Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 8, 1908

By the President of the United States of America.

A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas a Convention between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, providing for the more complete definition and demarcation of the international boundary between the United States and the Dominion of Canada, was concluded and signed by their respective Plenipotentiaries at Washington, on the eleventh day of April, one thousand nine hundred and eight, the original of which Convention is word for word as follows:

The United States of America and His Majesty Edward the Seventh, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, and Emperor of India, being desirous of providing for the more complete definition and demarcation of the international boundary between the United States and the Dominion of Canada, have for that purpose resolved to conclude a treaty, and to that end have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:

• The President of the United States of America, Elihu Root, Secretary of State of the United States; and
• His Britannic Majesty, Right Honorable James Bryce, O. M., his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington;

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, which were found to be in due and proper form, have agreed to and concluded the following articles:

Article I.

the boundary through passamaquoddy bay.

The High Contracting Parties agree that each shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor to serve as Commissioners for the purpose of more accurately defining and marking the international boundary line between the United States and the Dominion of Canada in the waters of Passamaquoddy Bay from the mouth of the St. Croix River to the Bay of Fundy, and that in defining and marking said boundary line the Commissioners shall adopt and follow, as closely as may be, the line surveyed and laid down by the Commissioners appointed under Article II of the Treaty of July 22, 1892, between the United States and Great Britain, so far as said Commissioners agreed upon the location of said line, namely:

(1) From a point at the mouth of the St. Croix River defined by the ranges established by them, by a connected series of six straight lines defined by ranges and cross ranges, to a point between Treat Island, and. Friar Head, likewise defined by ranges and cross ranges established by them; and also

(2) From a point in Quoddy Roads, defined by the intersection of the range passing through the position of the Beacon of 1886 and Lubec Channel Light, with a range established by them on the west shore of Quoddy Roads along the course of this latter range, which is about 80° 35’ east of true south, into the Bay of Fundy.

In ascertaining the location of the above-described line, the Commissioners shall be controlled by the indications of the range marks and monuments established along its course by said former Commissioners and by the charts upon which the said Commissioners marked the line as tentatively agreed upon by them.

The remaining portion of the line, lying between the two above-described sections, and upon the location of which said former Commissioners did not agree, shall pass through the center of the Lubec Narrows Channel between Campo Bello Island and the mainland, and, subject to the provisions hereinafter stated, it shall follow on either side of the said Narrows such courses as will connect with the parts of the line agreed upon as aforesaid, and such boundary shall consist of a series of straight lines defined by distances and courses; but inasmuch as differences have arisen in the past as to the location of the line with respect to Pope’s Folly Island above Lubec Narrows and with respect to certain fishing grounds east of the dredged channel below Lubec Narrows, it is agreed that each of the High Contracting Parties shall present to the other within six months after the ratification of this Treaty a full printed statement of the evidence, with certified copies of original documents referred to therein which are in its possession, and the arguments upon which it bases its contentions, with a view to arriving at an adjustment of the location of this portion of the line in accordance with the true intent and meaning of the provisions relating thereto of the treaties of 1783 and 1814 between the United States and Great Britain, and the award of the Commissioners appointed in that behalf under the treaty of 1814; it being understood that any action by either or both Governments or their representatives authorized in that behalf or by the local governments on either side of the line, whether prior or subsequent to such treaties and award, tending to aid in the interpretation thereof, shall be taken into consideration in determining their true intent and meaning. Such agreement, if reached, shall be reduced to writing in the form of a protocol and shall be communicated to the said Commissioners, who shall lay down and mark this portion of the boundary in accordance therewith and as herein provided.

In the event of a failure to agree within six months after the date of exchanging the printed statements aforesaid, the question of which Government is entitled to jurisdiction over such island and fishing grounds under treaty provisions, and proceedings thereunder, interpreted in accordance with their true intent and meaning as above provided, and by reason of any rights arising under the recognized principles of international law, shall be referred forthwith for decision upon the evidence and arguments submitted as aforesaid, with such additional statement of facts as may be appropriate, and an argument in reply on each side, to an arbitrator to be agreed upon by the two Governments, or, in case of a failure to agree, to be appointed by a third Power selected by the two Governments by common accord, or, if no agreement is thus arrived at, each Government shall select a different Power and the choice of the arbitrator shall be made in concert by the Powers thus selected. The decision of such arbitrator shall be final, and the line shall be laid down and marked by the said Commissioners in accordance therewith and as herein provided.

