THE 



TREATY OF WASHINGTON, 



CHAPTER I. 

 INTRODUCTION. 



The Treaty of Washii^gto]^, whether it be regard- 

 ed in the light of its general spirit and object, of its 

 particular stipulations, or of its relation to the high 

 contracting parties, constitutes one of the most nota- 

 ble and interesting of all the great diplomatic acts of 

 the present age. 



It disposes, in forty-three articles, of five different 

 subjects of controversy between Great Britain and 

 the United States, two of them European or imjDerial, 

 three American or colonial, and some of them of such 

 nature as most imminently to imperil the precious 

 peace of the two great English-speaking nations. 



Indeed, several of these objects of controversy are 

 questions coeval with the national existence of the 

 United States, and which, if lost sight of occasionally 

 in the midst of other pre-occupations of peace or war, 

 yet continually came to the surface again from time 



(/ 



