194 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



merit as to the nature of the injury or amount of 

 the indemnity could not be arrived at, mixed commis 

 sions have been established by treaty in numerous in 

 stances, to judge and decide the questions at issue be 

 tween the two contending Governments. 



On three several occasions, within a brief period, 

 the United States and Great Britain have had re 

 course to the international tribunal of a mixed com 

 mission for settlement of unliquidated claims of citi 

 zens or subjects of one country against the Govern 

 ment of the other, namely, by the Treaty of July 26, 

 1853; by that of July 1, 1863; and by the present 

 Treaty of Washington. Other examples of this occur 

 in our earlier history. And the United States have 

 had treaties of a similar character with the Mexican 

 Republic, with the Republic of New Granada, with 

 that of the United States of Colombia, and with the 

 Republics of Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Peru. 



An eminent French publicist, M. Pradier Fodere, 

 observes : 



&quot; L arbitrage, tres-usite dans le moy en-age, a ete 

 presque entierement neglige dans les temps modernes; 

 les exemples d arbitrage offerts et acceptes sont deve- 

 nus de plus en plus rares, par 1 experience des incon- 

 venients qui semblent etre presque inseparables de ce 

 moy en, ordinairement insuffisant par le defaut d un 

 pouvoir sanctionnateur. Lorsque les grandes puissan 

 ces constituent un tribunal arbitral, ce n est ordinaire 

 ment que pour des objets d interet secondaire.&quot; 



As to the absence of any power to compel observ 

 ance of the award of an international tribunal, it may 



