having agreed, in pursuance of the fifth article of the convention concluded at London on the twentieth day of October, 1818, to refer the difference which had arisen between the two governments upon the true construction and meaning of the first article of the treaty of peace and amity concluded at Ghent on the twenty-fourth day of December, 1814, to the friendly arbitration of his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, mutually engaging to consider his decision final and conclusive, and his said imperial Majesty having, after due consideration, given his decision upon these differences, in the following terms, to wit," - then follows the decision that the United States has a just claim for indemnification.

But diplomatic matters moved very slowly regarding the issue, and on November 13, 1826, the United States and Great Britain concluded another convention for the execution of the convention of July 22, 1822, and the arbitral decision of the emperor of Russia.

Further difficulty arose over the interpretation of the treaty of Ghent, for we find that on September 27, 1827, a convention was concluded to submit to arbitration the points disputed between the United States and Great Britain concerning the fifth article of that treaty, from which we quote:

"Whereas, it is provided by the fifth article of the treaty of Ghent that in case the commissioners appointed under that article for the settlement of the boundary line therein described should not be able to agree upon such boundary line, the report or reports of those commissioners, stating the points on which they had differed, should be submitted to some friendly sovereign or state, and that the decision given by such sovereign or state on such points of difference should be considered by the contracting parties as final and conclusive; that case having now arisen, they go on to arrange for the

arbitration.

But other difficulty arose, and the record bears witness with its entry of January 10, 1831, to an arbitral decision by the king of the Netherlands upon the disputed point of the fifth article of the treaty of Ghent concluded in 1814 between the United States and Great Britain. This arbitral decision was against the United States, and on January 12 is recorded the protest of the minister of the United States against it. But there seems to have been no further obstacle to its enforcement, and arbitration scored another victory.

So the practice became familiar, and from these beginnings grew up that faith in the method which had a conspicuous illustration in the Geneva award of damages in the case of the Alabama claims of the United States against Great Britain in 1871. In 1899 came the memorable consummation in the act of the Hague peace conference for the establishment of the world court of arbitration. That expression of the will of the ratifying nations comes so nearly to being the will of the world that it is reasonable to regard it as true world legislation, and to give it its due and honorable place in world law which has been formally enacted.

The participating nations, with their numbers of delegates respectively, were as follows: Germany, five; the United States, six; Austria-Hungary, six; Belgium, three; Bulgaria, two; China, three; Denmark, two; Spain, four; France, six; Great Britain, five; Greece, one; Italy, five; Japan, five; Luxemburg, two; Mexico, two; the Netherlands, five; Persia, two; Portugal, five; Roumania, three; Russia, eight; Servia, three; Siam, four; Sweden and Norway, five; Switzerland, three; Turkey, four, — making ninety-nine in all. This conference at The Hague in 1899, though called officially a 'peace conference," really had a large function in the development of the legislative body of the world; and it is to be ranked as a political conference rather than a peace conference, and is to be given the exalted place in the political history of mankind which it deserves. There is given below the introduction with which it was published to the world, as follows:

FINAL ACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE

The international peace conference, convoked in the best interests of humanity by his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, assembled on the invitation of the government of her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands in the Royal House in the Wood at The Hague, on the 18th May, 1899. The Powers enumerated in the following list took part in the conference, to which they appointed the delegates named below:

[Names]

In a series of meetings, between the 18th May and the 29th July, 1899, in which the constant desire of the delegates above mentioned has been to realize, in the fullest manner possible, the generous views of the august initiator of the conference and the intentions of their governments, the conference has agreed, for submission for signature by the plenipotentiaries, on the text of the conventions and declarations enumerated below and annexed to the present act:

I. Convention for the peaceful adjustment of international differences.

II. Convention regarding the laws and customs of war by land.

III. Convention for the adaptation to maritime warfare of the principles of the Geneva convention of the 22d August, 1864.

IV. Three declarations:

1. To prohibit the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons or by other similar new methods;

2. To prohibit the use of projectiles, the only object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases;

3. To prohibit the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope, of which the envelope does not entirely cover the core, or is pierced with incisions.

These conventions and declarations shall form so many separate acts. These acts shall be dated this day, and may be signed up to the 31st December, 1899, by the plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the international peace conference at The Hague.

Guided by the same sentiments, the conference has adopted unanimously the following resolution:

"The conference is of the opinion that the restriction of military charges, which are at present a heavy burden on the world, is extremely desirable for the increase of the material and moral welfare of mankind.”

It has, besides, formulated the following wishes:

1. The conference, taking into consideration the preliminary step taken by the Swiss federal government for the revision of the Geneva convention, expresses the wish that steps may be shortly taken for the assembly of a special conference having for its object the revision of that convention.

This wish was voted unanimously.

