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

Secretary consults the President as his colleague.

" Your committee are of course unable to state to
what extent this personal intercourse between the
two heads of departments is carried on; but with
regard to the official correepondence, they find that
it is at the discretion of the Foreign Sccrctury
whether he asks for the advice of the Board of
Trade, or follows it, or gives reasons why he does
not do so.

"It appears to be customary for the Foregn-
office to forward to the Board of Trade all informa-
tion upon commercial matters received from mem-
bers of the diplomatic or thu consular services; but
if a despAtch from a foreign Minister or consul con-
tains a reference to matters other than cammircial,

the commercial information only is forwarded.
" Witinhe exception of sine corfet pl,der6e
with the consuls under the Mtroantilo Marine Act,
there is, as a rule, no direct communication bet weer
the Board of Trade and the members of the dip-
lomatic or the consular services.

" With regard to the representations by the Carll-*
merchl community to Government upon, foreign
trade, then, appears to ho no iu'e or practice defin-

ing to which department they should be naldv, but
if they are made to the Board of Trade tht y are
forwarded from thence to the Foreign-office, aud, if
to the Foreign-office, the opinion of the Board of
Trade is generally taken respecting them.
"In the case of any individull merchant haling
a complaint to make connected with foreign trade,
if he applies to the Board of Trade his complaint is
forwarded to the Foreign.offioe, and if ho applies
direct to the Foreign-office it appears to be at the
discretion of that office whether or not the opinion
of the Board of Trade is taken,

" There appears, also, to be no rule determining
,he Minister of wheal questions relating to foreign
grade should be asked in Parliament.

".The Foreign-office does not generally hake
known to the public the facts relating to trade of
which it is informed, such as alterations in foreign

tariffs, but for wards them to the Board. of Trade for
publication by that department in the Gazette,
"There appears to be a difference between the

two departments in the manner in which they re.
epectively manage such business as arises from their
communication with each other. In the Board of
Trade there are officers whose especial duty it is to
attend to foreign commerce; but in the Foreign-
office there are no :such officers, that department
apportioning almost all its business among its
clerks geographically.
" This being the arrangement between the two
departments, your committee find, from the wit-
nesses they have examined, and also from memo.
rills from chambers of commerce referred to them,
that dissatisfaction, with regard to its present work-

ing, is felt by the commercial community upon the
following grounds:—
" Ist. A. belief that, from the Foreign-office hav-
ing to take the opinion of another department, there
is delay both in carrying on negotiations on com•
mercial matters with foreign countries, and in
carrying out the representations and in redressing
the grievances of British subjects.
" 2dly. A belief that there may be unnecessary

delay in the publication of important information,
from its not being isausd by the office which re•

calves it.
" 3dly. A fear that as the permanent officials
whose duty it is to collect and give information con-
nected with foreign trade aro not in the Foreign.

office, nor in persocal contact with the Foreign

,Secretary, the latter may not be in possession of the
information necessary for him to treat such coma

mercial questions as come before him.
4thly. A fear that, in addition to the want of the
necessary information, the Foreign Secretary may,
in such questions as have both a political and com-
mercial bearing, lose sight of the latter from the
former alone being kept constantly under his eye
by the officials connected with his own department.
" sthly. A fear that the members of the diplo-
matic and consular eerviees may not be able to pro•
mote the interests of commerce so efficiently as they
would if they were in direct communication with a
department informed respecting their interests,
and—

"6thly. A complaint by commercial men that

they go to the Foreign SLeretary, he has to reftr

their representations to the Board of Trade iu order
to learn what action to tithe ; and if they makesucb
representations to the President of the Board of
Trade, he has no power to carry them out himself--
and that if, in cons(quenco of this double ticion
between the two departments, they make repre-
sentations to both, they are not confident that the
impression thoy make is the same in both cas-s, or
that the action of the two offices will be harm; pious.
"Upon examination of the permanent aficials in
reference to the above complai-ts, your cAntnittee
find that an opinion prevails at the Foreign office
that either they are unfounded, or that they arite
from inherent difficulties which cannot b 3 satis-
factorily removed ; but by the Boma of Trade, on
the other hand, it is admitted that some of these