PHELPS
PHILIP
tion. 1858-59; commanded the steamer Vixen on
the coast survey, 1859-61, and was attached to the
fleet sent for the relief of Fort Sumter in 1861.
He made a survey and chart of the Potomac river
in 1861; was transferred to the Conrin for ser-
vice in Nortli CaroUna waters in September, 1861;
surveyed Hatteras Inlet, and liad several skir-
mislies with Confederate gun boats. He received
the thanks of the secretary of the navy for his
services; was engaged in surveying Virginia
waters in March, 1862; had several engagements
with the Yorktown and Gloucester Point bat-
teries, April. 1862; captured five and destroyed
two Confederate vessels, and prevented the de-
struction of White House, Va., May 4, 1862. He
ascended the Matipony river during the battle of
West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; made reconnois-
sance charts of the Matipony and Pamunky rivers,
and was promoted lieutenant-commander, July
16, 1862. He made a complete survey of the
Potomac river from July, 1862 to March, 1863;
commanded steamer Conrin in making surveys
in anticipation of naval and militarj' movements,
March, 1863 to December, 186-4; commanded the
Sangus, December, 1864. to January, 1865; the
Juniata at the capture of Fort Fisher, Jan. 15,
1865; the Lcnapee, of the Atlantic coast squad-
ron. Marcii, 1865 to April, 1867. and was promoted
commander, Aug. 5, 1865. He was stationed at
the Mare Island navy yard, Cal., 1867-70; com-
manded the xece\v\ug?,\\\\) Independence, 1870-71;
the Saranac of the Noilhern Pacific station,
1871-73; was promoted captain, June 19,1871,
and commanded the Mare Island navy yard, 1873-
77. He commanded the receiving ship Independ-
ence, 1877-79; was promoted commodore, Jan. 13,
1879; commanded Mare Island navy yard, 1881-
83: South Atlantic station, 1883-84; was promoted
rear-admiral. March 1,1884, and was placed on the
retired list. Nov. 2, 1884. He is the author of
Reminiscences of Waslnngton Territoi-y (1882).
He died in New York city, Jan. 10, 1901.
PHELPS, William Walter, diplomatist, was born in New York city, Aug. 24, 1839; son of Jolin Jay and Rachel B. (Phinney) Phelps, and a descendant of William Phelps, Windsor. Conn., 1635. His father removed from Simsbury, Conn., to New York city and became prominent as an importing merchant and as the organizer and first president of the Delaware. Lackawanna and Western railroad company. William was grad- uated at Yale, A. B.. 1860. A. M., 1863, and was married, July 26. 1860. to Ellen, daughter of Joseph E. Sheffield of New Haven. Conn. He was grad- uated at Columbia, LL.B., 1863; settled in prac- tice in New York city, and became counsel for various banks, trust companies and railroad cor- porations. Upon the d^ath of his fatiier in 1«09, he devoted himself entirely to the management
of the family e.states and other private trusts.
He declined the judgesliip of the 6th judicial
district of New Y'ork in 1869, removed to Engle-
wood, N.J., and was a Republican representative
from the fifth district in the 43d, 48cli, 49th, and
50th congresses, 1873-
75 and 1883-89. He
was a delegate to the
Republican national
conventions of 1880
and 1884; U.S. minis-
ter to Austria, 1881-
82; U. S. minister to
Germany, 1889-93,
and lay judge of the ,'f
court of errors and
appeals of New Jer-
sey'. He served on
the committee on
foreign affairs for
three successive con-
gresses, and repre-
sented American interests at the International
conference on the Samoan question in Berlin
in 1889. He was a regent of the Smithsonian
Institution; was influential in securing for the
graduates of Yale a share in the government
of the university; was a fellow of Yale, 1872-92,
and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from
Rutgers in 1889, and from Yale in 1890. He made
gifts to Yale university aggregating $150,000.
He was a prominent member of the leading
clubs in New York city. His published speeches
include: Franking Privileges (1874); Sound
Cun-ency (1874); Civil Rights Bill (1875); Fitz-
John Porter's Case (1884); Laskar Resolutions
(1884); oration before General Grant and his
cabinet at a Grand Army reunion on The Dangers
of War at Paterson, N.J.; The Dangers of Peace,
Decoration Day, Mount Holly, N. J. (1886); Tariff,
address before the Agricultural Society of New
Jersey (1884), and one on Congress before the
New England society (1886). He died atTeaneck,
near Englewood, N.J., June 17, 1894.
PHILIP or POMETACOM, Indian chief, was born in New England; son of Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags, whose treaty with the colonists in 1621 was maintained for fifty years. Philip became chief sachem in 1662, two years after his father's death, and was apparently friendly with the English for many j'ears. although he always opposed Christianity, especially the work of John Eliot, and his example largely influenced his warriors. Many of his tribe became impatient at the frequent demands of the colonists for the purchase of lands, and the consequnt frequent quarrels made King Philip apprehensive for his own safety. In 1671 he was summoned with ids warriors to answer to the charge of secret plot-
