54 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 
and “the discourteous tone and minatory intimations 
of the Ministry,” imposed on the United States a dif 
ferent line of action from that, which might have been 
adopted by them in response to a calm presentation 
by the British Government of its construction of the 
Treaty. 
In this relation there is another class of facts which, 
as it seems to me, deserves mention. 
Of the five American Commissioners engaged in 
the negotiation of the Treaty of Washington, two, 
the Secretary of State [Mr. Fish] and our Minister 
at London [General Schenck], were officially occu- 
pied in discussing the question on the American Case 
raised by the British Government. The published 
dispatches show with what signal ability they dis- 
charged this delicate duty. Meanwhile, the three 
other Commissioners, Mr. Justice Nelson, Mr. Hoar, 
and Mr. Williams, although impliedly accused on the 
other side of taking some advantage of the unsophis- 
ticated innocence and simplicity of the British Com- 
missioners, yet maintained perfect self-control in the 
matter, speaking only when officially called upon to 
speak, and otherwise leaving the subject where it be- 
longed,—in the hands of their Government. | 
The conduct, on the other hand, of some of the 
British Commissioners was less reserved than that of 
the American Commissioners. Professor Bernard got 
completely off the track of reason and sense in a lect- 
ure which he delivered at Oxford. Sir Stafford 
Northcote let off a very inconsiderate speech at Ex- 
eter. And Sir Edward Thornton made a not very 
