C6 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



this difference by sui:)plemental treaty. Only a few 

 weeks remained in wliicli to negotiate; and th6 

 parties were separated by thousands of miles of 

 ocean. It was necessary, therefore, to 'negotiate, if at 

 all, by telegraph, — an operation quite as novel as had 

 been that of conducting the business of government 

 in France by means of pigeons or balloons during the 

 siege of Paris. But, before it was possible for the 

 parties to conclude a treaty by telegraph, the fatal 

 day arrived, greatly to the embarrassment of the 

 British Government. 



PRESENTATION OF ARGUMENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES. 



For the course of the United States in this exigen* 

 cy was plain before them : it was to present their 

 final Argument to the Tribunal of Arbitration, in con- 

 formity with their own conception of their rights, just 

 as if there were no controversy on the point between 

 them and Great Britain. 



The President of the United States was immova- 

 bly fixed in the pui'pose not to withdi'aw the contro- 

 verted claims, nor to abstain from making claim be- 

 fore the Tribunal in respect to the so-called indirect 

 losses, except in consideration of a new treaty i-egard- 

 ing the same, satisfactory to himself and to the Senate 

 of the United States. 



In a dispatch of the Secretary of State to the Min- 

 ister at London, of the 28th of May, 1872, the induce- 

 ment and object of the United States, in persisting to 

 retain these claims before the Tribunal, are summa- 

 rily stated as follows : 



