68 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



tration, proceeds to examine the particular claims, na- 

 tional as well as indiviJual, — to maintain the jurisdic- 

 tion of the Tribunal over both classes of claims, — and 

 to argue the nature and degree of the responsibility 

 of Great Britain to the United States in the premises. 

 In tine, the Argument is co-extensive with the " Case." 



We repaired to Geneva in due time, and at the 

 meeting of the Tribunal on the 15th we presented 

 our Argument as required by the Treaty, and, for the 

 better information of the Tribunal, in French as W' ell 

 as in English. That is to say, the Government of 

 the United States, through the means of its official 

 Agent, complied with that last command of the Trea- 

 ty of Washington, in virtue of which the Tribunal of 

 Arbitration became formally seized and possessed of 

 all our claims, national as well as private, precisely as 

 if no controversy on the subject existed between the 

 two Governments. The United States were in condi- 

 tion to invoke the judgment of the Tribunal, whether 

 Great Britain appeared or not ; for Counsel had am- 

 ple authority of legal doctrine at hand to show that 

 the Tribunal would have power to act even in the 

 absence of Great Britain. 



In the anticipation of this contingency, the British 

 Government requested that of the United States to 

 concur in making a joint api)lication to the Tribunal 

 for an adjournment of eight months, in order to afford 

 to the two Governments sufficient time for further 

 negotiation. Mr. Fish replied that the Government 

 of the United States had no reason to desire such ad- 

 journment, although the Government intended, and 



