The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-01

| Tho Washington Trcaty-Sottling tho
| Direct Claims-Tho San Juan Bound-
sry Question.
| The indirect claims having been sue
cessfully thrown out Of court at the request OF
the administration responsible for their intro
duction, the arbitrators at Geneva will proceed,
on their reassemblage ON the 18th inst,
to consider the direct claims By
the HHRA1D's special despatch from
Geneva we are given an inkling of the mode in
which that body will proceed to deal with the
question of losses growing out of the acts
of the various English pirates. The ves-
sells will be taken up seridtin, and the re-
sponsibility of England for the paternity of each
will be considered. Their decisions on those
points will clear the way for coming down to
the question of damages. It may safely be
presumed, if there is any truth in the stories
of tons upon tons of documentary evidence
already laid before the Court by both
sides, the arbitrators will not have much
further to ask from either side In deter
mining the question of England responsibility
or otherwise According to this view of the
modus operandi we may anticipate little, and
suppose TINT the Eve wise men have declared
England responsible for all or certain num-
Der of the escaped" cruisers. We leave out
of the supposition the idea that the Court
may declare England irresponsible for any
of them, since, although that would end
troublesome question, 1t would spoil
calculations on the question of damages
altogether. Having, then, declared Great Brit
ain guilty Of gross neglect the arbitrators will
confer freely with the counsel on either side
and endeavor to get an idea from them about
how much would be fair sum for each
cruisers deviltry. Should the opposing coun-
sci not differ too widely in this estimate the
five peacemakers will strike an equitable mean
and then separate with three cheers and
q tiger by Mr.. Adams. The chances we need
hardly say, are that the difference of estimate
will be very wide, for England has shown so
much more sensitiveness about the pocket
nerve than in that which loosened her tongue
to make treaty apology for her negligence
that we may assume her present spokesman
will think America should be satisfied with
one farthing damages. This In England,
you know, IS perfect salve for
wounded honor, and it has the additional
beauty of not carrying the COSTS America
certainly throughout has not cared fig about
the money question in the matter, but "the
authorities" have so misrepresented her in
this that if an extravagant estimate be within
the reach of computation it would not sur
prise us to learn it had been made.
The divergence Of counsels' views being then
enormous, the arbitrators, like prudent men
anxious to return home, will commit the case
of each vessel to the Board of Assessors, before
whom they will be distributed in fine
particles with completeness known to
those familiar with the theory of the re-
fraction of light. The endeavor to calcu-
late the final award after this process
is completed will equal the fruitless endeavor
of setting up Humpty Dumpty after he fell off
the wall; all the Queens horses and all
Grants men could not do it. In view of this
satisfactory settlement the adoption of the
farthing damages might be preferred !;
the result nationally would DO about the
same.
But there are other questions under the
treaty which are now in fair way for settle
ment. Among tbSse lisa decision on the dispute
boundary between yancouver's Island and the
main land. The settlement of the Northwest
boundary line was provided for by the Treaty
of Washington, and the Emperor Of Germany
was made the arbitrator. All the provisions
for this arbitration are clearly and explicitly
expressed in the articles from thirty -four to
forty-two of that treaty. 1t would have been
well if the rest Of that instrument had been as
unambiguous and as free from disputation as
these portions of it. The claims of each
of the two governments of Great Britain
and the United States are clearly set forth,
the evidence in support of them was to be fur
nished in a prescribed manner and time then
the whole matter was to be left in the hands of
the imperial arbitrator, and his decision was
to be final and binding.
There are few of our readers who are not
familiar with this disputed boundary ques-
ton, and few that do not remember the threat
ening trouble between the two countries some
years ago. when the troops of both took and
held joint possession of the Island of San
Juan, lying between vancouver's Island and
the Continent. The question is stated thus in
the Treaty of Washington: Whereas it was
stipulated by article one of the treaty con-
cluded at Washington on the 18th of June,
1S46, between the United States and Her
Britannia Majesty, that the line of boundary
between the territory Of the United States
and those of Her Britannia Majesty, from the
point of the forty-ninth parallel of north lat-