The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-29 00:00:00

complaints are. not without fourtitatiA And amt. ±,143
machinery needs improvement,
"In order to remove the Ilisse. t4sfeeticrif feLe/bye
the commercial community, Sahli corn' have
most carefully considered the suggestions made to
tliFm, which have tended in two distinct, or rather
opposite, directions—on the one hand, that the
Foreign-office should be self-sufficing for cornmer-
c!al as well as for other matters, and should no
longer refer them to the Berra of Trade—an 3, on
the other hand, that the present relation between
the two officee should continue, but should be
proved.
"In favour of the first of these eeurse, the
arguments alleged are :
" Ist. That it is undesirable for one department
to net by or through another, unless it is abziolutily
unavoidable.
"2dly. There was no necessary reason why the
Foreign.-office should not have within itself thu
,riar:s of obtaining information upon commercial
in It krs— ar,d that the Sole change needed would he
tt.e estab is!,ment of a commercial department in
Foreign-uflice, by the transfer thereto, from the
Board of Trade, of two or three of its permanent
flicials—and,
" Lastly. That if the Foreign-office can be made
self-sufficing in the conduct of commercial twines?,
it would be more efficient, inasmuch as the Minis-
tt r who actually conducts all foreign affairs would
be in direct communication not only with those
servants of her Majesty who give him information
from abroad, but also with the representatives of
commercial interests at home, and with those ale
cials whose duty it would be to inform him in rela.
tion to such interests.
"These opinions have been expressed by several
witnesses, and especially with great cleareess by
Mr Cardwell, as the result of his experience when
President of the Board of Trade. On the other
baud, strong objections have been made to such
change by all the foreign secretaries examined by
the committee, and by Mr Hammond, the perms.
neat Under Foreign Secretary, on the grounds--
that it would lead to embarrassment in the transac-
tion of the business of the Foreign Office if there
were within it a separate commercial department ;
that the business of this office is already so great
that it would be impossible without such depart-
ment to undertake the details of commerce; and
that even if there were such a department it would
still be necessary to consult the Board of Trade, on
account of the intimate connection between foreign
and domestic commerce.
" Your committee do not consider that these obi
jections are, in themselves, conclusive against a
change which appears reasonable, inasmuch as it
would simply oblige the Foreign Office to have
within itself the means of obtaining information
respecting the business it conducts; but they think
there is much force in the argument that it would
not serve the interests of our foreign commerce to
leave them withcut the support and protection of a
special department in the Government.

"In considering this argument, your committee
have thought it right to inquire into the functions
performed by the Beard of Trade, and they find!
these bo twofold—executive, including the adminisa.
tralion of most important matters, such es railways-
and merchant shipping; and consultative, imply..
ing that its president is lo give advice to other de-
partments of state upon trade, and to have under-
him officers who will enable him to do so. Yofir:r _
committee, however, land there has been a tendekey4-
of late to the diminution of this consultative bust-
ness of the Board of Trade, which is now consulted'
by the ForPignaoffice much more than by other ctel
partments; by the Treasury, and by the Cofonitta
office, much less than formerly ; and by ther-intiiii. - ;
office not at all. r 1.,
•
4, Your committee are of opinionTher, iti‘ofder,cll- 1,4;
secure harmonious ection.by the-Goverantritupen.
commercial matters, if that departtadtt `'.l
suited by one office, it sh&tild be ; es,'
iustance„by_the India and Colonial effice,aa__Enb6h.
as by the Fpreiguaoffico, in rclaticn to tuiffs loviedr
upon British goods; end. that, . if 'commercial men;.
t:re to be eypee',ed to leek to the Board ofTr4cle
protect ,their „144 e
other office, they ought tole able to find it in a
s:aff especially devoted to such utject.
" Your committee have also examined into the
constitution of the Board of Trade, and they find
that while there is no meaning in the title of board,
its nominal members, such as the Lord Cnance!ior,
the Speaker, and the Secretaries of State never
attending, the relation in which the Vice-President
stathis to the Praaident is one which leaves tho
second officer in that department wi!hout such de-
finite duties as those fulfiled by the Parliamentary
Under Secretary in either of the Secretaryships of
State. They also find that the President is not nca
cessarily a member of the Cabinet.

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" Upon the supposition, then, that the Foreign..
dace continue to consult the Board of Trade, your
committee have had brought before them two sug-
gestions:—

"let. That there should be, within the Foreign.;
cffico itself, an officer or officers who should take
special charge of the correspondence of the Board
of Trado ; and—

" 2dly. That the Board of Trade should bo put in
direct communication with the members of the con-
sular and diplomatic services upon commercial
matters.

"Upon the first of these suggestions different
opinions have been expressed, but, after carefully
weighing them, your committee are of opinion that
such departmental change would be of service.
"To the second of thesesuggestions the committee
have devoted much of their time; on the oae hand,
the advantages of direct communication tetweem
she department whose duty it is to promote cox.
merco an; those servants of her Mejesty whcse
duty it is to watch tho interests of such commerce
abroad are self-evident. Oa th© other hand, inasig
much as the membsrs of the consular and dip!omatic
service must be appointed by the Foreign.effice, it
may be inconvenient for them to be in communi-
cation with any other department.
"Your committee, however, agree with the Earl
of Malmesbury and with Sir Emerson Tennant and
Mr. Mallet, the two gentlemen who have the
charge of foreign commerce at the Board of Trade,
in the belief that there will be no danger of cold
lision between the two offices if all correspondence
with consuls and foreign Ministers pass through
the Foreign-office, so that the Foreign Secretary
could acquaint the President of the Board of Trade
if the instructions of the latter be at variance with
his own.

"Your committee think that if the Board of
Trade were thus enabled to carry on commuuiel.
tion through the Foreign-office, that department
would be more quickly informed of such facts as it

is its duty to publish ; would be able more speedily
to serve the interests of individual merchants; and,
in transactions in which its opinion is asked by the
Foreign-office, to obtain full information without
which its opinion is of little value.

" Your committee conclude with the following rat
commendations for the improvement of the relation
of the Foreign-office to the Board of Trade :

"Ist. That the Board of Trade be placed more
nearly upon an equality with the Foreign-office than
it is at present, in order that its opinion, when
asked, may have due weight, and that its chief be
always a member of the Cabinet.
" 2dly. That the Board of Trade be put in direct
communication with the members of the diplomatic)
and consular serviccs, and that such communisation
ba carriA on through the Fon igntcilice, with such
provi6ions as shall prevent
- " Lv• tly That uu eflicer or (Accra be eppoluted
-
iu the For Lip-office to conduct itb COrrez pf.altltt, ce
with the Board of Trade."

FXTP,AMIDINART CLAP OF TIITTNDEP..—The in*
hrlbitants of Cheltenham wen, Ellaken in their buds
at half-past four o'clock on Saturday morning by a trimen •
dous peal of thunder and a flash of lightning of unn nal
brilliancy. Many persons jurripA out of bed under the
impression that their houses were abqut to tumble about
their cars; but as the phenomena were not repeated, the
alarm grad'2,ally subsided. It is supposed that the brief but
extraordinary storm burst immediately over the parish
church, for in the morning it was discovered that the
lightning had entered tbe belfry, a lanthorn standing in a
rcteas tut t; being dashed to pieces, the horn being t,liri-
yelled up, and the inktal fused IT the Litt, uLd the hag-
Mentt3 scAttered about the apartment.