ALABAMA CLAIMS. 55 



considerate one at New York. But Earl cle Grey 

 and Ripon, who had now "become Marquess of Ripon, 

 deported himself with admirable dignity. It was, in- 

 deed, wittily said, or reported to have been said, by 

 Mr. Lowe, that Lord Ripon was going about very sick 

 at the stomach of a marquisate, which he would be 

 glad to throw up ; but the reproach was wholly un- 

 deserved. Lord Ripon manfully maintained silence 

 while to speak would have been unwise; when at 

 length it became expedient to speak, he did so with 

 discretion and with judiciousness, beyond what ap- 

 peared in the speeches of some other members of the 

 Government. 



ACTION OF THE AMERICAN AG.ENT AND COUNSEL. 



Whilst all these discussions were going on in Great 

 Britain and the United States, we, the Agent and 

 Counsel of the United. States, were busily occupied, 

 partly at Washington but chiefly at Paris, in the 

 study of the British Case and the preparation of the 

 American Counter-Case. We had fixed on Paris for 

 our head-quarters, as a neutral city, as a great centre 

 of international jurisprudence and diplomacy, and as 

 a place in easy communication with London and with 

 Washington. 



From this ground of vantage we could observe 

 and estimate correctly the current of discussion in 

 America, in Great Britain, and on the Continent of 

 Europe. 



Speaking for myself, at least, let me say, it appear- 

 ed to me that much of what was being said in En- 



