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The first voyager was the Sieur DeMonts, whose voyage was made in 1604, and an account of it has been written by two cotemporary authors, viz. Champlain, who was with him, and Les Carbot, who came out to St. Croix in 1605.

The description of the country, river and islands is thus given by Champlain in an edition published in 1713, a copy of which, on account of the maps annexed, the commissioners were at the trouble of procuring from England. It follows;

From the river St. John we were at four islands, on one of which we were ashore, and there found a great abundance of birds, called margos, of which we took a number of young ones, as good as young pigeons. The Sieur Poutrincourt was nearly losing himself there, but finally returned to our bark as we were going to search for him round the island, which is three leagues distant from the main land. Further to the west there are other islands, one containing six leagues, called by the savages Manthane; to the south of which, there are among the islands many good ports for vessels. From the isles of Margos, we were at a river in the main land, which is called the river of the Etchomins, a race of savages so named in their own country; and we passed passtu by a great number of islands more than we could count, pleasant enough, containing, some two leagues, others three, others more or less. All these islands are in a bay, which contains in my judgment more than fifteen leagues in circumference, in which there are a number of convenient places to put as great a number of vessels as one pleases, which in their season abound in fish; such as cod, salmon, bars, herring, fluituns, and other fish in great number. Making west northwest through these islands, we entered into a large river, which is almost half a league broad at its entrance, where having made a league or two, we found two islands, the one very small near the shore on the west, the other in the middle, which may have eight or nine hundred paces in circumference; the banks of which are rocky, and three or four toises high, except a small place, a point of land and clay which may serve to make bricks and other necessary things. There is another sheltered place to put vessels from eighty to one hundred tons, but it is dry at low water. The island is filled with firs, birches, maples, and oaks. Of itself it is in a good situation, and there is only one side where it slopes about forty paces, which is easy to be fortified, the shores of the main land being distant on each side about nine hundred or a thousand paces. Vessels cannot pass on the river but at the mercy of the cannon on the island, which is the place we judged best, as well for the situation, the goodness of the country, as for the communication we pro

posed to have with the savages of the coasts and the interiour country being in the midst of them. This place is named by the name of the island St. Croix. Passing higher up, one sees a great bay in which there are two islands, the one high, the other low, and three rivers, two of a middling size, one going off towards the east and the other to the north, and the third is large which goes to the west. This is that of the Etchimins, of which we have spoken above. Going into it two leagues there is a fall of water, where the savages carry their canoes by land about four hundred paces, afterwards re-entering it, from which afterwards crossing over a small space of land one goes into the river Norembeque and of St. John. In this place of the fall, which the vessels cannot pass because there is nothing but rocks, and that there is not more than four of five feet water, in May and June, they take as great abundance of bars and herrings, as they can lade in their vessels. The soil is very fine and there are about fifteen or twenty acres of land cleared, where the Sieur De Monts sowed some grain, which came up very well. The savages stay here, sometimes five or six weeks, during the fishing season. All the rest of the country is a very thick forest. If the land was cleared, grain would grow there very well. This place is in forty five degrees and one third of latitude, and the variation of the magnetick needle is seventeen degrees and thirty two minutes.' 'Not having found a place more fit than this island to make a barricade on a small island a little separated from the island, which served as a platform for our cannon, every one employed himself so faithfully that in a little time it was rendered a defence. Then the Sieur De Monts began to employ the workmen to build the houses for our abode. After the Sieur De Monts had taken the place for the magazine, which was nine toises long and three broad and twelve feet high, he fixed on the plan of his own lodging, which was immediately built by good workmen; he then assigned to each his place. We then made some gardens, as well on the main land as on the island. The Sieur De Monts determined on a change of place and to make another habitation to avoid the cold and evils which we had in the island St. Croix. Not having found any port which was proper for us there, and the little time we had to lodge ourselves and to build houses for that purpose, we caused two barks to be equipped, on which was laden the carpenter's work of the houses of St. Croix, to be carried to Port-Royal, twenty five leagues from thence, where we judged our abode would be more mild and temperate.'

In his edition of 1632, after the above passage where he mentions the latitude and the variation of the needle, he adds, ' in this place was the habitation made in 1604,' and then immediately coinmences another chapter as follows; From the said river St.

Croix, continuing along the coast, making about twenty five leagues, we passed by a great number of islands,' &c.

Having been satisfied from the map in the above edition of Champlain that it was probable the island, there called Isle Sainte Croix, was that island then called Bone or Docias island in the Scoodick, they caused search to be made, by digging into the soil for the marks of the buildings and other traces of European occupation.

This search satisfied the commissioners that there were evident marks of the foundations of buildings. Bricks, charcoal, iron spikes, and other artificial articles were discovered, and the exfoliation of the iron afforded some means of estimating the period during which it had been buried.

