to the puzzled wits of some poor old man
who has wriggled himself and his peerage
into a place for which he is notoriously
unfit.

In conclusion, I will endeavour to answer
the arguments of those persons who wish to
join the consular and diplomatic services;
by stating my idea of the true functions
of each. Their business appears to me
as different as that of the cabinet minister
who frames a law, and the magistrate who
executes it. The business of the diplomatist
is to collect and digest information from
many quarters; and to negotiate treaties
and conventions based on various and
conflicting data.

The sphere of the consul is altogether
confined to the affairs of a sea-port town;
and he is, therefore, seldom in a position to
form quite a sound judgment upon a subject
of general interest. His duty is to collect
facts, to see ideas in action, to judge of their
effects, and to report upon them. He is a
doer, and a man of business.

The duties of diplomacy, properly
understood, will be continually varying; now, there
will be a commercial treaty which requires
one man; now, a peace congress, which
requires another; on one occasion the
quarantine regulations will require discussion;
upon another the international copyright
question, or a new postal treaty.

To leave one diplomatist, therefore, always
at the same place, to attend to all our wants
there, is as unwise a proceeding as to require
the functions of cook, boots, and hostler in
a large hotel, to be performed by the same
person. But the functions of consuls are
settled and determined. They are
everywhere and always the same; and they require
a certain species of knowledge which can
only be acquired by practice.

I would suggest that some such regulations
as the following should be drawn up,
in the shape of general instructions to
consuls; and that they should be directed:

1. To celebrate Divine Service on Sundays
in places where there is no chaplain or
British clergyman.

2. To notify all circumstances which may
interfere with the accuracy of the Admiralty
charts, as soon as possible after the time of
their occurrence.

3. To report on the state of local trade,
manufactures, arts, industry, agriculture, and
commerce generally.

4. To examine into, and report upon, the
value of all useful inventions or improvements
in art or science.

5. To state the annual produce of the
district in which they reside; whether in wool,
cotton, corn, cattle, wine, tobacco, manufactures,
&c.; to observe upon any increase or
decrease of the same. To state the local
consumption of such produce, together with the
quantity exported, and where exported. To
state the average current prices of such
produce, with the reasons which are apt to influence
them.

6. To report upon the yearly increase or
decrease of local population and riches. If
such information as the foregoing be only to
be obtained with difficulty, such difficulty
should be overcome at almost any expense of
time and trouble; for no facts can be more
entirely necessary to a safe and progressive
commercial policy.

7. To make the covering despatches of such
returns contain something of more importance
than the usual truism that the writer has the
honour to be, with the highest respect, the
most obedient humble servant of his official
chief for the time being. To endeavour to
link causes with facts, and try, at least, to
observe sufficiently, during twelve months, to
be able to communicate a few pregnant facts
on the thirty-first of December. To give, indeed,
a plain useful report on the state of the
consular district; putting forth opinions on
things which might be done with advantage,
or should be left undone;—a suggestive,
thoughtful, and business-like report—
something better than mere red tape;—a report
in which the writer shall be allowed to speak
out his ideas like an honest man, instead of
being shackled as an official.

8. To give receipts, stamped with the
consular stamp of office, for all fees (till their
final and necessary abolition), and especially
to register them; noting on the receipts
given in what book and page among the
archives such registration may be found, in
case of reasonable demur on the part of
shipowners or others, and to prevent fraud.

9. If fees are still to be allowed, to subject
them to a better system of examination and
control, especially in bankruptcy cases, in
which they have been known to amount to
thirty-five per cent. on the sum total realised
by the sales.

10. To cause all fees to be collected under
proper supervision, and transmitted by bills
of exchange to the Treasury, instead of forming
a part of the consular perquisites.

11. To write all despatches on thin strong
paper, such as that used for foreign bills of
exchange, or bankers' correspondence, instead
of the thick heavy blue foolscap now employed,
and which more than quadruples the necessary
expense of postage; in all ordinary cases,
to use official wafers instead of sealing-wax;
and to condense all despatches not referring to
topics of immediate interest into a quarterly
or even annual report under one cover, for the
same reason.

I would suggest also:

12. That plain dealing should abolish the enormous
expense of Queen's messengers, as part
of a bygone and ridiculous system, seeing
that in these days no possible circumstance
could transpire between friendly nations
which cannot be communicated through the
post, or ought to be kept secret, and which
ought not to be known as widely as possible.