Book dossier

A good and wise measure

by Francis M. Carroll

"In this book, Francis Carroll tells the story of the attempts to settle the original boundary between British North America and the United States. The author's extensive research draws on manuscript materials never used for the subject before. The book is the first to explain thoroughly the Herculean efforts of the surveyors and crews working for the four boundary commissions set up by the Treaty of Ghent (1814). It reveals the network of geopolitical intrigue underlying the failed arbitration (1830-1) of King William I of the Netherlands. It deals with the Rebellions of 1837 and the border skirmishes that complicated the search for a settlement. And it shows how rapid political change in the North Atlantic world in 1840-1 allowed Daniel Webster and Lord Ashburton to negotiate a reasonable compromise settlement - 'A good and wise measure,' as Ashburton called it.". "Filled with the politics and intrigues of the time, the book brings to life a remarkable, rambunctious period in the diplomatic and political history of both Canada and the United States, which led, almost miraculously, to establishment of the longest undefended border in the world."--BOOK JACKET.