The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-13 00:00:00

THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE .

The parliamentary committee on the Diplomatic
Consular Service resumed their sittings yesterday
morning.
Lord Halifax, in reply to questions from the chair-
man, stated that he was president of the Board of Control
in 1862 and 3, and subsequently Secretary for India.
He said no doubt Persian questions are moie connected
with India than Europe, but communication being
made always to the Foreign Office no inconvenience arose
from that circumstance. Al general rule existed in the
Foreign Office that her Majesty's representatives
should not receive presents, but the giving and
receiving of presents is quite a different
thing. If the Secretary of State was of opinion
that it was necessary that presents should be made, they
would communicate that to the Foreign-office. No cpm-
munication was made to pie op the sublect. I was at the
India Office in I-859; when sir
re-tranifer of the
Persian mission took place. sir H. Lawrence was
then at that mission, and resigned directly afterwards.
He made no communication to me on the subject.
I was opposed to the double government in India. If
questions arose in Persia regarding Indian affairs a com-
munication would be made from the Indian Government
to the Foreign Office, in the same way as if any ques-
tions which arose between Canada and the United States, a communication woulii be made to
the Foreign Office from the Colonial Secretary.
I think that the Secretary of State for India has quite
enough to do with the management of Indian affairs, and
ought not to have the diplomatic service thrown
on him as regards Persia. If the diplomatic
action in various Oriental Courts was of a different
character to that of the Diplomatic services in European
Courts, it seems to me that there ought to be a special
minister to conduct the Eastern Diplomacy. lam not
prepared to say that the action of a minister in respect td
an Eastern Court i the same as that oonstitutional
monarchy, but the experience and knowledge of the
Foreign Office is sufficient to enable them to deal with
such a case. The Government of India has enough to do
to manage its own affairs, and any action with reference
to States beyond its frontiers should be cenclueted by the
Foreign Office, of course in communication with the Indian
Office. The letters going out containing the directions of
the Government to commence the Affghanistan war
actually crossed the letter from Lord Auckland announc-
ing that it had been commenced.
The sitting was adjourned.

The Princess Christian and her child are now so
well that it is considered unnecessary to issue any more
bulletins.

Sir R. Palmer will (according to a contemporau)
probably take a peerage and his seat as one of tha Lordsj'ustices, on the way for the Chancellorship.
Sir J:qhn A. Macdonald, Prime *
Minister of
Dominion Government, has' fallen seriously ill. Grave
doubts are entertained respecting his final reccivPrY•
CAnullE QV AT 1-4A9r..A. burglar was
arrested in tho morning under singular cicurnstances. A
policeman was on duty in Csmonbury-street, Essex-road,
Islington, when he saw the prisoner and two other men
not in custody standing against some railing. The men
called a cab, audhe, thinking they had committed a burg-
lary and were then conveying away stolen property, fol-
lowed, and saw the prisoner put his head out of the window.
The policeman ran towards the cab, opened the door, and
attempted to seize the prisoner; but the latter raised a
hammer, with which he struck the policeman two violent
blows upon the head, and knocked him under the cab,
one of the wheels of which passed over his leg. The
policeman, however, ultimately succeeded in capturing the
prisoner, and took him to the police-statiq was after-
wards found that a house Canonnury-grove had been
enterg
,1:11r the baUli Parlciurwinticw; and the cabman,
whom the prisoner had engaged, handed into the police-
station a 'centre-bit, which he said he ' had found in his
vehicle.