The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-26
THE NEW BRITISH MINISTER.
Som ething of Sir Julian Peuncefote
Who succeeds the Illustrious West.

Comet of Sir Julian Peuncefote,
Who succeeds the Illustrious West.
From the Ne,o York World
There are few more cosmopolitan men in
the British government service than Sir
Julian Pauncefote, the newly appointed
envoy of the British government to the
United States. He was born at Munich,
was educated at Paris, Geneva and at MARI
borough college, in England; has acted as
attorney general at Hong Kong and as chief
justice of the West India Islands, and is
now about to crown his erratic but sue
cessful career by becoming the envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipoten-
tary of Queen Victoria to the United
States. Though far from brilliant man and
even reputed as somewhat slow and pom
derous, yet he has the advantage of being a
particularly safe man-one, in fact who
will duly weigh the pros and cons of every
matter, even the most trivial before COM
ing to decision as to what particular
course to pursue: If anything, he is too
cautious, the effect, perhaps, of legal
training which enabled him to devise a
code of civil procedure for the colony of
Hong Kong and subsequently for the lee
ward stands.
In 1874, after having been knighted by
the queen, he was appointed assistant legal
under secretary OF state to the colonial
ubDdT lIl6 u. ne, 0OW6VoT, ulu DOL succeed
in getting on very well with the permanent
under secretary, Sir Robert Herbert. who
complained that the excessive caution exer-
CT ed by his legal assistant delayed bust
ness. In fact Sir Robert used every means
in his power to shunt ST Julian from the
colonial Office. But the Pauncefotes nave
considerable staying power, and not even
the offer of the lucrative chief justiceship
of Ceylon could induce him to forego the
ewpafG Of 81 fat Offipa in Enoland
At length, however, Sir Robert per-
suaded the Earl of Derby, at that time
secretary Of state for foreign affairs, that
Sir Julian was the very man, above all
others, whose legal services would be of in
calculable value to the foreign office. Lord
Derby accordingly offered the newly
CT ca ed legal under-secretaryship of the
foreign office to Sir Julian, and the depart
ment has never had occasion to regret the
bargain since. For, with all his little faults
Of pomposity and self consciousness, the
newly appointed envoy to the United States
is one of the most eminent experts of inter-
national law now alive.
Sir Julian's favorite amusement is fenc-
ing, and go Is almost as clever with the foils
as in dealing with intricate questions of
international law. Although far from
rich, and dependent almost entirely on his
official pay, yet he has always been re-
Downed for his kindly hospitality, espe-
cially to strangers. Sir Julian, besides be-
ing Knight Commander of the Bath, is al
50 Grand Cross of the Order of st. Michael
and st. George. Lady Pauncefote was a
Miss Cubett by birth and is descended from
the famous lord mayor of that name. She
is very popular, as Is also her pretty daugh-
ter.
On the whole, both the new British min
ister and his family are likely to be quite
as popular at Washington as were the
age to lay aside little of the pomposity
which hides very warm and kindly heart.