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

several countries, and of ascertaining the
grounds on which legislative interference with
the course of trade is resorted to- and the effect
which such inference is calculated to have,
not only on local or general interests in
the countries themselves, but also ON
the commercial relations Of those countries
with foreign nations. Her Majesty's Secreta-
ries of Embassy and Legation, with view to
the same result, might occasionally, and with
the sanction of their chiefs, visit the great
manufacturing towns, and also, in maritime
countries, the outports, andwitness the course
of business there; and, IL necessary, suggest
from personal experience, the adoption of
measures by which the trade of British sub
iects might obtain facilities, or be relieved
from burdens and obstructions." :"
But the boys must not 90 poling their
noses hither and thither without the consent
of their master. The chief must sanction
everything, and the reports must be
made to him in the first instance.
On the other hand, each chief is called
upon to fulfil his part towards the work.
"Her Majesty's Government expect that
the heads of missions (embassies, etc. will
give effect to the object which they have in
view, by obtaining for their Secretaries access
to all sources of information, by encouraging
them with their support and advice, and by
pointing out to them the matters to which their
attention may most usefully be directed" In
order to give immediate practical value to
these labors it is requested that the reports
shall be presented twice year from the Secre-
taries to the chiefs of Embassy, and by the
latter, with any necessary observations or ex-
plantations, TO the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs.
Excellent, all this: making these young
diplomatists acquainted with the busy driving
world of commerce, as well as with the COM
mercial world at court. The Earl recapitu-
lated the advantages of the system thus:-sIt
ha ria NV r,sxy
habits of attention and observation; it will
assist the heads of missions, by affording them
additional facilities for arriving at a Just
knowledge of the resources of the countries in
which they reside; and it will place her
Majesty's Government, and the public at large,
in possession of valuable materials, on which
to frame commercial legislation and regulate
commercial enterprise"
The secretaries, all things considered, have
done their work very well, collecting large
amount of curious information on the trade,
manufactures, and general statistics of the
countries in which they reside. They set to
work at once and the first to respond to the
instructions of the Earl of Clarendon was Mr..
Erskine, Secretary Of Legation at Sardinia
before Victor Emanuel had changed his title
from King of Sardinia to King of Italy, and
his capital from Turin to Florence. This was
in the middle of 1857; and ever since that
time there have been regular reports from all
or nearly all the countries to which we send
embassies and ENJOYS. The first year
brought forward reports from Sardinia,
Belgium, Bavaria, Switzerland, France,
Denmark, and the Germanic Confederation
Gin those days represented at Frank
fOrt. We have thus double allowance.
Every year there are abstracts of the Re-
ports of the Trade of various Countries and
Places received by the Board of Trade through
the Foreign Office, from her Majesty's Minis
ters and Consuls." And every year, in like
manner, we have "Reports by Secretaries of
Embassy and Legation on the Manufactures
and Commerce of Foreign Countries" GEN
orally speaking, each consul contents himself
with about five or six folio pages of
| matter; and there are such reports from
! eighty or ninety different places, in
all parts of the world. The Secretaries of
Embassy and Legation are little more ambi-
tious; they fill ten folio pages of print or so,
on an average and when fve-and-thirty of
them do this, as was the case in a recent year,
the amount of information rendered concern
ing foreign countries is really very conside-
rable. Practical men sometimes smile little
at some of the reports in regard to generaliza-
tions and theorizings which betray the mind
of an amateur or dilletanti statistical philoso-
pher; but for the most part the reports are
reliable and valuable.
Sometimes the secretaries pick up infor-
direct comparison with similar subjects in
England Thus, in one particular year
(1S64), Mr.. Burnley sent in a special report
on the silk industry of Basle in Switzerland;
Mr.. Ward on railway communication in Hol-
land; Mr.. Barnard on the branches of industry
in which steam and machinery are employed
in Saxony; and (in reference to political organ
ization rather than to industrial pursuits) Mr..
Lytton on the election of representatives for
the Rigsraad in Denmark. Some of these
special reports are curious; such as Mr.. Bar
nard's on fires and fire insurance in Saxony,
suggesting means of comparison with our own
home system here in England. For instance,
we are told, "The value of such building must
be taxed before insurance takes place, by per-
sons appointed for that purpose. The part of
any building underground is not taken inte
considerations and the different parts above
ground stone and wood, are valued sepa-
| rately. Every householder must insure the
half of the valuation; he can, however, insure
the whole" Again:-"Stone and brick are
not insured, but only the combustible parts of
the building" One remark points to state
of things certainly the reverse of that which
exists in England:-"In villages in a manu-
featuring district the houses are generally less
crowded, and stand more apart, and the fires
are less considerable, than in agricultural
districts, where the houses are closely ad-
joining, and much more exposed to danger"
We are told that " In villages, fires
have generally their origin in wilful in
cendiarism or by lightning.' One statement
has very ugly appearance: "No doubt exists
OF comparatively large proportion of fires
| being caused with a view Of receiving the
! amount of insurance; but the difficulty of
| proving the crime is so great, that in very few
instances can the perpetrator be convicted"
Another SDaeial raOOrt tha Stafa lxua NC