The arbitrator shall be requested to deliver, together with his award, a statement of all the costs and expenses incurred by him in connection with the arbitration, which shall forthwith be repaid by the two Governments in equal moieties.

It is further agreed that if, under the foregoing provisions, the boundary be located through the channel to the east of the dredged channel above mentioned, the latter shall be equally free and open for the passage of ships, vessels, and boats of both parties.

The entire boundary shall be marked by permanent range marks established on land and, if desirable in the opinion of Commissioners, by buoys in the water, so far as practicable, and by such other boundary marks and monuments and at such points as the Commissioners may determine to be necessary; but the said Commissioners shall proceed to define and mark and chart the portion of the line agreed upon by the former Commissioners under the Treaty of 1892 aforesaid without waiting for the final determination of the location of the remaining portion of the line.

The course of the said boundary line as defined and marked as aforesaid shall be laid down by said Commissioners on quadruplicate sets of accurate modern charts prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, which charts shall be certified and signed by the Commissioners, and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed by them with each Government; and they shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report or reports under their hands and seals describing in detail the course and location of the boundary line and the range marks and monuments and buoys marking it.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary from the Bay of Fundy to the mouth of the St. Croix River, as established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder.

Article II.

the boundary from the mouth to the source of the st. croix river.

Whereas Article II of the Treaty of 1783 between the United States and Great Britain provides that a line drawn along the middle of the River St. Croix from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy to its source shall be, between those points, the international boundary between the United States and the British possessions in-North America, and the identity of the River St. Croix has been determined by the Commissioners appointed for that purpose under Article V of the Treaty of 1794 between the United States and Great Britain, and the location of the mouth and the source of said river has been duly established, and the course of said river has been described, surveyed, and charted by said Commissioners, as appears from their joint report dated the 25th day of October, 1798, and from the chart or plan of said river prepared and filed by them with said report, but said line of boundary along the middle of said river was not laid down by them on said chart or plan, and was not marked or monumented by them along the course of said river; and whereas, pursuant to an additional article, dated March 15, 1798, supplementing the provisions of the Treaty of 1794 above referred to, a monument was erected by joint action of the two Governments marking the source of the River St. Croix, but said line of boundary through the River St. Croix has not otherwise been monumented and has never been laid down on charts by joint action of the two Governments: therefore, in order to complete and render thoroughly effective the demarcation of the boundary described and established as aforesaid,

It is agreed that each of the High Contracting Parties shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor as a Commissioner, and the Commissioners so appointed shall jointly lay down upon accurate modern charts, to be prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, the line of boundary along the middle of the River St. Croix from its mouth to its source as defined and established by the existing treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder, above referred to, with the agreed understanding, however, that the line of boundary through said river shall be a water line throughout and shall follow the center of the main channel or thalweg as naturally existing, except where such course would change, or disturb, or conflict with the national character of an island as already established by mutual recognition and acquiescence, in which case the line shall pass on the other side of any such island, following the middle of the channel nearest thereto, or, if the Commissioners find that the national character of any island is in dispute, the question of its nationality shall be submitted by them to their respective Governments, with a chart or map certified jointly by said Commissioners, showing the depth and volume of the water at its high and low stages between such island and the river banks on each side and indicating the course of the main channel of the river as it passes such island, together with a descriptive statement by said Commissioners showing the reasons for selecting such channel as the main channel; and in all such cases the High Contracting Parties agree that the location of the boundary with respect to each island in dispute shall be determined and settled in accordance with the following rules:

(1) The nationality of each island in dispute shall be determined by the predominance of the claims established on either side to such island, arising from the exercise of jurisdiction and sovereignty over it, including such exercise of jurisdiction by the local governments on either side of the line.

(2) The burden of proving the nationality of any such island shall be upon the party seeking to change the general course of the boundary as above prescribed so as to include such island on its own side of the boundary.

(3) The selection by the Commissioners of the main channel passing such island shall not be conclusive upon the parties hereto and is subject to review, but the burden of proving the main channel to be other than the one selected shall be upon the party proposing the change.

The Government proposing such change in the prescribed course of the boundary shall, upon the submission of the question of the nationality of any island or islands by the Commissioners as aforesaid, promptly present to the other Government a printed statement, with certified copies of any original documents in its possession referred to therein, showing the grounds and arguments upon which its claim of jurisdiction and ownership with respect to such island rests. Unless an agreement is reached upon the presentation of such statement, the Government to which such statement is presented shall within six months after its receipt present in reply a similar statement showing the grounds and arguments upon which the claims of the other Government are contested. If an agreement is reached between the two Governments, it shall be reduced to writing in the form of a protocol and shall be communicated to the said Commissioners, who shall proceed to lay down and mark the boundary so as to leave such island on the side of the boundary to which it is shown it belongs, in accordance with the determination of its nationality arrived at as aforesaid.

