[GANnonG ] BOUNDARIES OF NEW BRUNSWICK 339 
tude which was at least in part responsible for the delay in the pro- 
ceedings. 
In 1833 the Secretary of State, Livingston, proposed to Great 
Britain a negotiation upon the basis of the resolution of the Senate, that 
is, another attempt to ascertain the boundary on the basis of the treaty 
of 1783, coupled with the suggestion that if an agreement could not thus 
be reached, 
means will probably be found of avoiding the constitutional difficulties that 
have hitherto attended the establishment of a boundary, more convenient 
to both parties than that designated by the Treaty, or than that recom- 
mended by His Majesty the King of the Netherlands. (Blue-book, 22). 
This proposition is of especial interest as being the first official pro- 
posal for a compromise line made by the United States. The British 
reply was that His Majesty’s Government had no hope, after the succes- 
sive failures, of establishing the line according to the treaty of 1783, 
and inquires as to the plan contemplated by the American Government. 
The Secretary of State replied favoring an attempt to mark the bound- 
ary according to the treaty by a commission of European experts with an 
umpire appointed by some friendly sovereign, with the understanding 
that 
If after more accurate surveys shall have been made, it should be found 
that the north course from the head of the St. Croix should not reach the 
highlands, which answer ,the description of those designated in the Treaty 
' of 1783,—then a direct line from the head of the St. Croix, whatever might 
be its direction to such highlands, ought to be adopted, and the line would 
still be conformable to the Treaty. (Blue-book, 24). 
And in a later note he explains that such a line would in no case 
deviate to the eastward of the north line, but only to the westward. 
This was certainly a most astonishing proposition to come from an 
American Secretary of State, and it was explained later by Gallatin 
as due to a failure of the Secretary to inform himself upon the true 
merits of the question, (Moore, 139.) The intention, however, is 
plain,—to offer a line which could be construed to be technically the 
line of the treaty of 1783, and hence satisfy the constitutional diffi- 
culties of Maine, and at the same time would be such as would meet 
the objections of Great Britain. Great Britain, however, believed 
that such a line must run from the source of the St. Croix nearly due 
west to beyond the source of the St. John at the head of the Chau- 
diere, that the United States would never be brought to accept 
it, and that further explorations in search of other highlands in 
accord with the treaty were useless. The correspondence continued 
voluminously with but little result, the United States urging an im- 
partial European commission with an umpire to attempt to settle the 
