New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-06
AMERICAN DIPLOMACY IN EUROPE.

From Our Special Correspondent
PARIS, Monday, Feb. H. 1855.
One of the curious duties of foreign minister
s the administration of the social department of
his Legation. Almost every sovereign American
who comes abroad wants to walk through the
abodes of royalty, see all the public and as many
private buildings as possible, be introduced to
the King or Queen Emperor or Empress, shake
hands with the public functionaries, attend the
state balls and those of the ministers, aud, in
fact intrude himself wherever stretch Of hospi-
tally will admit him. IntrOductions to the chief
of state are almost daily asked for-sOme out Of
curiosity, some to present curious machine-a
Dufield ham, gun that will out shoot all the
guns in CbrIst.ndOm, sewing or reaping ma
chine, or other invention of Yankee ingenuity;
but the majority seek this privilege to enable
them to astonish their friends at home with the
crushing fact that they have been introduced to
royalty and have trod the balls Of royal palaces,
in company with princes, dukes and lords.
During the winter season in particular, when
royal and official fetes are frequent, all this en-
tails upon the Minister a large amount of labor
which is excessively iiksome, and among the
most disagreeable of his duties. The reasons are
obvious. The Americans ask and even expect to
receive large amount Of hospitality from the
French Government and officials. They even de-
maDd and expect in many instances. invitations
to ministers balls; get they offer no Hospitality in
return. They eat and drink the rich things pro-
vided for them in the palaces of Paris, and engage
in the festivities with an air of independence, as
if they paid for their tickets at the door; yet
from one years end to the other, the doors of their
Minister'S hotel are never thrown open to stran-
gers, nor is there single act of hospitality per-
formed which would indicate to the public that
American citizens lived or were officially repre-
scented in the city Of Paris. All this is mortify-
ing to the Minister but there is no remedy; his
salary does not provide for social department,
and will not admit of it. With other ministers
he lie, rOcally, a nonentty, or worse than that,
burden; for, they say, if his Government recog-
nizes tn principle Of ministerial representation,
why not conform to the habits and requirements
of the system upon which it is based-a system
which includes with its necessary functions, a
social department
Another Of the annoyances of the Minister is
this As has happened frequently duriDgtae present
season, and as always happens in Paris during the
fashionable season, three or four times moro
Americans request of the Minister to be placed
en- the list Of invitations to the official bas, than
are accepted. The lists are uniformly sent back
to the Legation, with the request that proportion
equal to about one hundred and twenty in list of
one hundred and fifty, must be stricken of. The
Minister, no matter how equitably he may decide
on the selection of the preferred list, or how an1
ious be may be not to give ofense, is sure to OBJ
tain the curses of one half at least OF the disap-
pointed. There are so many reasons in their own
minds why they should have the preference, but
reasons of which the Minister could not aad
ought not to be expected to be cognizant, that all
sorts of maledictions, mixed with cries of favort-
ism and clqueism are visited upon his head.
The di,agreeable position of the Minister then
will be ct once readily perceived. Prevented
BY the smalness of his salary from extending to
the officials the hospitality which he is constantly
receiving from them for himself and hi, country
men, and denounced BY his countrymen for not
obtaining more, the administration Of the social
department of his Legation becomes at times the
uast difficult, and 10 always the most annoying
pst of his duties. The necessary oficia duties
of the Legations of London and Paris, aside from
their social duties, are, as every one knows whe
is at all coBversant with the affairs Of these Offices,
sufficiently lsborious for the limited amount of
help which 10 furnished them, without the I'D