ositiex of the coast. T thought it my duty to represent to him that when a chain of mountains is made to serve for the establishment of any boundary whatever, it is always the crest of those mountains that forms the line of demareation, andl that, in this case, the word “*base,’” from the vague nwaning attached to it, aml the greater or less extension which may be given to it, did not appear to me adapted to protecting the delinitetion in question from all controversy. ¢
This is further shown lw his memorandum on the North-West Coast Convention. as follows:
The plan of the agreement drawn up by the English cabinet makes the boundary line of the Ruwsiin and English poessions on the northwest coast of America, south of Mount Ehas, ran aloug the bese af the mountains lich follow the sinnosities af the cous. It is to be observed that, as a general rale, when a chain of mountains serves to fix any boundary line, it is always the summit of the mountains which consti- tates the line of demarcation. In the case now onder consideration, the word fase, because of its indetinite meaning and the greater or less expansion that can he given to it, seems bardly of a nature to fix the boundary line beyond all further question, for it is certainly not aneng the bnpossihilities, in view of the uncertain ideas yet prevalent in regand to the geography of these regions, that mountains choren for houndary lines shonld extend, by an imperceptible declivity, to the very edge of the coast. &
In this memorandam he says. that uccording to the plan of the English Cabinet the line is **to run along the base of the mountains which follow the sinuosities of the coast.” Lf he had understood that this was a different set of mountains, be certuinly would have commented on it, He proceeds in the next sentence to say that,
When a chain of mountains serve to fix any boundary line it is always the summits of the mountains which constitute the tine of demarcation,
He has in mind the same “chain of mototains” which Russia had proposed, and the only qnestion considered is whether or not the hase shall be substituted for ‘lu cime.” He suvs further, it is not amoung “the impossibilities” in view of the nncertain geographical knowledge, * that mountains chosen for boundary lines should extend, by tupereeptible declivity, to the yery ede of the coast.” This is seized on in the British Case, as a strong argument to show that, he understood that the coast mountains were meant, It proves just the contrary. If the mountains nearest the sea were understood, certainly their extending to the very edge of the water would not. lave been spoken of as something, not among the impossibilities,” Such language was entirely applicable to the chain of mountains
aU. S.C, App., 186-187. vUL S.C. App., 189.
