streams flowing into the St. Lawrence, marked the true boundary. The American claim was practically conclusive from the fact that by no other interpretation could the reference to the St. Lawrence have any meaning whatever. After much negotiation between the two countries, in 1827, the question of the disputed boundary line was referred to the King of the Netherlands to determine. His settlement of the matter did not accord with the claims of either nation, and was not accepted by the United States. The Legislature of the State of Maine passed strong resolutions against the decision, and the National Senate rejected a treaty for carrying it into effect. In 1838 this dispute assumed a serious nature, owing to a conflict of authority between Maine and New Brunswick. The bad feeling that had already long been ex isting was intensified in 1837 by the arrest, by the authorities of New Brunswick, of an officer sent to the Madawaska region by Congress for the purpose of making a cen sus of its inhabitants and of distributing among them as citizens of the United States their share of the surplus money that had accumulated in the National Treas ury, and of which a general distribution was made that year. A few weeks afterward the officer was released, but the excitement in Maine did not subside, and the next year the Legislature authorized the raising of a small force to drive off the trespassers who were cutting lumber on the disputed terri tory. As a result of this action the gov ernor of New Brunswick issued a proclama tion declaring that British territory had been invaded and ordering out a thousand of the provincial militia. The Legislature of Maine immediately responded by ordering a draft often thousand men and raising eight hun dred thousand dollars for the purpose "of prosecuting the war." Congress also passed an act authorizing the President to raise fifty thousand men to support Maine in case the governor of New Brunswick should at
tempt to carry out his threat of maintaining exclusive jurisdiction in the debated territory by force. General Scott was also sent to Maine for the double purpose of quieting the excitement and acting as mediator be tween the State authorities and the Pro vincial authorities until negotiations with Great Britain could be opened; and also with a view to his acquiring a knowledge of the military situation in case of war. Finally, in 1842, the present boundary line of the State was decided upon, as a compromise between the conflicting claims, by the Webster- Ashburton treaty, so-called from the statesmen who framed it. By this treaty Maine lost a part of the territory that she had hitherto claimed, but the United States received advantages, in settling the boundary farther to the west, that more than compensated the Nation as whole for this loss, and the commissioners for Maine as sented to the arrangement out of regard for the general interest of the whole country. As a matter of justice, however, the United States assumed the expenses of the "Aroostook War," and paid to the State in addition the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. "No portion of the public life of Governor Kent," said ex-Governor Washburn of Maine, in a letter to a friend of Judge Kent, " able and hon orable as it was, better illustrates his ability, firmness and patriotism than that which was con nected with the exciting and important question of the northeastern boundary. He understood it as few men in the State, and none out of it, did; and under his administration more was accom plished in the way of bringing it to the earnest attention of the General Government and of the nation at large than had been effected for many years. Among the results of this action, the War Department took the matter in hand in earnest, and ordered a reeonnoissance to be made to ascer tain the military features and resources of the State, and to perfect a plan for its defense, by the establishment of military posts and commu nications, arsenals, depots of arms, etc. As Governor Kent said in a message to the Legisla
