proved to be the crowning work of his life ever in mind, he also, within a year of his arrival at Copenhagen, published an article in Danish on the Public Laws of Denmark. It is thus seen how one great purpose was ever present with him, to which the whole current of his thoughts and work ran. In 1835 President Jackson transferred Wheaton to Berlin as Minister Resident. He was the first representative of his gov ernment for twenty-five years at the Court of Prussia, where he remained until 1846, being promoted in 1837 to the rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni potentiary. His chief duty in Prussia was to foster trade relations and make com mercial treaties. This duty he performed with characteristic ability and success, and it was not his fault that the Senate of the United States rejected the treaties which he negotiated. His interests were world wide; and among other things that brought him to public notice was his brochure advocat ing the Suez and Panama canals, for which Von Humboldt hailed him pioneer. While at Berlin he extended his already wide ac quaintance with the statesmen and scien tists of Europe, forming a close friendship with Von Humboldt, and being elected to the French Institute and the Berlin Acad emy of Science. All this broad and intimate acquaintance with great men gave him ex traordinary opportunities to observe and learn the real conditions of Europe. His services, therefore, to the Government at Washington, by keeping it constantly in formed of the trend of sentiments and events, were of great value. Hardly a week elapsed without his making a report to the Secretary of State. Nor did his efficiency and importance stop there. For his counsel and opinion were constantly sought by all our other diplomatic representatives, be cause of his great ability and experience and knowledge. He expected, and had
every right to expect, that his invaluable services would be retained and receive proper recognition by promotion to either Paris or London. But, in 1846 he fell a victim to that insidious spoils system which has robbed our country of so many meri torious public servants. If President Roose velt, coming into power with the most tri umphant majority in our history, a victory so sweeping that it makes him not only the dominant and paramount power in the Re publican party, but the trustee of the whole people, will only correct this great abuse in the diplomatic service, he will not have been trusted in vain. After his dismissal Wheaton spent the winter in Paris, and returned to Providence in May, 1847. The city of his birth had his portrait painted. He was given a dinner in New York, where he enunciated the doc trine that has come to be known as the fundamental one of the all successful di plomacy of the United States: "The office of a foreign minister is the office of a peacemaker. Diplomacy has been supposed to be a mantle of craft and deceit, but I be lieve that honor and integrity are the true arts of the diplomatist." But the honors tendered him were empty, and he settled down to prepare himself for the Professor ship of International Law to which Harvard called him, having already in 1845 bestowed her highest degree upon him. While pre paring his lectures he failed rapidly and died on March ii, 1848, at Dorchester, Massa chusetts, a disappointed man. Here are set down as briefly as possible the dates and chief incidents (save one, and that of the greatest moment) of Wheaton 's life. Neither time nor space has permitted more. These facts are barren of dramatic quality. But to one who ponders on them, a constant purpose and growth are visible. Here was a studious gentleman, of broad and varied attainments, with a mind of
