The opinion and advice of the King of the Netherlands, to whom the controversy was referred by the provisions of the treaty of Ghent, was made on the 10th January, 1831, and of the three questions submitted, viz, _the northeastern boundary, the northwesternmost head of Connecticut River_, and _the forty-fifth parallel of latitude_, he seems to have determined _but one_. He did decide that the source of the stream running into and through Connecticut Lake is the true northwest head of that river as intended by the treaty of 1783; and as to the rest, he _advises_ that it will be _convenient (il conviendra)_ to adopt the "Thalweg," the deepest channel of the St. John and St. Francis, for the north line, and that the forty-fifth degree is to be measured in order to mark out the boundary to the St. Lawrence, with a deviation so as to include Rouses Point within the United States. As to _the convenience_ of establishing the St. John and St. Francis as the northern boundary of Maine, we have only to observe that however "convenient" it may be to Great Britain to obtain so large a portion of our territory and waters, it would certainly be very _inconvenient_ to us, and inasmuch as we are probably capable of judging of our own "convenience," and have never solicited _the advice_ of anyone on this point, it is scarcely to be expected that we shall be _advised_ to adopt a line so preposterous and injurious. It was in this view and in strict conformity with the Constitution conferring the treaty power that the President on the 7th December, 1831, submitted to the Senate this "award" and "advice" of the King of the Netherlands. Senators were divided on a principal point, some insisting that to carry the award or opinion into effect was only _in execution_ of the treaty, and it therefore belonged exclusively to the President "to take care" that this "supreme law" was faithfully executed or to reject it altogether. But the prevailing opinion was that this "award" or "advice" was _perfecting an unfinished_ treaty, and that therefore it could not be effected by the President without "the advice and consent of the Senate, two-thirds of the members present concurring therein." So far from the concurrence of two-thirds _for_ the measure, there were _thirty-four_ to _eight against_ it, and it was consequently rejected, and a recommendation to the President was adopted to open a new negotiation to determine the line of boundary according to the treaty of 1783.