.

From 1783 down to 1814, numerous British
maps were published, in all of which the bounda-
ries of the United Stales and the British Provinces
correspond wiih the boun.laries between the.se pro-
vinces and Maine, as defined in all the maps prior
to 1783; the lilies of some of them are as follows,
viz:

"178;), Feb.O.-The United Rtalpn of America, wilh ibo Bri
lisb p.is.s.sKioti.'i of Canada, N.,va S.-uiiii, Newlo.in.llaml. A.
.Vr. a.Tor.lma t.i the preliminary articles of peace hIi'ii,'.! m Ver
sailli^s llin '^iOl!! ol.lanuary, 17H't. K. Saver and J. Ilenilell

"l/s,)_A ,i..w and e.irreci map .if N.'.rib Amerira, in wl.icb
ibe pla.'..snfilii' principal en..'im.ni..m«.liirin!.' the pr.w(.ntwai
;iiv aiTiiralely iii..^erle.l, ami lb.. limmcbirien, assellli'd by Ircalv
ol I /s,l, clearly marke.l. ,). Dew. '

"I7.-V1, April;!.— The Ibiil...! Kiai.'w of America, lai.1 d.iwn
(^^■.aii ibe b.-.^i amb.irliies, afireeably to the peace of I7.<J. lly
.l.iliri^VValliH. I.on.l.in. '

"17S;i, .Inly bl.- An nrcnrato map of the trnjled Wlntei* nl
Amen.M, Willi pan ol ibe Hiirr.mii.lini; |itoviiie..M, nirreealdy i..
lb., in.aly of p.!ace.)f I7s:t, By .l..bii Ciiry. I,.inil.iii.
"17.S,',— The Ibilt.'.l Siiii.......f'Noilb Aini'iica, with the BrItiHl

and (Spanish terrimriiH, uccordliis? lu the tituty. By Wllliaii
l'.isi|(.r.

"I7 0, nc(.ib.T'^--A new map of Ihe Hulled H(al..s of Amn.
li.'a, wit b lb.. Ilriii>b Ami'rii'an iloiriiiiioii.H .m ibai conlineni
.Vc lly Hiimml Diimi, maibeniaiician; imi.rovu.l boiii tin
siirvi'V!) .i( Ciipi, t'lu-vrr.

"IIowI.'n'h n.'w (otlr^.heet nmp of North Am.'rb'aan.l ibi'
W.Hi Iiiili."!. ..vblbiiimnbe.!xt..nl an. I boim.lari.'H .il i|i. Ilniieil
Siaii'H, ib.i llriii-ib .lomini.iiiH, (Vc : lb.' whole compil.'.lnii.l lab,
down (rotn Ibe b..sl anib.iriil.'s. I.onit.ai.

"I7~^l -B.iwIi'k's n.'W pock. I map .if the I'liii.. I HirIci . (
AmiTa'a, lb.. llriliHli piMs.sni.insnf t'anaila, N.iva ,.<.-ii(ia, Nbw
l.iimdli.n^, >Vc a- t...nl..il by ibi' pr.limiimrv arilcle'* .if i oaci
Hiim.^il III V.'rmiill.M ibe '.ihb of laniinry, l7K.'i, l..ini|.in.

"I.sl ^\ ni.waii.lconei.| maji.if Norib America, wli'i iht
W.'Hl biibii Isl.m.lH, dlviil.'ihi....ir.llnK Uiili.. laxi ir.'aiv of p..nce,
.•.incbiil...l al I'arlH lb.. 'JDib nf .Imuiary, 17.<l, wb.Teln are niir
licnhirly .liHnni!iilrtbi<.l (bi> ihlrl.'..n provlnc.H wbi.-b cii(npo«i
III.. liiiili..l Miaien of N.irili America, lly Malibew Albert uii'
<J..iii'(j(. I.'re.li.ric l.iitier.
"I7>*1 - llii.m .lelaT.inr'«r.iabi|IrilKd'Amerlnim,*c. l»nH»
"I7s;i, -A ni.w mii|i of Norlh Aim'rlrn, tvlib the Wi'hi In.lir.
i^IiiimIm, dlvl.l.'il a...'iir.Uii'! i.i tli.. pri'limlniirv aiil.'I.Hot | i.itfi'
H(L'n...liil Ver«illle"'.'i)ili .liinniiry, I7.'<1, wlu'rmi ari' paiiii'ii iilv
.IiMlins(ill.<bi.il Ibe Ibdii.d S'lileV anil lb.' ki'Vi'miI pnivince", irii
vi.rnmeiiin. A... whi.-h riim|..i«e ihn llrliinhdomml.inn, iiii.l eor
re. "...I from ili.. orlBlnal nialviiuU of Uoyurtior I'owiiall, main
b.'i' of I'arlliiim'nt.
"17(11. ?<am.' map. London.

