ALABAMA CLAIMS. 67 



1. " The right under the Treaty to present them. 



2. "To have them disposed of and removed from further con- 

 troversy. 



3. "To obtain a decision cither for or against the liability of 

 a neutral for claims of that description. 



4. " If the liability of a neutral for such claims is admitted 

 in the future, then to insist on payment by Great Britain for 

 those of the past. 



5. "Having a case against Great Britain to have the same 

 principle applied to it that may in the future be invoked against 

 the United States." 



Of these considerations, the last four, it is obvious, 

 are the complete justification of the insertion of our 

 national claims in the Treaty and of their presenta- 

 tion in the " Case." 



Hence the duty of the Agent and Counsel of the 

 United States, having charge of the judicial investi- 

 gation pending before the Tribunal of Arbitration, 

 remained the same in the interval between December 

 15th, 1871, and June 15th, 1872, whatever diplomatic 

 discussions or negotiations might be going on between 

 the two Governments. Our instructions were defi- 

 nite and peremptory, as the British Government well 

 understood, to prepare the Counter-Case for the Unit- 

 ed States, and the final Argument, on the premises 

 of the Treaty as construed by the United States and 

 as explained in the American Case. Our Counter- 

 Case was prepared accordingly, as already stated, and 

 filed in Enirlish and in French before the Tribunal. 

 And in like manner we prepared our final Argument. 



This Argument, consisting of an octavo volume of 

 495 pages, after discussing fully the various questions 

 of fact and of law involved in the submission to arbi- 



