The San Francisco call., 1897-04-11

for many years the nj ost popular mem Der |
of the diplomatic corps at Vienna was the |
one-armed General Robilant, the envoy OF |
Italy.
Unqcestionably the most brilliant OF |
the EN- bassadors OF Great Britain in re- |
cent times has been the Marquis of Duf- |
ferin, who at the time of his appointment |
to the difficult and delicate post of St. |
Petersburg, where he won golden |
opinions, had never held diplomatic APP |
pointment in his life. Moreover, when |
Lord Salisbury the other day looked about |
him for a competent man TO undertake |
the duties of English Minister at Peking. |
he, to the astonishment OF every body, |
offered the post to the ma jor of an infan-
try re giment, who had won some little dis
tlnction as the administrator OF the pos
sessions of Great Britain on the Niger
River on the west coast OF Africa. Lord
Salisbury's choice, the wisdom OF which
was much questioned at the time, has been
amply justified by the results which the
major has achieved since he took up his
residence at Peking. For Sir Claud Mac
donald (as he is now) has succeeded In
opening UP to the foreign commerce OF the
world the great West River OF China,
feat which his predecessors IN ofhce had
sought in vain to accomplish TOR more
than forty years past. Flnaily there is Inc
case of Sir Julian Pauncefote. who is recog-
nized as being the most successful and In
every respect satisfactory En- bassador
who ever represented Great Britain 1t
Washington. Yet Sir Julian is a lawyer
by profession, and prior to his nomination
to the American mission had never held
diplomatic appointment in his life.
These instances will suffice to show that
even although the great powers of Europe
have most deliberately organized dlplo-
matte services, they generally go outside
thereof in their selection OF men best
qualified in their opinion to fill the most
important and difficult diplomatic posts.
being of the opinion that greater results
are likely to be achieved by ENJOYS who
are capable of taking a broad, liberal,
common-sense view of matters than by
professional diplomats whose minds have
been narrowed and prejudiced by their
training, and who are, in consequence
thereof, inclined to accord undue atten-
ton TO detail to precedent and to eti.
quette, often to the detriment of the inter-
ests that are intrusted to their care and
control.
Naturally ambassadors and ENJOYS
in the minor grades of the "line" and
who have often no previous knowledge OF
the capital in which they are appointed
to reside or acquaintance with the people
among whom they are called upon to live,
are occasionally guilty of infractions of
local conventionality and usage, of which
much is made by those minor lights of
the official world abroad, who look upon
nrf Of oil ctroi
all-supreme providence, and any disobed-
ience to its laws as akin to sacrilege.
These are errors to which even the most
brilliant, high bred and polished men of
the world are liable. and they are by no
means confined to United States Ministers
in Europe, as one might be tempted to be-
lieve from the stories current about the
matter, even in the American press. Thus
when General Fleury. the Fidus Ach-
ates of Napoleon III, after several
years spent at Paris as chief of
the imperial household, was nomi-
mated to the post of ambassador at st. |
Petersburg, he at the close of the first
state banquet that he attended Mortified
one of the principal dignitaries of the
Muscovite court by using his fingers in- |
stead of the tongs for the purpose of trans |
sugar bowl to his coffee-cup. With the |
object of teaching the gallant general a |
lesson the dignitary in question, to whom |
the sugar-bowl was handed next, took it |
from the hands of the servant, walked to !
the window, which was open, and pitched |
it into the courtyard commanding the |
servant to bring another. The general |
observed this, as it was intended that he |
ever he had drunk mis- coffee he ap- |
preached the window in his turn and |
pitched the dainty Sevres cup and saucer, |
square below.
What on earth is your Excellency do |
ing?" inquired the dignitary, in utter |
amazement.
Why" replied the general, "I thought |
that was the court etiquette here, saw |
you short time ago pitching the sugar |
bowl out of the window"
At this moment the Gear appeared upon !
the scene, and having heard the closing |
words of the generals reply, asked smil- |
ingly what had taken place. His smile |
changed TO a hearty laugh when he was |
made acquainted with the manner in |
which General Fleury had responded to !
and from tia: time forth no further at
tempt was made to teach any lesson in
good manners to the French EN- bassador. !
The example set by General Fleury may
be followed by any man in the same posi-
tion, and similarly devoid of diplomatic |
training. Provided an envoy has GER
tain amount of wit and cleverness, he can
always return tit for tat in such cases
as these and turn the laugh on those who
endeavor to make capital of any soiecism
of which he may have rendered himself
guilty through ignorance OF local usage
Not one of those peIsonages whom l
have mentioned above as having been
selected for the post OF Embassador with
out previous diplomatic training but
has been made the hero of stories similar
to the one which l have related about
General tleury, and which are circulated
ABOUT so many OF the American envoys.
But as may be seen from the results which
they have achieved ana from the fame
which they have won, these little mistakes
in no wise impaired the success of their
mission, their popularity, their prestige
or their Importance. People with common
sense can afford to overlook the neglect
TO use the sugar tongs on the part of a
man who has distinguished himself on