ALABAMA CLAIMS. . 63 
sideration of the Tribunal of Arbitration,—was to infer 
that they remained open and unadjusted, and suscep- 
tible of being hereafter brought forward anew by the 
United States as an object of reclamation against 
Great Britain. One great inducement to the Treaty 
would thus be defeated, namely, the establishment of 
perfect concord and peace. In view of which it was 
thought expedient to endeavor to adjust the present 
dispute by informal stipulations on the part of the 
two Governments. 
This well-intentioned effort failed, because of the 
persistent contention of the British Government that 
the Treaty excluded from the Arbitration the claims 
for national losses advanced by the United States. 
Further reflection on the subject satisfied the Amer- 
ican Government that nothing short of a new treaty 
could dispose of the question on the premises of the 
pending negotiation, it being clear that the President 
of the United States could not of himself withdraw 
claims which were in his opinion justified. by the 
Treaty of Washington. 
Thereupon the President requested of the Senate 
an expression of their disposition in regard to advis- 
ing and consenting to the formal adoption of an arti- 
cle of treaty proposed by the British Government, to 
the effect of stipulating that he would make no claim 
on the part of the United States in respect of the so- 
called indirect losses before the Tribunal of Arbitra- 
tion, in consideration of an agreement between the 
two Governments, the essence of which was set forth 
in a preamble to the effect that 