In the event of a failure by the two Governments to come to an agreement within six months after the presentation of the printed statements in reply herein above provided for, then the question of the nationality of the islands in dispute shall be referred forthwith for decision under the rules herein above set forth for the determination of that question, and under the recognized principles of international law not inconsistent therewith, and upon the evidence and arguments submitted as aforesaid, with such additional statement of facts as may be appropriate, and such further printed argument on each side as may be desired, to an arbitrator to be agreed upon by the two Governments, or, in case of a failure to agree, to be appointed by a third Power selected by the two Governments by common accord, or, if no agreement is thus arrived at, each Government shall select a different Power and the choice of the arbitrator shall be made in concert by the Powers thus selected. The decision of such arbitrator shall be final, and the line shall be laid down and marked by the said Commissioners in accordance therewith and as herein provided.

The arbitrator shall be requested to deliver, together with his award, a statement of all the costs and expenses incurred by him in connection with the arbitration, which shall forthwith be repaid by the two Governments in equal moieties.

It is further agreed that so far as practicable the said Commissioners shall establish boundary monuments and ranges and buoys marking the course and location of the said line, and showing on which side of the boundary the several islands lying in said river belong, wherever in their judgment it is desirable that the boundary be so marked.

The charts upon which the boundary is marked as aforesaid shall be in quadruplicate, and shall be certified and signed by said Commissioners, and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed by them with each Government, and it shall also be the duty of said Commissioners to prepare in duplicate, and file with each Government, a joint report under their hands and seals describing the line so marked by them and the monuments and range marks and buoys marking it.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary from the mouth to the source of the St. Croix River as established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder as aforesaid.

Article III.

the boundary from the source of the st. croix river to the st. lawrence river.

Whereas the remonumenting of the course of the boundary defined and laid down under the provisions of Articles I and VI of the Treaty of August 9, 1842, between the United States and Great Britain has already been undertaken without a formal treaty agreement, but by the joint and concurrent action of the Governments of the United States and Great Britain, certain monuments between Vermont and Canada having been relocated in 1849, and the portion of said boundary extending between Hall’s Stream and the St. Lawrence River in part having been remonumented in recent years and in part is now being remonumented under such action on both sides; and whereas the Commissioners appointed under Article VI of the Treaty of 1842 aforesaid were required to and did mark by monuments the land portion only of said line, and were not required to and did not mark by monuments the portions of the boundary extending along water courses, with the exception that the nationality of the several islands in the St. John River was indicated by monuments erected thereon and a series of monuments was placed by them along the edge of certain of the water courses to fix the general direction of the boundary, most of which monuments have since disappeared, but the entire boundary, including its course through the waterways as well as on land, was charted and marked on maps by said Commissioners under the provisions of Article VI above referred to, and the nationality of the respective islands in the St. John River was determined by them, as appears from the joint report filed by said Commissioners dated June 28, 1847, and the series of maps signed by said Commissioners and filed with their joint report; and whereas the portion of the line through said waterways has not since been monumented or marked along its course by joint action of the two Governments, and the monuments placed by said Commissioners along the land portion of said boundary require repairing and renewing where such work has not already been done in recent years, and additional or supplementary intermediate monuments at convenient points are required under modern conditions: therefore, in order to carry on and complete the work already undertaken as aforesaid, and to reestablish the location of said boundary and render thoroughly effective the demarcation of the said boundary as existent and established,

It is agreed that each of the High Contracting Parties shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor as a Commissioner, and under the joint direction of such Commissioners the lost or damaged boundary monuments shall be relocated and repaired, and additional monuments and boundary marks shall be established wherever necessary in the judgment of the Commissioners to meet the requirements of modern conditions along the course of the land portion of said boundary, and where the said boundary runs through waterways it shall be marked along its course, so far as practicable, by buoys and monuments in the water and by permanent ranges established on the land, and in such other way and at such points as in the judgment of the Commissioners it is desirable that the boundary be so marked; and it is further agreed that the course of the entire boundary, as described in Article I of the Treaty of 1842 and as laid down as aforesaid under Article VI of that Treaty, shall be marked by said Commissioners upon quadruplicate sets of accurate modern charts prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, and that said charts so marked shall be certified and signed by them and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed with each Government, and said Commissioners shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report or reports describing in detail the course of the boundary so marked by them, and the character and location of the several monuments and boundary marks and ranges marking it.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary as defined and laid down under Articles I and VI of the said Treaty of 1842.

