346 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
In the meantime, however, in March, 1841, Daniel Webster became 
Secretary of State, and in a little over a year he brought the long pend- 
ing controversy to a conclusion. The important steps in this process 
are given by Moore and need but to be summarized here. Although the 
governments were negotiating for a new commission, Webster desired 
to try a shorter way and intimated to the British minister that he was 
willing to attempt a settlement by direct negotiation. The reply was 
immediate and favorable, and in April, 1842, Lord Ashburton arrived 
at Washington as a special minister empowered to settle the boundary 
controversy. It was now necessary for Webster to arrange with Maine 
and Massachusetts, which was accomplished by the appointment of com- 
missioners from both of those states, who proceeded at once to Wash- 
ington. Negotiations between Webster in consultation with the com- 
missioners and Lord Ashburton followed rapidly. Lord Ashburton pro- 
posed that the St. John should form the boundary from the north line 
to its source, with the exception of the Madawaska settlement on its 
south bank, which was to remain to Great Britain. The Maine commis- 
sioners proposed the St. John from the north line to a point three miles 
above the mouth of the Madawaska, thence to Long Lake, and thence to 
the head of Lake Pohenegamook, and thence to the highlands between 
the St. Francis and the River du Loup. Finally, however, in view of 
concessions granted elsewhere, it was decided to accept the St. John from 
the due north line to the St. Francis and up that river to the outlet of 
Lake Pohenegamook, the present boundary, beyond which the decision 
does not concern our present subject. As to the due north line from the 
source of the St. Croix, that was of course adopted, but instead of the 
accurate line recently run by Graham, the old line of 1817-1818 was 
adopted, for the very good reason that grants and settlements had been 
made upon the assumption of its accuracy, and the adoption of the 
Graham line would have caused great confusion in this respect. As we 
have seen, however (page 345), this line of 1817 was inaccurate, lying 
for a short distance too far east, but for most of its course much too far 
‘to the westward of the true meridian, and hence New Brunswick obtained 
a long narrow strip to which she was not strictly entitled, another 
instance of the luck which never seems to have deserted her in the settle- 
ment of all her boundary questions. The final decision, however, gave 
to the United States the Madawaska settlements on the south bank of the 
St. John, a very unfortunate feature of the treaty, but one which was 
unavoidable, for the Maine commissioners would not listen to a bound- 
ary anywhere south of the St. John, and it must be admitted that the 
advantages of the river as a boundary were great. Maine was in part 
compensated by a large sum paid her by the United States, though it 
‘must by no means be inferred that this prompted her decision, for her 
