The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-20
AMERICAN DIPLOMATS IN EUROPE.
now MUCH IT COSTS 70 LIVE ABROAD.
MORE PAY NECESSARY.
Interesting correspondence,
So, &C.. So.
LITTER From ABBOTT LAWRENCE.
LEGATION or THE UNITED STATES,

00m01ne0 couSlueTdtlONB
uiseion and the EXPENSES Of residence
You request me, in &C ,ordance WITH tnat resoiu.
tie0, to transmit 70 you sstemsnt OF the expenses
Incident to my residence N my ofclai capacity, In
London. You are perhaps aware that, possessing
privste ueans have not been y exact in my ex
penses 40 should have been bsd been obliged to
measure them by the amount Of my outfit and
salary.
convenient for legs ion II was furnished whom
took it, with the cepon OF plate linen aud out
lery, sll which was obliged TO purchase, together
with some glass and china The came would be the
ease, probably, with an, house shEt might be taken
by . foreign minister have emsd it my duty
to entertain my countrym to a moderate extent,
and to maintain the hosptsble courtesies Of the
great country which have the honor to represent
But while / have endeavored to perform these
Offices without ostentstion. and With eye judi
sious economy, am free TO confess that my OK
penses in these particulars should not be taken
guide in fixing the salary for tins mission. There
fore, without troubling you with them, | will only
say that after arefnily examining the items of my
expenditure, with view to ascertain the cost of
living in London in the position which the minister
Of tho United States is obliged TO occupy am do
eidedly Of the opinion that The present salary is in
adequate
Tie rent Of furnished house in London, ia con
vsnient and proper location would not be less than
from f700 TO $500 yoAr Horses and carriages
would cost from e225 ESQ year; and to meet
properly these ana all other penses growing oat
Of the position, would require, in my judgment, an
annual salary Of twent, thousand dollars. l dee
it proper to add that my own expenses have exceed
ed these sums
have tho henor to be, cir, Jour obedient servt.,
ABBOTT LAwRBNCK
Hon. DANIEL WEBSTER, secie airy Of State, Wash
ngton, d. G
LETTER FROM wM G RIvEs.
LEGATION OF THIS UNITED SrATEs
PARIS, January 8, 1852 :
Sri received, three or four weeks ago, your
circular Of the 4th November last, communic stisg
raS Init nf Zana .lar ehua liz
OF adopting Graduated scsle OF o pom ATTIC salaries,
based upon the combined considerations Of tbs i'm.
portsree of the mission ab1 the expenses of resid
ence, and requesting to transmit 70 tho Depart
nent at nay earliest convenencn. a;ement Of the
expenses incident TO my residence In an Off ,ial
character at Paris The lase Imo ortant ooli tic al
events here, have fer q time diverted my attention
from this subject, bu / proceed now, as far as the
nature OF the subject admits Of it. furnish an ans
wer 80 yoDI II qu1Ies
AS you desire that the information should be
"specihc and accurate, II will be necessary to en- Ter
into sume detail Of tne pr cipsl items sb,ch enter
into the expense of o tesiienc- mere The frst and
most important is that Of house rent; house of
respectable fize ard appearances, neatly but uros.