'•IT'.M A new I Ml ifih.MVhole conllnPtil of Amerien, il|.
viile.l iiilo N.irih ■' ii ■' inih, iinil \V."<l liidlt.", win nhi are i\
ii'llv doscrib...! ill.' i iiili'.l i^lah'H ..I N.irMi Amertcii, a« well «»
ibi. BeviTiil r,iiro|..'an po-«si>!iMii.iit, Hi.'nrdlna lo lb., pri'liinl" i
rl..« ..f p.'iie.' •ien.'il nl Vi<riinillen ,l4iiniiry 1^1, l7Hi, Ac. |iy
l.amin an.l \\ bliile. l,iiiidon.

"I7',i|. A 11. w niapol Niiiih Amerira, niireoiibly lk> (ho lni><«
dHcovi.rl.'H. London

"I7!M -A mnp .dlb.' tloll.'.l Hinle* .if Alln'rira, wi(h part .i(
the a.lj.ijninu pi'ovlncei>, I'l.im ili. Int.'ni iiiiibonii.'ri

"I7',ift, A map of Niirtb Anii'iica and lb." W.'iti IndlcK. Hy
I.. II, H 1).. |,«ll..cb..|liv l.oiidi n.

"I'^Hi Aini'vica, .llvlde.l hiio North iin.l i«oiiih, wlih ibrd
fii.v(.i'ii| MtijiiiivUiiiiid, Jill,) iiig uew(!!!l di§c^vfirlf>i-. lly l^itrh
un I WhIUbi. i.und.<ii.

"I7(K~I), r. HNlmmaii'K Nuliig, llaiiibur(r. CiilDurnoM
llolti).

few Enzland, au<\
'lie Ailiniialty uim!

Anicrion, wi,h the
HHi ireiiiy ()|'|-.p I'c,
lennri ari! par' cii
nil Cdluiii's VjivU
nlin;; to ilie Inn si
criiilaiif (Jiivc. iJi

rica. By Willmm

m ihu latest iliscii

:om mission*- to
ajind Canaila,
ne,correspiiii I-
rG3, ami all the

lerons British
h ilie btmnda-
itish Pmvinces
'een these piu-
lie mails prior
are as follows,

ica, wllh lln) Uri
uwfo'inillanil, Ai .
nrrsit'iii'dm Vei
III .1. Itiiincti.
'iinrira, in wl.irl,
a till- iiriwi'iit Will
sBoiili'illiy ircaiy

(;rica, laid down
ICO 111 IX-t3. ily

(^iIkhI HinteN ni
rci, niriTpahly li.

I.lllllllMI.

, Willi the ItrliiHl,
ly- Ily Wllliaii

IHiaii'« oC Aiiin-
I iliMi (■iiiilini'iH
|iicivud liuni tin

Ainrrl'-nanil ilii'

il'HIll Mil llltill'll

<iiii|iili'ilanillaii<

I'liiic I Hi(\ic< 1)
iva .Violin, Nmv
illlclc^ III I B«ci:
I.oniliiii.

ii^rini, Willi ih(
I irriiiv ol'iM'nif,
ivlicrcin am iiiir
wliii'li I'mnjini
liow AlliiMt aiii

■lnim.*c. l»nH»

ili.i Wi'Hi in,ljf
iiiiii'liH III I I'liri'
nil' iMiiiii'ii Illy
I |il'iiviiiri>«, irii
iiiiiiMii), iiiiil I'lir
I'owiiall, iiKuii

if Amrricii, di.

