New-York tribune., 1872-09-10
A SPECIMEN ENJOY.

The readers of The TRIBUNE may have OBJ
served that we are not very proud OF our
diplomatic service as at present constituted.
We recognize the cogency OF the motives
which led to their appointments, and, consid-
ering who appointed them, we are thankful
they are no worse. Mr.. Jones, in Brussels, Is
not much of Minister, but as a real estate
conveyancer he has conspicuous qualities. lie
is also a brother-in-law in modest way,
holding that relation to our excellent friend
Mr.. Washburne Of course he does not rank
with the real bro.hers-in-law. He would not
dream of wearing his sOmbrero in the presence
of Cramer for instance, and would not exercise
that worthy mans prerogative OF tarrylng long
at the beer in Danish Kneipe, or break
ing up dinner party by reading his
dispatches aloud Sas Hudson also may have
modest merits of his own. They do not bloom
on the Guatemslan coast, but behind his bench
at Dubuque he was said to be an effective and
artistic tinker, who could burnish sauce
pan or rehablitate a damaged dipper with
any man in Iowa. These humble virtues
should not be scorned. We should rather try
to become acquainted with them, and perhaps
we might learn in time to discern the true
position and purpose of the brother-in-law in
the economy Of the universe.
We have not been able to fix the position
of Mr.. John L. Stevens, Minister to AsunciOn
and Montevidso, in the Presidential family.
He was not included in The Suns list of
thirty-two brothers-in-law, nor IN the reylsed
and corrected official list of thirteen, drawn
up by John Thomas and published in his
organ. But he certainly exhibits all the
symptoms of the lofty relationship which we
all regard with equal affection and awe. In
the first place be has true imperial greed.
One mission with its accompanying h0nors
and emoluments was not enough for him. and
q bill was passed giving him two legations
twelve hundred miles Apart and separated by a
difficult country Another brOther-in-legal-the
adjective is barbarous but necessary-quallty
of Mr.. Stevens Is his entire and frank ignor-
ance of anything pertaining to the duties OF
his office. He speaks the dialect of Augusta,
Maine, in the manner Of the late Vice-Presl-
dent Hamlin, and regards the Castilian tongue
as an invention of Satan and 6le badge of an
eifete despotism, He has also, after the man
ner of brothers.in law, succeeded in making
himself the theme of numerous cafe canards
and sidewalk romances. One OF these has
reached the Montevidean press, andvoyaged
in the natural course of travel to Ou- own
shores. 1t is probably the gayest and most
ightsome history which has ever al ded
vivacty to the annals of diplomatic life.
The legend states that Mr.. Stevens, havfnA'
agreed to pay to mine host of the Oriental
Hotel in Montevideo the quotidian sum of ss
for his shelter and nourishment, which in
cluded, according to the custom of the coun-
try, two daily meals, conceived the eminently
practical idea of cribbing a luncheon from the
overflow of breakfast. To this end he would
employ himself during the matutinal repast,
in slyy dropping into his embassadorial hat
tho furtiye cold potato, and rolling the tooth