Hise

Life and Writings of Henry Beck Hirst of Philadel-
phia," by Helen Lucille Watts (May 1925). A small
collection of letters to Hirst are in the N. Y. Pub. Lib.
Certain information may be found in E. P. Oberholtzer
The Lit. Hist, of Phila. (1906) ; J. H. Martin, Martin's
Bench and Bar of Phila. (1883); E. A. and G. L.
Duyckinck, The Cyc. of Am. Lit, (rev. ed. 1875), II,
502; R. W. Griswold, The Poets and Poetry of Amer-
ica (1842); John Sartain, The Reminiscences of a
Very Old Man (1899) J Pub. Ledger (Phila.), Apr. i,
1874; Press (Phila.), Apr. 2, 1874.] C.F.S

RISE, ELIJAH (July 4, i8oi-May 8/1867),
lawyer, judge, charge d'affaires to Guatemala,
was born in Allegheny County, Pa., of German
parentage. His father, Frederick Hise, seems
to have come to the United States during the
Revolution and to have fought in some of its
battles. In the early years of the nineteenth cen-
tury the father moved his family to Kentucky
and finally settled as a merchant in Russellville,
Logan County. Here, Elijah, the eldest son, evi-
dently secured his preparatory schooling, but
he went to Transylvania University, at Lexing-
ton, for his professional training, receiving the
degree of LL.B. in 1823. Shortly afterward he
began the practice of law in Russellville. Aided
by dramatic gifts and unusual eloquence, as well
as by natural aptitude for the law, he developed
a large practice, became widely known as a law-
yer, and accumulated a fortune. In 1832, after
being well established in his profession, he mar-
ried .Elvira L. D. Stewart, whose parents were
Russellville pioneers.

Though Hise was an ardent Democrat and
supported Jackson in a strongly Whig commu-
nity, he filled no important political office until
after President Polk had appointed him, early in
April 1848, charge to Guatemala. At the time,
the United States government was disturbed
over British aggressions in Central America,
especially in Nicaragua, where the British gov-
ernment had set up a protectorate over the Mos-
quito Indians. It was the aim of the Polk ad-
ministration to learn through Hise the extent of
the British activities and to secure a general
survey of the situation in Central America, with
a view to adopting a specific policy. Hise was
instructed accordingly. Shortly after his arrival
on the Isthmus he negotiated treaties of friend-
ship and commerce with Guatemala, Honduras,
and Nicaragua. He had been instructed not to
treat with the last two but felt justified in doing
so because he had become quickly convinced of
the unfriendly designs of England. That coun-
try, he believed, aimed especially to monopolize
the canal route across Nicaragua. Hence, after
having waited in vain for further instructions
from his government, he decided to prevent the
success of the supposed British schemes by sign-
ing, on his own responsibility, a canal treaty

Hitchcock

with Nicaragua. This was done in June 1849.
By the terms of the document the United States
or its citizens were to receive the exclusive right
to build an interoceanic waterway across Nica-
ragua, and in return fo'r this concession the
United States was to guarantee protection to
Nicaragua in all territory rightly hers. Mean-
while, in May 1849, Hise had been recalled,
though he did not receive word until after the
treaty had been negotiated. The treaty was never
ratified, but it caused considerable embarrass-
ment to the Taylor administration.

During the remainder of his career Hise de-
voted most of his time to private law practice;
but in 1851 he was elected judge of the Kentucky
court of appeals, serving until August 1854. On
the bench he showed great independence of
mind and gained considerable attention by his
elaborate dissenting opinion in the case of Slack
vs. Maysville and Lexington Railroad Company
(52 Ky., i). In the autumn of 1866 he was
elected to Congress from Kentucky, to fill out
the term of Henry Girder, and devoted himself
with despairing energy to the vain task of sup-
porting President Johnson and of preventing the
passage of drastic reconstruction legislation.
Early in May 1867, he was reflected to office,
but a few days later, ill and despondent over his
inability to help his country, he shot himself in
his Russellville home. Though Hise was un-
compromising in his political views, high-strung,
and at times morose, his frankness and sincerity,
his keen, logical mind, and especially his un-
usual ability as a public speaker, won him con-
siderable admiration and respect

[Brief sketches of Hise are to be found in The Law-
yers and Lawmakers of Ky. (1897), ed. by H. Levin,
and in the Biog. Encyc. of Ky. (1878). Other sources
include: 51, 52, and 53, Ky. Reports-, "Letters of Ban-
croft and Buchanan on the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty,
1849,1850," Am. Hist. Rev., Oct. 1899 ; The Works of
fas. Buchanan (12 vols., 1908-11), ed. by J. B. Moore;
House Executive Doc. 75, 31 Cong., i Sess.; Cong.
Globe, 39 Cong., 2 Sess., passing, Ibid., 40 Cong., 2
Sess., pp. 743-45; Louisville Daily Jour., May 9, 10,
1867; Louisville Daily Democrat, May 9, 1867.]

M.W.W.

HITCHCOCK, CHARLES HENRY (Aug.
23, i836-Nov. 5,1919), geologist, son of Edward
[g.z>.] and Orra (White) Hitchcock and brother
of the younger Edward Hitchcock [g.v.]> was
born in Amherst, Mass., where his father was
professor of geology in Amherst College. As a
child Charles is said to have taken a lively inter-
est In his father's work and to have accompanied
him on his geological excursions whenever fea-
sible. He was trained in the classical and pre-
paratory course of Williston Seminary and grad-
uated from Amherst College in 1856, before his
twentieth birthday. Following graduation he

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