IVlli rrlil urn f X

I'lti'ii, iiM widl nf

ilii' jiii'liinl" I

, i;kI, Ar. Ily

ilily ttiilialnixiii

ra, Willi imrl III
I'Kl Illdli'H. Ily

>l|l|l, wllh llirh
OS, Ily lAMit

> Ciil llui'iiosi

I -.gll _Map of ihc Di-itish Colonies and the United States of
North America. J.Lodge." ur u i „

Since 1814, several have been pubhsh'jd, in
v/.uiih it is believed the old well-known and well-
p.stablished line is adhered to. At all events, there
•V one now suspended in the roona of the Commit-
i»p on Foreign Affairs, drawn by Mr. Bouchette,
anler British authority, in 1815, in whioh the
'Province of Maine" is placed in lar?e capital*
.ifioss the now disputed territory, and on which the
iiighlands are delineated, as of old.

But I should not be pardoned for dwelling longer
,i,ion this point, though there are many argutnents,
. nd cogent ones too, not yet noticed. Some of them
were pressed upon your attention by my colleague,
w th a clearness and force I could not equal, should
I ;ittempt it. If his arguments upon this point shall
htive had the effect upon the minds of members
which they ought, I shall be satisfiiu, snd the ob-
ifot 1 have had in view obtained

And now let me inquire, what mortal can say
ihTc is any doubt about the title of Maine to this
te ritory? Is it not established by the most clear
and indubitable evidence, and most of it, too, de-
rived from the adversary nation itself? 1 will not
hflievs, that an individual can be found this side the
Alaniic, who will di.«paraRe our title, or admit that
there is any doubt about it.

If then, the title of Maine is clear and indisputa-
bl**, why not pass this bilH Ii asks merely that the
line should he rua and marked. Is it not the duty
of the General Government to maintain the inlegri-
ly of our territory? No one will deny that it is so,
by virtue of the express provisions of our constitu-
tional compact. W hy not then take this single step
towards dibcharging a most solemn obligation?
What motives or what causes can be assiijned to
)Uf!lify a refusal to do what you have, o/frced to </o?
I irust that gentlemen will give this matter a proper
consideration, and not permit the constitutional
rights of Maine any longer to be overlooked or dis-
regarded.

Will any gentleman say that we should continue
to solicit Great Britain to enter upon negotiations
touching this matter — negotiations not to procure a
relinquishment of territory wrongfully wrested from
u% but simply to run the line? I would invite such
pentleman to examine the correspondence which
hns been held between the twoGovernmeniR for the
Inst six years. Ii will furnish the most indubitable
proof that nothing is to be expected fnun such a
course. That, so Ion? as Great Britain is permit-
nutted to hold the aclHBl possession of Madawaska,
and have free intercommunication between her
Province*, she will be very willing that we should
dillydally with negotiations till doomsday.

(jel me call the attention of ihe Ilouve to a few of
ihf declarations of ihc British Government, made
in a corresptuidence wllh this Government since Ju-
ly, 1H33.

Alter llt» rejection of the award by the Senate of
il c United States, Mr. Livingston, then Secretary of
Rale, in a letter to Mr. Hankhead, dated July Ql,
1.SH3, Invited n negoiiation up(m the subject for the
purpose of nettling the line accurding to ihe treaty
of 1783.

Sir Charles R. Vnughnn, In a reply to this, by
utter, dated April 14, iM33, says!
■'llli Mivleity'i Uuveniinenl regret tlmt they cAiinot diacover

in this proposal any prob.ible nnansol aniving at a seiiloment
olthis difficult qurCioii. It apnears to his Majesty's (Jovern-
inent to be ullcrly hopelas lo utiempt to tind out, at lliis time
of day, by means of a new negotialian, an assumed line of boun-
>'i''y." „,,»..

Again: in reply to a letter of Mr Livingston, in

which he suggests the principle of making courses
yield to monuments, Mr. Vaughan s-ays, in a leiter

bearing date May 11, 1833:

"The undersigned is convhiced tlmt il is hopeless to expect a
favoiable result from a renewed iiegmitation upon that sub-

jec!

Again, in the same letter, he says:
"It is the duty Bf the undersigned to transmit immediately to
hisGoveinineiitthenoteof Mr. Livingston; but, at the same
nine, he cannot resist from inviting tiie Secretary ol Stale of
the United States to oiler, without waiting tlie result ol that
reference, some more prompt and elhcient measures I - the set-
tlement of the boundary than the renewal of a negotiation en an
j7iudmissil>lc biisis, or recourse again to commissioners of
boundary," etc.

