108 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



general public as they occurred, although perfectly fit 

 to be thus communicated to the respective Govern 

 ments. 



The Tribunal reassembled on the 15th of July. 

 Down to this time all the proceedings of the Arbitra 

 tors were in their nature public acts, or they have 

 been made public through the respective Govern 

 ments. AH such acts were recorded in the protocols. 



Hereafter, we shall have, in addition to the acts of 

 the Tribunal recorded in protocols, a series of pro 

 visional opinions, which w r ere also printed and dis 

 tributed [or should have been] according to express 

 order of the Tribunal. These opinions of the Arbi 

 trators, as well as their official acts, have already been 

 made public by both Governments. 



But, incidentally to such acts and opinions, there 

 was much oral debate from time to time at the suc 

 cessive Conferences of the Tribunal. At these de 

 bates, the Agents and Counsel of both Governments 

 were required to assist, by resolution of the Tribunal. 

 Assisting, we necessarily heard what w r as said by the&quot; 

 respective Arbitrators. We were expected to hear, 

 it is presumable, and also to understand : otherwise, 

 why required to attend ? 



Are these debates, which occurred in the presence 

 of so many persons, Agents, Counsel, and others, to be 

 regarded as confidential and unfit to be disclosed now? 

 Forget them, \ve can not, even if copious notes of the 

 most important debates did not exist to aid and cor 

 rect mere memory. Is it, then, improper to speak of 

 them ? I think not. I conceive that any of us, who 



