Concerning these discrepancies, Commissioner Hawkins, in a letter dated April 12, 1861, says:

I stated that the Boundary so carefully and completely defined and marked by Captn. Haig and Lieut: Anderson in the past season, between the Similkameen and the western intersection of the Newhoialpitkw at Statapoosten would require revision. This necessity arises from the connections made between the various British and American points on the Boundary derived from the astronomical operations at the several stations showing great and unexpected discrepancies in the latitude of the points. The results of the astronomical operations by both Commissions seem to be in the highest degree satisfactory; the points on the 49th parallel derived from those results are not liable to errors which can be detected at the stations themselves; the country through which the connections have been made is of a generally favourable character; and the method of connection does not permit of errors at all approaching in magnitude the discrepancies found to exist. There seems to be no way of explaining these discrepancies except by attributing them principally to local causes affecting the astronomical observations similar to those vitiating the determinations at Schweltza 3 alluded to in paragraph 16 of my despatch No. 9 dated 21st May, 1860; and which probably affect more or less every station between the sea and the Rocky Mountains. Two ways of dealing with this difficulty presented themselves either to connect the adjacent stations by curves representing and having the properties of the 49th parallel (there being no apparent reason for preferring or rejecting the determination of any one of the stations) which might have been the preferable method had there been grounds for suspecting the accuracy of the manner of making the connections, and which will be followed in revising the line between Semiahmoo and Sumass; or to adopt a mean parallel from the continuation of the several astronomical results and their connections, from that mean to correct the result obtained at each station and to run, and mark a parallel coinciding with those corrections. There are two British and three U. S. determinations of latitude in the space of nearly 65 miles, from between the Similkameen River and Osoyoos Lake, to Statapoosten, the greatest discrepancy is between the British station at Osoyoos and the U. S. station at Statapoosten, which differ about 860 ft; and none of the stations agree within less than about 180 ft which is the difference between Statapoosten and the British station at Inshwointum. In this case, the first plan would certainly not produce a parallel of latitude and thus would knowingly fail to fulfil the provisions of the Treaty-The second plan would result in a parallel which would probably be the nearest approach to an accurate determination of the 49th parallel that any but a very elaborate and extended course of observation could arrive at. Captn. Haig has written at length to Mr. Airy the Astronomer Royal on the subject of these unwelcome and very unexpected discrepancies and on the method of dealing with them. At a meeting at this place on the 4th of March, attended by Lieut: Parke, the U. S. Chief Astronomer, in the absence of the Commissioner, Mr. J. Š. Harris, one of the U. S. assistant Astronomers, Captn. Haig and myself the above question, and the plan of this year's operations were discussed; and it was agreed that a mean parallel should be adopted, and a new line run and marked from the Similkameen to Statapoosten— This Lieut: Parke has undertaken to do, on the part of the U. S. Commission, on satisfying himself as to the existence and amount of the alleged discrepancies.

The running of the mean parallel from the Similkameen to the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River was carried out by Lieutenant Parke as planned, during the summer of 1861. The mean parallel was marked with pyramids of stones at points corresponding to the points marked on the original line and the pyramids marking the original line were torn down with the exception of one on the high hill just south of the present town of Midway, which was overlooked. The vista on the mean parallel, however, was not cut continuously; it was cut only across the summits of the ridges and in proximity to the pyramids. The effect of this was that two lines were left marked upon the ground-the abandoned line well marked by a continuous vista and with the remains of the demolished cairns, and the final or official line which was left poorly marked by a vista though well marked by stone

3 The discrepancy between the Schweltza and the Sumass Station was 8 seconds of latitude, about 800 feet, in a distance of about 9 miles. Although this discrepancy was apparently due to local station deflection of the plumb line at Schweltza, the latitude of Schweltza was discarded.

pyramids. This dual marking resulted in much local confusion in the years following and continued down to the present day. In a number of places the old stone piles and the vista of the original line are still plainly discernible.

Between the most eastern crossing of the Kettle River and the Columbia River the line was run on the approximate curve of the 49th parallel from the eastern terminus of the mean parallel to the astronomic determination of the parallel on the west bank of the Columbia. This section of the line was marked continuously with stone pyramids and a vista cut through the timber.

From the Columbia River eastward to the summit of the Rocky Mountains the parallel was marked at the crossing of the Pend-d'Oreille (Clark Fork) for a distance of about 1 mile, at the crossing of South Fork Salmon River for about 1 mile, at the western crossing of the Kootenai for about 4 miles, at the Moyie River crossing for about 3 miles, at the crossing of the North Fork of the Yaak River for about 1 mile, across the valley of the eastern crossing of the Kootenai for about 10 miles, at the crossing of the Wigwam River for about one-half mile, across the valley of the Flathead for about 5 miles, and finally by a cairn on the crest of the watershed of the Rocky Mountains high above the timber line. None of these intermittent markings were connected by surveys; in each case the parallel was determined from an independent astronomic station.

