188 THE TREATY OF WASHINGTON. 
all existing claims of citizens or subjects of the one 
Government against the other, but only claims for 
acts committed against persons or property on either 
side between certain defined dates—that 3s, during 
the pendency of actual hostilities in the United States. 
It is a provision, supplementary in effect to the pre- 
ceding clauses of the Treaty, conceived in the appar- 
ent intention of thus closing up all subjects of conten- 
tion growing out of our Civil War. 
The Commission was duly organized by the ap- 
pointment of Mr. Russell Gurney, Commissioner on 
the part of Great Britain, and Mr. James S. Frazer, 
on the part of the United States, and of Count Corti, 
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary 
of Italy, Commissioner named conjointly by the two 
Governments. 
The Treaty contains detailed provisions for the 
prosecution of the business before the Commission, to 
be completed within two years from the day of their 
first meeting; and the contracting parties engage to 
consider the decision of the Commissioners absolutely 
final and conclusive on each claim decided by them, 
—to give full effect to such decision without any ob- 
jection, evasion, or delay whatsoever,—and to consid- 
er every claim comprehended within the jurisdiction 
of the Commissioners as finally settled, barred, and 
thenceforth inadmissible, from and after the conclu- 
sion of the proceedings of the Commissign. 
The Commissioners assembled at Washington on 
the 26th of September, 1871, and are assiduously en- 
gaged in the determination of the claims submitted 
