are in the possession of the Government of Her Britannic Majesty have been duly examined and considered, and, as well as the marks by which the Boundary to the Eastern shore of the Gulf of Georgia has been defined upon the ground, are approved, agreed to, and adopted by both Governments. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same and have affixed thereto their respective seals. Done at Washington the twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and seventy. [SEAL] [SEAL] HAMILTON FISH From the records thus briefly described, the procedure and results of the survey have been abstracted with sufficient detail to permit of a faithful retracement of the entire boundary as ascertained, laid down, and marked by the original Commission. An outline of the procedure and results of the survey to acquaint the reader with the basic facts upon which the resurvey and demarcation described in this report is dependent seems here in order. CONFERENCES AND AGREEMENTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 1857-1869 The first meeting of the Joint Commission for determining and marking the land boundary west of the Rocky Mountains was held at the United States Boundary Commission camp at Semiahmoo, August 13, 1858. At this meeting the credentials of the Commissioners were examined and found satisfactory, and certain agreements were entered into regarding the methods of carrying on the proposed work. These agreements as quoted from the British Foreign Office records are as follows: The Commissioners agreed that that part of the Boundary should be first determined which lies between the point where the 49th parallel of North Latitude strikes the shore of Semiahmoo Bay, and the Cascade Mountains, and that such determination of the Boundary be commenced at the point fixed by Captn. G. H. Richards, R. N. the British second Commissioner for the determination of the Water Boundary-under the Treaty of June 15th 1846 and Lieutenant J. G. Parke, United States Topographical Engineers and Chief Astronomer, on the shore of Semiahmoo Bay. After discussing plans for determining and marking the line, as far eastward as the Cascade Mountains, it was concluded to be inexpedient at the present time in consequence of the great expense, consumption of time, and the impracticable nature of the Country, to mark the whole Boundary by cutting a track through the dense forest. It was therefore agreed to ascertain points on the line by the determination of astronomical points at convenient intervals on or near the Boundary; and to mark such Astronomical Stations or points fixed on the Parallel forming the Boundary, by cutting a track of not less than 20 feet in width on each side for the distance of half a mile or more according to circumstances. Further that the Boundary be determined and similarly marked where it crosses streams of any size, permanent trails, or any striking natural features of the Country. In the vicinity of settlements on or near the line, it is deemed advisable to cut the track for a greater distance, and to mark it in a manner to be determined hereafter. These agreements are signed by both Commissioners. The second meeting of the Joint Commission was held at Semiahmoo, April 16 to 23, 1859. The minutes of this meeting record that plans for joint operations were fully discussed and that various proposals were submitted by each Commissioner, but there was a failure of agreement in all but two of the items. The United States Commissioner refused to sign the minutes. The drafted minutes so far as they relate to discussions and agreements read as follows: 1. Plans for the prosecution of the joint operations of the Commission during the present season were fully discussed. 2. The British Commission proposed that the arrangement, recorded in the Protocol, signed on the 14th August, 1858, that it being "inexpedient at the present time in consequence of the great expense, consumption of time, and the impracticable nature of the Country to mark the whole Boundary by cutting a track through the dense forest. It was therefore agreed to ascertain points on the line by the determination of astronomical points at convenient intervals, on or near the Boundary-and to mark such Astronomical stations, or points fixed on the parallel forming the Boundary, by cutting a track of not less than twenty feet in width on each side for the distance of half a mile or more according to circumstances," be revised. He proposed that in accessible forest land cuttings of the width of 20 feet or thereabouts be made throughout, and the Parallel laid out and marked at intervals of about one mile by suitable Monuments; the Boundary line being admitted to lie evenly between such marked points, as in such limited distance the curve of the Parallel would be practicably inappreciable: and that in rugged or mountainous districts through which portions of the Boundary may run, and which are physically inaccessible, or impenetrable, or which are practically so to the extent of making their beneficial occupation improbable and the labour and expense of minutely marking the Boundary therein consequently unnecessary; as many prominent or accessible points as may be possible or necessary, be determined by survey between the adjacent Astronomical stations and marked by beacons, cairns, or lasting monuments of some suitable description. 