ALABAMA CLAIMS. 129 



Tribunal, or printed for the informatiou of Agents 

 and Counsel, as a resolution of the Tribunal, adoj^ted 

 on his own motion, required, — he presents this Argu- 

 ment as his "Keasons . . . for dissenting fi;om the 

 Decision of the Tribunal of Arbitration." The title 

 of the document is a false pretense, as we shall con- 

 clusively show in due time : the act was a dishonor- 

 able imposition on the Tribunal, and on hoth Gov- 

 ernments, Great Britain as much as the United 

 States. 



In point of fact, the document filed by Sir Alexan- 

 der was in large part of such a character that, if it 

 had been offered for filing at any proper time, and 

 wath opportunity to persons concerned to become ac- 

 quainted with its contents, it must [as declared by 

 the Secretary of State of the United States in his dis- 

 patch to the American Agent of October 22, 1872] 

 have been the plain duty of the American Agent 

 to object to its reception, and of the Tribunal to re- 

 fuse it, as calculated and designed to weaken the just 

 authority of the Arbitrators, as insulting to the United 

 States in the tenor of much of its contents, and as in- 

 jurious to Great Britain by its tendency to raise up 

 obstacles to the acceptance of the Award, and to pro- 

 duce alienation between the two Governments. 



The document consisted, in part, of the 02:)inions of 

 Sir Alexander Cockburn on the several vessels, copies 

 of w^hich he ought to have delivered in print to the 

 Agent and Counsel of the United States, in conform- 

 ity wdth his own resolution, but w^hich he failed to 

 do, thus depriving the American Government of ad- 



I 



