116 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



of their duty on the part of the Court aud of tlie 

 attorney representing the Government. No appeal 

 was taken by the Government. 



The Oreto then threw off all pretensions of inno- 

 cence; she openly completed her equipment, arma- 

 ment, and crew, partly at one place and partly at an- 

 othei', under the eye of the colonial authorities ; and 

 proceeded to cruise and to make prizes as an avowed 

 man-of-war by the name oi Florida. Meanwhile, with 

 the illegality of her operations in England, and also 

 in the Bahama Islands, now notorious and admitted, 

 she continued to come and go in British ports, and to 

 obtain supplies there as her base of operations, without 

 interference on the part of the British Government. 



On these facts, the three neutral Arbitrators and 

 Mr. Adams convicted the British Government of want 

 of due dili2:ence, and of disreo;ard otherwise of the 

 Rules of the Treaty, notwithstanding that the Florida 

 had entered and remained some time in the Confed- 

 erate port of Mobile. 



Their several opinions were precise, definite, clear, 

 and with positive conclusion, as to all the material 

 points of the case, in favor of the United States. 



Sir Alexander Cockburn's adverse opinion was a 

 verbose special plea, — which, while admitting all the 

 material fticts charged, and conceding the palpable 

 fraud practiced by Miller & Sons and Thomas, — the 

 original guilt of the vessel, — the absurdity of the ac- 

 tion of the Admiralty Court of Nassau, — the illegal 

 equipments at Nassau and elsewhere in British ports, 

 — aud the continued use of British ports as a base of 



