The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-09 00:00:00

solar power long in the possession of a political character, and
as
Member
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ment, he would mention his name. The gentlemen to whom
he referred was the late Member for Haddington, Mr. Stewart.
For example, he would not raise any argument for the re-
construction of the consular service on the improper appoint-
ment which had occurred for a series of years. He thought he
had a right however, if he found that in a branch of the public
service, persons had been appointed unworthy of the service, to
ask the House to interfere ; but he found that was unnecessary
here, and if he should in the course of his address refer to some
of the appointments, it would only be in order to illustrate the
principle which he was anxious to establish. If the House
doubted his sincerity on the subject, he was quite ready to place
in the hands of the House all the papers and documents which
he had on the subject. He begged now to call the attention
of the House to the case of the new Consul-General of
Bogota. Circumstances occurred towards the end of the
year 1811, which rendered it necessary that those who
had great claims on the Government of the day should im-
mediately be attended to. He did not dispute the claim of
the late Member for Haddington on the Government ; and
he was quite sure that he expressed the opinions of every
Member on either side of the House, when he said that they
would have been gratified to hear that the Honourable Gen-
tleman had obtained a good appointment--if he had been com-
petent. But he wished the House to observe the condua
of the Noble Viscount in the appointment of Gentlemen to di. •
ferent situations. Because the Noble Lord felt that the princi; al
interests there were diplomatic, and because he felt that nothing
could be more absurd than to have two Consuls at Bogota, the
Hon. Member was • ppointed to the office of Consul-General.
They might send out a great Nobleman as Ambassador Extra-
ordinary, but to take a person who hid not gone through the
grades of the diplomatic hierarchy, and to rend hi.n out as a
diplomatist was an extension of power which the Noble Lord
dared nit attempt. What, then, did the Noble Lord do? It
was necessary to provide, and to provide handsomely, too, for
the Hon. Member. The Noble Lord then received the Con-
sul-Generalship of Bogota, at a salary of 1,6001. a-year, wish
the appointment of a Charge d'Affaires at a salary
of a guinea a-day. These appointments made it neces-
sary to recal the Plenipotentiary and the Secretary
of Legation, and, of course, as that was done, a Vice-
Consul was required, and another political partisan was
appointed. He would just call the attention of the House to
the extraordinary appointment of the Noble Viscount. The
House was aware that a few years ;go the Republic of Colom-
bia was divided hate four districts;—namely, New Grenada,
Venezuela, Bogota, and C.lombia Proper. Receotly, a civil
war had broken out in that part of the world, and the too
parties, conscious of the balance of power between both, and
neither of them being sanguine enough to anticipate a favour-
able result to themselves, det rmined to terminate the
civil war, and submit to the arbitration of the British
Minister the points of difference. So anxious were
they to refer those points to our Minister, that they had
stopped him in his course, and sent two deputies to lay their
case before him. Then was the Consul-tieneral thrown into
a political position, in consequence of the present system we
had of having a twofold form of Legation in foreign countries.
In consequence of the Consul-General not speaking Spanish,
an interpreter was obtained. The House was well aware of
the characteristics of the Dragoman tribe. They were much
the same in all countries ; but they were infinitely worse in
Spanish America than in any other nation. If any fellow
happened to know how to speak English, he was immediately
engaged, and thus the interests of the two countries were
placed in the hands of a man who might not have the
slightest claims to character. He (Mr. D'l. ) had the highest
authority for saying that the Dragoman of the Consul-General
of Spanish America ought not to be trusted with public affairs.
He would ask the Hon. Member for Manchester if it was for
the interest of his constituents that civil war should rage in Co-
lombia, because that was the consequence of not having a pro-
per functionary there, of having a political partisan instead of a
consular agent? It was a misfortune that he not only occupied
the office unprofitably, but the Consul-General was also Minis-
ter Plenipotentiary, and as such was called upon to fulfil duties
incompatible with each other. As he was in the neighbourhood
of the Equator, he would call the attention of the House to cer-
tain other extraordinary proceedings which had taken place in
the neighbourhood in relation to this subject. There was no
State of South America in which England was so interested as
Venezuela. It possessed a vast Atlantic coast. The coun-
try was rich and fertile. Sugar and barley were fount'
growing in the same field, and what was most re-
markable, in no State of Spanish America was there
so strong a feeling in favour of England as in Venezuela.
Now how had British interests been managed in that country?
Mr. Canning had established Sir Robert Ker Porter as
Consul-General at Caraccas, the capital of that country, and
