42 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



peace and war, of the most trivial causes and the 

 most absurd illusions. 



On the present occasion, London appears to have 

 been shaken and tossed by the intense fear of Great 

 Britain being in turn called upon to pay some indefi 

 nite milliards of war indemnity to the United States. 



DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS. 



The British Government was very slow to take 

 this infection of popular fear and commotion. The 

 American Case was duly filed on the 15th of Decem 

 ber. Many copies of it were in the hands of the 

 British Ministers in a few days thereafter. We do 

 not hear of any particular disturbance of mind on 

 the part of the Ministers until the beginning of Feb 

 ruary, that is, the lapse of six or seven weeks, when 

 the American Minister, General Schenck, telegraphed 

 to Mr. Fish as follows: &quot; London journals all demand 

 that the United States shall withdraw claims for in 

 direct damages, as not within intention of treaty. 

 Ministry alarmed&quot; To which Mr. Fish responded 

 by telegraph as follows: &quot;There must be no with 

 drawal of any part of the claim presented. Counsel 

 will argue the case as prepared, unless they show to 

 this Government reasons for a change. The alarm 

 you speak of does not reach us. We are perfectly 

 calm and content to await the award, and do not an 

 ticipate repudiation of the Treaty by the other side.&quot; 

 And in these two telegrams we have the history of 

 the whole interval of time prior to the next meeting 

 of the Tribunal. Newspapers in England lashed 