Article IV.

the boundary from its intersection with the st. lawrence river to the mouth of pigeon river.

The High Contracting Parties agree that the existing International Waterways Commission, constituted by concurrent action of the United States and the Dominion of Canada and composed of three Commissioners on the part of the United States and three Commissioners on the part of the Dominion of Canada, is hereby authorized and empowered to ascertain and reestablish accurately the location of the international boundary line beginning at the point of its intersection with the St. Lawrence River near the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude, as determined under Articles I and VI of the Treaty of August 9, 1842, between the United States and Great Britain, and thence through the Great Lakes and communicating waterways to the mouth of Pigeon River, at the western shore of Lake Superior, in accordance with the description of such line in Article II of the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Great Britain, dated September 3, 1783, and of a portion of such line in Article II of the Treaty of August 9, 1842, aforesaid, and as described in the joint report dated June 18, 1822, of the Commissioners appointed under Article VI of the Treaty of December 24, 1814, between the United States and Great Britain, with respect to a portion of said line and as marked on charts prepared by them and filed with said report, and with respect to the remaining portion of said line as marked on the charts adopted as treaty charts of the boundary under the provisions of Article II of the Treaty of 1842, above mentioned, with such deviation from said line, however, as may be required on account of the cession by Great Britain to the United States of the portion of Horse Shoe Reef in the Niagara River necessary for the light-house erected there by the United States in accordance with the terms of the protocol of a conference held at the British Foreign Office December 9, 1850, between the representatives of the two Governments and signed by them agreeing upon such cession; and it is agreed that wherever the boundary is shown on said charts by a curved line along the water the Commissioners are authorized in their discretion to adopt, in place of such curved line, a series of connecting straight lines defined by distances and courses and following generally the course of such curved line, but conforming strictly to the description of the boundary in the existing treaty provisions, and the geographical coordinates of the turning points of such line shall be stated by said Commissioners so as to conform to the system of latitudes and longitudes of the charts mentioned below, and the said Commissioners shall so far as practicable mark the course of the entire boundary line located and defined as aforesaid, by buoys and monuments in the waterways and by permanent range marks established on the adjacent shores or islands, and by such other boundary marks and at such points as in the judgment of the Commissioners it is desirable that the boundary should be so marked; and the line of the boundary defined and located as aforesaid shall be laid down by said Commissioners on accurate modern charts prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, in quadruplicate sets, certified and signed by the Commissioners, two duplicate originals of which shall be filed by them with each Government; and the Commissioners shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report or reports describing in detail the course of said line and the range marks and buoys marking it, and the character and location of each boundary mark. The majority of the Commissioners shall have power to render a decision.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary as defined and established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder as aforesaid from its intersection with the St. Lawrence River to the mouth of Pigeon River.

Article V.

the boundary from the mouth of pigeon river to the northwest-ernmost point of the lake of the woods.

In order to complete and perfect the demarcation of the international boundary line between the United States and the Dominion of Canada from the mouth of Pigeon River, at the western shore of Lake Superior, to the northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods, which boundary is defined in Article II of the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Great Britain dated September 3, 1783, and in Article II of the Treaty of August 9, 1842, between the United States and Great Britain, wherein is defined also the location of the said northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods, and the greater part of the said boundary is marked on charts covering that section of the boundary adopted as treaty charts of the boundary under the provisions of Article II of the Treaty of 1842 aforesaid, but has never been actually located or monumented along its course by joint action of the two Governments, and no joint survey of its course has been made since the survey under the direction of the Commissioners appointed under Article VII of the Treaty of December 24, 1814, between the United States and Great Britain, under whose direction the charts above mentioned were prepared,

It is agreed that each of the High Contracting Parties shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor as Commissioners, who shall reestablish and fix the actual location of said entire boundary described and charted as aforesaid, and designate the side of the boundary upon which each island adjacent to the boundary belongs, it being mutually understood that the boundary, so far as practicable, shall be a water line and shall not intersect islands lying along its course, and the Commissioners shall so far as practicable mark such boundary along its course by monuments and buoys and range marks, and such other boundary marks as the Commissioners may determine, and at such points as in their judgment it is desirable that the boundary shall be so marked; and it is further agreed that the course of the entire boundary as described and laid down as aforesaid and as monumented by said Commissioners shall be marked by them upon quadruplicate sets of accurate modern charts prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, and that said charts so marked shall be certified and signed by them and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed with each Government, and said Commissioners shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report or reports describing in detail the course of the boundary so marked by them and the character and location of the several monuments and boundary marks and ranges marking it.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary as defined and established under the aforesaid treaties from the mouth of Pigeon River to the northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods.

