RUSHBAGOT AGREEMENT

(1817), exchange of notes between Richard Rush, acting U.S. secretary of state, and Charles Bagot, British minister to the United States, that provided for the limitation of naval forces on the Great Lakes in the wake of the War of 1812. Each country was allowed no more than one vessel on Lake Champlain, one on Lake Ontario, and two on the upper lakes. Each vessel was restricted to a maximum weight of 100 tons and one 18-pound cannon. The agreement was ratified unanimously by the Senate in 1818. With some modifications, it has remained in force to the present day and has formed the basis of peaceful border relations between the United States and Canada.