New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-19
THE CONSULATE IN EGYPT.
To the Editor Of The N. y. Tribune.

To the Editor Of The y. Tribune
SIR: Our first Consul General in Egypt York
shirenan, who owed the station to missionary patron
age. lie received 81 900 year, AID free to
continue his vocation merchant In this latter
capacity he started Joint Stock River Insurance
Company, which proved for number OF years good
thing for him, although it was a bad investment for
the shareholders. lie then TUNED commission mcr.
CbaLt and tried even 10 open commercial relations
with ihe United States but his information seems not
to have been of the right kind, because the first ven
ture consisted of wooden chairs, bOwieknives, and
similar notions, which also proved losing opera
ton Soon after this be died, and his sons far from
po6tUg by the lesson stuck to the fancy trade and
imported TO this country the famed She Mummy"
OfcOurse such experiments were not qualified TO de-
yelop trade between the two countries, aud so the
matter not again thought of till lately, when some
paIies in Alexandria made some successful shipments
frdgs, gums etc TO this city.
A souanderinc Administration Of late has made
Alexandria the seat of Consul General. e polt
cal ILL., with $4,000 per year, although the services
Of q merely comuerc,l agent or plain consul would
be more beneficial to our shipping and trade. Lately
this extravaganza has been partially remedied by cut
ting down the Consul Generals salary to a more
adequate TO hs services, which consist chiefly in issu'
il pas spots and occasionally sending statistical notes
oflit,le or no value to the State Department.
Our present Consul General is of Hebrew origin,
be got the incumbency as reward for electioneerng
services and the little he knows is all by halves Is
particularly so with the French now the Court Ian
cuace in Egypt which this gentleman, on his arrival
in Alexandria, spoke in most barbarOus manner.
The establishment Of the United STATES Consul
General in Alexandria consists of a Vice-Consul,
Clerk. DIagoman, and two Janssaries. Tae State
Department allows him the following charges, viz:
Salary of two Janissaries at SIP per month each,
is, per annum. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. e2So
Salary of the Interpreter, per annuin 3Oo
Saaly o. the Do0lkeeper, per annuLl.- ..-..... IL
Fer stationery, per annum. ..........--...-..... %
For Office rent per aDnum .-..............-. 24'
Total 1896
IL the present instance the Office rent pays also for
the uliyae dwelling Of the Consul which is suite of
rooms which he sub-rented in 1888 from a German
milhncr sl The part occupied by the millner rcsts
the great square, and representative share fronts
narrow lane leading to the b ach. Both parts have
q common entrance over which the miGner sign and
the United States coat Of arms lately shining side
| by side
The Vce.Consu, lrishman owes his Office TO las
marriage with late Consul Generals daughter. The
| charge is deemed purely honorary one and he Is
getting his living apparently a clerk in an English
merchants office. Still the fancy livery he sports
occasionally at balls and funeral PROFESSIONS cannot be
the sole LduoemeDt for him to continue in the employ
of the nation he frequently snecrs at, he having
said amons other things that he would not touch an
| American paper, even with topgs.
From lsio TO 1883 the Clerk and fscto;um, OF
"Chancelher," as he styled himself Of the United
States Consulate General in Alexandria had bat $40
month or 81 lees than the cOOIed JanssaritS, who
IN ADDITION pocbeed twice their salaries in presents
, hoin American "proteges" and travellers for petty
services The cause Of this nigsardy behavior to the
wretched clerk H. that Government, makes no pro-
vision for him, and that the Consul General has 70
proyide for rim from bis own personal emolument'
In the time of Mr Gliddon, who was our first Con-
sui there, Nohammtd Ali, the father Of the present
| Governor. General commanded over Egypt, ARABIA,
| the syria and Gambia. or course the power OF
| Consul Generals in Alexandra extended over all
these PIoyinces, and they then appointed Consu''
Vice -Cousuls, Consular Agents and Dfagomen tiL'et'
| pietei-), in score Of places These ihcumbt ncIeo
! were never given without some confederation, ana
| they weIe di.po.ed of mostly TO "Ralshsi JewSh
snd Christian subjects Of the Poite, people wholly
unit for such trpss who coveted the hoLor simpy Tor
the protection Of the flag they repefen,ed, whc freed
them DO, only from the /" "iaradsh captation tax.
but from Turkish atty NJ ogether IeseeI foerohants
md shopketpeis who could cot reach the higher Pois
ca charges, Contt hCd tie mseiyes with Tho ostiE o
nterfreter which hso t.e san,e saect. Such NJ wer,
| che pad IL sctV'oes. thu cuI DTssonsu ia A.eG
.tci,s, Gob'aU- AecsT (Gsbr,et tse laoal wto bsi