Article VI.

the boundary from the northwesternmost point of the lake of the woods to the summit of the rocky mountains.

In order to complete and render thoroughly effective the demarcation of the international boundary between the United States and the Dominion of Canada from the northwesternmost point of the Lake of the Woods to the summit of the Rocky Mountains, which boundary, according to existing treaties, runs due south from said northwestern-most point to the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude and thence along that parallel to the summit of the Rocky Mountains, and has been surveyed and charted and monumented as appears from the series of twenty-four sectional maps covering this portion of the boundary prepared and filed by the Joint Commission appointed for that purpose by joint action of the two Governments in 1872,

It is agreed that each of the High Contracting Parties shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor as a Commissioner, and under the joint direction of such Commissioners lost or damaged monuments along the course of said boundary shall be relocated and repaired and additional monuments and boundary marks shall be established wherever necessary, in the judgment of the Commissioners, to meet the requirements of modern conditions and to render more effective the demarcation of the existent boundary established under the treaty provisions and proceedings thereunder as aforesaid; and it is further agreed that in carrying out these provisions the said Commissioners shall observe the agreement stated in the protocol of the final meeting, dated May 29, 1876, of the Joint Commission aforesaid, which is as follows:

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 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.

It is further agreed that the said Commissioners shall mark upon quadruplicate sets of accurate modern charts prepared or adopted by them for that purpose the entire course of said boundary and the location of the boundary monuments and marks established along the course of said boundary, and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed with each Government, and said Commissioners shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report describing in detail the work done by them in replacing and repairing lost or damaged monuments and the character and location of the several monuments and boundary marks placed by them along said boundary.

The line so laid down and defined shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary as defined and established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder as aforesaid from the north-westernmost point of the Lake of the Woods to the summit of the Rocky Mountains.

Article VII.

the boundary from the summit of the rocky mountains to the gulf of georgia.

Whereas, by concurrent action of the Government of the United States and the Government of Great Britain in 1902 and 1903, Commissioners were designated to act jointly for the purpose of renewing lost or damaged monuments and placing additional monuments where such were needed throughout the course of the boundary along the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, from the summit of the Rocky Mountains westward to the eastern shore of the Gulf of Georgia, as defined in Article I of the Treaty of June 15, 1846, between the United States and Great Britain and as marked by monuments along its course and laid down on a series of charts, seven in number, by a Joint Commission organized in 1858 for that purpose and composed of two Commissioners appointed one by each Government, which charts, duly certified and authenticated in duplicate by said Commissioners, were approved and adopted by the two Governments, as appears from the declaration in writing to that effect signed on February 24, 1870, at Washington by duly authorized Plenipotentiaries of the respective Governments, and it appearing that the remonumenting of this line by the Commissioners first above referred to is now approaching completion;

It is hereby agreed by the High Contracting Parties that when such work is completed the entire course of said boundary, showing the location of the boundary monuments and marks established along the course of the boundary, shall be marked upon quadruplicate sets of accurate modern charts prepared or adopted for that purpose, and the said Commissioners, or their successors, are hereby authorized and required to so mark the line and designate the monuments on such charts, two duplicate originals of which shall be filed with each Government, and the said Commissioners, or their successors, shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report describing in detail the work done by them in replacing and repairing lost or damaged monuments and the character and location of the several monuments and boundary marks placed by them along said boundary.

The line so laid down and defined shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary as defined and established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder as aforesaid, from the summit of the Rocky Mountains to the eastern shore of the Gulf of Georgia.

Article VIII.

the boundary from the forty-ninth parallel to the pacific ocean.

