[&GANoNG] BOUNDARIES OF NEW BRUNSWICK 193 
the doubtful territory until the question of boundaries was determined 
at home (do., 421). Finally came the Treaty of Paris, and in the same 
year, 1763, the St. Croix and the north line were formally adopted by 
Great Britain as the boundary between Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, 
thus assigning Sagadahock to the latter state! There was thus in this 
period a long interprovincial boundary dispute, though happily one not 
of a disturbing nature. This dispute between Nova Scotia and Massa- 
chusetts, moreover, was over territory at the same time claimed by France 
as belonging to her. But even the establishment of the line in 1763 did 
not end the dispute finally, as we shall see, for it remained doubtful for 
some time as to which of the rivers emptying into Passamaquoddy Bay 
was the St. Croix. 
Throughout this period after the Treaty of Utrecht, the English 
viewed both Acadia and Nova Scotia as extending northward to the St. 
Lawrence, and the maps of the time, as will presently be shown, clearly 
reflect this idea. Very different, however, was the interpretation of the 
French, for not only did they consider Acadia as confined to the southern 
part of the peninsula, and all of continental Acadia as belonging to New 
France and in their possession, but New England they considered as 
limited northward by the watershed between the Atlantic and the St. 
Lawrence, and this view is reflected in the French maps. After the 
Treaty of Utrecht the English did not take possession of continental 
Acadia, indeed they could not through lack of soldiers and settlers, and 
it continued to be held by the French. To help enforce their claim, the 
French built the strong fort of Beauséjour on the north bank of the Mis- 
seguash, and the English built Fort Lawrence to match it on the south 
bank, thus informally establishing the Misseguash as a boundary between 
the actual possessions of the French and English in Acadia, the third 
time this isthmus had formed a boundary. After the treaty of Aix-la- 
* That is, practically; as shown later, in the Commission of 1763, a 
reservation was inserted to the effect that the Province of right extended to 
the Penobscot, and the intermediate territory was only finally assigned to 
Massachusetts in 1764 or 1765. One reason for the non-interference earlier 
by the home government appears to be the uncertainty of the authorities 
as to the precise status of the territory in question. Thus in a letter of June 
10, 1762, from W. Bollan, Provincial Agent in London, to the Secretary of 
Massachusetts, we read ; ‘“ It seemed [in 1732] to be questioned whether their 
Majesties, King William and Queen Mary, when they gave to the Province 
their Charter, had such complete right to the lands lying between the Rivers 
Penobscot and St. Croix so delivered up by King Charles the 2nd, to the 
French King that they could then well grant the same, the French Knight’s 
right not being extinguished without a cession.” (Boundary Ms.) And in 
1734 the law Officers of the Crown appear to have been uncertain upon the 
subject. But the Treaty of 1763 solved all doubts. 
