206 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
French view of the limits of Acadia. The French commissioners rea- 
son that it could never have been intended to give the whole southern 
bank of the St. Lawrence River to the English as this would be fatal 
to the French control of that river, which seems to have been con- 
ceded by granting to France the islands at the mouth of that river. 
Chapter 12 discusses the objections of the English commissioners 
to the indefinite limits assigned by the French commissioners to Aca- 
dia, and the fact that the Sieur Durand considered the whole penin- 
sula as Acadia whereas they confine it to the southern part. As to 
the indefiniteness of the limits of Acadia proposed by them, it applies 
only to the boundary in the interior (of the peninsula), and their fail- 
ure to define it is proof of their good faith, since it is this very ques- 
tion that the commissioners are appointed to decide. But the French 
commissioners propose as most equitable and usual a line along the 
watershed. As to the Sieur Durand, he was somewhat in error in 
extending Acadia to the whole peninsula. 
Chapter 13 discusses the English conception of the geography 
of Acadia. As to the five maps they cite they are not ancient, and 
hence they are better evidence of the more recent than of the ancient 
bounds of Acadia, and moreover they show that they agree better with 
the French than with the English contention, and they make the 
most of their errors and inconsistencies. They especially disclaim 
the contention of the English commissioners that these maps, and 
other evidence, make the St. Lawrence the boundary between Eng- 
lish and French. They agree with the English commissioners that 
the maps should not be given very much weight. It is true most maps 
apply Acadia to the entire peninsula, but that is only a cartographical 
convenience. They assert that no chart prior to 1632 can be found 
which extends the name Acadia to the mainland. De Laet of 1632, 
Novae Franciae accurata descriptio of 1657, Tabula Novae Franciae of 
1660, Sanson of 1656, Coronelli of 1698 (meaning 1689) and a map 
by the German, Hotman, confine Acadia to the peninsula or its south- 
ern part, while a map by Halley in the reign of Queen Anne, an Eng- 
lish atlas of 1728, Popple’s map of 1733, and a map by Salmon in 
1739 confine Acadia to the southern part of the peninsula. They con- 
clude that among the English themselves those most versed in history 
and geography and who have examined ithe documents have confined 
Acadia to the southeast of the peninsula. 
Chapter 14 discusses the principles upon which the bounds of 
Acadia are to be determined. Having shown in the preceding chap- 
ters how little foundation the English commissioners have for their 
view, it is necessary now to demonstrate the true ancient boundaries 
