The Portland daily press., 1896-12-11
FOREIGN MISSION PRIZES.
Choice Places Abroad Which Mckinley
viii Give Away.

Cn0Icb ElaCcS ADrGau WHICH MchEuitJ
viii Give Away.
-Four Embassies to Be Filled, and Lot of
Ministers Plenipoteniiary in the List
why Some of the Big Diplomatic Posts
Are Desirable and Others Much Less SO
| PLACES in Asia and South America.
Correspondence of the Boston Trans
cript.l
Washington, Dec. 4-The places most
eagerly sought at the hands of President
Mckinley, leaving aside the cabinet port
folios, will be the foreign missions. Those
are extremely attractive, not only by
reason of the high pay attached to them,
| but also on account CT the social advnnt-
ages which they give, and the cpportuni-
| ties of travel they afford. Recently, too,
| four Of the posts in question have been
raised TO the rank of embassies, thus CIV
| ing to them much more prestige. mas
much Us an ambassador is percentage far
superior to annordinary minister fromLthe
diplomatic puint of view. broad. he is
little king, icing in the case OF
monarchy the personal representative OF
his sovereign, and not merely, like tAe
minister pleripotentiery, an envoy sent
by the people of his country. lie arlves
coach and six usually, and maintains
"a mi-royal state.
| The most desirable diplomatic places in
the gift of President Mckinley will be
the missions to London, Paris and ber-
| lin. They are embassies now, and sal
arr of SIT, 500 is attached to each OF them
ST. Petersburg, which is "a mission Oh the
fist class, but rot an embassy, has thu
same pay, but it is not SO attractive
plum, owing to the Objectionable climate
| and to tie fact that the rank OF thu
envoy is only that of minister. Rome is
the fourth embassy on tie list, but the
emolument belonging to it is only Sl2, :
600. The reason fer this is that the post
| was merely mission Of the's7cond Glass
until it was raissd suddenly to mbassa
dorial rank three years ago. it is not
nearly SO important place rs the Others.
our relations with Italy being few and
casual, though it lid happen some years
ago that an embodiment between the
two countries nearly grew out OF the
lynching Of several Italian subjects in
New Orleans. 1t will lie remsin bered
| that at hat time the Italian minister
| was recalled by his Government.
| Next in point OF desirableness comes
the mission to Vienna. At that capital
there is little for our minister to DO; the
| life is very pleasant sand the city gay.
The salary is $4,000, which is likewise
| the pay for Madrid and Constant1nople.
Madrid has the disadvantage OF bad
unhealthy city, and living there is quite
expensive. The Spanish mission just at
present is very delicate and unpleasant
| lob, owing to the sthreat Of war. The
| present. incumbent is Mr.. Hannls lay lor,
| a scholar and author Of works on constl-
tutional history. Constantinople lis not
| by any means an eligible post in these
ldays. The minister has great deal to
do and very little fun. He has fearful
| load of responsibility on his shoulders,
and there is no certainty that he may net
| be assassinated at any time. While
traDsacting business he keeps an eye
unon gun boat in the Bosphorus, in
oase there shall be occasion for flight.
At ordinary times there is european
society at Stamboul, tut nowanays thefe
| is none the foreigners have run away.
| The lesser European missioES-Uhcse OF
the Hague, Brussels. Grescs, Switzer-
| land. Sweden and Norway-are all pleas
ant posts with not much work to do. our
relations with these Powers Icing OF no
| gre 1t Importance. The sllaries attached
| to them range from $4,000 at Athens to
tI11c noo. L., 1lrIIs c
desirable of the lot, inasmuch as the city
| ia one of the most delightful Gin kuvope,
and has charming cosmopolitan tociety
with large American colony. Of tie
diplomatic posts i'll Asia, Japan is the
most eligible. Living there is extremely
cheap, and life in the mikado' IS akingdom
| is said to posses G surprising charm.
| Furthermore, the Amsrican minister VINO
gets $12, 600 year is treated with special
| Consideration, owing to existing trade
interests which unite this country with
/ the nEngland OF the Panific, and TO
numerous obligations which the Japan
ESQ owe the United States
| The Chinese mission ia worth Sl2, 000
par aunum, and is always eagerly sought.
| But it is far lsss detirabls than Japan !;
| life is not nearly SO pleasant, and the
people are dirty and impel to- The
| Diplomatic appointee who cannot get any
thing else gee; to Persia. Tho salary is
only $4,000 and the place nnimEortant
| Ths character of the average Persian
monarch may be judged from the doings
of the late shah when he was in London
not long ago. One OF his pleasantries
was TO iuvite MI of the most els
tiuguished men in the British Govern
! ment to party at his house, where he
| introduced them to n lot of disreputable
women, oollectad for the occasion. There
was nothing to do hut to make the lest
of it, inasmuch as the jssts Of a mon
| arch cannot be resented, and Earl Gran
vile took into dinner the most notorious
madam" in London. This was proba
bly, the greatest joke in history, but its
taste was dubious. to say the least. The
Indies got to quarreliing, exchanging
billingsgate and throwing champagne
bottles, so that the affair wound up in o
| fearful uproar.
President Mckinley will have quite a
number of diplomatic placas TO give
away on this side of the water. Among
these the Mexican mission holds the first
rank, with d salary of Sl7,00 1t is con-
sidored of great importance, because OF
trade relations, and owing to the fact
| that tho country is on our own borders.
In Mexioosthe minister from the United