The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-01-29
The Alabama Claims.

1t seems that the arbitration OF the famous
Alabama question is TO be taken up again soon,
and that the British Government has consented
to the commission sitting at Washington. On
the 22d of December President Grant sent the
correspondence on the subject to the Senate, and
the telegraph gives the following report of it:
Mr.. Fish (Secretary of State) under date of
September %. 1869, writes TO Mr.. Motley (American
Minister to England) informing that gentleman
that, at the time of his departure from the Unltea
States the claims were not i'll a condition the most
hopeful for negotiation-and the subsistence OF the
negotiations for n short time might aNay excitement.
To this, Lord Clarendon had expressed agreement,
but that the President of the United States now con-
siders 1t appropriate to resume negotiations. MI.
Fish says to MIR. Motley that the President hopes
Her Majesty's Government will conduct further nego-
tiations at Washington, where any proposition Will
be received and carefully considered by the President.
Lord Clarendon's letter to Minister Thornton,
! dated November 6, 1869, refers to the despatch of
Secretary Fish on the causes of the dissatisfaction
which the United States considers itself entitled 10
have with the British Government during the late
war. Lord Clarendon says Secretary Fish 3 despatch
makes no proposition as TO the manner IN winch
such dissatisfaction may be remedled, but ne IN
structs Mr.. Thornton TO inform MIR. Fish that the
British Government will be ready to cooperate IN
any honorable manner to effect a satisfactory ADJUST
ment of the difficulties between the two countries Ill
regard to the .flabamd claims.
The London Times of December p has a
leader on the above correspondence, and charges
the American Secretary of State with arguing
that England should apply different principles to
America than any other nation. That Great
Britain should have let the Union had arms and
denied them to the rebels should have legislated,
if necessary, against the latter. If the Union
army were unable to repress the rebels at home,
England was much less able to check them here.
War is always II heavy burden on %ncutrnls. The
civil war in America was a particularly gricvous
calamity to England.
The New York World of December % says
that the Duke of Argyle will be the Ambassador
of England, clothed with authority to act upon
such terms as may be agreed on. 1t is likewise
said that the apology which Senator Sumner in
sisted England shall make for her course during
the war, will not be acceded to on the part of
the Government but in lieu of this the British
Government propose to transfer to the United
States all that territory lying west of Lake Supe-
rior, including British Columbia and all her pos
sessions on the Pacific coast, in consideration of
n large sum of money therefor.
From this it would appear that there is some
thought of settling these claims by a cession of
territory, and none appears SO likely to change
hands as that referred to above. The total claims
as recorded are between ten and twelve millions
of dollars, but it is probable that a portion of
these will be materially reduced, by the commits
sion, as they are estimated in deprecated green
back currency, when gold was at a very high
premium.