260 THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 



middle of the channel which separates the 

 continent from Vancouvers Island, and thence 

 southerly through the middle of the said chan 

 nel ... to the Pacific Ocean.&quot; The channel 

 in question was at one place about fifty miles 

 wide and filled with islands, among which 

 several navigable passages trending southward 

 were discernible. The dispute was as to which 

 of these passages was the &quot;channel&quot; through 

 which the boundary passed. The island of San 

 Juan, occupied since 1859 by detachments of 

 both American and British troops, would belong 

 to the one country or the other according to 

 the result of the dispute. In October, 1872, the 

 German Emperor rendered a decision sustain 

 ing the contention of the United States and 

 assigning the island thus to the Americans. 



Two other arbitral procedures must be men 

 tioned before the unique achievement of the 

 Treaty of Washington in this field is exhausted. 

 One arose under the provision in the treaty for 

 the adjudication by a commission of all Civil 

 War claims, other than those known as the 

 Alabama claims, for compensation by either 

 government for losses sustained through its 

 acts by citizens of the other. In the negotia 

 tion of this provision Great Britain agreed that 