It will be noted from the foregoing paragraphs that the boundary as established was located from astronomic observations for latitude and was intended to follow the astronomic 49th parallel. That it does not strictly do so is shown by the discrepancies found to exist between the latitude stations connected with each other. It is now known through recent surveys that discrepancies of like character and of varying magnitude, attributed to local deflections of the plumb line, exist between the astronomic stations that were not connected with each other in the original survey, and that at best the whole line is but an approximation of the astronomic 49th parallel. However, the adverse conditions of transportation and travel through what was at that time a sparsely settled wilderness fully justified the original Commissioners in locating and marking the various portions of the line in the manner in which they did.

In addition to the work of locating and marking the boundary a great amount of work was required to collect the data for compiling the final maps of the Commission. Elevations of a large number of points were determined by barometric observations. Small schemes of triangulation were executed from time to time, streams and trails were traversed, and mountain points were cut in from the traverses. All this work was done in great detail as is evidenced by the maps themselves.

This concludes the brief outline of the work of establishing the boundary west of the Rocky Mountains by the Commission of 1857-1869.

BOUNDARY EAST OF THE SUMMIT OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

This section of the boundary was first defined in the second article of the convention between the United States and Great Britain of October 20, 1818, whereby it was provided:

*

* that a Line drawn from the most North Western Point of the Lake of the Woods, along the forty Ninth Parallel of North Latitude, or, if the said Point shall not be in the Forty Ninth Parallel of North Latitude, then that a Line drawn from the said Point due North or South as the Case may be, until the said Line shall intersect the said Parallel of North Latitude, and from the Point of such Intersection due West along and with the said Parallel shall be the Line of Demarcation between the Territories of the United States, and those of His Britannic Majesty, and that the said Line shall form the Northern Boundary of the said Territories of the United States, and the Southern Boundary of the Territories of His Britannic Majesty, from the Lake of the Woods to the Stony Mountains.

It was again defined in the second article of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 as:

* * *

to the said most northwestern point [of Lake of the Woods], being in latitude 49°23′55′′ north, and in longitude 95°14'38" west from the Observatory at Greenwich; thence, according to existing treaties, due south to its intersection with the 49th parallel of north latitude, and along that parallel to the Rocky Mountains.

Great Britain had proposed the demarcation of this section of the boundary at the time the demarcation of the boundary west of the Rocky Mountains was undertaken. The general instructions of date of March 30, 1858, issued by his Government to Captain Hawkins mentions the proposal in the following paragraph:

It is possible that you will hereafter be required to continue the survey from that point [Rocky Mountains] to the Lake of the Woods. Her Majesty's Government have made a proposal to that effect to the Government of the United States, but whether the proposal is accepted or not you will have in all probability sufficient work to occupy you for two seasons in surveying the Boundary under the Treaty of 1846.

By the act of Congress of March 19, 1872, entitled "An act authorizing the survey and marking of the boundary between the territory of the United States and the possessions of Great Britain, from the Lake of the Woods to the summit of the Rocky Mountains", the President of the United States was authorized to cooperate with the Government of Great Britain in the appointment of a Joint Commission for determining the boundary line between the United States and the British possessions, between Lake of the Woods and the Rocky Mountains. The immediate cause of this authorization by Congress was set forth by the President of the United States in his annual message to Congress dated December 5, 1870, as follows:

In April last, while engaged in locating a military reservation near Pembina, a corps of United States engineers discovered that the commonly-received boundary-line between the United States and the British possessions at that place is about forty-seven hundred feet south of the true position of the forty-ninth parallel, and that the line, when run on what is now supposed to be the true position of the forty-ninth parallel, would leave the fort of the Hudson Bay Company, at Pembina, within the territory of the United States. This information being communicated to the British Government, I was requested to consent, and did consent, that the British occupation, of the fort of the Hudson Bay Company should continue for the present. I deem it important however, that this part of the boundary-line should be definitely fixed by a joint commission of the two governments, and I submit herewith estimates of the expense of such a commission on the part of the United States, and recommend that an appropriation be made for that purpose. The land-boundary has already been fixed and marked from the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the Georgian Bay. It should now be in like manner marked from the Lake of the Woods to the summit of the Rocky Mountains.

Mr. Archibald Campbell, who had been Commissioner on the joint survey west of the summit of the Rocky Mountains, was appointed by the President as United States Commissioner. Great Britain appointed Capt. Donald R. Cameron, R. A., as British Commissioner.

Joint field operations were begun by the Commission about the middle of September 1872, at Pembina, on Red River. Field operations were completed late in the autumn of 1874.

At the close of the field work of the Commission, the United States section of the Commission set up offices in Washington for the purpose of working up the notes of the survey and compiling the maps of the boundary line and the country adjacent thereto. The British section of the Commission returned to Londɔn and there executed their office work.

