FRENCH SPOLIATION CLAIMS. During the great European wars from 1793 on, French privateers assailed neutral commerce, of which the American was chief, under various pretexts or without any; one was that the United States had violated the treaty of 1778. In the virtual French-American war of 1798-99, their privateers about the West Indies and elsewhere made prize of a great of American shipping, for which our commission ers vainly endeavored to obtain indemnification. Finally, in the treaty of 30 Sept. 1800, as there was no hope of getting the money from Napo leon, the United States for other considerations waived the claim. From then on, even though the cases were referred in 1885 to the Court of Claims, nearly every year saw a bill before Con gress to pay these claims, and at various times a vote for it was obtained, which was vetoed by the President in each case — Polk, Pierce and Cleveland. The court finally adjudicated sev
eral thousand claims, and awarded some $4,800, 000. Consult Carnegie Endowment for Inter national Peace, Division of International Law, Pamphlet No.' 25,