the canadian dominion-第18章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


erating　under　single　control。

The　railways　brought　with　them　a　new　speculative　fever；　a　more　complex　financial　structure；　a　business　politics　which　shaded　into　open　corruption；　and　a　closer　touch　with　the　outside　world。　The　general　substitution　of　steam　for　sail　on　the　Atlantic　during　this　period　aided　further　in　lessening　the　isolation　of　what　had　been　backwoods　provinces　and　in　bringing　them　into　closer　relation　with　the　rest　of　the　world。


It　was　in　closer　relations　with　the　United　States　that　this　emergence　from　isolation　chiefly　manifested　itself。　In　the　generation　that　followed　the　War　of　1812　intercourse　with　the　United　States　was　discouraged　and　was　remarkably　insignificant。　Official　policy　and　the　memories　of　1783　and　1812　alike　built　up　a　wall　along　the　southern　border。　The　spirit　of　Downing　Street　was　shown　in　the　instructions　given　to　Lord　Bathurst；　immediately　after　the　close　of　the　war；　to　leave　the　territory　between　Montreal　and　Lake　Champlain　in　a　state　of　nature；　making　no　further　grants　of　land　and　letting　the　few　roads　which　had　been　begun　fall　into　decay　thus　a　barrier　of　forest　wilderness　would　ward　off　republican　contagion。　This　Chinese　policy　of　putting　up　a　wall　of　separation　proved　impossible　to　carry　through；　but　in　less　extreme　ways　this　attitude　of　aloofness　marked　the　course　of　the　Government　all　through　the　days　of　oversea　authority。

The　friction　aroused　by　repeated　boundary　disputes　prevented　friendly　relations　between　Canada　and　the　United　States。　With　unconscious　irony　the　framers　of　the　Peace　of　1783　had　prefaced　their　long　outline　of　the　boundaries　of　the　United　States　by　expressing　their　intention　〃that　all　disputes　which　might　arise　in　future　on　the　subject　of　the　boundaries　of　the　said　United　States　may　be　prevented。〃　So　vague；　however；　were　the　terms　of　the　treaty　and　so　untrustworthy　were　the　maps　of　the　day　that　ultimately　almost　every　clause　in　the　boundary　section　gave　rise　to　dispute。

As　settlement　rolled　westward　one　section　of　the　boundary　after　another　came　in　question。　Beginning　in　the　east；　the　line　between　New　Brunswick　and　New　England　was　to　be　formed　by　the　St。　Croix　River。　There　had　been　a　St。　Croix　in　Champlain's　time　and　a　St。　Croix　was　depicted　on　the　maps；　but　no　river　known　by　that　name　existed　in　1783。　The　British　identified　it　with　the　Schoodic；　the　Americans　with　the　Magaguadavic。　Arbitration　in　1798　upheld　the　British　in　the　contention　that　the　Schoodic　was　the　St。　Croix　but　agreed　with　the　Americans　in　the　secondary　question　as　to　which　of　the　two　branches　of　the　Schoodic　should　be　followed。　A　similar　commission　in　1817　settled　the　dispute　as　to　the　islands　in　Passamaquoddy　Bay。

More　difficult；　because　at　once　more　ambiguous　in　terms　and　more　vitally　important；　was　the　determination　of　the　boundary　in　the　next　stage　westward　from　the　St。　Croix　to　the　St。　Lawrence。　The　British　position　was　a　difficult　one　to　maintain。　In　the　days　of　the　struggle　with　France；　Great　Britain　had　tried　to　push　the　bounds　of　the　New　England　colonies　as　far　north　as　might　be；　making　claims　that　would　hem　in　France　to　the　barest　strip　along　the　south　shore　of　the　St。　Lawrence。　Now　that　she　was　heir　to　the　territories　and　claims　of　France　and　had　lost　her　own　old　colonies；　it　was　somewhat　embarrassing；　but　for　diplomats　not　impossible；　to　have　to　urge　a　line　as　far　south　as　the　urgent　needs　of　the　provinces　for　intercommunication　demanded。　The　letter　of　the　treaty　was　impossible　to　interpret　with　certainty。　The　phrase；　〃the　Highlands　which　divide　those　rivers　that　empty　themselves　into　the　river　St。　Lawrence　from　those　which　fall　into　the　Atlantic　Ocean；〃　meant　according　to　the　American　reading　a　watershed　which　was　a　marshy　plateau；　and　according　to　the　British　version　a　range　of　hills　to　the　south　which　involved　some　keen　hairsplitting　as　to　the　rivers　they　divided。　The　intentions　of　the　parties　to　the　original　treaty　were　probably　much　as　the　Americans　contended。　From　the　standpoint　of　neighborly　adjustment　and　the　relative　need　for　the　land　in　question；　a　strong　case　in　equity　could　be　made　out　for　the　provinces；　which　would　be　cut　asunder　for　all　time　if　a　wedge　were　driven　north　to　the　very　brink　of　the　St。　Lawrence。

