The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-19
AMBASSADORS OUT OF WORK.

oor,ed Ambassadors extraordinary, minis
ters nlenipotentiary, envoys extraordinary
and ordinary, secretaries of legation, seore-
taries Of embassy, all are asking when tne'r
turn will come to be put out OF JOINT What
with nationality and the needle gun, the diplo-
matte corps is sorely perplexed Inc normal
.,ata the etiouette when matters are going on
smoothly, is Just this--that majesty must be
ronresented wherever other majesty exists.
Onr oueen may not have much to do with
4be sovereign prince of State about as
large Cbut nothing near so populous) as
the parish of ST. Pancras; nevertheless
she must have some one to represent her at
his oourt-to look aristocratic; to wear
oorrt snit. 10 speak the princes language; to
ottend Ieveeg and birthday receptions; to
make a complimentary call OF inquiry when
tbe prince has the toothache; to convey an
unpleasant message in words so full OF ponte-
ness as to take off the sting and to open his
aves and ears and shut his mouth whenever
noliov dictates caution. To few great
MOWERS. such as Austria (dynastically great
fbouob sadly bruised) France, Prussia, Rus
ala and Turkey we send a very big man
indeed under the title Ambassador Extraor-
dinary and Plenipotentiary, F" and give him from
six to ten thousand year to support his dig
nity. To States of the second rank, such as
Belgium, Denmark, ETC., we send an envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary,
whose diplomatic pay generally varies from
three to six thousand per annum. In one, the
lately organized embassy to Japan, Sir Harry
Parkes has the very long designation "Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
and Consul-General." Some are simply
'sMinisters Plenipotentiary;" and one is
nd n1-C1a
ral." These gold-laced individuals have
very exact rules, one among another,
and among the diplomatic representatives of
other countries, on all matters relating to
etiquette and comparative rank and if any
one feels his pride offended by the sovereign
to whom he is accredited, he makes it to be
understood that his sovereign is offended; and
then some kind of delicate Court-plaster is
applied to heal up the wound. 1t is among
these recipients of favor from the Foreign
Office that good deal of bewilderment is
observable Just now. Stern facts have been
playing a game at nine-pins with royal
and grand-ducal crowns, knocking them
about the heads of the luckless wearers.
Not long ago there was King of Naples
Cor of the Two Sicilies,' in diplomatic
language); and there were Grand Dukes of
Tuscany, Parma, and Modena. To all of these,
in some form or other, our queen was wont to
send ENJOYS or ministers; but now Victor
Emanuel has turned them all out, and made
their dominions component parts of the
mighty kingdom of Italy; one diplomatic rep
resentative, at Florence, sufices for all; and if
Italy should stand her ground well, and grow
in strength, possibly our minister at that
beautiful city will be raised to the dignity of
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipoten-
tiary." Then, in Germany, Prussia has
swallowed up Hanover and most of the other
component members of the disjointed
Germanic Confederation; and although Saxony
is not quite snapped up, King William has
6upplanted King John for all military and
diplomatic purposes. 1t thus arises that our
Sir Henry Howard has nothing particular to
do at Hanover, Sir Alexander Malet nothing
at Frankfort, Mr.. Murray nothing at Dresden.
When Macmillan became a bran-new Empe-
ror of Mexico, we sent our Envoy Extraordi-
nary and Minister Plenipotentiary to recognize
him on the part Of Queen Victoria; but if
he should become-or if he has already
become-a monarch out of business"
we shall have to see how the cards
will be shufied by Juarez, Ortegas, Santa
Anna, and the United States, before we can
tell whether it is worth while to spend three
or four thousand year upon representative
in that torn and bewildered country.
And as to the ministers in chief, so to their
leutenants, the "Secretaries of Embassy and
Legation;'' if the one turns out, so must the
other, and so must numerous attaches and
subordinate secretaries. These berths are
eagerly looked for, often by favorites at court,
or by the younger sons of the nobility, as easy
modes of serving an apprenticeship to courtly
and ministerial life.
Just about ten years ago, the Earl of Claren-
don, at that time Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, sought to give useful turn to the
thoughts of these secondary diplomatists, by
suggesting to them the collection of informa-
ton likely to be serviceable, both to them
selves and to others. The move was so de-
cidedly in the right direction that good results
are sure to flow from it, whether continental
kinglings, princelings, and dukelings are
knocked about or not. The Earl, writing to
the chiefs of all the British embassies at foreign
courts, set forth his ideas in the following
clear and explicit way:-" Her Majesty's
Government, being desirous to encou-
rage the Junior members of the diplo-
matic service to turn to account the
opportunities of observation afforded
to them by their employment at foreign
courts, have determined to assign a specific
duty to her Majesty's Secretaries of Embassy
and legation \ which will not only tend to
their own improvement in their profession
but which may, if properly performed, be pro-
ductive of great public advantage"
Then comes the nlOdus Operandi. The duties
to be thus specifically assigned to the Seoreta-
ries of Embassy and Legation are-the eollec-
fion of information relating to the commercial
movements of the country where they reside,
and the compilation of periodical reports on
the industry trade and general statistics Of that
country. The bearing which those elements
of national prosperity in the one country has
on its intercourse with foreign nations, and
more particularly with her Majesty's domi
mons, is so important that too much pains can
not be bestowed upon furnishing to heI
Malesty's Government the means Of form