THE BOUNDARY QUESTION.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 43, 31 December 1842, Page 171

THE BOUNDARY QUESTION.

[From the Bristol Mercury, Aug. 27th.] The American journals, brought by the late arrivals, are nearly unanimous in announcing the settlement of the Boundary Question; and they are also nearly unanimous on another point; namely, that of announcing the " satisfactory" nature of that settlement to— the United States. We would much rather have had them clamouring against the " injustice" done to the States, which would indubitably have been their course had anything like fair terms been come to; and we cannot but look with uncommon suspicion on the perfect chorus of approbation in which they have thought proper to join on the subject of the new treaty. It must be borne in mind that the American press has ever been most unreasonable in its demands, and most virulent in its abuse of England on the question of the disputed territory; and, had even nine-tenths of the American demands been granted, and the remaining part been withheld, an immensity of grumbling, as to the manner in which the interests of the country had been sacrificed, was to have been expected from their papers. Doubtless, some such grumbling there will be, here and there, on the part of malecontent partisan journals ; but we cannot avoid noticing that the general tone of the United States press is far too chuckling and self-satisfied to bode much good to England. But, certainly, that press would have been uncommonly unreasonable had it not been content with the terms of the new arrangement, for, according to its own showing, our republican friends will not only get nearly aU they ever asked, but a great deal more besides — huge slices of territory just to keep them in good humour! The "settlement," indeed, appears to have been conducted upon a very simple principle, viz., that of England conceding, and of the United States receiving, the disputed land, lakes, and rivers. We commend the following summary of the terms (pronounced to be the most complete which has yet appeared), as given in a highly respectable print, the New York Journal of Commerce, to the attentive perusal of impartial persons : — " The compromise is honourable to both parties ; and its terms are as favourable to the United States as could be reasonably expected. What these terms are is now ascertained with tolerable exactness. The St. John is to be the northern boundary of Maine, from the point where it enters the acknowledged territory of New Brunswick, as far westward as the mouth of the St. Francis, or N.W. branch of the St. John ; thence it follows the said branch to the mouth of the second considerable lake, called Pohenagamook ; and thence in a straight line to the source of the N.W. branch of Connecticut River. This line runs in a nearly S.W. direction, and gives us a considerable slice of territory on the N.W. frontier of Maine, which we never claimed ; and also the disputed territory at the northern extremity of New Hampshire. Then we get, according to the Portland Argus, a strip of land about three quarters of a mile wide, along the whole northern frontier of Vermont ; together with Rouse's Point on the river Sorel, in the State of New York,— an important position in a military point of view, and where formerly we erected a great stone castle designed to command the entrance to Lake Champlain. Subsequently it was ascertained that this point was within the territory of Great Britain. On the other hand, we relinquish, according to the Augusta Age, a narrow strip of territory on the eastern frontier of Maine, to promote the security of the British military road along that frontier. This small strip is off the undisputed territory which we relinquish ; while Great Britain, on her part, relinquishes a considerable tract on the north-west frontier of Maine, which we never claimed, including lake Megantic and the head waters of the river Chaudiere, which empties into the St. Lawrence, the strip above mentioned, along the northern frontier of Vermont, and Rouse's Point in New York. Also it is stated, that Lord Ashburton has made other concessions (not, however, of great importance) along the said frontier as far west as the Lake of the Woods. Of the disputed territory, including that in New Hampshire, we get about two-thirds in quantity, and much the best part in point qf quality. The disputed land which we relinquish is almost all of it above the latitude of forty-seven degrees (which is higher than Quebec), and, of course, is too far north to be worth much for cultivation. It is, besides, very much cut up by mountains and lakes. England would care little for it, except on account of its geographical position — lying as it does between Canada and New Brunswick, and thus, if belonging to another power, greatly embarrassing the communication between them. To us it has no such value." The article then goes on to point out other important concessions which have been made to the United States, though without the slighest ajlusion to anything in the shape of a quid pro quo I It was certainly most desirable that the dispute, of more than fifty years' duration, should be finally settled, and there is little doubt that a war arising out of it would have been far more costly to both countries than the feesimple of the disputed land ; but still the Tory Government might have given away the British territory through the ordinary channels, without the fuss, parade, and expense of sending out a special envoy for that purpose.

Boribd Alive. — John Fidler, glazier, who, at a building near Appleby, had occasion for a backet which was at the bottom of a deep well, descended for it, when the groundwork near the top gave way, and all the work fell in npon him. Although he was supposed to be killed, erery exertion was made to extricate him, and, after six hours' hard labour, he was " raised from the dead," having sustained little injury, some of the materials having formed a projection over him, which was the fortunate means of saving his life.