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"thence it should run up the St. John, to the "southernmost source of that river; and from "that point it should be drawn to the head of "the Connecticut River, in such a manner as "to make the northern and southern allot"ments of the divided territory as nearly as possible equal to each other in extent; the "northern allotment to remain with Great "Britain, the southern allotment to belong to "the United States.

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"You are therefore instructed to present to "Mr. Forsyth a note, of which I enclose you "a copy, for the purpose of enabling him to bring distinctly before the Government of "the United States the propositions now made 66 by His Majesty's Government."

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Now, even if Mr. Lemoinne had supposed Mr. Forsyth's proposition to have proceeded from Lord Palmerston, it could not be carried to account of the Treaty of Washington, and the mistake, or whatever it may be considered, was at best but the visionary basis to an inference, that the British Government has always been prone to make unnecessary sacrifices to the United States. But, in another part of his paper we find him positively asserting that Lord Ashburton proposed to the American Government to agree upon the very line which Mr. Bankhead had at once pronounced

"inadmissible," and which had never been proposed or alluded to either directly or indirectly even by the Maine Commissioners. His words are:

"Quels étaient les termes proposés par le "Plénipotentiaire Anglais ? Ils pouvaient se resumer ainsi : il offrait de prendre pour

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ligne de demarcation la Rivière Saint Jean, "dans tout son cours, sauf une seule excep"tion*."

If this statement, then, of Mr. Lemoinne, which goes the whole length of asserting that the British Government was prepared to make the St. John, from its source to its mouth, the boundary between the two countries, is to be defended as a mistake on his part, arising from inattention to the conditions of the Treaty, why, it may be fairly asked, did he, who admits -"nous avons sous les yeux cette correspondance," think himself competent to expound this Treaty to all Europe, and at liberty to draw from it conclusions of a most offensive character to Great Britain, which he will be utterly unable to justify? As to the exception

* What were the terms proposed by the British Plenipotentiary? They may be thus shortly stated: he offered to take as the line of demarcation the River St. John, in its entire course, with one sole exception.

+ We have this correspondence before us.

spoken of in the passage quoted from Mr. Lemoinne, it has nothing to do with the River St. John, from its mouth to the point where it is intersected by the north line, during which distance it flows entirely through British territory; but relates to that part of the bank of the St. John lying between the point where it is intersected by the north line and the mouth of Fish River, where, as has been before stated, a few families of French peasants had voluntarily settled themselves from the opposite parish of Madawasca. Mr. Lemoinne, who had before him the letter of the Maine Commissioners to Mr. Webster, of the 29th June, 1842, disclaiming any intention of doing violence to the interests or opinions of these people, finds it convenient to represent the hypothetical separation of these people, amongst whom no dissatisfaction exists, in the following terms :

"Prendre la rivière pour limite dans tout son cours, c'etait couper la colonie en deux, diviser les intérêts, séparer les familles, rompre enfin une communauté paisible et heureuse*.

But this fanciful picture of a wrong that was never committed, and of distress that has

* To take the river as a boundary in its entire course, was to cut the colony into two parts, to divide its interests, to separate its families--in short, to break up a peaceful and happy community.

never been felt, must still be considered subordinate to the extravagant statements contained in the following passage, where the writer appears as little disposed to flatter the American Commissioners of Maine, as to do justice to the British negotiator:

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Cependant les Etats-Unis, tout en faisant fide ce qu'on leur accordait, prenaient tou"jours, et, l'appétit leur venant en mangeant,

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plus on leur offrait, plus ils demandaient. Lord "Ashburton avait déjà cédé les trois quarts du "territoire contesté, il avait cédé la moitié de "l'heureuse et paisible colonie de Madawasca,' "il avait cédé la libre navigation du Saint Jean " à travers le Nouveau-Brunswick, et enfin de compte, au lieu de lui faire des remerciemens, "les Etats-Unis lui demandaient encore de "l'argent. Il avait offert de payer aux états "du Maine et de Massachusetts une indemnité "de 300,000 dollars: les deux états n'avaient garde de refuser; mais il faut les voir faire "la petite bouche avant d'avaler le morceau. "Ce sont eux qui ont l'air de faire une grace au "Gouvernement Anglais en acceptant son "argent. L'état du Maine,' disent les Com"missaires Américains, 'a toujours eu une "répugnance insurmontable à céder aucune "portion du territoire qui lui est contesté pour "'une simple indemnité pécuniaire. Il ne vient

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❝point ici pour marchander des acres dans un "'esprit de trafic.' Ce que disant, l'état du " Maine prend les 300,000 dollars, et les partage ἐσ avec son confrère de Massachusetts*."

It is unnecessary further to expose these exaggerated assertions of our having surrendered to the United States three-fourths of the territory in dispute, together with a moiety of the colony of Madawasca; but in regard to the assertion that Lord Ashburton had offered to pay to the States of Maine and Massachu

* Meantime the United States, affecting to be indifferent to what was offered to them, nevertheless always accepted it, and their appetite increasing with their food, the more they were offered, the more they exacted. Lord Ashburton had already yielded three-fourths of the disputed territory; he had yielded a moiety of the happy and peaceful colony of Madawasca; he had yielded the free navigation of the St. John through New Brunswick; and at the closing of the account, instead of returning him their thanks, the United States asked him for money into the bargain. He had offered to pay to the States of Maine and Massachusetts an indemnity of 300,000 dollars: the two States took care not to refuse them, affecting, however, an admirable reluctance before they swallowed the morsel. It is they who seem to confer a favour upon the English Government in accepting its money. "The State of Maine," say the American Commissioners, "has always had an insurmountable repugnance to yield any portion of the territory that is disputed with them for a simple pecuniary indemnity. It is not here for the purpose of bargaining about its acres in a spirit of traffic." Having said this, the State of Maine takes the 300,000 dollars, and shares them with its fellow State, Massachusetts.

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