3. The United States Commissioner seeing no good reason to change the conclusion arrived at by the joint Commission on the 13th August, 1858 that it is "inexpedient at the present time in consequence of the great expense, consumption of time, and the impracticable nature of the Country to mark the whole Boundary, by cutting a track through the dense forest" and considering the remainder of the proposition of the British Commissioner as already met by the agreement of the joint Commission to determine and mark out the Boundary "where it crosses streams of any size, permanent trails, or any striking natural features of the country," declined to adopt the proposition. 4. The British Commissioner announced his intention to proceed with the demarcation of the Boundary, between Semiahmoo Bay and the Cascade Mountains, in the manner above proposed by him, to such an extent as circumstances would permit; as delay in doing so might involve the loss of the present season for such purpose, and the inconvenient postponement of the work in view of the probable removal of the two Commissions from this part of the Country; and as this portion of the operations would thus be undertaken solely by the British Commission, that he should report his proceedings to the British Government for their further instructions in such cases. 5. The British Commissioner subsequently requested the United States Commissioner to continue the cutting of the Boundary from Semiahmoo Bay, which had been commenced by his parties, to some further distance inland in extension of the arrangement recorded in the Protocol of the 14th August 1858 "To cut the track for a greater distance in the vicinity of settlements on or near the line," so as to meet the proposed cutting of the British Commission proceeding westward from Sumass; which point the United States Commissioner reserved for further consideration. 6. A proposition made by the British Commissioner respecting the nature and provision of suitable monuments for marking and preserving the Boundary in all accessible portions of it, was not fully discussed, and no decision upon it was arrived at, in consequence of the United States Commissioner having declined to proceed with the demarcation of the Boundary line throughout. To a further suggestion by the British Commissioner, that he should be authorized to procure at the expense of the joint Commission a sufficient number of iron monuments to define the portion of Boundary he had announced his intention of marking out this season, the United States Commissioner declined to accede. 7. The Commissions agreed that the determination of such astronomical points on or near the Boundary as are still required to complete the series between Semiahmoo and the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains at Chilukweyuk be undertaken by the British Commission; and that the determination of astronomical points at convenient intervals in continuation of the series eastward from Chilukweyuk towards the Columbia River be continued by both Commissions. It was also agreed that the principle on which points be taken up by the astronomical parties of the two Commissions be that of occupying them alternately, subject to such modifications by the executive officers as may be mutually agreed upon by them. 8. The elements assumed for the figure of the Earth (Bessel's) and the nature of the computations for the length of the ordinates for connecting tangents with the parallel were agreed upon. 9. The British Commissioner proposed the consideration of the astronomical results at such points as have already been observed by the two Commissions, with a view to their being finally adopted if found to be satisfactory. 10. The United States Commissioner proposed, before the adoption of those points, that the joint Commission adopt the three following points on the 49th Parallel, viz: 1st. The point where the Parallel intersects the Continent on the Western face of Point Roberts; 2nd. The point where the Parallel intersects the eastern face of Point Roberts; 3rd. The point where the Parallel intersects the eastern shore of Semiahmoo Bay. 11. The British Commissioner declined entering upon the present consideration of the portion of the Boundary, between the eastern shore of Semiahmoo Bay and the western face of Point Roberts, in view of the circumstances which occurred between the British Water Boundary and the United States Commissioners prior to this question having been brought under his notice. He further stated that the points in question are most satisfactorily determined by astronomical operations, and that the postponement of their final adoption ought to have no effect on the course of proceedings eastward of Semiahmoo. 12. While circumstances exist which prevent the British Commissioner adopting these points, the United States Commissioner declined to adopt the points submitted for consideration by the British Commissioner. Consequent upon failure to reach full accord at this conference, each Commissioner carried on work more or less independently during the interval between this and the next conference. The third conference was held at Harney Depot, Washington Territory, on November 6 to 8, 1860. The items of discussion and agreement recorded in the minutes of this meeting are as follows: 1. The operations of the British and United States Commissions from the western terminus of the Land Boundary at Point Roberts to the eastern terminus at the summit of the Rocky Mountains were mutually explained; and the future course of operations in the field was discussed. 