Year: 1872

WASHINGTON, June N.-From the


latest reliable information received here,


there is no reason to believe, as stated in


a recent Geneva telegram, that the sup


Elementary articles to the Treaty of


Washington, ON totally new basis from


the ones submitted by Earl Granville,


are a subject of negotiation between the


British and American governments. On


the contrary, there is truth in the ale


cation in some quarters at Geneva, that


at the next meeting Of the arbitrators


the announcement will be made that


the question of indirect damages is


settled. There is the best reason for be-


lieving that at their brief session on the


nineteenth instant, they decided that


such claims could not come before them,


and they must therefore be excluded.


On this announcement being formally


made on the twenty-siXth instant, il is


not apprehended that there will not be


further difficulty in proceeding with the


business under the treaty. From the


commencement of the controversy, ever
since the American statement of their
case was submitted to the tribunal, the
British have contended that none but
direct claims, known as the Alabama
claims, and that the indirect losses were
mentioned by the American High Com
missiOners not as claims, but grievances,
and were mentioned only to be with
drawn from discussion. Our govern
ment, on the other hand, has always
contended that these claims were
within the province of the tribunal, and
it therefore adhered to and never con-
templated their withdrawal, it being
considered necessary to present them in
order to have a decision, and prevent
them from being brought out hereafter


to disturb the harmony of the two ma
tiOns. 1t is known that the supple
mental article to the Treaty of Wash
ington was proposed in order to relieve
the two nations from their antagonistic
positions, but while the parties have
been in correspondence regarding the
phraseology of the article, and discuss
ing the subject of the postponement of
until thesession Of Congress,
the tribunal itself has come to a de-
cision which renders a further contro-
versy ON these points unnecessary, and,
in fact, has settled the questions in
manner satisfactory to our government.
Judging from the dispatch of Secretary
Fish to Minister ScheDck, Of the six
btCllh VI ABl1Af III nAAlCh AtC iCllOldlCu
his views previously expressed, saying,
that should the august tribunal decide
that a State is not liable for indirect or
results of an accidental or
violation of its neutral
the United States will un-
hesitatingly accept its decision. Should
it, on the other hand, decide that Great
Britain is liable to this government for
such consequential results, and they
have that full faith in the British
observance of its
as TO expect compliance
with the judgment Of a tribunal which,
in a solemn treaty between two powers,
has created in order to remove and ad-
just all complaints and claims on the
part of the United States. To the judg-
ment of the tribunal, when pronounced,
the United States will implicitly bow.
They confidently expect the same sub
mission on the part of the great nation
with which they entered into such Obli-
cations. OF course, Her Majesty's Gov
must be satisfied with the de
cision of the arbitrators, excluding the
of indirect claims; and it
is thought here that, in Consequence of
this action of the tribunal, the addi-
tiOnal article to the treaty is rendered
and will accordingly be
withdrawn from the contro-