The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-03 00:00:00

THE RELIGIOUS TREATMENT OF ROMAN
CATHOLICS,

Aloymkt.

The sitting of the committee on this question was re-
sumed this morning. Alderman Carter gave evidence as to
the number of Roman Catholic prisoners in the. City of
London Gaols, There was a Protestant Chaplain, who
Was a resident: They could not afford, that is to say they
did not choose to afford more than one chaplain in the
gaol. The corporation certainly did not plead poverty.
The Catholic prisoners were visited twice a week, There
was an application some time ago by a person of the
name of Keen, a Roman Catholic priest. He (witness)
was a barometer maker, and should not object if he were
called a "person." It would matter very little, indeed,
to him.

The Chairman i Do you think it a courteous way to
speak 6 a gentlerrian who fills the position of a Roman
Catholic priest? Are you not aware that they all receive
the education of gentlemen ?
Mr. Alderman Carter did not think that was
quite correct in all cases. At all events; the person
made an application some time since. He did not know
that it was couched in very offensive language. He was
a member of the Court before which it came
and took part in the discussion. He was
not prepared to repudiate his own words,
an expression in the report of what took place at the
session, when he objected to the Roman Catholic priest
being admitted to Holloway prison to have service on
Sunday. He admitted the accuracy of this report, and
stated that it was impossible that all classes of prisoners
should have their own ministers, and that claims might be
put in by dissenters if the Roman Catholic priests were
admitted to have the services on Sundays in the gaols.—
The witness, in answer to further questions, said he con,
sidered the city of London an essentially Protestant coin,
munity, and he should continue to do all he could to
resist any alterations.
The Rev. J. Purdon, visitor to the county prison at
Maidstone, was called, after which the sitting was ad-
journed:

THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR
SERVICE,

EVIDENCE OF THE EARL OF totEBY,
MONDAY.

The committee :resumed their sittings this morning,
when the Right Hmi: the Earl of Derby was examined by
the Chairman. He said : I 'su Secretary of State
for two and a half years, and have had an opportunity of
becoming acquainted with the foreign diplomatid
system. The entrance to the service is by a test examina-
tion, followed by a further examination. I took the
system as I found it, and thought it worked well on the
whole. I was much struck by the fact of the
very few applications I received. Whether
that was owing to the fact of its not being
such as is suitable to a poor Mat; or that it is considered a
banishment from England, it is a fact that there is much
greater competition to get into the Foreign-office than into
the Diplomatic Service. Still, there was no actual deficiency
in the supply. The general impression, in my mind, is
in favour of competition because it keeps up the standard
of the qualifications. If you have limited competition it
must be attended by a minimum standard of qualification
otherwise it follows that the best of three candidates would
get in. With respect to the social position of the persons
Who enter the diplomatic service I think it very essential
that they should be, in every sense of the word, gentle-
men. I should not be inclined to think that the possession
of a university degree would be a proper test for admission.
It is not a test of very high acquirements. You cannot
tell how a man will turn out. On the whole I think the
present system is a satisfactory one. Taking it on the

average, the standard of qualification in the diplo-
matic service is very high, especially of those
who have been in the service some time. As far as I have