2. The Commissioners agreed that the portion of the Boundary extending from the western terminus at Point Roberts to the western slope of the Cascade Mountains be marked by iron monuments at suitable intervals. That the portion extending from the crossing of the Boundary at the Similkameen river eastward towards the Columbia river be marked by stone beacons, exclusive of the intervals which from their rugged and mountainous nature may render such minute marking of the Boundary unnecessary. That the portion of accessible ground in the valley at the eastern crossing of the Kootenay River be also marked by stone beacons and that the space between the Kishenehu and Flathead Rivers be marked in a similar manner. The Commissioners agreed that the points on the Boundary ascertained by the two Commissions by the determination of astronomical points at convenient intervals be acknowledged; subject to the future mutual examination of the astronomical observations and of their results, on the final completion of the field operations. We find no record of other formal joint conferences of the Commissioners held during their field operations. There are, however, records of informal conferences between the officers of the two sections of the Commission regarding details of the work, and in the end, the separate and independent operations of the two sections were mutually accepted by the Commissioners. The field work of the United States parties seems to have been completed some time during the season of 1861, that of the British section sometime early in 1862; the exact dates do not appear. After the close of field work the British Commissioner returned to London and maintained offices there until the completion of the necessary office work. Likewise the United States Commissioner maintained an office in Washington. During the time the office work was being completed there appear to have been no joint meetings of the Commission. The chief astronomer to the British Commissioner, Capt. R. W. Haig, however, spent some time with the United States Commission in Washington in the latter part of 1862, and about four months again in 1863, conferring in regard to the drawing of the final joint maps of the survey. The fourth and final joint conference of the Commissioners was held in Washington, May 4 to 7, 1869. At this meeting the work of the Joint Commission was brought to a close. The text of the minutes of this meeting as submitted by Colonel Hawkins to his Government are here given in full: WASHINGTON, D. C., 1869. Meetings of the Commission on the part of Great Britain to ascertain and mark out so much of the line of Boundary between the British Possessions and the United States described in the First Article of the Treaty between Her Britannic Majesty and the United States of America dated 15th June 1846 as lies between the Rocky or Stony Mountains and the Eastern shore of the Channel which separates the Continent of North America from Vancouver's Island, and the Commission on the part of the United States to carry into effect the first Article of the Treaty aforesaid, held at the office of the United States Boundary Commission, Washington, District of Columbia, U. S. on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th May 1869. Present: John Summerfield Hawkins, Colonel Rl. Engrs. Her Majesty's Commissioner for ascertaining and marking out the line of Boundary from the point on the Forty-ninth Parallel of North Latitude where the Boundary laid down in existing Treaties and Conventions between Great Britain and the United States terminates, to the point at which the Forty-ninth Parallel of North Latitude strikes the eastern shore of the Channel which separates the Continent from Vancouver's Island. Samuel Anderson, Lieut: Royal Engineers, Secretary to the British Commission. Archibald Campbell, Commissioner on the part of the United States to carry into effect the first Article of the Treaty of the 15th June 1846 between the United States and Great Britain. John G. Parke, Major U. S. Engineers and Brevet Major General U. S. A.-Chief Astronomer and Surveyor on the part of the United States to carry into effect the first Article of the Treaty as aforesaid. William J. Warren-Secretary to the United States Commission. Robert Wolseley Haig, Captain Royal Artillery, Chief Astronomer to the British Commission was unable to attend the meetings of the joint Commission on account of serious illness. 1. The astronomical and geodetical determinations of the several astronomical stations, and of the points on the Forty-ninth Parallel of North Latitude by which the Boundary has been defined between its western terminus at Point Roberts in West Longitude 123°3'53" and its eastern terminus on the watershed of the Rocky Mountains in west longitude 114°3′28′′ agreed upon and exchanged in May 1863 between Captain R. W. Haig, R. A. Chief Astronomer of the British Commission and G. Clinton Gardner, Assistant Astronomer and Surveyor to the United States Commission having been carefully compared and corrected are finally adopted; and lists of them are countersigned (2) and hereunto attached. 2. The two sets of seven Maps prepared severally by the respective Commissions upon the above named data on a scale of 1:120,000 having been carefully compared and countersigned, are hereby declared to represent so much of the Boundary described in the First Article of the Treaty between Her Britannic Majesty and the United States of America dated 15th June 1846 as is comprised between the intersection of the watershed of the Rocky Mountains by the Forty-ninth Parallel of North Latitude in west longitude 114°3′28′′ and the point at which the 49th parallel of north latitude strikes the Eastern shore of the Channel which separates the Continent from Vancouver's Island in West Longitude 123°3′53′′. 