whose existence was recognized with re markable promptitude by the United States; and when President Roosevelt sent his mes sage to Congress on December 7, he was in a position to lay before the Senate a treaty with the new Republic for the building of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama." (317320.) There is an account of that incident of the presidential campaign of 1888, which resulted in our Government's sending pass ports to the British minister at Washington. (338-339-) The history of The Hague Peace Conference is given, including the judgment in February, 1904, on the preferential claims made against Venezuela. (405-407.) The "pacific blockade" of Venezuelan ports is mentioned as a source of "difficulties, with the comment that, "When in December, 1902, the fleets of Great Britain and Ger many instituted a pacific blockade of the ports of Venezuela, the sinking of Venezue lan ships by the latter power was an act of war which would fully have justified Vene zuela in having recourse to retaliatory meas ures which would not have been confined to the German fleet." (415-416.) The beginning of hostilities without previous declaration of war is discussed, with references to the Transvaal war of 1899, the attack on China in 1900, and the Russo-Japanese war of 1904. (418-420.) As to privateering, there is notice of the proclamation of the United States in 1898 of an intention to abide by the Declaration of Paris. (503.) The abolition of prize money by the United States in 1899 is noticed. (520.) Appendices give the Eng lish and American statutes as to naturaliza tion, extradition, and foreign enlistment, the English Naval Prize Act, the Treaty of Washington of 1871, the articles of The Hague Convention of 1899, the Declaration of Paris of 1856, the English Territorial Wa ters Jurisdiction Act of 1878, the Suez Canal Convention of 1888, and the Anglo-French Agreements of 1904 as to Newfoundland fisheries, and Egypt, Morocco, Siam, Mada gascar, and the New Hebrides. Enough has been said to indicate that the present editor has brought the book abreast of the times. It remains to add that he has
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written in a spirit of fairness, although even in this very creditable piece of work one sees that there is still reason why each nation should produce its own writers on Interna tional Law. Wheaton's services to the world were not restricted to the twelve volumes of United States Reports, this famous treatise on In ternational Law, and the less known His tory of the Law of Nations. This is not the place to attempt to do justice to his varied labors. One matter, however, must certain ly not be omitted, for it is particularly ap propriate at this time of discussion as to Panama, and it indicates Wheaton's desire to promote international good will through commercial intercourse, as well as through the development of law. To quote the words of Mr. W. V. Kellen, in "Henry IVheaton. An Appreciation: "He even elaborated a plan for a water way from the North Sea across Germany to the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, form ing, with a canal through the Isthmus of Suez, a route between Europe and the East Indies, as well as a second route from Europe and the United States to the Orient through the Isthmus of Panama, both these sea routes to be put under the common guarantee of all the maritime powers as a part of the great thoroughfare of Nations. ' It is a great and fine conception of yours, that of opening up a route from the North by way of Trieste to the Levant and into India. The world owes it to you,' writes his friend, Alexander von Humboldt, in 1846." THE GOVERNMENT OF OHIO. By Wilbur H. Sichert. New York: The Macmillan Company. 1904. (xv-f~3O9 pp.) This is one of a series -devoted to present ing in considerable detail the governmental systems of the several States. The present volume, besides tracing, principally from the constitutional point of view, the history of the Northwest Territory and of Ohio, and describing the functions of the several de partments of the State and local govern ments, contains an instructive presentation of the governmental functions, which by