As　lumbermen　and　settlers　gathered　in　the　border　area；　the　risk　of　conflict　became　acute；　culminating　in　the　Aroostook　War　in　1838…39；　when　the　Legislatures　of　Maine　and　New　Brunswick　backed　their　rival　lumberjacks　with　reckless　jingoism。　Diplomacy　failed　repeatedly　to　obtain　a　compromise　line。　Arbitration　was　tried　with　little　better　success；　as　the　United　States　refused　to　accept　the　award　of　the　King　of　the　Netherlands　in　1831。　The　diplomats　tried　once　more；　and　in　1842　Daniel　Webster；　the　United　States　Secretary　of　State；　and　Lord　Ashburton；　the　British　Commissioner；　made　a　compromise　by　which　some　five　thousand　miles　of　the　area　in　dispute　were　assigned　to　Great　Britain　and　seven　thousand　to　the　United　States。　The　award　was　not　popular　on　either　side；　and　the　public　seized　eagerly　on　stories　of　concealed　〃Red　Line〃　maps；　stories　of　Yankee　smartness　or　of　British　trickery。　Webster；　to　win　the　assent　of　Maine；　had　exhibited　in　the　Senate　a　map　found　in　the　French　Archives　and　very　damaging　to　the　American　claim。　Later　it　appeared　that　the　British　Government　also　had　found　a　map　equally　damaging　to　its　own　claims。　The　nice　question　of　ethics　involved；　whether　a　nation　should　bring　forward　evidence　that　would　tell　against　itself；　ceased　to　have　more　than　an　abstract　interest　when　it　was　demonstrated　that　neither　map　could　be　considered　as　one　which　the　original　negotiators　had　used　or　marked。*

*　See　〃The　Path；　of　Empire〃；　by　Carl　Russell　Fish　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


The　boundary　from　the　St。　Lawrence　westward　through　the　Great　Lakes　and　thence　to　the　Lake　of　the　Woods　had　been　laid　down　in　the　Treaty　of　1783　in　the　usual　vague　terms；　but　it　was　determined　in　a　series　of　negotiations　from　1794　to　1842　with　less　friction　and　heat　than　the　eastern　line　had　caused。　From　the　Lake　of　the　Woods　to　the　Rockies　a　new　line；　the　forty…ninth　parallel；　was　agreed　upon　in　1818。　Then；　as　the　Pacific　Ocean　was　neared；　the　difficulties　once　more　increased。　There　were　no　treaties　between　the　two　countries　to　limit　claims　beyond　the　Rockies。　Discovery　and　settlement；　and　the　rights　inherited　from　or　admitted　by　the　Spaniards　to　the　south　and　by　the　Russians　to　the　north；　were　the　grounds　put　forward。　British　and　Canadian　fur　traders　had　been　the　pioneers　in　overland　discovery；　but　early　in　the　forties　thousands　of　American　settlers　poured　into　the　Columbia　Valley　and　strengthened　the　practical　case　for　their　country。　〃Fifty…four　forty　or　fight〃in　other　words；　the　calm　proposal　to　claim　the　whole　coast　between　Mexico　and　Alaskabecame　the　popular　cry　in　the　United　States；　but　in　face　of　the　firm　attitude　of　Great　Britain　and　impending　hostilities　with　Mexico；　more　moderate　counsels　ruled。　Great　Britain　held　out　for　the　Columbia　River　as　the　dividing　line；　and　the　United　States　for　the　forty…ninth　parallel　throughout。　Finally；　in　1846；　the　latter　contention　was　accepted；　with　a　modification　to　leave　Vancouver　Island　wholly　British　territory。　A　postscript　to　this　settlement　was　added　in　1872；　when　the　German　Emperor　as　arbitrator　approved　the　American　claim　to　the　island　of　San　Juan　in　the　channel　between　Vancouver　Island　and　the　mainland。*

*　See　〃The　Path　of　Empire〃。


With　the　most　troublesome　boundary　questions　out　of　the　way；　it　became　possible　to　discuss　calmly　closer　trade　relations　between　the　Provinces　and　the　United　States。　The　movement　for　reciprocal　lowering　of　the　tariffs　which　hampered　trade　made　rapid　headway　in　the　Provinces　in　the　late　forties　and　early　fifties。　British　North　America　was　passing　out　of　the　pioneer；　self…sufficient　stage；　and　now　had　a　surplus　to　export　as　well　as　townbred　needs　to　be　supplied　by　imports。　The　spread　of　settlement　and　the　building　of　canals　and　railways　brought　closer　contact　with　the　people　to　the　south。　The　loss　of　special　privileges　in　the　English　market　made　the　United　States　market　more　desired。　In　official　circles　reciprocity　was　sought　as　a　homeopathic　cure　for　the　desire　for　annexation。　William　Hamilton