[1] FIRST MEETING MAY 23, 1899 Mr. Léon Bourgeois presiding. Mr. Léon Bourgeois, who was appointed president at the first meeting of the Conference, takes the chair. His Excellency Mr. STAAL, President of the Conference, their Excellencies Count NIGRA and Sir JULIAN PAUNCEFOte, honorary presidents of the Third Commission, take their places beside him. The President expresses his gratitude for the honor that has been done him. It is not without emotion that he undertakes the direction of the work of this Commission on arbitration, the results of which are anxiously awaited by the civilized world. He would have preferred to see in this place of honor some one else, who had had more experience and who bore a name of greater distinction; he alludes in particular to the eminent men seated beside him. He assures his colleagues of his whole-hearted devotion to the task in hand. The Third Commission has this good fortune, that no division can exist among its members on the general ideas which are the bases of its work. They are assured that they will go forth together in the same direction, along the same road. The PRESIDENT's duty is to try to keep them pursuing their journey together along this road as far as possible. The PRESIDENT again recalls that the Commission is bound to keep its deliberations secret. Minutes will be drawn up in manuscript and preserved by the bureau of the Conference, where they may be consulted. An analytical summary will be printed and sent to the members of the Commission, who, of course, will be communicated with, before publication, in regard to the part which concerns them. Since questions relating to arbitration present a unified character, the PRESIDENT thinks that there is no need of dividing the Commission into subcommissions. His Excellency Mr. Eyschen, having learned of a most interesting work on arbitrations by Chevalier DESCAMPS, begs its author to place it at the disposal of the Commission. Chevalier Descamps will comply with this request. He will turn over to the Commission these statistical notes concerning arbitration, in which he has endeavored to collect, together with all the compromis clauses contained in treaties concluded between the countries represented at the Conference, all the cases of arbitration that have been tried. He will, however, require a little time in order to submit to the first delegates the proofs of these notes at least the part regarding compromis clauses that they may be able to check up the data with reference to their countries. |