had opportunity of judging, I do not think there is much
greater cause for complaint with respect to the
slowness of promotion than in other professions.
Slowness of promotion is not exceptional in this case
Within the last few years many missions have been sup-
pressed, which have necessarily stopped promotion. Any
system is unsatisfactory that does not take into
consideration both seniority and selection. Where
people are quite equal, I think that seniority should
be regarded. Therefore I say that promotion should be by
selection, having regardto seniority. I should not hesitate
to pass over the heads of others a man who manifested a
very decided superiority. On the whole I think as a general
rule men in the service should be entitled to look for the
highest posts in the service, but that there should be the
power in the Secretary of State to appoint outsiders. Occa-
sionally I would make the appointment of those in the
service to the highest posts the rule, and of outsiders the
exception. Ido not see any way of lessening
what is called the block in the service, which is
unavoidable. I cannot speak with any authority on the •
expediency of lessening the numbers of those at-
tached to each mission. There is no rule that lam aware
of for appointing diplomatic servants to the consular ser-
vice ; but the objection to doing so is that it would not be
fair to use it as a service for drafting off those who were
not likely to be successful in the diplomatic service.
There is such a mass of conflicting interests to
deal with that I think it would be very difficult to
fuse the consular with the diplomatic service.
I think the consular service might be better organised than
it is now, and one great drawback is that there is at
present no security that a person who discharged his
duties very well would obtain promotion. There is no
doubt that the cost of living in almost all the
great capitals of the world has enormously increased. The
only question of course is whether the salaries were fixed
originally too high, but there is no doubt that within the
last quarter of a century the value of the different diplomatic
posts are not nearly so much as they were.
I attach great importance to this, that English diploma-
tists should be in the same social position both as regards
salary and status, as those who represent foreign coun-
tries. The American system is altogether different to ours.
A man is sent to a post who never was a
diplomatist before, and perhaps never will be again. I
think that our system is by far the best, if more costly. I
saw no urgent reason when I was at the Foreign Office to
make a general change with respect to the great em-
bassies, and I thought it would be very hard to say to an
ambassador that his position and salary should be
lowered. I think that we ought to be represented by a
person who holds the same official rank as the person
sent to our court ; and there is a distinct advantage
in the fact that an Ambassador has a right
of personal audience with the Sovereign, which
no other diplomatist has. I have not had any complaints
that diplomatists lose a portion of their salary when they
have leave of absence. I should look on such a com-
plaint as au application for an increase of salary. I don't
think it can be made a grievance. No doubt it is
the case that when the post is at a great distance from the
country, it is a disadvantage to the diplomatist who has
leave of absence ; but then it may be said that
it is a disadvantage to be sent to a post
at a great distance. I think it more con-
venient that the Persian mission should be under the
control of the Indian Department. It is absolutely neces-
sary to both the Foreign Office and the Indian Office as
well. The strongest reason for transferring it to the Indian
Department was that Persia is a very out of the way
place, and that it is necessary that there should be a great
knowledge of Eastern languages. I appointed Sir H. G.
Rawlinson. The change the Government of Lord Derby
made in 1859, transferring the mission to the Indian
Government, was reversed by the Government of Lord
Palmerston the year after it was made. I did not think
it necessary to make any further change when I was
Foreign Secretary,
By Mr. Rylands : I do not think that unlimited com-
petition would be a good thing. As a rule, it would
be very unwise for a man of no private means
to go into the diplomatic profession. It would be for
the House of Commons to decide whether they would
raise the salaries to such an extent as to be able to offer a
good salary at once. The case would be difficult. If the
appointments were better paid than at pre-
sent there would be more competitors for
them. I do not wish to imply that those who are in
the service do not do a sufficient amount of work for their
salary. On the contrary, the work done is extremely
bulky. As a general rule they do quite as much as can be
expected. They do a great deal of work in drawing up
very valuable reports, which to, exceedingly well done,
and there is a vast amount of work done at the different
missions of which the public never hear a word. If the
Government work every man up to his full power in a
time of calm you would have L.) reserve at all when a
pressure came. _ .

- After some other evidence his lordship said, I was eel,.
tainly of opinion that it was necessary that changes in our
ambassadors abroad should take place in accordance with
the changes which took place in the Government at home
on the ground that as the Government represented a
different policy to that which had gone out, it was but
right that these who represented it abroad should
consist of persons who sympathised with them.
That was my feeling on the subject in 1852,
but during the last twenty years there has been a marked
change. IN ? one can fail to see that the tendency of the
present age is to limit political patronage and to encou-
rage a diplomatist to look for promotion in the
branch of the service to which he belongs as
a reward for his professional ability and activity.
I did not believe it possible 17 or 18 years ago, with the
experience I then had, to appoint persons and keep them
in their office who were opposed to the • policy
of the Ministry, but such a change has taken
place of late years ' that it is now quite
possible. 1 never make any inquiry as to the
political opinions of the head of any mission. When I
have to consider whether he is a proper person to put
into a particular place, all I consider is whether
he has professional efficiency, and I am bound
to say that those who went before, and
Lord Clarendon, who came after me, adopted
that course. In ie first place all political patronage has
its objectionable side, and if a man is to be employed in
doing professional work, it is very desirable that he should
look rather to the way in which that was done than to the
chances of - :ties at home
:Ch

a death is announced of Admiral Delafosse, at
he ripe age of 82. He entered the navy in 1801, under
the auspices of the. Duke of Clarence, afterwards King
William IV.. and was nresent at the battle of Copeu-
tiazen. Anril 2.