New-York tribune., 1872-02-26
THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.
OPINION OF THE AMERICAN COUNSEL.

epeva Board Of Arbitration engaged In preparing
,nsr reply to tho Case submitted by Great Britain
Tgev think that England will finally consent TO arb
,otion but that the Gladstone Ministry will be out OF
.ryer before she reaches that determination again.
NOW THE SUBJECTS REGARDED IN FRANCE.
oPINIOvs OF THE FRENCH PREss-vIEws OF Mr..
BANCROFT DAVIS AND MR.. CALEB CUSHING
WHEN THE AMERICAN CASE REACHED EN-
6LAND-PROBABLE COURSE OF THE UNITED
STATES.
,yROM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TEE TRIBUNE
PARIS, Feb. "a sort of echo, but II must
be confessed faint one. Of the agitation Which "s
arisen in Great Britain about the claims OF the ohu
states Government before the Geneva lrlouna mas
,eaehed MS here in Paris few Engishmen have as
uncushed themselves by lOud and violent but not over
logical deClamatiOns against what they eau i@nAoo
teness and for necessity OF the British Llon "as
mig his tail and shaking his shaggy name But on .no
whole It noteworthy how little attention fs question
,,.racts In Paris in AnglO-American society MosV
Ir,ericans here take the violent language
=, the British papers for just what IL Is worth
and no more and they do not see tit TO retor on the
p,b friends "The British always 60 of at half-cock,"
said leading American banker to me yesterday ut is
oulv wear ago that they made such fuss about that
Rnssian business and how that blew over No.
Sir there is no danger OF any thing serous coming OF
this trouble" The French journals, as might perhaps be
expected have been snghary feeble in their articles
o, subject which they do not in the least understand
OF even try TO understand. There are no bon
rots 10 be made about the Alabama question:
but some tough hard documents 10 be mastered, ana
that work does not at all suit the ordinary French
journalist Even the Journal des Dtbdts, which is by
far the ablest OF French morning papers, has only given
one article the subject, and that was mere suhmu!
from the English papers without pretene 70 any
independent ideas. The R6Uue POltiIue ct hfT0Tc'
weekly paper has published article Of similar char
scter and all the others that have seen have been even
less worthy Of notice than those already cited
Much important, OF course, than the ophlons OF
tAe French newspapers those Of Mr. Bancroft DAVIS
e United States agent under the Treaty of washing
ton and Mr. Caleb Cushing who arrived mere Yesterday
from BTest, after good passage across tho Atlantic
was visiting Mr. Davis at the Hotel Westminster yester-
day when Mr.. Gushing came in, and had an opportu-
nifty Of hearing the first impressions of the latter on the
Queens speech and the debates in the two Houses of Par
lament But before alluding TO my conversation with
NJ Cushing will relate briefly that with Mr.. Davis. He
had Just read GladsOnes speech, and good enough
70 give me his opinion it. "0n the whole said Mr.
Davis there is nothing to be greatly complained OF in
Nr. GladstOnes speech; he might have made better
end he might have made worse I suppose Mr
Gladstone thought necessary for party purposes TO cay
s he said about our view Of the Treaty being absurd,
and we should not pay too much attention TO
that. There is point however, on when
Mr. Gladstone shows that he has studied oasustFy 10
some purpose Look at THIS passage: when the Amer
ian Case arrived We found it TO be octave volume OF
between SOC and pages II had TO he printed Tor the
use Of the Cabinet, and considerable time occupied
IN producing a volume Of such magnitude. No doubt
more than month elapsed since that book was first
sent 70 the Foreign Office; but have had 1t in my
possession only fortnight, and believe some OF my
colleagues only week. Now matter OF fact, TINS
statement is possibly true, but II Is not all the truth
There were eight copies of the American Case presented
ofG he
eeBbcr last and those gentlemen dispatched Queens
Messenger with copy al least OF that Case on satur
DAY evening the 10th December. That messenger would
arrive in London Monday morning, tue 18Th December
and have a shrewd suspicion that MI Gladstone ddh"
20 to bed that night without good look at the American
Case But this is not all. Informed Lord TonteTden
lbe British agent, when we were at Geneva, in Deeem-
Der 1h To 1st that any reasonable number Of copies
Of the Case were at the disposal Of the British Govern
neDt at the American Legation fl London ana tee
raphed Gen. Schenck to that tAcct d M'Hucu ~
we're ready for distribution az ne 5nuol
"What do you think will come o. me ohpaiGh
at au depends the tone OF IT, was The reply Dut
ia not there that app-ehend the GItatsst udnSI II
WSsIs wSters VIII wii be '' warned off by British
gunb0at very likely sunk for having taken no notice
OF the warning. That mi gut create war IN the critical
state OF affairs which viii result from the excitement In
Al this moment Mr Cushing entered. " An. General,I
must show you something which VIII tickle your vanity
London Daily Telegraph, with seusational article on
"Caleb Cushing, t Pie eHdcuts blain-Eeerer' TIE old
took the article and read tw.h nle in hi. eve
In the course OF the cohVtTsatOh tIdt els1ed ar
Cushing remarked that some OF the papers ~ London
be said, syly. Now, Go no: pretend 10 know, journal
hts 10 know such secrets-Jut have i1ed idea
Davis, esq., who the real author OF tnat
Case" DO you think it possible" 1 next said,
%ersqads9d 69 9emseyea when then had Lgy Icy
Or
they may have persuaded themselves" said he, smiling
bat do know that IL was not our Commissioners bust
do the work OF the British representatives you
Ne We left that to them" We then spoke Of ir. Glad
IA pna LGd said GpeSGnos M ce N Io n
! will say, it is simply prepo2terous for them
be Interpretation Of the Treaty, and thar the face OF
hno indirect claims could be urged that not So Our
RsuOh IN lnat inatter was AnOWn' ana the american
government is not likely TO give up the position they
nave taken" Here conversation was cut short by
SeS entry OF some other visitors TINS morning had an
se thought that Mr.. Gladstone in his second
had again been guilty Of disincenuoGs conduct in the
uehher IN which be spoke Of the claims Of the British
not sufficient information at his disposal to speak po
we! on thus subject Just yet. Mr.. Davis then cal He'd
ny attention 70 another matter which he considered i'm
Ptan az the present juncture. This Protocol 80,
which 1t is stated that, in relation to proposition
soodt The San Juan boundary, "The Amer
posco commissioners ,d replied that In view Of the
Psa5ed that Treaty Of June I5 IS46 might have been
uloel mutual misunderstanding and would not
been made had each party understood at that time
Se construction which the other party put the Ian.
se whose Interpretation is IN dispute They there
proposed 10 abrOgae the whole Of that part OF the
aiesN sna rearrange the boundary line which in
pae e before that Treaty was concluded" There is
way Out OF the present deadlock" said Mr. Davis,
aha oddly enough, little further there is an answer
say Tor us n We chose TO it. The British Com
ssyhtfs declined this proposal aud stated that being
teShyneed Of the justice Of their view of thc fieelty
.ney could not ab ndOn 10 eAccut after fair dec ION y
TanP.rial arbitration That i what We melt say.
10 not say We shGli."