326 VENEZUELA AND AFTER 



member, Lord Herschell, from across the At 

 lantic. The five consisted of the premiers of 

 Canada and Newfoundland, with two other 

 members of the Canadian cabinet, and a mem 

 ber of the Canadian House of Commons. The 

 United States was represented by no less dis 

 tinguished and highly qualified persons Sen 

 ators Fairbanks and Gray, Mr. Dingley, ma 

 jority leader in the House of Representatives, 

 and three experienced diplomats. All the prep 

 arations promised well for a comprehensive 

 adjustment, and roseate reports of progress 

 attended the work of the commission. On 

 February 20, however, a recess was taken, which 

 gradually became recognized as permanent. 

 The sessions were never resumed, and the chief 

 cause of this unfortunate outcome was the 

 inability of the two governments to agree about 

 the Alaskan boundary. 



This last of the boundary disputes that filled 

 the hundred years of peace with contention had 

 all the familiar characteristics of its predeces 

 sors. The line dividing Russian from British 

 America was described in the treaties that fixed 

 it as following the summit of the mountains 

 situated parallel to the coast between two 

 designated points of latitude and longitude; 



