ALABAMA CLAIMS. 61 
us and other States, with which that Tribunal had 
no possible concern,—which it could not pretend to 
judge,—and of such obvious irrelevancy and imperti- 
nence that not one of the Arbitrators condescended 
to notice them except Sir Alexander Cockburn. 
The presentation in the British Case of considera- 
tions of this order, worthless and absurd as argu- 
ment, and wantonly offensive to the United States, 
was, in my judgment, an outrageous act, compared 
with which, in possible susceptibility of blame, there 
is nothing to be found in any of the affirmative doc- 
uments presented by the American Government. 
It was the cause of a singularly perverse incident, 
namely, complaint of the British Press against the 
American Argument for imputed wnkindness in al- 
luding to subjects, which had been forced upon our 
attention by the British Case. 
I mention these circumstances for the purpose of 
showing how relatively unjust it was to impute of- 
fensiveness of spirit and language to the American 
Case in view of the much more objectionable things 
in the British Case; and for the further purpose of 
pertinently stating that it was undignified for Great 
Britain to complain of the manner in which the Agent 
or Counsel of the United States might see fit to ar- 
gue our cause, as it would be for the American Gov- 
ernment to undertake to prescribe limits of discre- 
tion in this respect to the Agent or Counsel of Great 
Britain. 
Thus, the 15th of April, looked forward to with so 
much apparent dread by the British Government, 
