Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-04-14


of them rush into dissipation and tn
bankrupt courts, and others into stool
speculation beginning on no capital
whereby nost of them come to grief
being well swindled, while few sue
ceed in swindling the public, and few
er still the most select of all find theil
way to the penal colonies under sen
tence for forgery:
OUR DIPLOMATIC SERVICE.
Diplomatists, all the world over, are
the pets of society. They are sought
after, fattered, and often not a little
spoiled A new Minister has no sooner
been welcomed by the Sovereign than
he is beset with letters and invitations
innumerable. Beggars of all kinds
swarm. Some ask for money the
majority solicit social favors. From
the oldest ambassador to the youngest
attache, whether impetuous as Don
Juan, or maturely instructive as Mes
tor, diplomats are privileged, and, when
necessary, forgiven. The King eau do
no wrong, and his Representatives share
his immunity. The Minister repre-
sents his Sovereign; on the Secretary
of Legation falls shadow from the
regal halo; and even on the attache a
reflection from this shadow. Can such
a homeopathic dose of royalty thus
attaching to these persons produce an
effect on susceptible society?
Notwithstanding, however, this di-
vinity which does undoubtedly hedge
its members, our own Diplomatic
Service is on its trial. The late
events in the East of Europe have
shown US that the importance of this
service never was greater than at pres
ent. It's efficiency may preserve peace
its unskilfulness may produce war.
The late debate in the House of Com
mons, started by Mr.. Trevelyan, hard
ly went skin-deep into the subject but
it tended to show that there exists
general uneasiness as to the working
of our system.
What are the known facts as to the
condition of our Diplomatic Service,
and how far can its strength and its
recources, either actively employed or
held in reserve for special emergency,
be approximately ascertained? ? We
have on the active list six ambassadors,
twenty-five ENJOYS and ministers, and
three charges d'afaires; there are
twenty-five secretaries of embassy and
legation, and good show of second
and third secretaries, attaches, and po-
litical agents Our actual strength
naturally lies in the classes superior
to, and including, the secretaries of
legation. Among the ambassadors
Lord Lyons, Lord Odo Russell, and
Sir Augustus Paget occupy the highest
place in public opinion. Sir Andrew
Buchanan, the veteran of the service,
will probably shortly appear on the
retired list. Of Lord A. Lotus and
Sir II. Elliot there are various esti-
mates, but certainly not that general
need of appreciation which men in
such responsible position ought to
have earned. Supposing that some
sudden catastrophe were to deprive US
of the services Of these six ambassa-
dors, could we at once replace them to
national satisfaction? Frankly we
must answer in the negative. There
are of course men of acknowledged
ability among the ENJOYS, ministers,
and charges d'affaires. Mr.. Morier at
Lisbon, Sir K. Thornton at Washing
ton, General Stanton at Munich, and
Mr.. Layard at Madrid are unquestion-
ably able and experienced men, though
the two last have not served their ap-
premiership in the service. As to the
other Ministers, no doubt there are
many of them able worthily to repre-
sent our country, but not few are
more distinguished by urbanity than
by proved talent, while some are des-
tined never to serve in Europe, and
others are too avowedly incompetent
to be looked to as likely or able to fill
any really important post. If we look
lower again how many are there among
the secretaries who have made de-
cided mark? Mr.. Adams at Paris
Mr.. Watson, who wrote a noticeable
report on the United States Mr..
Plunkett, who wrote one on Japan
Mr.. GrosVenor in China; and Mr..
Barring, of Bulgarian notoriety, are,
perhaps the best known to the public,
and there are several who bear a very
promising name ia the service, but this
is not all that is wanted. What the
country requires is not a list of men
who may, or may not, become first
class ministers aud ambassadors, but
a list, and long one, of we'll trained
diplomatists, whose career has already
marked them outas superior to the av-
erage run of their contemporaries.
1t cannot be denied that there is a
90 e., hof 1iYDlA
lists have been overmatched. If this
feeling had not existed, the sentimental
meetings Of last autumn would either
never have taken place, or would have
fallen fiat on an unsympathetlc eoun-
try. It would have been assumed that
the atrocities we're as well known, and
as sure to be protested against, by our
own representatives as by sensational
or 'spouters' in St.
James's Hall. The country would
also in this case have been spared the
of such dispatches as we
have lately seen, in which it fell to the
lot of our Foreign Secretary to fore
see the possibility of his country be-
ing placed I'm a most humiliating po-
sition.' Shades of Pitt, Canning, and
Palmerston, can England have fallen
so that we quietly contemplate such a
And we have arrived
at our present position because our re-
preseptatives either neglected their
duties, or ceased to inspire the country
with confidence. They made mistakes,
or were believed likely to make them
the result being an unprecedented
anxiety as to foreign affairs, hysteri.
cal upheaval of public sentiment, and
a consequent weakening of the power
of the Executive. If Sir Henry Elliot
had been efficient, or even if inefficient,
if he had been believed in, Lord Der
by and the nation would have backed
up his action, whateverit might have
been.
Turning to our reserves of diplomatic
ability, We find that we, have some
twenty-four distinguished public SER
--o,to n raoaipt af TansinnS accorded