Year: 1872

Treaty OF Washington is undimlnished. Inc lead-
ing editorial articles of all the London morning
journals to-day devoted to the subject and JOY -
expressed the probability that the proposition
recently submitted will be favoraby received.


THE ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH GOVERN


MENT.


THE MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS IN PARLIAMENT
MODERATION OF MR.. GLADSroNs LANGUAGE
GFRoMs THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRIBUSRr


LONDON May 1i.-lt may have been the rain which
kept the people away from st. Stephens yesterday.
Certainly, when went down to the House nttlo
before T. there nothing to be Of the throng
which sometimes collects in Palace Yard and West
minister Hail. and in the outer lobbies of the House
itself-collects without the shadow Of chance Of
getting inside in the mere hope Of catching stray
echoes Of what goes on or, more probably, is drawn
together by an instinct sympathy difficult to ex-
plain. There of that yesterday, al
though all the world knew that the long
expected Ministerial statement the Alabama
difficulty to be made Is it possible that after
all, the general British public does not care much
as it is supposed to about these mattersf Ia.
side the House. it very diherent-no lack Of
interest there. / have seldom so full House,;
never except when great debate great division
was looked for, and on this occasion neither could
reasonably be anticipated. 1t was known that tho





before the House. In the absence of that debate
was out of the question in the Commons though in
the Lords it was believed Lord Russell was deter
mined to speak no matter what might be the char
acter of Lord GTanvilles explanation.


If had been in search of a sensation should
have gone to the Lords but wanted to see what
impression would he made by Mr.. GladstOnes state
ment ON the body of men in whose hands it really
lay to accept reject the Ministerial policy and Of
course went to the House Of Commons. Had tho
announcement been less satisfactory mean salts
factory in the English sense-less firm had not Mr.
Gladstone been able to say that his Government had
never for moment departed from the position that
the Indirect CLAIMS were absolutely debarred from
the consideration of the Arbtrators there can be
doubt at any hazard the House would have inter
vened. No consideration or forbearance 20
its own Government or respect TO ours would
have restrained il from declaring its own opinion
if not at the moment yet by postponing the con-
templated adjournment of a fortnight and by pro
ceeding to-day with discussion that could have
had but one result, the rupture of negotiations and
the sacrifice of the Treaty. That statement ought
not TO impress anybody in America certainly not
any one who has done me the honor to read my let
ters for the last three months have said over and
over again that people here hadma up their minds
that in no event would they be parties TO Arbi-
II
claims If refer to it now, it is only because re-
member how long Americans at home continued IN
credulous or Indifferent and how often they insisted
that England must in the end consent to let the
Arbitrators say whether the indirect claims were
were not included in the Treaty Of Washington.


do not suppose many members really doubted,
Yesterday that Mr. Gladstone would be able TO give
them the assurance they desired. No matter how
well Cabinet secrets may be kept-and they arc
much better kept in London than in Washington
the general drift and current of the negotiations
had become known. 1t was even known that the
Ministry were insisting upon the most formal
well as substantial TenunciatiOn Of the Indirect
Claims SO that the stress of the anxiety which yes
terday lay upon the minds Of members was not so
much to know whether anything had been said or
done to compromise the position of England, as 10
know whether so much had not been said to
close the door to that substantial concession
which it was believed the United States stood ready
to make When Mr.. Gladstone rose, he mod
erately cheered from his own side of the House. At
intervals the cheers repeated and when he sat
down they were heard again, but with single ex-
ception there was nothing like a spontaneous out
burst of feeling such often and hears in
the House. The only exception-and it proves what
| have said abOve-was upon the announcement that
the new clause of the Treaty proposed by the British
government HdG DteH dCCtpbcu ny IHc lIcslutHt,
and was at that moment under consideration by the
Senate. The cheers which followed this declaration
were far more general and hearty than those which
welcomed the assurance, given early in the speech,
that the Government stood now and had always
stood upon the fundamental proposition of the total
inadmissbilty of the Indirect Claims.


As have heretofore had to criticise some of Mr..
Gladstone's remarks on American topics, have all
the more pleasure in saying that his speech of last
night was distinguished by avoidance of everything
like an offensive expression. / have heard him a
great many times on great occasions. do not re-
member any one when he has spoken with such
anxious moderation of tone. / thought he looked
i'll and PALE but the light in the House plays strange
tricks with faces, and that may have been fancy.
About his manner, however there was no more mis-
take than about his words 1t betrayed not particle
of that eagerness and heat which sometimes lead
him in strange dances, even in discussing the
pravest questions. II you contrast his statement
with Lord Granvilles, you cannot but be struck by
the greater apparent frankness OF the latter; the
singular subtlety and iDvolution OF Mr. GladstOne's
style being i'll calculated to convey an impression Of
complete ingenuousness OF openness Of mind. II is
nevertheless, believe, indication not so much of
reserve as of that caution which is due to extreme
conscientiousness. i don't believe there was any
conscious suppression last night-certainly no sup
preston in the sense of concealing for diplomatic
purposes any hostility to the United States The
speech was friendly from beginning to end When
Mr. Gladstone sat down, il obvious that he had
carried the House with HIM, that he had convinced
them of the justice Of the Governments claim TO
forbearance and to unchecked control in the conduct
of the negotiations past and future.


None the less was Mr.. Disraelis reply waited for
with eagerness. l have spoken before now Of the