THE ROARING FORTIES in 



Ashburton had concluded their treaty. Then, 

 in connection with the debate in the Senate on 

 the ratification, the fact of the discovery in 

 Paris became public, and from this followed the 

 disclosure of Oswald s map, which had been 

 removed to the British Foreign Office. The 

 opponents of the treaty found in these incidents 

 good material for their attacks upon it. Web 

 ster was accused of trickery, and Ashburton of 

 imbecility. The whimsical fortune that gave 

 to each party exclusive control of evidence 

 strongly sustaining its adversary made the sit 

 uation most interesting, and promoted a dili 

 gent re-examination of the boundary issue on 

 its merits. A furious cartographic controversy 

 developed, in official and non-official circles. 

 Maps, rumors of maps, traditions of maps, bear 

 ing on the line described in the treaty of 1783, 

 came forth in impressive but perplexing num 

 bers. Long before the debate assumed its 

 greatest dimensions, however, the treaty of 1842 

 was duly ratified. To the layman the argu 

 ments of the cartographic and historical ex 

 perts were reciprocally annihilating, and the 

 wisdom of the negotiators in discarding the whole 

 method was confirmed. All of ill feeling from 

 the treaty that survived into later years was 