tents'ious'y furnis bad, cannot be rented here in
convenient qpar'er o. tse city. for less than from
three 20 -four thoussDd doilsrsa year The hire of
plain carriage ana pair of horses by the year, is
from twelve TO fourteen hundred dollars TIE ex-
peDse Of fuel is aiso very heavy charge here
weed alone, for the most part, is burnt here axd
the price OF THAI is from fourteen to sixteen dollars
the cord Considering the iepg.henei por5iou of
the year. (from eight to niue IN ~ during which
Ies are kept up here. the expense of this item
blene, IN a household eopsis ins of half dozen
persona, with the usual number of servants averages
lcco1oipg TO my experience, about twelve hundred
lolsrs yesr
The exp Dse Of the daily subsistence of family
In Paris may BE- judged o. by the price of the co n
mon articles vEich enter inlo lis consun ption--
butchers meat, for example, bong fifteen per
pound and double that prics for the delicate por-
haV. g.. fo.t-
apair Of fowls nine Traces a dollar and seventy
ve cepts of the currency Of the United States and
other things ia like greater proportion
According to this scale Of rigorous and una voids-
Bile expense. the mere octnarv subsistence of
housebeld constituted as above mentioned, could
not be thort of the annual sam Of three Thousand
dollars
The four items above mentioned of house rent,
ssniage hire, fuel, and ort,nsry Subsistence, form
alone aggregate exceeding the annual salary al
lowed to a minister of the Uuted States. But to
these must be added expenses equally obligatory
and Inevitable the annual hire aud clothing of
wants which capnot be estimated at less than from
twelve to fifteen hur dred collars the expense Of
lights which, dnrirg the long nights of one nslf Of
the yesr IN this latitude, ia large item, wash
ing and common groceries forming together, fer .
family constitute rs Rave ADORE supposed another
aggregate ofstrcty Necessary expense not short Of
three thousaI oolla,s annually
II to these two aggregates be furthar added the
personal expenses Of the munster and his family,
mutt occupy IN its society, not always under the
control OF his tastes choice, and the expense
which neither HE feelings nor nls duty allow him to
AVOID, Of exercising becoming hospitality 10 his
ooul men rs ~eii a. lecpr eating the civilities
offered 10 BIN By his colleagues OF the diplomatic
corps ard the public fuuc10nsries Of the govern
nent 10 which he is sccred ed, dtems Of which the
minimum, according - my experience, would be
another ami nal sum Of three thousand dolars,) you
save all the data IL is in my pDwer 10 supply for
esinstDg he Expense 10 ;ioent 70 Official resi-
deDce here in the character Of foreign minister,
msibtsDed Eithn as mosest limits a decent re-
gard for hs pcs ton permits
have The h'Eor u be, With great respect, your
obedicpt servEs, w G RIvEs
Hon. DANIEL WHISTLE, Secretary Of S. ate.
LETTERS FBoN NEIL 5 BROWN
UsITKD STATES LEGATION.
ST PETERSBURG Dec s. 1851
ETR-I have tie Tor o. u BekDo -ledge the receipt
IF your circular Of the 4 : November last In giving
DE ii oTms iiob tterrin required. LABOR uoder che
Clf1cu " Of not wing necu be - bat tile
year. and therefore have made full test Of the
expenses Of living Bssldss this, my family have
lot been with NE excsp' portion OF tnsm- and
that only for few weeks duriI the las; summer.
Ny expenses during be first year were as near
az can estimate tsem. shou, SIX thousand dollars
In this were EN- brsc.d zone articles Of permanent
nature. which will rot have 70 be purchased again,
and which viii opers's In some sort NJ credit on
subsf gu, Mt years But this will be than csua-
terbEspced ~ the increased hospitality which
tom here enforces after ne erst years residences
These EXPENSES are mace up Of house rent, furni-
ture furniture rent carriages or carriage hire,
servant hire. living with its incidents, and extra
clothing adapted 70 be climate all Of which items
count more than either ut London or PARIS / re-
gard N style OF living as medium one IL would
be o'ffoult 10 reduce IL With oectsbility, and
difficult to exceed IL without bankruptcy. With
my family here my expenses ~onld absorb my
whole salary. and prossol. exceed il. "A man Of
fortuse would spend than his salary, and not
be considered ex,favsg.nt man without for
tune lie oom pelle0 TO measure his steps Making all
these allowances, aud coDsideriug. also, my ill
health during the greater p1rtion Of last winter
which copnpsd NE to my room, state that my ex-
ptDsts have been and gill be SIX thousand dollars
per snnum, and probably mere rhis 10 as full q
statement ne an able 10 make aud have no
hesitation IN taypg sbst. from . proper regard to
The utefulness snd dignity Of the mission, veil as
justice 70 the incnm eel Mhne yer be may be the