208 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
rence, it had always been assumed that both banks belonged to 
Canada, and official documents of 1627, 1645, 1651, 1657, and 1663 
are cited in support of this; while all governors of Canada have ex- 
ercised authority upon both banks of the St. Lawrence. 
Chapter 19 considers proofs as to the limits of Acadia taken from 
English sources, which they find consistent with their contention. 
Cromwell’s grant of '1656, and Temple’s contention of 1668 that Aca- 
dia was but a part of the peninsula are emphasized, the latter with 
especial insistence upon Temple’s local knowledge, while other evidence 
from English sources they find in accord with their contention. 
Chapter 20 considers proofs taken ‘from the Treaty of Utrecht. 
As the chief object of the English in this treaty was to secure the 
fisheries, and since all the valuable banks lie off the part of the penin- 
sula called by the French Acadia, hence it (was that part particularly 
that was to be ceded to England. ‘Also Article XII. ceded Acadia, 
the lands and islands which are dependencies of it, tnat is to say, the 
islands which are adjacent to its coasts (terres & isles qui en dé- 
pendent, c’est-à-dire, les isles qui sont adjacentes aux côtes de lAca- 
die). Now the XIII. Article of the treaty ceded to : France all the 
islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and if the English view be taken, 
that Acadia included all the mainland, the treaty contradicts itself, 
since ‘in one article it grants England all the islands adjacent to the 
mainland, and in the next grants to France all those in the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence, including therefore some of these same islands. 
Finally the French commissioners summarize their position in a 
conclusion of 11 pages containing however nothing not in the preced- 
ing argument. 
The reply of the English commissioners is dated January 1, 1753, 
and is signed by William Mildmay, and Ruvigny de Cosne. It is very 
voluminous, occupying 154 pages of the quarto Memorials. It answers 
tne points of the French commissioners very minutely, but adduces 
little new evidence. The points of chief interest in it are the follow- 
ing : — 
They call attention ‘to the effort of the French commissioners to 
prejudice the reader in their favour, and reject the insinuations as to 
the British intention to capture Canada. The English claim only 
what the French claimed by the Treaty of Breda. As to the rights 
of the ‘French based upon discovery and prior settlement, they have 
nothing to do with the subject, since it is not the right founded upon 
discovery, etc., that is in question, ‘but simply the extent of theAcadia 
ceded to the English. Any earlier rights were obliterated by the 
Treaty of Saint Germain, which formed a new starting point. The 