In March 1876, the British Commissioner notified the United States Commissioner that the work of the British section of the Commission was ready for the final meeting of the Joint Commission and requested that if convenient the meeting be held in London. Accordingly, the joint meeting was held in London during the months of April and May 1876. The United States and British Chief Astronomers compared the records and maps of the respective sections of the Commission, and having reported them satisfactory and the maps ready for the signatures of the Commissioners, the maps were duly signed, together with a protocol of the final proceedings of the Commission on May 29, 1876. This completed the work of the Joint Commission and it adjourned sine die.

FINAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSION

The final records and maps of the Commission are on file in the Foreign Office at London and in the archives of the Department of State in Washington. They are enumerated in a protocol of the final proceedings of the Commission of which the following is a copy:

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS AT A MEETING OF THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED RESPECTIVELY BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND BY HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY,

TO ASCERTAIN AND MARK THE BOUNDARY-LINE BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE TERRITORIES OF

THE UNITED STATES AND OF HER MAJESTY, THE SAID LINE BEING THAT DEFINED BY THE SECOND ARTICLE OF THE CONVENTION OF LONDON, SIGNED OCTOBER 20, 1818

Present:

Donald R. Cameron, major Royal Artillery, commissioner on the part of Her Britannic Majesty.

S. Anderson, captain Royal Engineers, chief astronomer to Her Majesty's commission. A. C. Ward, captain Royal Engineers, secretary to Her Majesty's commission. Archibald Campbell, commissioner on the part of the United States of America.

W. J. Twining, captain of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army, chief astronomer to the United States commission.

1. The chief astronomers submit the following documents and maps:

a. A detailed list in duplicate of forty astronomical stations, in addition to one for the location of the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods, at which observations were taken under their superintendence, to determine the line described in the second article of the convention of London (signed October 20, 1818) between the terminal points, viz, the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods and the eastern end of the international boundaryline previously marked between Akamina, in the Rocky Mountains, and the western coast of North America.

b. A descriptive list in duplicate of three hundred and eighty-eight (388) monuments and marks placed on the boundary-line, as derived from the astronomical stations enumerated in the list referred to in section a of this paragraph.

c. A duplicate set of twenty-four (24) maps on a scale of 1/126720, or 1 inch to 2 miles, illustrating the topography of the country through which the boundary-line runs, and indicating

the relative positions of the various monuments and marks referred to in section b of this paragraph. 2. The second article of the convention of London, signed 20th October, 1818, is read, as follows:

"It is agreed that a line drawn from the most northwestern point of the Lake of the Woods, along the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, or if the said point shall not be in the fortyninth parallel of north latitude, then that a line drawn from the said point due north or south, as the case may be, until the said line shall intersect the said parallel of north latitude, and from the point of such intersection due west, along and with the said parallel, shall be the line of demarkation between the territories of His Britannic Majesty and those of the United States, and that the said line shall form the southern boundary of the said territories of His Britannic Majesty, and the northern boundary of the territories of the United States, from the Lake of the Woods to the Stony Mountains."

The duplicate documents and maps enumerated in paragraph numbered one (1)-one set for each of the respective governments having been examined and compared, are authenticated by the signatures of the commissioners, who agree as follows:

1. The three hundred and eighty-eight (388) monuments detailed in the list referred to in section b of paragraph numbered one, are on and mark the astronomical lines stipulated by the second article of the convention of London (signed October 20, 1818) to be the line of boundary between the territories of Her Britannic Majesty and of the United States of America, from the Lake of the Woods to the Stony (i. e., Rocky) Mountains.

2. In the intervals between the monuments along the parallel of latitude, it is agreed that the line has the curvature of a parallel of 49° north latitude; and that such characteristic shall determine all questions that may hereafter arise with reference to the position of the boundary at any point between neighboring monuments.

3. It is further agreed that, in the event of any of the said three hundred and eighty-eight (388) monuments or marks being obliterated beyond the power of recognition, the lost site or sites shall be recovered by their recorded position relatively to the next neighboring unobliterated mark or marks.

Major, R. A., Her Britannic Majesty's Commissioner, London,

May 29, 1876.

The United States Commission made a very full and detailed report to the Department of State on the work of the Joint Commission. A limited edition of this report was printed under the title "Survey of the Northern Boundary of the United States from the Lake of the Woods to the Summit of the Rocky Mountains", in 1878. The 24 official, signed maps were also reproduced and printed. Copies of this report and of the maps are on file in the archives of the Department of State, in the Library of Congress, and in other governmental offices in Washington.

The British Commissioner, Major Cameron, likewise made a report to his Government, which together with 3 appendixes are on file in the Foreign Office in London. A limited edition of Major Cameron's official report, without the appendixes, was printed for the use of the Foreign Office, August 1876, marked "Confidential", under the heading "North American Boundary Commission from the most North-Western Point of the Lake of the Woods to the Stony Mountains."

Should the reader desire a detailed description of this section of the boundary and its survey, it is available in the records and reports that have been referred to herein.