252 THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 



tral government, and the arbitral tribunal was 

 enjoined to base its judgment on these rules, 

 though the British Government recognized them, 

 not as a statement of principles of interna 

 tional law in force in 1861-5, but as prin 

 ciples that ought in the future to be adopted 

 by maritime powers, and that Great Britain 

 had, in fact, sought to live up to during the 

 American war. The three rules defined the 

 duty of a neutral government, in respect to the 

 fitting out and supplying of war-ships, in such 

 terms as to make it morally certain that judg 

 ment would be adverse to Great Britain on the 

 case of the Alabama, if not as to other of the 

 Confederate cruisers. The British Government, 

 in short, not only assumed a somewhat apolo 

 getic attitude at the outset, but also submitted 

 to be judged by principles that were not obli 

 gatory as rules of international conduct at the 

 time of the acts concerned, and that insured 

 an unfavorable decision. A proud and powerful 

 nation does not put itself in such a position 

 without potent motives. One such was obvious 

 and unconcealed : the general adoption of rigor 

 ous rules of neutral duty would be very advan 

 tageous to Great Britain whenever she should 

 become a belligerent. More influential than 



