THE ROARING FORTIES 101 



that had been hoped for. It included, however, 

 provisions through which the popular element 

 in the legislature could grow in relative influence, 

 and it became thus instrumental in the develop 

 ment of responsible government and an increas 

 ing autonomy. 



Just at the time when the popular excitement 

 along the border was at its height in connection 

 with the insurrection in Canada, it was unfor 

 tunate, but scarcely surprising, that the friction 

 over the unsettled boundary of Maine and New 

 Brunswick should have become acute. The 

 King of the Netherlands had failed, as we have 

 seen, to find any geographical facts that he 

 would judicially warrant to embody the line 

 described in the treaty of 1783. After the fail 

 ure of this arbitration, desultory negotiations 

 were carried on by the two governments, but 

 with little progress toward agreement; so that 

 in 1838 the &quot;northwest angle of Nova Scotia&quot; 

 and the &quot;highlands&quot; were eluding the diplomats 

 and surveyors as successfully as at any time 

 during the previous half-century. It had been 

 informally agreed by the two governments that 

 neither should seek to strengthen its position 

 in the disputed territory pending the determina 

 tion of the boundary. Despite this agreement 