''Inadmissible basisr' What was that basis? Why,
the treaty oj 1783. A treaty signed by the British
Government, in which our boundaries are agreed
upon in the most clear, explicit, and unambiguous
terms, is set aside by that very Governmeni as an
inadmissible basis for running and .settling the line !
Will gentlemen, after this, tell us that we should
still persevere in our hitherto abortive attempts at
negotiation? — that we should coax the British Go-
vernment a liitle longer, under the possibility that
she may relent at last, and unsay what she has so
ofien and so emphatically said? I will not believe
that Maine is to be thus insulted. If there is to be
any further negotiation— any new proposition— in
the name of a proper self-respect let it come from
the British Government.

But let us look a little farther at this correspon-
dence. In a letter of Mr. Vaughan, dated May 31,
1833, he says further:

"Il appears to the Mndersicned that iho time is now nrrlvnil
wlii'ii this |ierplrxod and hilherlo interminable ipiestion can
only honetal rent by an tihaiKhmmrnlqfllir (ifficlive tlficrip-
linn of Imtindai ij ciiiilainiU in (hi: Iriuly, by the two (Jovern-
menlH mnliially' aareeiiiL' upon a toiiveiitional lino of boun-
dary more rnurrnirni to bolli parliflH than those inslstetl upon
by thecommiHsionerHof boundary under the lifih article of the
treaty of (Jlient, or the lino suggesled by tliu King of the
Neiherlands."
In the same letter he adds:

"The priipoBitlong of Mr. l.ivin'jsion very justly providei
asninstany deviation ea!<lward from the direct norih lino from
iheSt, Crmx; bnl the operation which il coiitemplateH Is still
so reslrlcled lo Ihr Irriiin of thr Irmly, that the basis of it la
the same as ihal which llie'uiiderslgned has been iiiHlructed by
hi-i (ioveriiinoni to inform tlui (lovernmenl of the United Htate*
that it waH/(o;)f7''','(lonegotiaUiupiiii."

Here, again, the trealy sinmlatiom are rejected,
and it is substantially ileclatBtl lo be hoptlns to ne-
gotiate further, unless we give up our poor purita-
nical notions ihat nations, as well as individuals,
shoultl faithfully abide by iheir agreements.

Noiwiih.standing all lhe.se discourageinenls, our
Governmentslill persevered, earne»tly soliritinglhe
British Governmeni to agree upon some moile of
settling the line according lo Ihe terms of ihelrualy,
and suggesting way.s in which it cotilil be done.
February 10, 1834, Mr. Vaughan makes another
reply, and endeavors lo show that although the
King of the Nelhurlands had not dccidrd the main
question submitled to him, yet, by way of infe-
rence, he had deciilcd seven other point.s, and ho
ihen addn:

"Now, whether ilir two parlies adopt ilioinode of Reiilemont
recoinmendmt hy theiirbltiir.nnd auren in divide Iwlwnon them,
111 uimn nriiniirlliin or oilier, ihn displiloil tnrriliiry, or whnlhnf

tiiey sJmil xtill m»kn nniiihur niteniiii to iritca Mtioundiiry In
iUlcicunfurmlty with ihawunliuruie treaty, m Dither cm* il

miiii

■Miii

appears to his Majesty's Oovcrnrnent that it would be necMsa-
ry to adopt these scvKtulecisions oi the arbiter as a ground-
uorkfiir J'lirlherprocer.din^s; anil it seems thai no satisfac-
lory or i/>i'fiilri.-iiitlcouU\Uim\na\nci\ from tlic local survey
proposed by the Ame[icaii(3overnmcnl, until the two parties
are agrecdupon Ihrse scvn points."

Now I ask the House to look at this propos'tion
in all its naked deformity, and then to say, whether
a proposition of a more insuUing character could
be made. A case is suhmiltcd to an arbiter, to wii:
to settle a bounilary line accordng lo Ihe terms of a
treaty. He, prelendinj; to find threat ditlicultics in
his way, declines deciding, setting forth his views
at large in a report, and closing with his advice to
the parties, to adjust the dispute in a particular
way, utterly at variance with the terms of the trea-
ty. But, as Ihe arbiter had travelled out of his
commission, had advised merely, when by accepting
the papers he had agreed to decide, and had con-
founded "/»ig"///anrfs" with the bed of a river, the
award is rejected and se' aside as of no validity
or effect.

