St. Croix Commission

The Treaty of Paris in 1783 established the St. Croix River as the boundary between New Brunswick and the United States, and by the fifth article in Jay's Treaty of 1794, a commission was established to clarify which of two rivers emptying into Passamaquoddy Bay was the St. Croix. Governor Wentworth of Nova Scotia recommended Thomas Barclay as the British Commissioner, and the negotiations ended successfully for the British in 1798 with the most western river, the St. Croix, being established as the boundary. At the end of the War of 1812, the issue of the international boundary between New Brunswick and the United States surfaced again, and it was Thomas Barclay who was appointed once more as the British Commissioner under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent. Ward Chipman served again as the British agent. The Commission dealt with two issues: the ownership of the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay, which they agreed upon in 1817, and the extension of the border from the source of the St. Croix River to the St. Lawrence River. When agreement could not be reached, the latter issue was submitted to the King of the Netherlands for arbitration. In 1831, he issued his decision, which was not accepted by either parties, and the final settlement did not come until 1842 with the Webster-Asburton Treaty. Thomas Barclay's participation in the second boundary commission was his last act of public service. Anthony Barclay (1792-1877), son of Thomas Barclay, also participated in the second boundary commission.