108 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 
general public as they occurred, although perfectly fit 
to be thus communicated to the respective Govern. 
ments. 
The Tribunal reassembled on the 15th of July. 
Down to this time all the proceedings of the Arbitra. 
tors were in their nature public acts, or they have 
been made public through the respective Govern. 
ments. All such acts were recorded in the protocols, 
Hereafter, we shall have, in addition to the acts of 
the Tribunal recorded in protocols, a series of pre- 
visional opinions, which were also printed and dis. 
tributed [or should have been] according to express 
order of the Tribunal. These opinions of the Arbi- 
trators, as well as their official acts, have already been 
made public by both Governments. 
But, incidentally to such acts and opinions, there 
was much oral debate from time to time at the suc. 
cessive Conferences of the Tribunal. At these de- 
bates, the Agents and Counsel of both Governments 
were required to assist, by resolution of the Tribunal. 
Assisting, we necessarily heard what was said by the 
respective Arbitrators. We were expected to hear, 
it is presumable, and also to understand: otherwise, 
why required to attend ? 
Are these debates, which occurred in the presence 
of so many persons, Agents, Counsel, and others, to be 
regarded as confidential and unfit to be disclosed now? 
Forget them, we can not, even if copious notes of the 
most important debates did not exist to aid and cor- 
rect mere memory. Is it, then, improper to speak of 
them? I think not. I conceive that any of us, who 