Some years afterwards, when another attempt is
made to settle the difficulty, ona of the parties hunts
up the old report of the arbiter, and ( ndcavors to
show that the arbiter, arguendo at least, had decided
seven points subsidiary to Ihe mainquistion, which
he d'd not decide, and irisists that these seven points
shall be made the " grouiuhcork for further proceed-
ings;^'' in eflTect, insisiting on a right to pick out of
the award all that they consider as: particularly fa-
vorable to themselves, and throwing the rest away!
Now I ask, what can he more insulting than this?
I ask if the history of diplomacy can show its pa-
rallel, and if we are willing to submit lo this degra-
dation any longer! P.ut this isHdt all In a letter
of Mr. Vauglian to Mr. Forsyth, dated December
8, 1834, he says: " His Majesly'.s Government
trust that the American Cabinet will be prepnrrd
to agree with that of his Majesty as to the construc-
tion to be put upon this passage of (he treaty, and
will concur in deciding that the Atlantic rivers
which arc to guide the conimissionc s in searching
for Ihe highlands desc'.ibed in the treaty, are those
riven which fall init the .sra to the ivestward of the
mouth of the river St. Croix." That is, the St.
Johns and Risligouche are not Atlantic rivers; and
he adds: "The undersigned is instructed to repre-
sent to Mr. Forsyth that his Maje.sty's Government
consider a clear agreement between the two Go-
verninenis on this point to be an intlisputable preli-
tniniiry to the establishment of any new commis'
sion of .survey." And subsequently, he says, after
alluding to Ihe arbitral ion of the King of the Ne-
Iherlandr., the British Government "frmno* note con-
tent to refer it to any other arbitration.''''

Here wo have it, in express terms, that the Bri-
tish Government will not submit Ihe matter to arhl-
(ratton at any rale, and will not consent even lo
have n survey, unless wc will agree to iheir " indis-
putable preliminary," to wit: that the St. Johns and
Uisligouche ate not Atlantic rivers; that is, ihey
will not consent to enter upon a course lo a-rortain
the line, unless we will (irst admit that we have no
ttuti for I rngfttd thi acknowledgment that the St.
Johns and Uisligouche are not Atlantic rivers, as
«ni}!ys!i>ni to it. Uut^ to can the clinisx lt> !h><
series of instilling propositions, lei me quote once
more from the leiier o( Mr. Bankhead to Mr. For-
•yth, dated neceinbcr ae, I83r.. "His Majemv

Government, however, do not the less lament that
the advances which they have made have beei;
fruitless; but with their regret is mingled the satis-
factory consciousness which they feel, that, in ..la-
kittg those advances, they have gone to the. uli wsi
extent to which a due regard to the honor and i I'o-
rests of the British Crown could permit thei". u<
go." Honor and interests of the British Crouu'
What sort of honor is tliat which unWushingly ai.J,
wantonly refuses to abide by the solemn stipulaiicn-
ofatmaty? But they have a ".satisfactory con-
sciousness" in contemplating the ''advances''- ihey
have made. " Advances!" What advances hav.
they matle, but to advance upon our territory, ami
then insisting upon our agreeing th;U they arc
right, before they will consent to inquire inti ihe
legality of such an advance. They have, lo bt
sure, made "advances," but they are upon mii
patience and good nature; they are a wanu n
trampling upon our rights.

But, sir, I will not occupy the time of the House
longer with this branch of the subject. I have not
read all from the correspondence bearing upon ih"
point I have been ctyisidenng, lest I should fniiguc
Ihe House; but only enough to show that it i-
utterly ''hopeless," as the British Government say,
lo expect any thing further from invitations on out
part to protract this correspondence ; and I think
every member who has listened to me must be .sa-
tisfied of that. What, then, jihall be done? Shall
Great Briiain be permilled to remain in the .Miiei
and undisturbed po.ssession antl use of our projnrty,
without making one single c/fort on our pan to
procure its resturation? Shall we lamely fubmii
lo the degradation of being plundered ol our pro-
perly, and then spend years in soliciting the ;ih.in-
derer to agree upon some mode in which the lega-
lity of his conduct may be tried? I trust not. i!
will noi be in accordiince with thai spirit which ha-,
hiiherlo distinguished the American character. It
would argue a wrnknessnnd pusillanimity distrrace.
ful to us in the last degree, and cannot, I am con-
fideiit, find advocates upon this floor.

