New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-17
ANGLO-AMERICAN NOTES.
ARR pHELPS'S DIPLOMATIC KANh-mh
INV IOWEIL-MISS ANDERSON.


VAoA in~ LONDON, April rs.
II mav bs interesting to point out tno Pi1oi'o
.,ooo in tbe order of diplomatic precedence winch
AR Pbelps will occupy on his arrival al tne oo".'
90 O. lanes. AS no Is not an Ambassador no cono,'
% ooryse after all the Ambassadors; OF wnou Inc
ore Mt this molhent seven. turkey ~ hody 10
Tho senior member of the entire dip,o" poobo
Turk an unspeakable TURK nii9 n..-...o,, hoo
Iount Munster, whose quafroi Wv" ror,o,,oI
Ia % neither his resignation n'i
ioo -. then Count Karolyi, the Austro-
rN;or who is followed by COuntNlgra. OF ltaiy,
- - one step before NJ. Waddmgton the Ambas-
A. of the French Republic, who Immediately
r,rcedes NJ do Staal of Russia; to whom succeeds
.bo snecal Ambassador of the Sublime Porte, Has
san Fehmi Pacha.
Tbat closes the list Of Ambassadors. The first III
che list of Ministers ia Count lie Bylandt. the popu-
lar envoy of the Netherlands; the second is Baron
soleryus, the not less popular Belgian. For the
third you must 60 all the way to Persia long rep
resented by Prince Malcolm Khan, and from PERSIA
all tho way to Brazil for the fourth-the we'll
known Baron de Penedo, with social reputation
of his own Portugal comes next but one 10 her
ancient dependency, Spain intervening and
Sweden following Then the list desceuds in order
through the Ministers of Salvador, China, Guate-
mala and the Argentine Republic to Mr. Lowell.
But in Mr.. Lowelps departure the United States
loses it's present proud position after Guate-
mala and the Argentine Republic. Denmark steps
;r. aud after Denmark, Colombia tsupposng Adj
miral Jouett not to have extinguishe1 her mean
tme): then Roumania, Chill, Mexico, SIAM III is
worth pausing in this downward scale to note that
Siam is represented by His Royal Highness krom
Nun Mares Varariddh name which | affection
ately commend to the closest soiicitude OF the
proof-reader. We resume with Costa Rica. pro-
coed with Venezuela. and go ON by way OF
Hayti. Servia, Japan and Uruguay.
Last IF all will come Mr. Phelps as Minister of
the United States of America. He will be entitled
10 an uninterrupted view of the backs of twenty
three Ministers and seven Ambassadors at Court
and elsewhere. When he calls upon Lord Granville,
Mt the Foreign Office, seven Ambassadors and
tentvtbree Ministers will have the right TO 60 IN
before him. The business of the United States
cannot be transacted till the affairs of Guatemala,
of Costa Rica aud Of Hayti have been disposed OF.
Salvador is TO be heard before her; she will wait
mon the good pleasure of siam; the worldwide
interests of the kingdoms of Servia and Roumania
nav claim full discussion before the car OF the
British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is
omen TO the trivial concerns of the petty Republic
beyond the Atlantic, with its fifty odd millions oil
people
{ s.
is not determined by such slight considerations as
the relative Importance of the Powers represented
1t is Determined first by rank. An Ambassador is
being superior to a Minister, and any Ambassador
goes before any Minister, alike IN matters of cere-
mony and matters of business Seniority is the
only other condition of precedence. The Amhassa-
dor who has been here longest takes precedence OF
all his colleagues, who follow according to the
dates of their appointment; or, suppose, strictly
speaking, their credentials The rule is the same
with Ministers. When MIR. Phelps arrives, the
Vermont lawyer of sixty will befor all Official and
social and ceremonial purp0ses-the youngest
diplomatist at the Court OF st. James, absolutely
last on the official List of the Foreign Ministers
OF this Court in the order of their Precedence in
each class" as the Lord Chamberlain phrases it.
As other Powers change their Minister'S less fire.
quently than we do, he will climb upward but
slowly. 1t rests, nevertheless, with the United
States TO say whether he shall remain at the bottom
OF this long roll of inferior plenpoteniaries The
moment Congress chooses to enlarge tho Legation
iuto an Embassy. the American Ambassador viii
take his place with other Ambassadors. There are
usually six; an American would therefore be one
of seven who rank above all Ministers and other
diplomatic agents. Failing this. he will remain for
an indefinite period as bob to the diplomatic kite
Mr. Lowell as telegraphed you the other day.
sails for home June 10. Like the good Bostonian
he IS, he has taken passage on o ship bounu Tor
Massachusetts, Bay direct. He prefefs slow boat
which promises to drop It's anchor III the remote
future off Lorg Wharf, to fast one bound for
Sandy Hook The Scythia is the vessel of Mir.
Lowelps choice. believe his plans for the coming
years are not yet settled. That he will return to
London no one who lives in London permits him.
self 10 doubt. But whether he will return to
l.. \ L.. L i nnn afI
One of the papers ia discussing to-day the approach
ing election TO the chair of the English Language
and Literature in the University of Oxford 1t is
now an open secret-it was close secret when |
referred vaguely some time ago to a proposal that
had been made to Mr.. Lowcll-an open secret that
Efforts were made to persuade Mr.. Lowell TO allow
himself to be nominated for the ProfessOrsbip or
his election, il nc had consented to stand, there
was said 10 he no doubt whatever. The salary IL
1850 a year; not a large sum. certainly, but
large for university stipend. Mr.. Lowell declined
The Professorship coald only be held on condition
of residence In Oxford during six months OF the
year and of delivering forty lectures Other reasons
than these precluded Mr.. Lowell from considering
the suggestion. wish he could have seen his way
to accepting it. 1t would have been worth some
thing to see the chair of English Literature in the
foremost English university filed by an American.
We have not yet been allowed to hear much about
the secretaryships In the American Legation. The
incoming Minister is supposed to select his own
secretaries or at least. to have good deal to say
to their appointment But the cable does not tell
us whether he wishes to retain Mr.. Hoppin and
Mr. Henry White. Mr.. Hoppin is a respected and
competent official. with. believe. great knowledge
of the routine work of the Legation. Mr.. White
may be described in similar terms A diplOnatist
spoke OF him the other day as an example of the
capacity of America for producing without the
loug training usual in Europe the pica Secretary
of legation; capable. accomplished. aud with all
that social experience aud position essential to