266 



DEWEY, CHESTER. 



sell also the third island, Santa Cruz, but made 

 it dependent upon the consent of France, which, 

 it appears, was not given. The transfer was 

 made dependent upon a vote of the people of 

 the islands in favor of it. An election con- 

 sequently took place in December, which re- 

 sulted in a vote of one thousand two hundred 

 and forty-four in favor of the transfer and 

 twenty-two against it. In January, 1868, both 

 houses of the Danish Rigsdag unanimously 

 ratified the transfer, and on February 1st the 

 king signed the treaty. 



The Danish Government made great efforts 

 to prevail upon Prussia to retrocede to Denim rk 

 the purely Danish districts of Northern Schles- 

 wig, but up to the close of the year had met 

 with no success. Both houses of the Rigsdag 

 in July unanimously adopted an address to the 

 king, which describes the execution of the para- 

 graphs of the treaty of Prague relating to 

 Schleswig as indispensable to the welfare of 

 Denmark, and characterizes Prussia's conduct 

 in this matter as being contrary to her for- 

 mal promise. It also expresses the grief of 

 the Danish people at the sufferings of their 

 Schleswig brethren, but yet indulges in the 

 hope that at last satisfaction will be obtained 

 by a solution of the question, based, as desired 

 by the inhabitants themselves, upon a separa- 

 tion of the German from the Danish popula- 

 tion. In conclusion, it hopes that between the 

 neighboring countries, Prussia and Denmark, 

 there will thus spring xip a lasting friendship as 

 the result of an arrangement which leaves be- 

 hind no germ for future dissension. The king, 

 in reply to the deputation which delivered the 

 address, stated that he entirely agreed with its 

 contents. Prussia demanded from Denmark, for 

 the protection of the national rights of the Ger- 

 mans in North Schleswig, guarantees which the 

 Danish Government refused to give. 



DEWEY, CHESTER, D. D., M. D., LL. D., 

 an eminent American physician, born in Shef- 

 field, Mass., October 25, 1781 ; died at Rochester, 

 N. Y., December 15, 1867. He graduated at Wil- 

 liams College in 1806, commenced a course of 

 study for the ministry immediately thereafter, 

 and began to preach the Gospel in 1808, at Tyr- 

 ingham, Mass. He soon after became a tutor 

 in Williams College, and in 1810 took the chair 

 of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in that 

 institution. This place he filled for seventeen 

 years with great credit to himself and the col- 

 lege. He did much to promote the welfare and 

 success of that excellent institution of learning. 

 For ten years subsequently (1826-1836), he 

 was at the head of an institution for boys at 

 Pittsfield, known as the Gymnasium, where he 

 was successful in a high degree. In 1836 he 

 removed to Rochester, N. Y., where he has 

 since resided. From 1837 to 1850 he was the 

 principal of the Collegiate Institute in that 

 city. For many years he was professor <:f, 

 and lecturer on, Chemistry and Botany in 

 the Medical Colleges at Pittsfield, Mass., 

 and at Woodstock, Vt. Professor Dewey's 



whole life was devoted to scientific pur- 

 suits, and he held a high position among 

 American naturalists. The degree of D. D". 

 was conferred by Union College, and that 

 of LL. D. by Williams. Yale College con- 

 ferred upon him the degree of M. I). Pro- 

 fessor Dewey was a preacher and teacher for 

 more than sixty years, and thousands of young 

 men have been instructed by him. At one 

 time his pupils were largely drawn from New 

 York City and the towns on the Hudson River. 

 In 1850 he took the chair of Chemistry and 

 Natural Philosophy in the new University of 

 Rochester, and filled the position for ten years 

 or more; when, under the weight of years, he 

 felt that he could no longer perform active 

 duty, he proposed to surrender his chair. He 

 consented, however, to retain a nominal con- 

 nection with the university, and did so till 

 two or three years since, giving instruction 

 at times, as suited his convenience. After he 

 reached the age of eighty he lived somewhat 

 more in retiracy, but never lost an opportu- 

 nity to indulge in the favorite pursuits of 

 his life, giving instruction to his fellow-citi- 

 zens and aiding benevolent and religious ob- 

 jects. He was the author of many articles 

 contributed to the scientific journals of the 

 country as well as to the secular and religious 

 press. His papers on some of the Families 

 and Natural Orders of Plants, in the American 

 Journal of Science, attracted the attention of 

 the ablest European botanists, and led to an in- 

 teresting correspondence with them. He was 

 a careful and accurate observer of the weather, 

 and made notes, which were regularly published 

 twice a month. As a teacher of natural sci- 

 ences, he was eminently practical. A student 

 himself to the last days of his life, he sought 

 for more light in Nature's great laboratory, 

 and constantly attempted to diffuse that which 

 was given him for the benefit of all. As 

 a clergyman he was an earnest preacher, 

 and gave to his people the best evidence of his 

 sincerity in his example of a godly, Christian 

 life. He was an ardent advocate and helper in 

 Bible and missionary labors, and these were 

 among the cherished objects of his solicitude 

 increasing with his years. He was, in his de- 

 portment as a Christian minister, far remote 

 from any thing like ostentation. His every 

 action was simplicity itself. It was for this, as 

 well as for his recognized integrity and sin- 

 cerity, that he gained the universal respect of 

 the community. Mild in his temper and dispo- 

 sition, he was ever the same at all times, in all 

 places, and under all circumstances. Those 

 events that were calculated to produce popular 

 commotion never disturbed him in the least. 

 He was a man made for the world, to be use- 

 ful almost everywhere. He was a companion 

 for the old, for those in middle life, for the 

 young, and even for little children. He was 

 the friend of all who wanted a friend, and 

 was ready to instruct all who sought his in- 

 struction. His equanimity of temper, his tern- 