and had also fixed a Consul at Puerto Cabello the principal
sea-port. The Noble Viscount had continued these appoint-
ments. Sir R. Ker Porter had obtained leave of absence
come years since, had left Caraccas, and gone to St. Peters-
burgh, and it was not expected that he would return to
Caraccas. It might have been imagined that our interests
would have been taken care of by the Consul at Puerto Ca-
bello ; but in 1839 the newspapers had announced the death of
Mr. Willey at Liverpool, that gentleman being her Majesty's
Consul-General at Puerto Cabello. Now, with a Consul-
General living at St. Petersburgh, and a Consul dying at Liver-
pool, he should like to know when British subjects, residing
in Venezuela, were to apply for protection and assistance. In
September, 1841, the Consul for Puerto Cabello was ap•
pointed; and he found, by the Gazette, that the person who
received that appointment was a certain Florence O'Leary.
He was greatly astonished at that appointment, and he n.ade
inquiries on the subject, and found that a person of that name
was living at Venezuela, and was a natural born subject of the
place, and a Major-General actually receiving pay. He knew
that he had very potent Parliamentary interest, but he did
not expect that he would be appointed one of her Majesty's
Consuls in the very country of which he was a subject.
What might be the consequence of such a state of things ?
Venezuela was a place where interests of apolitical nature were
to be determined, and in which diplomatic questions arose. They
had the province of New Granada, and it was the subject of
dispute—a boundary question existing on the subject. It was
situate near the Oronoko, and lie did not think that a subject
of Venezuela was the proper person to whom the question
should be referred. There were some Hon. Gentlemen, he
knew, who were indifferent- %serer such subjects. But it was
only fifty years ago that they signed an ignorant treaty with
another State, which was looked on with the same indiffe-
rence, but the consequence was that they were obliged to
send a Special Envoy of the highest character to America,
the principal object of whose mission was to try and arrange
that treaty, and to settle whether Certain mountains were to
be found, or whether certain streams belonged to the river or
the ocean. Great cautioa should be used in the selection of
Consuls, as they were often called on to exercise the highest
political duties. In 1833 the Noble Viscount ( Viscount Pal-
merston) was applied to for an appointment for a political p:ir-
tisan—he used the word partisan in no reproachful sense, and
he thought partisans had claims on a Government—(Hear,
hear)—but then they ought to be appointed to offices for
which they were fitted. The gentleman for whom the application
was made, was an officer in the army, of the name of Hodges ;
and what was done for that gentleman ? It was determined
that he should receive a Consulship. Mr. Bidwell was sent
for, and as there was no Consulship vacant at the time, a Con-
sulship was created, and Mr. Hedges was sent out as Consul to
Servia. When Mr. Hodges went to that country he found at first
that his duties were very slight ; but political elements were
stirring in the province, as well as in every province of the old
Ottoman empire, which might call for the greatest knowledge
on the part of a political agent there. Now Mr. Hodges soon
grew extremely excited, he threw himself into the heart of po-
litical intrigues, and in the course of eighteen months he pro-
duced such a confliction of circumstances, that two Ambassa-
dors Extraordinary could not put an end to the embarrassments
they created. The Prince, whom Mr. Hodges supported, lost
his throne, and his own house was burnt. No Consul was af-
terwards appointed for a year in Servia, and it might be ex-
pected that the Noble Viscount would have profited by his expe-
rience, and would not have appointed a Consul in such a coun-
try who was not qualified to discharge the duties of the office.
But in the memorable Gazette of Sept., 1841, the Consulship
in Servia was again filled up, and the Consul sent who
hid been recalled some years before, but whose explanation
to the Noble Lora had, he presumed, been satisfactory. He would
not enter into the circumstances respecting Mr. Funblanque ;
he would not presume that his explanations were not satisfac-
tory, but at all events he was sent to Set via, where he belie veil
he had never arrived. He believed he was trespassing on the
House. (He would not, therefore, say any more on the ap-
poisameat of the diplomatic Consuls, but he would come to
the second part of the subject, and show that even in a com-
mercial point of view, the consular was the most ineffective
and useless service that had ever existed, and his
_principal
evidence as before, would be the Noble Viscount. Ile would
call the attention of the House to a country which had been
before noticed, which had exercised great influence, and was
so much mixed up with foreign politics, that it was impossible
to enter into any investigation of them without inentioning,
it. The Noble Lord at one time had his time so fully occupied
with S,•ain, France, and Belgium, that he did not
pay the slightest attention to Syria. But when
he had made a sort of settlement of the affairs of Europe. he
turned all h a efforts to extricate himself from the consequences
of his previous policy. The last few years had been a perpetua
endeavour to do away with the effect of the fatal invasion