What, then, shall be done? Shall we go tt^ Wi.r?
1 answer, no; unless the surveying and murking
our line, and resisting all I'orcible attempts t > tale
our properly from us, be war. I profess to ue the
friend of peace, and would not raslily and uniieco-
sarily embroil ttur country in dilftcullics whi'h
wouiil result in war; but, in this case, I hav iici
the remotest .suspicion that the measure pro| hm-.I
could have so disastrous and unhappy a result.
Let this step be taken, and ihe whole qucttiKn i.s
settled. Great Briluin, when she sees a tleteri unc
lion, on Ihe part of the General OovernPiniii, ii.
have this question i>-llled, and to cause Muum lo
be restored to her possesnions, will agi " optiji
terms at oner. When delay shall bccor ' dnn-
gerous to hrr iiitj-rfsl.i, depend upon it she will delay
no longer. A rupture of the peiuelul reln'iotis
sub,-.isiing between thai country and this woi*;d Ue
one of the last things thai Great Britain couM ri^
gaiil as desirable. Nor will she permit ii, wl en I
i.s so ea.sily avoided.

The President, in his lasl annual message, holds
ihr following iangungt: upon thiri r^ibjcci :

"OrpcndliiH 'itH'Kiltuiii, Ihe mom luiporlmii In ilim wlilPli
nxUlD with Ihu (liiveriiincni of (iii'Al llrlialii, In rt'i)|i«c i <iti -
iiorthi'BiiiiTii IwumUry. It In Willi uiirclKiit'il n-jrei Ihiit l|i«

s lament thai
te have bee'
?led the sau: ■
, that, in ..in-
to thf. uti losi
mor and i I'o-
ermit Ihei". tn
•itish Crouu '
lushingly Ai.d
ns^lipulaiicn--
isfacuirj ron-
dvances''' ihey
Ivances have
territory, ami
\\M they arc
uire int'> ilu*
have, 10 be
ire upon (un
re a wanu n

of the Kouse
I have no!
ring upon ih"
houlU fniipuc
iw that 1 1 i,^
Trnmeni .say,
ations on our
; and I think
e must be ,-a-
done? Shall

in the vMiiei
our property,

our pan lo
imely fubmii
J (.)l our prii-
ing Ihc ;.ii.in-
lich thf lega-
rusi tidi. l!
rit whidi ha-^
hnractcr. It
niiydistrracc
)t, I am cori-

VC gOt(' Wilt?

uiJ murknig
mpts t > takr
esN to ue tlie
jnd unnect'v-
allies whi' h
?, I hav Ju'i
ure proi nM'.l
ppy a rtsnlt.
(■ <iue»tii>n iit
ttdeltriunc
ifernPiKni, ii.
sc Maine Ic
ogr " npmi
)ecor ' dim-
lie will delay
ui rclii'ions
Its vvuit.^d be
in couM tt>-
t il, wl m I