3. It is agreed by the Commissioners that, between any two successive defined points, marked on the ground shown on the maps, and set forth in the accompanying lists, the line of Boundary above described is to be understood to be a right or straight line; and that this rule is to apply throughout the entire Boundary without regard to the distances between the consecutive points or to the course of the parallel in such intervals. J. S. HAWKINS, ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, &c. &c. &c. May 7th, 1869. FINAL REPORT OF THE BRITISH COMMISSIONER Immediately following the Washington conference of the Commissioners, of May 7, 1869, Colonel Hawkins made a brief final report to his Government in which he recapitulated the work of the Commission. He accompanied the report with copies of the minutes of the conferences of the Commissioners (which have already been quoted herein) and the two tables of geodetic coordinates which had been agreed to and signed by himself and Commissioner Campbell. The full text of the report followed by the two signed tables is here given: H. M. BOUNDARY COMMISSION, WASHINGTON, U. S. MY LORD,-In compliance with your instructions conveyed to me by Mr. Hammond on the 22nd February, I left Barbados on the 9th and arrived at New York on the 21st April. Lieut: S. Anderson, R. E., Secretary to the Boundary Commission, arrived on the same night and joined me on the following morning. We proceeded to Washington on the 23rd April; and having reported our arrival to Her Majesty's Minister on the morning of the 24th, I put myself into immediate communication with Mr. A. Campbell, the United States Commissioner. 2. I have now the honor to inform your Lordship that on the afternoon of the 7th instant our labours were brought to a conclusion, which will I hope be quite satisfactory to you and Her Majesty's Government, and meet with the Approval of Her Majesty. Several days were occupied in the careful comparison of the astronomical determinations, and of the Maps, &c., and formal meetings of the joint Commission were held on 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th May. A protocol authenticating the points by which the land Boundary has been defined upon the ground, and the maps severally prepared by the two Commissions was agreed upon; and it and the maps were countersigned by Mr. Campbell and myself on the 7th instant. The protocol is herewith enclosed, with the two lists of astronomical determinations alluded to in its first clause; together with the originals of the two protocols adopted on the 14th August, 1858, and 8th November, 1860, Copies of which were sent to the Foreign Office with my letters, Nos. 3 and 14 dated 28th March, 1859, and 28th March, 1861, and of the minutes of the proceedings of the joint Commission in April 1859 on which occasion no agreement was arrived at as reported in my letter No: 6 of the 31st May 1859. The maps require some trifling corrections of detail and the addition of some names common to the two sets; and upon their completion I have desired Lieut: Anderson to convey them to the Foreign Office, to be disposed of as your Lordship may see fit to direct. 3. The detailed reports made by me during the progress of the work contain minute information both as to our operations and the nature of the country traversed by the Land Boundary; but upon reporting the execution of so much of the Treaty of the 15th June, 1846, as was comprised in my Commission it may be as well to recapitulate in brief terms the nature and results of those operations. 4. Between the extreme east and west points, upon the watershed of the Rocky Mountains and the eastern shore of the Channel which separates the Continent of North America from Vancouver's Island in West Longitude 114°3′34′′ and 123°3'53", the exact length of the Boundary upon the 49th Parallel of North Latitude is 4090 miles. The position of the Parallel was determined from 28 astronomical stations, 11 of which were established by the British Commission, 14 by the American Commission and 3 were observed from by both. Another station was fixed by the British Commission, at Schweltza Lake, but it was rejected for the reasons given in paragraphs 11 and 16 of my Report No: 9 of the 21st May 1860 and again referred to in letter No: 24 dated 31st December 1861 though our after experience of the most accurate instrumental observations in that mountainous country now leads to the conclusion that the result at Schweltza was quite as trustworthy as any of the others. It is however not included in our final determinations. I believe the observations of the two Commissions to have been made with the utmost attainable precision, which is most conclusively shown by the computations; but upon connecting 5 of the stations by the demarcation of a continuous line of Boundary in the 60 miles between Similkameen and Statapoosten stations, we were greatly disappointed by the discovery of 2 The quotations from Foreign Office Correspondence, including the report of Colonel Hawkins and the signed tables here referred to, follow the text of the Canadian Department of the Interior's publication entitled "Certain Correspondence of the Foreign Office and of the Hudson's Bay Company, Copied from Original Documents, London, 1898", Government Printing Bureau, Ottawa, 1899. |