The High Contracting Parties agree that each shall appoint, without delay, an expert geographer or surveyor to serve as Commissioners for the purpose of delineating upon accurate modern charts, prepared or adopted by them for that purpose, the international boundary line between the United States and the Dominion of Canada from the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude along the middle of the channel which separates Vancouver’s Island from the mainland and the middle of the Haro Channel and of Fuca’s Straits to the Pacific Ocean, as defined in Article I of the Treaty of June 15, 1846, between the United States and Great Britain, and as determined by the award made on October 21, 1872, by the Emperor of Germany as arbitrator pursuant to the provisions of Articles XXXIV–XLII of the Treaty of May 8, 1871, between the United States and Great Britain, and as traced out and marked on a quadruplicate set of charts prepared for that purpose and agreed upon and signed by the duly authorized representatives of the respective Governments, as appears from the protocol of a conference at Washington on March 10, 1873, between such representatives which was signed by them on that date, and as defined by them in a written definition of said boundary signed by them and referred to in and attached to said protocol, and it is agreed that the said Commissioners shall adopt in place of the curved line passing between Saturna Island and Patos Island as shown on said charts a straight line running approximately north and south through a point midway between the eastern point of Saturna Island and the western point of Patos Island and intersecting the prolongations of the two straight lines of the boundary now joined by a curved line. The entire line thus laid down shall consist of a series of connecting straight lines defined by distances and courses; and the Commissioners are authorized to select and establish such reference marks on shore as they may deem necessary for the proper definition and location on the water of the boundary aforesaid. A quadruplicate set of such charts, showing the lines so laid down and marked by them and the location of the several marks or monuments selected or established by them along its course, shall be signed by them and two duplicate originals thereof shall be filed by them with each Government, and the Commissioners shall also prepare in duplicate and file with each Government a joint report, or reports, describing in detail the course of said line and the boundary marks and their location along its course.

The line so defined and laid down shall be taken and deemed to be the international boundary, as defined and established by treaty provisions and the proceedings thereunder as aforesaid, from the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude along the middle of the channel which separates Vancouver’s Island from the mainland and the middle of Haro Channel and of Fuca’s Straits to the Pacific Ocean.

Article IX.

general provisions.

The Commissioners appointed under the provisions of this Treaty shall proceed without delay to perform the duties assigned to them, but each Commissioner shall, before entering upon his duties, make oath in writing that he will impartially and faithfully perform his duties as such Commissioner.

In case a vacancy occurs in any of the Commissions constituted by this Treaty, by reason of the death, resignation, or other disability of a Commissioner, before the work of such Commission is completed, the vacancy so caused shall be filled forthwith by the appointment of another Commissioner by the party on whose side the vacancy occurs, and the Commissioner so appointed shall have the same powers and be subject to the same duties and obligations as the Commissioner originally appointed.

If a dispute or difference should arise about the location or demarcation of any portion of the boundary covered by the provisions of this Treaty and an agreement with respect thereto is not reached by the Commissioners charged herein with locating and marking such portion of the line, they shall make a report in writing jointly to both Governments, or severally each to his own Government, setting out fully the questions in dispute and the differences between them, but such Commissioners shall, nevertheless, proceed to carry on and complete as far as possible the work herein assigned to them with respect to the remaining portions of the line.

In case of such a disagreement between the Commissioners, the two Governments shall endeavor to agree upon an adjustment of the questions in dispute, and if an agreement is reached between the two Governments it shall be reduced to writing in the form of a protocol, and shall be communicated to the said Commissioners, who shall proceed to lay down and mark the boundary in accordance therewith, and as herein provided, but without prejudice to the special provisions contained in Articles I and II regarding arbitration.

It is understood that under the foregoing articles the same persons will be appointed to carry out the delimitation of boundaries in the several sections aforesaid, other than the section covered by Article IV, unless either of the Contracting Powers finds it expedient for some reason which it may think sufficient to appoint some other person to be Commissioner for any one of the above-mentioned sections.

Each Government shall pay the expenses of its own Commissioners and their assistants, and the cost of marking and monumenting the boundary shall be paid in equal moities by the two Governments.

Article X.

This Treaty shall be ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by His Britannic Majesty; and the ratifications shall be exchanged in Washington as soon as practicable.

In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty in duplicate and have hereunto affixed their seals.

Done at Washington the 11th day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and eight.

Elihu Root. [seal.]

James Bryce. [seal.]

And whereas the said Convention has been duly ratified on both parts, and the ratifications of the two governments were exchanged in the City of Washington, on the fourth day of June, one thousand nine hundred and eight;

Now, therefore, be it known that I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Convention to be made public, to the end that the same and every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this first day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and thirty-second.

[seal]

Theodore Roosevelt.

By the President:
Alvey A. Adee,
Acting Secretary of State.