DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE AND FOREIGN RELATIONS. 



261 



United States as at all commensurate with the 

 concessions asked from Great Britain. 



At the conference on the 27th of March the 

 proposed enlargement of the Canadian canals 

 was further discussed. It was stated on the 

 part of the British commissioners that the 

 Canadian Government were now considering 

 the expediency of enlarging the capacity of 

 the canals on the river St. Lawrence, and had 

 already provided for the enlargement of the 

 "Welland Canal, which would be undertaken 

 without delay. 



The subject of the export duty in New 

 Brunswick on American lumber floated down 

 the river St. John was proposed for considera- 

 tion by the American commissioners. 



At the conference on the 22d of April the 

 British commissioners proposed that the navi- 

 gation of Lake Michigan should be given in 

 exchange for the navigation of the river St. 

 Lawrence; and that her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment should agree to urge upon the Dominion 

 of Canada to give to the citizens of the United 

 States the use of the Canadian canals on terms 

 of equality with British subjects ; and that the 

 Government of the United States should agree 

 to urge upon the several States to give to Brit- 

 ish subjects the use of the several State canals 

 on terms of equality with citizens of the United 

 States. They also proposed, as part of the 

 arrangement, a reciprocal agreement as to 

 transit and transshipment, and that the Gov- 

 ernment of Great Britain should urge upon 

 New Brunswick not to impose export duties 

 on the lumber floated down the river St. John 

 for shipment to the United States. 



The American commissioners repeated their 

 views as to the navigation of the river St. Law- 

 rence in its natural state. 



The British commissioners replied that they 

 could not admit the claims of American citi- 

 zens to navigate the river St. Lawrence as of 

 right ; but that the British Government had 

 no desire to exclude them from it. They, 

 however, pointed out that there were certain 

 rivers running through Alaska which should 

 on like grounds be declared free and open to 

 British subjects, in case the river St. Lawrence 

 should be declared free. 



The American commissioners replied that 

 they were prepared to consider that question. 

 They also assented to the arrangement as to 

 the canals, which was proposed by the British 

 commissioners, limiting it, as regarded Ameri- 

 can canals, to the canals connected with the 

 navigation of the lakes or rivers traversed by 

 or contiguous to the boundary-line between 

 the British and American possessions. They 

 likewise agreed to give the right of navigating 

 Lake Michigan for a term of years. They 

 desired, aud it was agreed, that the transship- 

 ment arrangement should be made dependent 

 upon the non-existence of discriminating tolls 

 or regulations on the Canadian canals, and also 

 upon the abolition of the New Brunswick ex- 

 port duty on American lumber intended for 



the United States. It was also agreed that 

 the right of carrying should be made dependent 

 upon the non-imposition of export duties on 

 either side on the goods of the other party 

 passing in transit. 



The discussion of these subjects was further 

 continued at the conferences of the 24th, 25th, 

 and 26th of April, and the treaty articles 

 XXVI. to XXXIII. were agreed to at the con- 

 ference on the 3d of May. 



In the course of these discussions, the British 

 commissioners called attention to the question 

 of the survey of the boundary-line along the 

 forty-ninth parallel, which still remained un- 

 executed from the Lake of the "Woods to the 

 Rocky Mountains, and to which reference had 

 been made in the President's message. 



The American commissioners stated that 

 the survey was a matter for administrative 

 action, and did not require to be dealt with 

 by a treaty provision. The United States Gov- 

 ernment would be prepared to agree with the 

 British Government for the appointment of a 

 boundary-survey commission in the same man- 

 ner as has been done in regard to the remainder 

 of the boundary along the forty-ninth parallel, 

 as soon as the legislative appropriations and 

 other necessary arrangements could be made. 



ARTICLES XXXIV. TO XLII. 



At the conference on the 15th of March the 

 British commissioners stated that it was pro- 

 posed that day to take up the northwest water- 

 boundary question ; that the difference was 

 one of long standing, which had more than 

 once been the subject of negotiations between 

 the two Governments, and that the negotiators 

 had, in January, 1869, agreed upon a treaty. 

 They then proposed that an arbitration of this 

 question should be made upon the basis of the 

 provisions of that treaty. 



The American commissioners replied that, 

 though no formal vote was actually taken upon 

 it, it was well understood that that treaty had 

 not been favorably regarded by the Senate. 

 They declined the proposal of the British com- 

 missioners, and expressed their wish that an 

 effort should be made to settle the question in 

 the Joint High Commission. 



The British commissioners assented to this, 

 and presented the reasons which induced them 

 to regard the Rosario Straits as the chan- 

 nel contemplated by the treaty of June 15, 

 1846. 



The American commissioners replied, and 

 presented the reasons which induced them to 

 regard the Haro Channel as the channel con- 

 templated by that treaty. They also produced, 

 in support of their views, some original cor- 

 respondence of Mr. Everett with his Govern- 

 ment, which had not been alluded to in pre- 

 vious discussions of the question. 



The British commissioners replied that they 

 saw in that correspondence no reason to induce 

 them to change the opinion which they had 

 previously expressed. They then asked wheth- 



