UNITED STATES. 



775 



and refiner in that office, was advanced to the 

 post of Superintendent. On September 1st Mr. 

 Marble retired from the office of Commissioner 

 of Patents, and Benjamin Butterworth, of Ohio, 

 was subsequently appointed to that office. 



Some slight political agitation was caused by 

 official changes in New York city at tbe be- 

 ginning of March. Elihu Root was appointed 

 District Attorney in place of Stewart L. Wood- 

 ford, who had sougbt a reappointment. Naval 

 Officer Silas L. Burt was superseded by Charles 

 K. Graham, previously Surveyor of the Port; 

 James L. Benedict was made surveyor; A. P. 

 Ketcbum was promoted from general appraiser 

 to appraiser of merchandise; and Andrew J. 

 Perry was made general appraiser. 



Appointments made during the year in the 

 diplomatic service were: Lucius H. Foote, of 

 California, Minister to Corea; Seth Ledyard 

 Phelps, of the District of Columbia, Minister 

 to Peru ; John W. Foster, of Indiana, Minister 

 to Spain; W. W. Thomas, Jr., of Maine, Min- 

 ister to Sweden and Norway; Richard Gibbs, 

 of New York, Minister to Bolivia; Wickham 

 Hoffman, of New York, Minister to Denmark ; 

 S. G. W. Benjamin, of New York, Minister to 

 Persia; D wight T. Reed, of New York, Secre- 

 tary of Legation at Madrid. 



Foreign Relations. In reply to a resolution of 

 inquiry from the Senate, the Secretary of State, 

 on February 27th, submitted to the President 

 the following explanation regarding the action 

 of the American Minister to Peru : 



The Secretary of State has the honor to report that 

 he received a dispatch from Mr. Partridge, who stated 

 that for reasons therein given the representatives of 

 Great Britain, France, Italy, and the United States 

 (Germany declining to take 'any part) were led to con- 

 sider, at an informal meeting at Mr. Partridge's house, 

 by what mode a solution of the existing difficulties 

 might he reached. Mr. Partridge and his colleagues 

 accordingly agreed on a memorandum which was to 

 be sent by each of the ministers to his own Govern- 

 ment as setting forth their views and hopes. The 

 ministers state in substance that they are unanimously 

 of the opinion that each should declare to his Govern- 

 ment that they believe the only possible means of 

 bringing about a cessation of hostilities, of saving 

 Peru from complete destruction, and of arresting the 

 ruin of neutrals, would be an agreement between the 

 Governments to address representations to the Chilian 

 Government, and cause it to understand that their 

 wish is to see peace made on the basis of a cession of 

 Tarapuca, reserving all further conditions for further 

 negotiation. The ministers further declare that they 

 consider it a duty to invite their respective Govern- 

 ments to agree among themselves to take the step in- 

 dicated at once as an urgent necessity. Upon the 

 receipt of this dispatch Mr. Partridge was telegraphed 

 by the Secretary of State in substance that the leave 

 of absence which he had requested was granted, and 

 that he was expected to return to the United States 

 by the first steamer. He was further informed that 

 the action set forth in his dispatch having been taken 

 by him without authority, was disapproved, and -he 

 was directed to so inform those of his colleagues who 

 had acted with him. A telegram was at the same 

 time sent to the Ministers of the United States in 

 London, Paris, and Koine, informing them that Mr. 

 Partridge had joined with the representatives of Great 

 Britain, France, and Italy in a recommendation to 

 their respective Governments to intervene in the 

 Chili-Peru difficulties, and instructing them to in- 



form the Governments to which they are respectively 

 accredited, that this action was taken by Mr. Par- 

 tridge without authority, and has not been approved. 



Ratifications of new trade- mark and extra- 

 dition treaties between the United States and 

 Spain were exchanged at Washington on April 

 15th. The former was intended to secure re- 

 ciprocal protection in the exclusive use of 

 trade-marks in the two countries, and the lat- 

 ter increased the list of crimes for which ex- 

 tradition would be granted, adding embezzle- 

 ment, kidnapping, extorting money or other 

 property by threats of injury, false devices, etc. 

 A commercial agreement was negotiated by 

 Minister Foster at Madrid, involving the re- 

 moval of differential duties between the United 

 States and the Spanish colonies. (See page 649.) 



Among the extensions of the diplomatic 

 relations of the United States effected during 

 the year, was the appointment of a minister 

 resident and consul-general at the capital of 

 Persia. Mr. S. G. W. Benjamin was appointed 

 to that post, and arrived at Teheran in June. 

 Treaty relations with Corea were perfected by 

 an exchange of ratifications on May 15th at 

 Seoul. An American representative remained 

 at that capital, and a Corean embassy visited 

 the United States during the year to learn 

 something of their institutions and promote 

 commercial intercourse. A Chinese consulate 

 was established in New York in June, the first 

 incumbent being Ow Yang Ming. 



Consular and commercial treaties with Ser- 

 via and Roumania were perfected and pro- 

 claimed during the year, and a new treaty was 

 effected with Madagascar. Notice of the ter- 

 mination of the fishery clauses of the Treaty 

 of Washington was given by the President, in 

 pursuance of a joint resolution of Congress, to 

 take effect July 1, 1885. The sending of pau- 

 per emigrants from Ireland by government 

 assistance was the subject of remonstrance, 

 and assurance was received that precautions 

 would be taken to prevent it in the future. 

 The action of France and Germany in prohib- 

 iting or restricting the importation of the 

 pork products of the United States was also 

 the subject of correspondence which reached 

 no definite result. (See PORK, PROHIBITION OF 

 AMERICAN.) 



Political Movements. The general political 

 movements of the year were without special 

 importance. The National Committee of the 

 Republican party held a meeting at Washington 

 on Jan. 17th to consider the basis of repre- 

 sentation and the method of selecting dele- 

 gates for the next National Convention. Ste- 

 phen W. Dorsey, of Arkansas, resigned the 

 post of secretary of the committee, and John 

 A. Martin, of Kansas, was .chosen in his place. 



Two propositions were offered for securing 

 representation proportioned to the strength of 

 the party in the different States. One of these, 

 offered by Mr. Martin, of Kansas, would give 

 to each State four delegates-at-large and one 

 for each congressional district, and an additional 



