New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-18

consequence is that the consular service Is now !
the only means left Of pensioning off claimants !
ana dependents Of both sexes. OF providing means /
OF livelihood for stewards. upper servants and /
their sons. for getting rid Of convenient witnesses
III perplexing lawsuits. and for keeping away |
from home poor or ruined relations.
ms does not mean that all of Her Majesty's |
cohsuls are of the class indicated There have !
been some illustrious names among them. such |
as, Tor instance, those of Hay, Richard Burton. |
Rawlinson. Lever and Sandwich etc. But the |
appointment Of consulships is conducted by |
Great Britain in identically the same happy go |
iucAy way as in this country. without the shght- |
est regard 10 their fitness for the important du- |
ues which they ought to fulfil. Indeed one
would almost be tempted 10 imagine that the |
Governments Of neither England nor the United |
states cared anything for the trade and indus
try Of their respective countries Thus. the |
British Foreign Office instead of selecting men |
VINO nave some knowledge of commerce fol- the |
consulships in Russia. almost invariably APP |
points army officers whose duty in the eyes OF |
their Government consists. not in promoting |
trade or In opening up nev markets TO British |
manufactures. but in securing military informa- |
tloh regarding the ornaments and defences OF |
the Muscovite Empire, which are destined to sup |
PIGMENT the data supplied 10 the War Department |
in London by the military attache of the En- !
bassy at St Petersburg. Yet Russia especially .
since the beginning of the present reign. has be-
come a magnificent and az yet relatively unde-
Veoped field for foreign commerce and indus |
trial enterprises of every kind.
Useless consuls Of this sort to the mer-
every respect superior to the class OF that
England employs for her consular service in the
Levant. These are not even native born Eng
fish. and. for instance Alfred Biotti the consul
in Crete, TO whom small blame for the present
condition OF affairs in the island may be as
cri6ed. is OF Oriental parentage. was born at
MakrL in Asia Minor. and has spent his entire
existence in the East seldom coming To England.
save on short visits. Biliott is in every OF
the word Levantlne. and possessed Of ali the
defects and shortcomings Of that nondescrpt
race. At one moment every consular pos: on the
line Of communication between Malta and Trebi-
Zond. extending again through ErZeroua 10 Ia
breeZ and Teheran. were held by Levantines,
most of them related 10 ore another. who had be-
gun their careers as upper servants interpreters
and consular clerks. Thus. at the English con-
suate III Crete there is not a single native-born
Engshman in the whole personnel at the pres
ent moment. Not only is the consul himself
Levantne but the vice-consul is a Spanish Jew.
and the remainder of the staff is composed Of a
perfect mosaic OF natonalites People such as
these have neither the notions nor the principles
Of English citizens. They LOOK upon affairs in
altCgethe- different light. and having hosts
OF relatives who owe allegiance to other Govern
ments than that Of England they are naturally
often Influenced by personal considerations 70
pursue line OF conduct that is distinctly disad-
vantageous to the political and commercial in
terests Of Grea. Britain.
HOW DRAGOMEN RISE IN THE LEvANT
Columns Of the mos; extraordinary stories
could be written about these Levantine consuls
of England and Of other Christian Powers the
Consul General Of another European Power at
Alexandria. for instance, being Syrian Hebrew
usurer. who. having realized fortune by loan
ing money at large interest 10 the unfortunate
peasantry has now purchased title OF count
for himself at Rome. They do not even
come from the better class of merchants OF the
Levant, but are recruited chiefly from those ILL
defined individuals. half mental. half interpreter,
who 90 by the name Of dragomen Every Euro
pean in the Orient has his dragoman who acts |
as a sort OF general factotum. carries messages,
manages the servants, makes the purchases, and, |
In fact takes all the trouble off ones hands. Yet
of course no would ever dream Of having |
one Of these dragomen sit down 10 table with |
him English diplomats and native born British |
consuls have their dragomen like the rest. and |
generally very clever ones. Indeed the dragomen |
render themselves so indispensable that their |
employers generally end by rewarding them with |
q clerkship in the consulate. In course or time |
this clerkshp develops into an acting vice-con- |
sulship then into a permanent one, and finally |
II eliminates in full consulship. That has been
the career Of Raphel Borg, the British Consul |
at Cairo; OF Biliotti, the British Consul at Crete
and of a dozen others Of the same stripe.
Here in the United States England is, for the |
nonce II not efficiently. at any rate respectfully |
represented as far as her consular officials are
concerned although some OF them shaky |
about their asprates. and few years ago a |
man was appointed 10 look after the commercial
interests OF Great Britain in a Southern State |
mainly because, having failed in business az
home and having failed to get a discharge from
the Bankruptcy Court. II was considered ad-
visabe TO get him out OF the country. Another
consulate is held TO the present day by gallant
gentleman whose fortunes in England previous
To his appointment had fallen to so low an ebb
that he had been compelled 10 accept the humble
position OF warden in penltentary to Keep
himself and his wife from starving. Ihat.
however the English cOnsuls in America fulnl
their duties better than the majority Of their
colleagues elsewhere is shown 10 certain ex-
tent by the fact that. whereas most OF the BRIT
ish missions in the Old World now being
furnished with commercial attaches for the pur-
pose Of making reports Of some practical use
concerning the industry and commerce OF the
I which they
has as yet been heard about providing Sir Julian
Pauncefote's Embassy at Washington with any
such official
II has frequently been urged in England that
! the chambers OF commerce should be consulted
! by the Government in the selection or It's con-
| sular representatives. and the same recon-
nlendaton might be suggested IN the case OF me
United States For 1t Is the
! estee than any others in the choice or capable
! and efficient man. BY 50 doing the President
! would place the mercantile community under
/ ohIieations TO his Administration. And when
such a man has been found and appointed ne
! ought to be permitted TO hold his once as lons
! as ne fulfls his duties in satisfactory manner,
/ and 10 b. made to feel thai his removal w.ll
! only cone to him in the case OF negiec' Oh uu.y
or misconduct. II taxes some Mtte "a tile "a
! learn thu mere routine Of consuls once ana
/ stiu longer 10 become acquainted with the
! economic pecuharties and the industrial as wei
| as commercial problems OF tn districts III "nIch
| he "a stationed Some conscientious United
! State5 consuls go TO the trouble OF ehdeaVorlns
! 10 acquire this knowledge. ana nave .heh "
! make wa for their successors just AT the mo-
! ,1ent when they have at last succeeded In mas
! tarirp The details and when they were begin
\ ,Jng "a he really useful TO their country.
| D+hare IN moi think ii worth the while 10 put
| themselves TO so much trouble. knowing fuil
| Well that as soon the Administration 10 whIch
they owe their appointment goes OUT OF oiICe
-, lii have 10 Vacate their cOnsushlp. Inc
! resHlt is that there is no inducement and no en-
! couragenent to do anything else but ones pare
! dutv in the most perfunctory manner; IN fact'
| a. ii,tle as one possibly can. Consulships IN
! deed are looked upon by their holders to a great
| e,,tent as a mere means of passing few years
| oTroad ar the expense of the Government, and
! a. he enjoyment of what they believe 10 be an
| &c