Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/267

 CHESTER ALAN ARTHUR 221 Shufeldt, U. S. N. The friendly offices of the United States were extended to Liberia in aid of a settlement, favorable to that republic, of the dis pute concerning its boundary-line, with the British possession of Sierra Leone. The flag of the international association of the Congo was, on April 22, 1884, recognized first by the United States. A commercial agent was ap pointed to visit the Congo basin, and the govern ment was represented at an international confer ence at Berlin, called by the emperor of Germany, for the promotion of trade and the establishment of commercial rights in the Congo region. The renewal of the reciprocity treaty with Hawaii was advised. Remonstrances were addressed to Russia against any prescriptive treatment of the Hebrew race in that country. The international prime mer idian of Greenwich was established as the result of a conference of nations, initiated by the U. S. government, and held at Washington, October 1 to November 1, 1884. In response to the appeal of Cardinal John McCloskey, of New York, the Italian government, on March 4, 1884, was urged to exempt from the sale of the property of the propaganda the American college in Rome, estab lished mainly by contributions from the United States, and in consequence of this interposition the college was saved from sale and virtual confisca tion. On August 3, 1882, a law was passed for