Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-05-03
DIPLOMATIC DISPATCHES.
How They Are Guarded and Counter
Guarded In European Courts.

How They Are Guarded and Counter
Guarded In European Courts.
To abstract paper or steal dispatch
from one of the embassies is not by any
means an easy matter. To say that it
would be an impossible feat would SAVIOR
of exaggeration, for in these days of scien-
tific burglary there is nothing impossible
under the sun. Up to the time of writing,
however, such an instance is unknown.
In the encourage of every embassy there
are one or more private detectives who
are invariably gentlemen of official or mil
itary rank. Notwithstanding, papers Of
comparatively infinitesimal Importance are
environed with the same precautions as
others of untold value. The documents
are all inclosed in an iron safe, the key of
which is held by the ambassador or min
lister only, the latter taking all RESPONSE
bility and acting as charge d'affaires in
the absence of the former.
Dispatches do not remain long at the
embassies. At given date, the length of
which varies according to the respective
distances of the countries represented, a
special messenger is sent to fetch them.
A weekly call is made at the British en-
bassy, but at the American and foreign
ones naturally longer interval is allowed
to elapse.
The messenger from the foreign Office
brings bag which is fastened with pat
emit lock and cannot be opened except by
the key in possession of the ambassador
or the charge d'affaires. When the bag is
| cleared of its contents, the return dispatch
es which the AMBASSADOR sends to his gov
eminent are placed in it and carefully con-
| cealed. 1t is then closed and returned to
the messenger, who conveys it to the min
lister for foreign affairs, who opens it with
| duplicate key.
If the documents are of special impor-
| lance, they are not intrusted to the ordi-
nary messenger. Some one in the imme-
| diate encourage of the embassy takes
charge of them instead. No one is allowed
access to the chancery Office in which they
are placed, and visitors are only received
| in rooms dedicated to the purpose.
Precautions are carried to such an ex.'
tent at several embassies that if a secreta-
ry cannot personally ask for instructions
from his hierarchical chief he is obliged
to inclose his queries in special locked
box, which can only be opened by the du-
plicate key at it's destination, and the re-
plies are returned in the same manner. 1t
is the rule in each embassy that the dis
| patch box can only be handed to one of the
|
be given into the custody of stranger.
Sworn translators are now only employ
ed in certain embassies where the diplo-
matists do not speak or understand French.
Even the Chinese legation has now dis
pensed with a sworn translator, as the first
secretary invariably speaks and under
stands the language perfectly.
There are other precautions to be OBJ
served besides those concerned with the
possible confiscation of papers. There is
the fear of indiscretion in those intimately
connected with the legation to be guarded
against, and for this reason members OF
the diplomatic service are debarred in near
ly every instance from marrying any one
not of their own nationality. Prince Bis
marck made this the rule in Germany, and
there are very few exceptions to it. If a
diplomatist is retained who is married to
foreigner, he is carefully transferred tc
any country but that of his wife, the rea-
son being that there are still a few ladies
who fail to act up to the old maxim that
"discretion is the better part of valor. -
London Tit-Bits.