92 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 
guage as to render it scarcely intelligible. Mr. Jus. 
tice Blackburn replied, reiterating in temperate lan. 
guage his statement that the Chief Justice had ex. 
pressly assented to the legal doctrine of the charge, 
and his colleagues, Justices Mellor, Lush, and Han- 
nen, gave no support to the denial made by the Chief 
Justice. 
The qualities of character exhibited in this inci- 
dent were the occasion at the time of unfavorable 
commentary on the part of the British Press and 
public. 
Sir Alexander Cockburn had seemed, on superfi- 
cial view, a fit person to take part in the important 
duties committed to the Tribunal of Arbitration, He 
carried thither the prestige of judicial rank, as the 
head of one of the most venerable courts of Europe. 
And he was thorough master of the language in 
which the discussions of the Tribunal were con- 
ducted. 
But, unfortunately,.it would seem that neither the 
original constitution of his mind, nor the studies, pur- 
suits, or habits of his life, had fitted him for calm, im- 
partial, judicial examination of great questions of 
public law. The same traits of confused’ thought, 
equivocation in matters of law, tendency to declama- 
tory denunciation of adversary opinions, which pro- 
voked and justified the criticisms of Mr. Finlason, 
Mr. Gathorne Hardy, and others, and which prompt- 
ed conflict with Mr. Justice Blackburn, reappeared 
in more vivid ¢olors at Geneva. 
Of the offensive singularities of his deportment as 