Syria. The Noble Lord found he could not settle the Egyptian
question without having recourse to arms, and it we-. neces,ar)
to have an accurate knowledge of the population of the country,
of its revenue, its power of maintaining fleets and armies, and
of its system of commerce. The Noble Lord very properly
directed a report to be furnished, and it was subsequently
printed and put in posiessiun of every Member of the House
But this Report was not prepared by their Consuls in Egypt.
They had a Cothu!-Gi neral in Egypt, a Consul in Cairo at 600/.
a year, one at Alexandria at 5001. a year, altogether the expense
of their consular staff was 2,800/. a year, yet all of them
could not supply the Noble Lord with the information he
wanted. The Noble Viscount wished to have clear statistics
of the country which had been invaded. He wished to as-
certain what was the character of the commerce of Syria,
and a Report was furnished to supply the required informa.ion.
That Report, however, did not emanate from a Consul. The
next case which he would refer to was one which was alMost
unprecedented in diplomatic annals. The Noble Lord wished
to have information with respect to the island of Candia. A
Report was accordingly laid on the table of the House, the
first sentence of which was the most extraordinary that he had
ever met with in any similar document. " I was not able,"
said the Learned Commissioner, " to visit the island of Can
dia, but, though I did not land in Candia, I hail the pl. asure
of some interviews with the Pacha of that island in Syria."
Now he would ask the House if that did not immediately prove
the truth of his assertion, that the consular establishment was

absolutely useless ? It appeared to him to be the most flatter-
ing compliment ever paid to a public man that the country
should accept from him a Report of an island which he had
nev r visited. That such a Report should be ordered by the

Administration, printed by Pailiament, and paid for by the
public was an undeniable testimony that the nation appreciated
his worth.—( A laugh.) There was another place very con-
tiguous—an island where there was more than a Consular

establishment, where there was an Envoy with a salary of no
less than 2,4001. a year, with three Consuls and three Vice-
Consuls, also with large salaries, Costing the country nearly
6,000/. a-year. The places to which he alluded were the
Sicilies. Then in regulating the treaty of commerce,
a question arose with respect to the sulphur monlpoly. It ap-
p a^ed that the public business di.: not go on as usual, se it wa,
in CUTlSF(inenee thought necessary to send to b ngland fir a man
of tu.iness to settle the question if possible ; accordingly a
gentleman was appointed for that purpose, and that gentleman
w. nt out to Sicily twhatsh enitai
made
by
yf
Nhierr.lllll,acj erset
gy
0' sr Commissioner.?theco rn m v
It appeared
'once); I e (Mr D'lsrael) had made an extract fom that re-
ort by which it appeared that Mr. Al`Gregor having arrived
at Naples to settle the sulphur monopily question it was neees •
sary for him to v sit the Island of Sicily to ascertain the precise
facts relating to the matter, in order to enable hitt to report the
whole to the :_;overnment, even though there were British
Envoys, and a regular establishment at Naples. The Govern-
ment were obliged to get a Commissioner to settle the first
question that arose there, and even when such an officer was
appointed and arrived at his destination, he was obliged to visit
a distant part of the country to ascertain the facts, to enable
him to make his report. What then was the use of a consular
establishment? Even when the Commissioner, who was ap-
pointed, arrived in Naples, so ignorant were the diplomatic
agents there that they did not know any of the facts con •
nected with the question which was about to bein-
vestigated. There was an illustration of the manner in
which the public affairs of this country were carried on. There
was Mr. M`Gregor, who was obliged to ascertain the facts be-
k he saw the Prime Minister or his Sicilian Majesty. He