SEA CONTROVERSY.
Lake and River Boundaries.— Lakes wholly enclosed by the territory of the United States come entirely within its jurisdiction, but lakes and rivers constituting a part of the boundary line between the United States and foreign countries come under the joint juris diction of both parties, and the entire breadth of the dividing waters is available for naviga tion by the citizens or subjects of both powers. Citizens of the United States have the right to use the Saint Lawrence below the boundary and its canals substantially on the same terms as Canadians. On 4 Sept. 1890, Congress passed an act under the terms of which the Federal courts have criminal jurisdiction over the Great Lakes and connecting waters as far as the mid dle boundary line,• and the States may legis late regarding the fisheries within these limits. Most of these river and lake boundaries have been laid down by a series of conventions and findings of commissioners appointed to deter mine such matters. Thus Isle Royale in Lake Superior belongs to the United States and Point-au-Pelee Island in Lake Erie belongs to Canada, but in the main the dividing line is in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. A similar division has been made of the islands lying in the Rio Grande River and in that part of the Colorado River which forms the international boundary. On 9 Dec. 1850, an agreement was reached by the American Minister at London and the British Foreign Secretary to readjust the Canadian water boundary, the rocky area at the entrance of Niagara River, known as Horseshoe Reef, being ceded to the United States as a site for a lighthouse.
'Island United States possesses numerous islands, large and small, in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans (see the general descriptive article UNITED STATES), and the exterior boundaries of all extend three nautical miles out to sea from low-water mark. The ownership of the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound was in dispute for 25 years, but in 1872 the Emperor of Germany, as arbitrator, awarded the group to the United States. Asso
ciated with this controversy were the claim of the United States that the line of the 49th parallel in Puget Sound terminated half way between Point Roberts on the west side of Boundary Bay and the western coast and the British claim that the line terminated half way between the point where it first struck tide water and the British coast on the west. The contention of the United States was upheld. The Philippine Islands were taken from Spain after the war of 1898. In the treaty of peace terminating the war all islands within a series of geographical lines described by the treaty were transferred to the United States, but this did not confer jurisdiction outside the three mile limit. Later a small group of islands to the south was found to be cut off by this line and in 1901 Spain ceded any of the Philippine group lying outside the prescribed geographical lines, particularly Cagayan, Sulu and Sibutu. Tutuila, one of the Samoan Islands, was an nexed in 1899; by the treaty of 2 Dec. 1899 with Great Britain and Germany the 171st me ridian west of Greenwich was constituted the dividing line between the territory of the United States on the eastward and of Great Britain and Germany on the westward, but this treaty did not extend jurisdiction beyond the three mile limit.
Panama Canal Under Article II of the treaty of 18 Nov. 1903, Panama granted to the United States "in perpetuity the use, oc cupation and control of a zone of land and land under water ... extending to the distance of five miles on each side of the centre line of the route of the canal° and three marine miles out to sea from mean low-water mark at each end, not including the cities and harbors of Panama and Colon; but other lands outside the zone necessary for canal purposes are to be used, occupied and controlled in perpetuity. Panama also granted "in perpetuity the use occupation and control of all islands within the limits of the zone above described, and in addition thereto the group of small islands in the Bay of Panama named Perico, Nacs, Culebra and Flamingo.° See CANALS.