After comparing the description and other facts with the Bay of Passamaquoddy, including the islands and rivers, one of the commissioners, who served as the representative of the rest, declared, that it resulted in demonstration that the island St. Croix and the river St. Croix intended in them are respectively Bone island and the river Scoodick.'* Here the question would have rested, and a decision been thereupon made in favour of Great Britain, but the agent of the United States suggested, that Mitchell's map, published in 1755, was before the commissioners who negotiated and concluded the provisional treaty of peace at Paris in 1782; from that they took their ideas of the country; upon that they marked the dividing line between the two countries, and by the line marked upon it their intention is well explained, that the river intended by the name of the St. Croix in the treaty, was the eastern river, which empties its waters into the Bay of Passamaquoddy."

To establish this position, the depositions of the American plenipotentiaries before alluded to were introduced, in which Mr. Adams, whose statement was corroborated by the others, says, that the British commissioners finally agreed to the St. Croix, as marked on Mitchell's map.'

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In answer. however, to this argument and evidence in support of the American claim to the eastern river as the St. Croix of the treaty, the commissioner above quoted remarks, that the part of Mitchell's map, which relates to the Bay of Passamaquoddy is very erroneous and imperfect. But, that the true reasoning is briefly this; The commis

* Judge Benson's MS. report to the president of the United States.

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sioners at the treaty of Paris intended the river intended by Mitchell; he intended the river which was the boundary of Nova Scotia, that is, the river which was called St. Croix by the French navigator in 1604. The river called St. Croix by the French navigator was the Scoodick, from which it follows that the treaty of 1783, by the term river St. Croix intended the Scoodick. By a supplemental convention the commissioners were excused from ascertaining the latitude and longitude of the source of the river intended in the treaty, and the result of their investigation was the following report, which was unanimously concured in, and has become binding and conclusive on both nations; and the language of which is so plain and intelligible, that it cannot be made the subject of dispute or difference.

By Thomas Barclay, David Howell, and Egbert Benson commissioners appointed in pursuance of the fifth article of the treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, between his Britannick Majesty and the United States of America, finally to decide the question: What river was truly intended under the name of the river Saint Croix, mentioned in the treaty of peace between his Majesty and the United States and forming a part of the boundary therein described."

DECLARATION.

We, the said commissioners having been sworn impartially to examine and decide the said question according to such evidence as should respectively be laid before us on the part of the British government, and of the United States;" and having heard the evidence which hath been laid before us, by the agent of his Majesty, and the agent of the United States respectively appointed, and authorised to manage the business on behalf of the respective governments; have decided, and hereby do decide, the river herein after particularly described and mentioned, to be the river truly intended under the name of the river Saint Croix in the said treaty of peace, and forming a part of the boundary therein described. That is to say; the mouth of the said river is in Passamaquoddy Bay, at a point of land called Joc's point, about one mile northward from the northern point of Saint Andrews' island, and in the latitude of forty five degrees, five minutes and five seconds north, and in the longitude of sixty seven degrees, twelve minutes and thirty seconds west from

the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in Great Britain, and three degrees fifty four minutes and fifteen seconds east from Harvard College, in the University of Cambridge, in the state of Massachusetts. The course of the said river up from its said mouth is northerly to a point of land called the Devil's Head, then turning the said point, is westerly to where it divides into two streams, the one coming from the westward, and the other coming from the northward, having the Indian name of Chiputnatecook, or Chibnitcook, as the same may be variously spelt, then up the said stream so coming from the northward, to its source, which is at a stake near a yellow birch tree hooped with iron, and marked S. T. and I. H. 1797, by Samuel Titcomb and John Harris, the surveyors, employed to survey the abovementioned stream coming from the northward; and the said river is designated on the map, hereunto annexed, and hereby referred to, as farther descriptive of it, by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, and L. The letter A, being at its said mouth, and the letter L being at its said source, and the course and distance of the said source, from the islands at the confluence of the abovementioned two streams is, as laid down on the said map, north, five degress, and about fifteen minutes west by the magnet, about forty eight miles and one quarter.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals at Providence in the state of Rhode Island, the twenty fifth day of October, in the year one thousand seven hun dred and ninety eight.

Witness,

THOMAS BARCLAY, L. S.
DAVID HOWELL, L. S.
EGBERT BENSON, L. S.

ED: WINSLOW, Secretary to the commissioners. Our limits will not allow us to pursue the subject further at present, but we shall continue it in our next number.

The Jesuits.

ONE of the first privileges, which Ignatius was eager to obtain from the pope, was that his disciples should not be obliged to recite the office in common. He obtained a Vol. VI. No. 1.

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