New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-04-17

United States of America in London" Inc fretace
is dated Ochre Point Newport, Rhode Island, Etats
Unis PAmerique, lie Ter Mars, 1868, aud signed
w. B. Lawrence. And the copy before me- Dought
this week of the publishers in Paris Messrs Durahu
& LAUREL contains printed slip denotng that tle
book was Entered, according to act OF OongIeS;s,
i'm tie year 1868, by William Beach Lawrence; III
the Clerks office of the District Court iOr ,he Dis
tTct of Rhode Island" In short, the evidence Is
conclusive that il is Mr.. w. i. Lawrenee n1.u !
who has assumed the title of Minister OF the United
States.
| give these details because l mean to leave no
oOphole for Mr. Lawrences escape AT the same tlme'
am aware that he excuses, ordid excuse MS assmp
ton Of the title of Minister the ground that he had
once been Charge dAflaires in London, and that
Wheaton enumerates charges daffaircs az one class
of ministers. The passage alleged for this purpose
may be found In Dana's Wheaton, Part Ill, SECTIONS
211-215. BIT this excuse is too flimsy to bear
moments examination. First, Wheaton's language
is Public ministers divided into the four loi-
lowing classes"-charg6s dailares being the fourth.
But Wheaton's paragraph is, in terms and ayowediy'
only restatement of the rules adopted by the Con
gross of Vienna and that Of Aix-la-Chapelle. And
the language of the article of the Congress OF vienna
is not that public ministers" are divided into four
classes, but diplomatic employees are divided into
three classes Wheaton makes four by distinguish
ing between ministers and ministers residentl.
The three classes of diplomatic en-
ployGs, are: 1. Ambassadors. legates, or nun
cios 2. ENJOYS, ministers, or Others accred-
tied to sovereigns; 3. Charges Paffaires ac-
credited to Ministers of Foreign Affairs. 30 that III
the first document on which Wheaton rests his cas-
sifcatiOn, there is no authority for charge uai-
flares being incuded under the general descriptive
word Minister" by which Wheaton carelessly
translates the accurate French phrase empioNtes
diplOmatidues.D And in the second document, the
protocol of the Congress of AiXlaChapelle they not
only are not inclnded, but as above are eXpiessiy
Disseminated The language Of the protocol Is; III
is agreed between the five courts that the Ministers
Resident accredited to them snail form with respect
TO their rank an intermediary class gftwe char ss
d'ailaires"-the latter being put by themselves.
Nor is it necessary to establish, as have. that a
charge d'afiares has technical claim IN the IAN
ouaee of Diplomacy to call himself Minister. The
point IT, do they i'm fact so call themselves does
ANYBODY else call them 80 The answer is No. All
over Europe the custom is uniform, the usage set
tied the distinction plain charge daiaires is one
thing, n Minister another have taken some pans
to inquire about this and assert on high diplomatic
authority-on the authority Of those familiar with
diplomatic life in Europe-that charge Paffaires
neither has any right to style himself Minister, nor
does he. And am told further that even If full
cboroT d,afaircs rad such right, which all deny.
Mr. W. Is. Lawrence could not plead 1T because ne
never was anything more than charge daflaires per
interim He was IN tact SecreraTy or Oh Ieen acc.
dentally left IN charge of the legation.
affirm, then, with respect to Mr. W. b. Lawrence,
that hi. use of the title Of Minister to which he had
neither technically nor by usage any right what
ever. was misleading, and intended TO mislead. 1t
was a dishonest use, and Mr. w. Is. Lawrence used
il only where he believed he not likely to be de-
tected and exposed. He put it on the cards he dis
tributed in Europe lie put 1t on the title-page of
books for circulation in Europe Bnt on the title,
page Of the Wheaton edited by HIM and published
In the United States, he put not formerly Minister
at London Iquote from the edition of 1872 Boston.
TO have u,rped the higher title at home wonld have
brought him nothing but detection and Tidicule.
And this is the impostOr who goes surreptitlously
before a Senate Committe, backed by crlml IA,
LAWYER to bring a charge of d> honesty against Mr.
DANA have wasted too much space Oh him, but
il is worth while TO put HIM i'll the pory and leave
hin there Yours u. W. B.
March %, 1876