1914] Settlement of International Disputes 209 



An award was made October 3rd, 1899, which gave Britain practi- 

 cally what she claimed — in some respects more. 



There was considerable anger expressed in Venezuela, but it met no 

 echo in the United States. Perhaps the fact that the notorious Castro 

 began his obnoxious career about the same time had something to do 

 with this complaisance; but it is probable that the Spanish war (which 

 began 1898) and the good-will then manifested towards the United States 

 by the Mother Country had more. 



There is still another settlement of a dispute which should be men- 

 tioned — a dispute not international but interprovincial. 



By the British North America Act (1867), the Province of Ontario 

 was given the same limits as the former Province of Upper Canada. In 

 1870, by the Dominion Act, 33 Vic, c. 3, the Province of Manitoba was 

 formed with its eastern boundary at the meridian of 96° W.L. At once 

 there was a movement in Ontario, the Government of that province 

 claiming that it went further West than 96° W.L., although this had long 

 been considered in fact about her western limit. Many communications 

 passed between the Governments, but without result. Then in 1876 an 

 Act was passed (39 Vict., c, 21), extending the limits of Manitoba to the 

 "westerly boundary of Ontario". The Dominion and Manitoba claimed 

 that the westerly boundary was about six miles east of Port Arthur. 

 Armed forces of the Provinces of Manitoba and Ontario took possession 

 of Port Arthur, but the scandal was abated by an agreement to arbitrate, 

 December i8th, 1883, by the Dominion and Province. Ontario named 

 William Buell Richards, Chief Justice of the Province, and when he 

 became Chief Justice of Canada, his successor Robert A. Harrison; the 

 Dominion, Sir Francis Hincks, and the two Governments jointly Sir 

 Edv/ard Thornton the British Ambassador at Washington. 



These Arbitrators made, August 3rd, 1878, a unanimous award in 

 favour of the Ontario contention, which by this time was in reality 

 limited to the generally recognised boundary. This was at once accepted 

 by Ontario, but the Dominion refused to ratify the award. At length, in 

 1883, the two Provinces concerned agreed to submit to the Judicial 

 Committee of the Privy Council three questions: (i) whether the award 

 was binding; (2) if not, what was the true boundary, and (3) what legis- 

 lation was necessary to make the decision effectual. 



The Judicial Committee, August nth, 1884, decided (i) in the ab- 

 sence of Dominion legislation the award was not binding, (2) the award 

 laid down the boundary correctly, and (3) Imperial legislation was 

 desirable (without saying it was necessary). 



The Imperial Act (1889), 52 and 53 Vic, c, 28, carried the decision 

 into effect, and ended the controversy. 