's^age, holds

\» ilmt wlitPli
I ri'»ii»c I nil''
rt'oi-et |)i4l III*

pcopic of ihc liiiicil r>;;vu'3 nuial look back iipoii the abortive
cm.'ns iiiMile byilio E^pcmiv,^ for n period of moic than lia'.f
u comury, (o (l.-trrmiue, v.Miiit u<> oatioii fbmiKl sulTor long to
remain in i\v:<\nuc, die (rue lino wbicli divulcs its posefsstors
fiom ihoae ofotluT pnwer.i. Tb« iiai;n-e ot tlie^ettleineois uri
tlio bunlers of ilm l^iiitrj Slates, nml ol the nei-bbonni.' te u-
lory, was, for a si.a.nn >ucK ibat thif=, perliaps, wiw not im lie-
n.nsaljle to a faitlitiil perlbrmaiice ol the dolirs ol the leJciui
Governinonl. Time ba^ l.nwever, .hnnu'e.! tlil.s .laie ol ihmL's-,
and liasbioii'jbt about a comlilioii ol alUur.s m wbicb tlio true
imertetsof boll, eoumrie. i,„,,eraiively r.'.mire ibat tbisqm's.
tion sl.oiiUl be ptU at roM. It is not U; he >U.coi>-e, ibat. v^ i
full nmfiilence, often expreescd, m the desire nl Uie liiiti>li
Government to terminule it, we are npparently as lar Irom lis
uilinstment a.s vi were at tlie time of Higmiis tbe treaty ol
iieace in 17-^'!. The dile ivsnlt of lonu peiidint' ne:'0tialRin.<,
and a perplexins arbitraiion, appears to be a convniion, on iM
part that a lonvealioiial line must Ije adopted, Irom ibe impo--.
sibility of ascertaining the irne one acrordim: to the descrip-
tion contained in that treaty. Witliont cmnenliiri m tins o|)i-
nioii wliirh i.i nnt llunmht lo bi' well lounded, my predecessor
cave the stionuesl proof ol tlie earnest desire ol the United
Wtatc* to lernniKito, satisfactorily, this dis|iute, by pruiKisniL' ihe
Rijlistiiutioii of a coiiveniiimal line, if the consent ol the *ate;i
Interested in the (iiieslion could he obiameil. To this lllllp(l^i
tion no answer has as yet been received. The atleiuion ol the
British (invenimeiii has, however, been uraenlly invited to the
eubiect, and its repiv cannot, I am confident, be much loiiL'er
delayed. The ueneral relaiions between (Jreat Hritaiii .-nd the
United States are of the most friendly cliniacler, anil I am well
Baiisl'ied of the sincere dispcisition ul iliat (Jovernmeiit to main
tail! them upon iheir present lootinc 'Ibis di^inisition has
also, 1 am persuaded, become more general with die people ol
Eni'laiid than at any previous period. It is scarcely necessary
to say to you how cordially it is reciprocated by the (Jovcim-
ment and lieopk (d' the tuiiinl Siaies. The conviction, wliuh
must lie ciumnon m all, of ihe injurinns conpcipieiices that re-
sult from keepiim open 'Ins irrilaiinsi i|uesiioii, and the cer-
liinly that its final .^iMi lenient cainii.i be much Ion jer del. Tied,
will I trust, lead lo an early and .satisfiiclory ad|iisiiiient. At
your last session, i l.iid. before yon ihe recent communicatloiis
b 'tween the iwo (bivernmeiits, and between this Giiverninent
and that (d'llie Slate of Maine, In whose solicitude, conceriiintr
a fluhieci In whieli she has so deep an iintresl, every poriiou of
the riiion participates ''

In this, the rrt-s-idciu manit'estsilmi friendship fi'r

Maine, regard fur her intercst.s, and mild bal hriii
purpo.=^e to maintain them, which has ever charac-
terized his course upon this subject, in the several
capacities in whicli he has been called ui act. Tiie
London Times, of December 27th, understands the
message as we do. In regard to that part of it
touching this subject, it holds the following lan-
guage : " From the tone and spirit of k) much of
the incssflge now alluded to as is connected with
this New Brunswick controversy, it appears natural
to predict that it will not be sufftred by the present
Government of the United States to remain much
lonser unsettled:' The President says that no nation
should long suffer its boundaries to remain in di.s-
pute. Does Congress doubt this? or will they co-
operate with him in that action which the truth ol'
such a position demands? He says the true interests
of both countries imperatively require that this ques-
tion should be put at rest. Will Congress .say it
should be Icept open? or will they unite their eflbrt.-^
with these of the E.veoutive to put it lo re.st? He
says he does not coincitle in the opinion of the Bri-
tish Government, that this boundary line cannot be
run according to the treaty of 17B3, and that a
conventional line must be adopted. Will Congres.^
sustain him in this? or will they tell us to negotiate
and make the best bargain we can ? I trust not.
The lime has arrived when some decisive step
should be taken. Let there be union, energy, and
firmness among the different branches of the
Government upon this subject ; let them manifest
the dettrinination to submit to nothing wrong, as
well as to ask for nothing but what is right, and
this long-vexed question will be terminaltd and
<i tiled forihwilh.