194 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 



ment as to the nature of the injury or amount of 

 the indemnity could not be arrived at, mixed commis- 

 sions have been established by treaty in numerous in- 

 stances, to judge and decide the questions at issue be- 

 tween the two contending Governments. 



On three several occasions, within a brief period, 

 the United States and Great Britain have had re- 

 course to the international tribunal of a mixed com- 

 mission for settlement of unliquidated claims of citi- 

 zens or subjects of one country against the Govern- 

 ment of the other, namely, by the Treaty of July 26, 

 1853; by that of July 1, 1803; and by the present 

 Treaty of Washington. Other examples of this occur 

 in our earlier history. And the United States have 

 had treaties of a similar character "with the Mexican 

 Republic, with the Republic of New Granada, with 

 that of the United States of Colombia, and with the 

 Republics of Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Peru. 



An eminent French publicist, M. Pradier Fodere, 

 observes : 



" L' arbitrage, tres-usite dans le moy en-age, a ete 

 presque entierement neglige dans les temps modernes; 

 les exemples d'arbitrage oflerts et acceptes sont deve- 

 nus de plus en plus rares, par I'experience des incon- 

 venients qui semblent etre presque inseparables de ce 

 moyen, ordinairement insuffisant par le defaut d'un 

 pouvoir sanctionnateur. Lorsque les grandes puissan- 

 ces constituent im tribunal arbitral, ce n'est ordinaire- 

 ment que ponr des objets d'interet secondaire." 



As to the absence of any power to compel observ- 

 ance of the award of an international tribunal, it may 



