ALABAMA CLAIMS. 99 
5442 pages, as reduced to a common standard, that of 
the printing by Congress. 
The British “Case” and documents fill, in the re- 
print by Congress, three volumes octavo, consisting of 
2823 pages. 
Perusal of the American and British Cases, and of 
their accompanying documents on both sides, brings 
us to consideration of the peculiarities in the course 
of argument and trial prescribed by the Treaty. 
In effect, the United States were the plaintiffs, and 
Great Britain the defendant, in a suit at law, to be 
tried, it is true, before a special tribunal, and deter- 
mined by conventional rules, but not the less a suit 
‘at law for the recovery of damages in reparation of 
alleged injuries. 
In common course, the plaintiff’s counsel would 
open his case and put in his evidence; the defendant’s 
counsel would then open the defense and put in de- 
fensive proofs; and, after the close of the testimony 
on both sides, the defendant’s counsel would argue in 
close for the defense, and then the plaintiff’s counsel 
in final close for the plaintiff. 
Here, on the contrary, the defendant’s opening argu- 
ment and defensive proofs went in at the same time 
as the plaintiff’s opening argument and proofs, each 
under the name of the “Case” of the respective Party. 
The British Case, of course, could not answer the 
American Case, save by conjecture and anticipation 
founded on common knowledge of the subject-matter. 
The respective Counter-Cases of the Parties were 
to go in together, in like manner, in April, and their 
