Evening star., 1939-10-15
Discusses Changes in
World Geography
By Frederic J. Hdsktn.

There Is no part Of the globe which has
not been affected within recent years
and, as this is written, more changes are
taking place in Europe and Asia. North
America Is the only continent which has
not seen many changes in the last CEN
tury, and, even there, minor boundary
shifts have been made as well as changes
in the lines of States within the Union
A drastic change was attempted at the
time Of the Civil War but did not last.
1t is interesting to trace through
American diplomatic representation a
few of the more interesting alterations
Of the past A good beginning would
concern one Of the most extraordinary
changes in the history Of the world, that
epochal change In the map when certain
British colonies became an independent
nation-the United States OF America.
That can be traced through diplomatic
representation for We find rather feeble
colonies sending commissioner to Great
Britain, one William Pinkney Of Mary
land. One John Adams went abroad
for the colonies, too, and there was
Thomas Jefferson, commissioner at
Paris, as representative of a nation
which existed only In anticipation.
But to proceed to the earliest times
when this was Nation and sent repre-
sentatives to parts of the world which
then were independent countries but
now have been swept from the map as
political divisions under their own con-
troll Here is a fascinating study for the
historian and, in some part perhaps, for
the romancer. 1t seems strange indeed
that the United States had an accredit-
ed diplomatic representative to the Court
OF Tuscany True, Tuscany remains
known as part of Northern Italy, but,
considered as an independent state, it
rates almost with Atlantis Yet Ralph
lizard Of South Carolina represented the
United States there.
With Central Europe in turmoil again,
1t seems pertinent to hark back to the
days when names great in American his
tory figured in relations with independ-
ent countries which no longer exist. For
example we find that, at an early period,
John Quincy Adams was Minister to
Prussia when it was the Kingdom OF
Prussia alone. Then we have Henry
Wheaton of New York at the Court OF
the Kingdom of Saxony. James Bu-
chanan, afterward President of the
United States, served for a while as
American diplomatic representative at
Hanover, the kings of which had become
heads of the Hanoverian dynasty Of
Great Britain.
Dudley Mann of Ohio was representa-
tive at the Court of Mechlenburg-
Schwerin and there were representatives
at Wurtemburg and Hesse-Cassel. Ba-
varia had its American diplomatic agent,
too. In some cases these men were COM
missioners, in some cases merely diplo-
matte agents, in some charges daffaires
and, in others, full-fedged MINISTRIES
plenlpotentiary. George Bancroft, the
historian, served at two or three of these
courts at different periods, and, indeed,
saw the end Of the regime, for it was he
who became first American Minister to
the German Empire after 1t had been
constituted.
A forgotten chapter in American Dip.
lomatic relations relates to the time
when the United States had diplomatic
representative at the Vatican. At that
time, 1848 to 1868 the Vatican controlled
far wider temporal domain than at
present. The American Minister was
accredited to the political division known
as the States of the Church. The first
American Minister was j. L. Martin Of
South Carolina and the last Rufus King
OF wisconsin. Among them had been the
noted Lewis Cass of Michigan.
John Quincy Adams, who entered the
diplomatic service of the United States
at the tender age of IA years, had many
posts before he became President of the
United States. including that of repre-
sentative at the Court of Catherine the
Great OF Russia. He also was Minister
to Sweden and Norway when those two
countries were single kingdom.
What is regarded as the most shameful
period of American history was that
in which the United States paid
tribute to the Barbary States Corsairs.
Difficult as it is to believe of so proud q
Nation today, it is true that this country
paid regular tribute to the extent of
millions of dollars in cash and also
turned over warships and stores to the
Algerine pirates. Moreover, public
money was used to ransom Christian
captives who otherwise would have been
sold in the slave markets. This refers
OF course, to white men and women, In
cluding many of high social standing.
Both before, during and after the Bar.
barry States War in which the United
States put stop to the business, there
were diplomatic representatives. John
Lamb was the first of record to repre-.
sent us at Algiers. Later we find such
names as John Paul Jones and Com.
modores Bainbridge and Decatur, who,
after their naval successes, were given
diplomatic powers to treat with the sui
tans.
William Pinkney of Maryland was
Minister to the Kingdom of the Two .
sicilies in those early days, while Gold
Rogers was Minister to Sardinia.
One has to stop to think twice that
once the United States sent Ministers to
the Republic of Texas. Alacee lie Branch
OF Louisiana was the first and Andrew
Donelson OF Tennessee the last. There
were six altogether. Also we had a sue
cession of Ministers to the Kingdom Of
Hawaii