Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-05-09
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
The Joint High Commission Treaty.
TUESDAY, NAY 9, 1871.

The Joint High Commission Treaty.
The Joint High Commission yesterday sign
ed the treaty for the arbitration Of all existing
claims between the United States and Great
Britain. The. Washington National Repub-
lican has the following authoritative official
statement as to the treaty
''For the adjustment Of the claims of injury
alleged by the United States on account OF the
escape of Confederate cruisers from British
ports, and the depredations committed by those
vessels during the war in this country, . tribune
of arbitration Is constituted. to consist OF hve
arbitrators-one appointed by the United
States, one by Great Britain, and the other
three each by 4 designated sovereign state OF
Europe or America. The treaty establishes
snecial rules of neutral duty and obligation Ill
addition to the generally received public law
which rules, although not admitted by the
British Commissioners to have been In force ut
the time, are yet it is agreed, to retroact and
to govern the decisions OF the tribunal OF arbl-
tration The tribunal may either award DANA
ges in detail or IN gross. at It's discretion or 1t
may refer this duty to Board OF Assessors sit
ting in the United States, who shall report
from time to time with payment to be made
accordingly; and the British Government frank
ly expresses its regret Tor the occurrence OF the
incidents complained of by the United States.
For the adjudication of all other claims of citi-
zens of the United States against Great Britain.
or of the subjects Of Great Britain against the
United States during the same period, that is
from the 18th Of April 1861, to the 9Th OF
April, 1865, an ordinary mixed Commission is
provided, to sit at Washington with an UNI
pire to be nominated if necessary by desg
mated friendly Power. This limitation of time
is material in substance, for it confines the re-
carnations against the United States to the in
cidcnts Of actual war 1t is accompanied also
with declaration on the part OF the British
Commissioners to the effect OF excluding claims
on account Of slave property. Statements are
made III some quarters cXaggeratlng the
amount Of such claims Ii there could be
cause in the stipulation itself to apprchend the
presentation ofclaims against the United Suites
Of any considerable amount, all such apprehen-
*ions would be dispelled by the consideration
of the attitude Of the British Government in
the matter of claims of British subjects arising
out OF the late war between Germany and
France, Lord Granville having in accordance
with the advice of the law officers Of the Crown,
given notice to all parties that foreigners hav-
ing property in France are not entitled to any
special protection therefor, or to exceptions to
military contributions to which they We're liable
in common with the inhabitants of the place in
which they resided, or in which their property
might be situated; that they were equally liza
bic with such inhabitants to have acquisitions
levied on their property by either belllgerent
that they could have no claim for compensation
on the ground Of their being neutral oreiguers
for losses which the necessities of war brought
upon them IN common with the French: and
that the British Government cannot revoke re-
clamatlon III the premises in their behalf
against Germany or France 1t is to noted also.
that most of the claims against the United
States for the seizure Of cotton, many Of which
are being heard in the Court of Claims, are of
date subsequent to the limits Of this treaty and |
not comprehended within its scope. These |
treaty stipulations dispose of all the differences
between the two nations growing out Of the !
late civil war, and in fact i'll differences be
tween Great Britain herself and the United
States. The same great idea Of international
arbitration through the intervention Of friendly |
Powers peryades the stipulations of the treaty
in regard to differences. which by their seat or
subject are more purely American. Foremost
among them Is the question Of the sea fisheries |
on the coasts Of the British possessions, as to
which 1t is agreed that in addition to the liber-
~ already secured to them by the treaty of
1918 the fishermen Of the United States Shall
have the liberty to taxi SEA fish on the sea
coast and shores, and in the bays harbors and
creeks Of the Provinces Of Quebec Nova SEQ |
tia, New Brunswick and the Colony of Prince
Edward $ Island and of the islands adjacent,
without being restricted to any distance from
the shore, with permission to land upon such |
coasts, shores and islands, and also upon the
-,iagdalcn Island, for the purpose of drying
their nets and curing their fish, subject of
course, i'll this respect, to the local rights of
private property, and the same liberty is grant
ed to British subjects on the eastern sea-coaSts
and shores of the United States north of the
18th parallel of latitude, this liberty not to in
cludc, on either side, shcll-Gsh, or the salmon
Or shad fisheries, or other fisheries in rivers
and the mouths of rivers.