2. The conference expresses the wish that the questions of the rights and duties of neutrals may be inserted in the program of a conference in the near future. 3. The conference expresses the wish that the questions with regard to rifles and naval guns, as considered by it, may be studied by the governments with the object of coming to an agreement respecting the employment of new types and calibers.

4. The conference expresses the wish that the governments, taking into consideration the proposals made at the conference, may examine the possibility of an agreement as to the limitation of armed forces by land and sea, and of war budgets. 5. The conference expresses the wish that the proposal which contemplates the declaration of the inviolability of private property in naval warfare may be referred to a subsequent conference for consideration.

6. The conference expresses the wish that the proposal to settle the question of the bombardment of ports, towns, and villages by a naval force may be referred to a subsequent conference for consideration.

The last five wishes were voted unanimously, saving some abstentions.

In faith of which, the plenipotentiaries have signed the present act and have affixed their seals thereto.

Done at The Hague, 29th July, 1899, in one copy only, which shall be deposited in the ministry for foreign affairs, and of which copies, duly certified, shall be delivered to all the Powers represented at the conference.

[Signatures]

CONVENTION FOR THE PEACEFUL ADJUSTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL DIFFERENCES

His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia; his Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc., and Apostolic King of Hungary; his Majesty the King of Belgians; his Majesty the Emperor of China; his Majesty the King of Denmark; his Majesty the King of Spain and in his name her Majesty the Queen Regent of the kingdom; the President of the United States of America; the President of the United Mexican States; the President of the French republic; her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India; his Majesty the King of the Hellenes; his Majesty the King of Italy; his Majesty the Emperor of Japan; his Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Luxemburg, Duke of Nassau; his Highness the Prince of Montenegro; her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands; his imperial Majesty the Shah of Persia; his Majesty the King of Portugal and of the Algarves, etc.; his Majesty the King of Roumania; his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias; his Majesty the King of Servia; his Majesty the King of Siam; his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway; the Swiss Federal Council; his Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans; and his Royal Highness the Prince of Bulgaria,

Animated by a strong desire to concert for the maintenance of the general peace; Resolved to second by their best efforts the friendly settlement of international disputes;

Recognizing the solidarity which unites the members of the society of civilized

nations;

Desirous of extending the empire of law, and of strengthening the appreciation of international justice;

Convinced that the permanent institution of a court of arbitration, accessible to all, in the midst of the independent Powers, will contribute effectively to this result; Having regard to the advantages attending the general and regular organization of arbitral procedure;

Sharing the opinion of the august initiator of the international peace conference that it is expedient to record in an international agreement the principles of equity and right on which are based the security of states and the welfare of peoples; Being desirous of concluding a convention to this effect, have appointed as their plenipotentiaries, to wit:

[Names]

Who, after communication of their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed on the following provisions: [What follows is superseded by the convention of 1907, relating to arbitration, given afterward. The convention with respect to the laws and customs of war on land is also superseded by the convention of 1907, given afterward. The convention for the adaptation to maritime

warfare of the principles of the Geneva convention of August 22, 1864, is also superseded by the convention of 1907, given afterward, as are the above-named conventions also, in their proper place in the conventions of 1907.]

THE SECOND PEACE CONFERENCE

It was at the second peace conference, held at The Hague in 1907, that the self-consciousness of the race came to the surface sufficiently to look forward to a third conference as the next step in a series which might be indefinite in number and would mark the opening of a new era in the history of the human race. In some distinguished circles that conference was pronounced, just at its close, to be a failure and a fiasco; but it already stands in the light of history as a conspicuous success.

Below is a list of the nations which participated in the second peace conference at The Hague, with the number of delegates sent by each Germany, seven; the United States, nine; the Argentine Republic, five; Austria-Hungary, eight; Belgium, three; Bolivia, two; Brazil, four; Bulgaria, three; Chile, three; China, six; Colombia, three; Cuba, three; Denmark, three; the Dominican republic, two; Ecuador, two; Spain, five; France, nine; Great Britain, eleven; Greece, three; Guatemala, two; Haiti, three; Italy, five; Japan, five; Luxemburg, two; Mexico, three; Montenegro, three; Nicaragua, one; Norway, three; Panama, one; Paraguay, one; the Netherlands, nine; Peru, two; Persia, three; Portugal, five; Roumania, three; Russia, eight; Salvador, two; Servia, three; Siam, three; Sweden, four; Switzerland, three; Turkey, five; Uruguay, three; Venezuela, one; making one hundred seventy-four in all.

Under date of October 18, 1907, the completed work of the conference was given to the world, and the translation into English from the official French is as follows:

TEXT OF THE FINAL ACT

The second international peace conference, proposed in the first instance by the President of the United States of America, having been convoked on the invitation of his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, by her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, assembled on the 15th June, 1907, at The Hague, in the Hall of the Knights, for the purpose of giving a fresh development to the humanitarian principles which served as a basis for the work of the first conference of 1899.

The following Powers took part in the conference and appointed the delegates named below. [Here follow the names.]