THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 253 



this selfish interest, however, was the desire, in 

 no small measure purely sentimental, to be on 

 friendly terms with the United States. The 

 American democracy had proved in the severest 

 of tests its fitness to survive, and the homage 

 of a people and a generation in whom Darwin 

 ism was taking deep root was generously 

 bestowed on the people who so opportunely 

 illustrated the dogma of science. 



Not all the concession in the Treaty of 

 Washington was on the part of the British. 

 One point that had been strenuously insisted 

 on as the original grievance of them all by 

 Secretary Seward and Mr. Sumner was al 

 lowed by Secretary Fish to recede quietly into 

 the background. This was the premature recog 

 nition of the Confederacy as a belligerent. Fish 

 took the position that this action of the Brit 

 ish Government was evidence of an unfriendly 

 spirit, but could in no sense be the ground of a 

 claim for compensation. This admission was 

 regarded as having a bearing on the general 

 question of the national or indirect claims. 

 These were not the subject of any reference or 

 allusion in the treaty, and it was understood by 

 the British negotiators that the American Gov 

 ernment had definitely abandoned them, as it 



