, 1862-01-17
The Consular System AZ Connectei1
with the Rebellion.

The Secretary Of State has responded to the
letter Of Senator Fessendcn, Chairman Of tbc
Committee on Finance, requesting certain in
formation connected with the cousula1tystem
and also an explanation in regard to the rca-
sons which induced the creation Of offices mr.
the increase Of compensation Tie secretarr
says:
1t will be seen by the LIST submitted that
seFen consular offices only have been created
with salaries Of 81 500; the compensation ~
two g. has aaa been increased from 500 per annunl
81 200 to 81 500. Of thirty three Tie co1nncn.
satlon las been changed from fees with liber-
ties TO tradc, to salaries Of s., 500 each accom-,
pan1ea by restriction prohibiting the cons1-
1ar ofhcers from engaging in private business.
IL nas neen m 1ound 5y experience that the Gov
Ger is prohibited from trade and required to f]e.
vote llls whole time to tue public business. N
addition to what appears in the tabular stafe-
ments, think it propert to remark that the an
pearance OF the insurgent steamer Sumter, aud
out as priyateers, induced the Department t6
appoint, under the provisions OF the act Of tte
"a OF August last, consu1s with a fixed corn1
pensatlon, and prohibited under bonds from
engaging IN private business, or to chance tie
compensation from fees with liberty to fT.dc
3n & n9ed S: saary, at the principal ports In the
MesI lnalcs, at four ports in Mexico, two in
Gcntfal America, three in Brazil, and onc in
Venezuela For the protection of our conn.
lnefcc IN the Mediterranean, where it is mnch
exposed to danger, :salarled consuls have been
appointed, with the same restriction as tn en-
g'us w I'm N business, OF inc compensate chan
geo from tees, as above, to SALARY: at A.
glers, ut two ports on tue southern coast Of
Spain, Barcelona and Valencia, with 1yh;e1,
there vas formerly direct commercial ;ntcr.
course with the Southern states, and WHERE
N consequence, it was believed that there
,hn mas ;Pfe,,ag Pfcval.ng an interest in favor Of
gestion Of our Minister at Porig
gal; at three important points in italy. threo
n France, one in the Black Sea, and two IN
Iurkey- For similar reason two apno;nt.
ern gntn aan nave eeen made at ports the north-
We had no consul; two In Sweden. for tie
protection Of our commerce in the Baltic ana
1aree In the Chinese and Easter1, seas T,asa
our commercial interests are of great and in
eer fhe esbbens 1t T's ~ 2sffansd ;h 5oon
that attcmps were making to INTRODUCE arms arms
and munitions Of VAT into tile Southern norts
from ports in England, by shipping Them ~
poTts ID British provinces, the Bahamas. Cnba
and MeSleo, to be transported into small yes-
II eontd be best accomplished.
This indnced the Department IL anno;r+
sa1a1led consnls, with the above 1nentionrd ~
6tr1ctlons, at Bristol and Cardiff, in EnoIand
at vt Johns, N. F., Prince Edwards Island
ana also recommend salary for tic consulate
~ lU!ou, n. .: The same reason made it The
more important that at the ports in the Ri.
lsh West Indies our interests should be o1arti-
su " Loyal American citizens, untrammeIed
q business operations On private account
Inc result las shown the wisdom Of The 1aw
Of August last, -"
Dp Eyfrv sfaa,,,a& {+z-.n4..A
received from our consuls abroad, which "a
promptly conveyed to tho Navy Department.
and to our consu1s in the West Tndiee
with q view to place them and the officers Of
the blockad1ng squadron on their guard. Tho
information thus furnished has led to the cap
tuTe Of vessels loaded with arms ana muni-
hons, and prevented, to some extent, tho in,
portation OF contraband articles into the insnr.
gent States
In the enumeration Of ealaried officers IN tbo
Mediter1anean ! omitted to mention Malta.
This island, from It's central position. ifs mi.
itary occupation, and its means of telegranhic
communication, has become very lmDorf,nf
consular post. The consul has reusafedlsrs
within few weeks, rendered valuable seryice''
Since commencing this communication tho
Department has received from him a disnatrh
an extract Of which Is herewith Transmitted
for your information and to illustrate Yhat
have stated. -.1's =
Two sa1aried consular officers have been a..
tabllshed in Canada--one At Quebec and one
at Gaepo Basin-to discharge, in ai3i];tinn ~ ~
their regular consulate duties, those amer.
tanning to confidential agencies Of the dennart
ment, as it had learned that through this ma
other places in Canada there vas Carried m -
systematic intercourse with the rebels in he
insugent States, and some ports in Canada
departure of rebels for Europe. Tie salaV T
for the Commercial Agent at Gahonn ~ i,
Africa, which has long been vacant, has hre1
raised from 81 900 to 81 500, in the hone i tbat
it might induce some American citizen to take
charge Of the post for the protection Of onr
commercial interests in tbat quarter. en5 -
trade. ~'11 e1''e
The approbation which is now asked for the
consular service Is four hundred and thirty
five thousand dollars This amount inclniss
not only the compensation Of orr cnnsn1e1 11es
officers, but also all expenses for rent Of con.
sular Offices, record books, seals, faes. ms.
tage and other miscellaneous expeuses. to.
gether With the expenses Of the consu1sr
courts n IuIkey, China, Japan aud Siam
From the above named there should be de-
Quoted at least one hundred thousand doIIars.
the alnount OF fees which will be paid iato the
treasury Of the United States BY the salaricd
consular officers, that being about the average
lor the last six years. It VII thus be seen
lhat tae Whole expense for our consular estab-
hshment, embracing nearly five hundred con
sulaf offices, is about three hundred and thir-
ty,hvc thousand dollars per annum.
n vle| Of the protection which is given to
citlzehs and sea1unu Of the United States in
foreign countries, and the services rendered
to American commerce in its Development aud
protection. and the influence exercised by such
number OF !oysl and intelligent men residing
N the principal ports and cities Of the world,
n n glsapg proper tone to public sentiment,
.alough the correction Of misstatements, and
~ tIaly representing the American character,
II Eln bereadily seen that these disbursements
Of the United States arc judiciously, economi-
cally ana usefull5 expended I beg leave to
"A1giers'' and Martinique" which were in-
advertently omitted in the letter of the De-
paztment, addressed to you on the 9th instant,
after the word Ma1acaioo, and increase the sum
total for the compensation Of the consular Of
hee5s from three hundred and thirty-six thou
sapd to three hundred sud forty th6naand ioI