speaker, as well as from his elevated position in the Government, and as the negotiator, on the part of the United States, of the recent Treaty of Washington. In the course of his remarks, Mr. WEBSTER was repeatedly interrupted by the applause of the audience; and after he had concluded, the following Resolution was adopted with acclamation by the Society:

"Resolved, That the thanks of this Society are presented to the Honorable the President, for the able and important paper that has now been read, in relation to the North-Eastern Boundary question; and to the Honorable DANIEL WEBSTER, for his interesting and eloquent remarks in connexion therewith; and that copies of the same be respectfully requested for publication."

The following correspondence subsequently passed, after the return of Mr. WEBSTER to the City of Washington:

"New-York, April 17th, 1843.

"Sir, I have the honor of communicating to you the thanks of the New-York Historical Society, for the eloquent and instructive remarks on the subject of the North-Eastern Boundary, which you did the Society the favor to offer in answer to a call from one of the Vice-Presidents, at its meeting on the 15th instant.

I have also to request of you the favor of a written report of your remarks on that occasion, with a view to their publication under the auspices of the Society.

I have the honor to be, Sir,

With the highest respect,

"Washington, April 22d, 1843.

"GEORGE FOLSOM, Esq.

Domestic Corresponding Secretary

of the NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY:

"Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th instant, communicating to me the thanks of the NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY for my remarks, delivered in its presence, on the 15th, on the subject of the North-Eastern Boundary, and requesting a report of them for publication under the auspices of the Society.

I feel greatly honored by this notice of the Society, and an account of my remarks, corrected from the Newspaper Press, will be forwarded.

I have the the honor to be, Sir,

Your very obedient servant,

DANIEL WEBSTER."

In pursuance of the vote of the Society, Mr. GALLATIN's Memoir, and the Speech of Mr. WEBSTER, are published in the following pages. A Note has been also added, in reference to a recent debate in the British Parliament on the subject of the Treaty of Washington, in consequence of some extraordinary coincidences, chiefly growing out of the discovery of another map in England, corresponding to Mr. Jay's map, mentioned in the speech of Sir ROBERT PEEL. This Note will be found immediately succeeding the report of Mr. WEBSTER'S speech.

New-York, May 10th, 1843.

CALIFORNIA

MR. GALLATIN'S MEMOIR

ON THE

NORTH-EASTERN BOUNDARY.

GENTLEMEN,

The final adjustment of the differences, which had so long existed between Great Britain and the United States, respecting our North-Eastern Boundary, as effected by the late Treaty of Washington, has been received with general satisfaction by the American people, and I may be permitted to add, by no one more than by myself. For although it had been my duty to defend what we believed to be the legitimate rights of the United States, yet the question had appeared to me to be one of abstract right, which the General Government was not authorized voluntarily to yield without the consent of the State of Maine: and I felt perfectly satisfied whenever that was obtained, inasmuch as the portion of territory relinquished by the treaty was, in my opinion, of no real importance in a national point of view.

It is much to be lamented that, after a conciliatory compromise, convenient and honorable to both countries, and apparently almost universally approved, had been thus happily concluded, an incident of so little real importance as the discovery of a certain Map, on which is traced a line ascribed to Dr. FRANKLIN, should have served as a pretence for

A

renewing the discussion on the merits of the case. And it was hardly to be tolerated, that, in some quarters, innuendoes should on that account have been made, tending to affect the sincerity and good faith of our Government.

Under those circumstances, a map which had been used by the Hon. JOHN JAY, during the negotiation of 1782, and which I had never seen before, was communicated to me; and I have obtained the permission of his son, Mr. WILLIAM JAY, to whom it now belongs, to lay it before this Society. It is proper for me to add, that this map, which, since the death of his father, had always remained in the possession of our late President, Mr. PETER A. JAY, had never till now been seen by the present owner, Mr. WILLIAM JAY, to whom it descended with his other papers by the will of his father.

My object is less to show the bearing which the map has on the points heretofore at issue between the two Governments, than to remove the impressions made by the line of demarcation ascribed to Dr. FRANKLIN. In doing this, I would wish to avoid a renewed discussion on the former points of difference. Yet it is impossible to explain the inferences flowing from Mr. JAY's map, without stating what these points were; and I shall endeavor to enter no farther into the discussion than is necessary to make myself intelligible.

The boundaries of the United States of America were defined by the preliminaries of Peace, concluded the 30th day of November, 1782, and ratified verbatim by the definitive treaty of the 3d September, 1783, between the said States and his Britannic Majesty, in the following words, viz:

"ARTICLE 2. And that all disputes which might arise in " future on the subject of the boundaries of the said United " States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and de