People blenched at the thought of war; stocks fell; the attention of the whole world was arrested.

The innumerable and intimate bonds of friendship and interest which would thus have to be broken merely because of an insignificant jog in a boundary remote from both the nations made war between the United States and Great Britain seem absolutely inconceivable, until people realized that neither country could yield without an admission of defeat both galling to national pride and involving fundamental principles of conduct and policy for the future.
Great Britain in particular stood amazed at Cleveland's position.

The general opinion was that peace must be maintained and that diplomats must find a formula which would save both peace and appearances.

Yet before this public opinion could be diplomatically formulated, a new episode shook the British sense of security.

Germany again appeared as a menace and, as in the case of Samoa, the international situation thus produced tended to develop a realization of the kinship between Great Britain and the United States.