NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE rumour of last week that the American Government were prepared to make some concession on the subject of the Indirect Claim has been confirmed by all the news, official and unofficial, of this week, and on Thursday, Mr. Gladstone and Lord Gran- ville declared from their places in Parliament that though the written despatch just received does not alter the situation, subse- quent (telegraphic) intelligence had led them to expect that the differences between the two Governments would soon be settled in a manner perfectly satisfactory to both peoples. It is, however, positively denied, ostensibly on Lord Grauville's own authority, that any general international engagement to discredit all Indirect Claims on account of the escape of cruisers like the Alabama 4iaa been proposed by Mr. Fish for the future ; and we are told that a joint instruction to the Arbitrators limiting their attention 'to the Direct Claims is impossible, since they must look for their guidance solely to the Treaty of Washington. Mr. Fish only pro- poses that the Government of the United States should instruct their counsel, Messrs. Cushing, Evarts, and Wayte, before the tribunal, not to press the Indirect Claims, and that the tribunal should be " officiously,"—not officially,—informed of the arrange- ment entered into by the two parties.
