MISCELLANEOUS CLAIMS. 195 



suffice to say that the &quot;pouvoir sanctionnateur&quot; is in 

 the treaty of arbitration, which nations are quite as 

 likely to observe as they are to observe any other 

 treaty. It is that question of good faith among na 

 tions upon which the peace of the world stands. 



Undoubtedly, cases occur in which the internation 

 al discord or debate turns on questions where the na 

 tional honor or dignity is directly in play, and where 

 the controversy becomes a matter of personal senti 

 ment; and in such cases it may not be easy to ob 

 tain an agreement to arbitrate. Such, indeed, was the 

 view of Earl Russell, as we have already seen, with 

 reference to the imputed want of due diligence of the 

 British Government in the matter of the Alabama 

 and the Florida. But the influence of time, which 

 softens sensibilities and resentments, and the preva 

 lence at length of the mutual desire of peace, may 

 overcome even the most serious apparent obstacles 

 to friendly arbitration, as the conduct of Great Brit 

 ain in expressing her regret for the incidents of which 

 the United States complained, and in referring the 

 whole subject to the Tribunal at Geneva, seems to 

 demonstrate. 



OTHER FORMS OF ARBITRATION. 



Many instances have occurred in the present centu 

 ry of another form of arbitration, differing materially 

 from mixed commissions, namely, submission to a sin 

 gle arbiter or tribunal, with complete authority to 

 decide the subject of controversy. 



Thus, in 1851, France and Spain referred to the ar- 



