The Washington times., 1901-10-20
RECEPTION OF DIPLOMATS
Formal Presentation to the Presi-
dent of Foreign Ministers.
The siamese Representative Will
BE the First to Greet MIR. Roose-
ycIt-Some of the Customs In
duISed in by the Corps of Enjoys.

The appointment of a new represent
ative of Siam to this country Will en-
able Mr.. Roosevelt at an early stage in
his Presidential career to figure in one
of those formal ceremonies wherein
monarchfcal customs blend strangely
with republican simplicity. The pres
/ entation of a foreign minister or am
/ bassador to the President is, indeed
| quite an elaborate affair. 1t is pre-
| sumed that the minister from foreign
country will make his presence known,
and this is done through the State De-
| partment The diplomat presents him
| self with his credentials first at the
! State Department and the Secretary of
! State arranges the interview with the
/ President. The ambassador or minister
who is to be presented prepares
! speech which is carefully written out
| ard submitted to the State Depart
ment When he is presented to the
| President he delivers this address and
| the President replies briefly, reciprocal
| ing the expressions of good will which
the minister has uttered. This ends the
| ceremony.
The following is an account of the
presentation of Phya Prasiddhi. En-
voy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni-
potentiary of Siam, TO the United
States. predecessor of Phya Charoon
Raja Maitri, the newly appointed min
lister:
clad in rich silks of gorgeous hue
and brilliant with gold trimmings,
Phya Prasiddhi, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister PIenipotentiary of Siam.
at il o'clock today laid his credentials
before President Mckinley at the
White House. The new minister was
accompanied by Secretary Hay, who
performed the introduction. He was
attended by an English secretary. The
usual felicitous exchanges occur ed be
tween the President and the new min
lister, the latter declaring that Siam
was entirely in accord with our prin-
ciples of development, ana the Presi-
dent welcoming the promise of co-ope-
ration toward the development of COM
mercial intercourse with the Siamese
Kingdom.
THE minister said:
Your Excellency: My august SOW
ereign, the King of Siam, having been
graciously pleased TO appoint me as
his representative to the United
States of America, I have now the
honor to present the letters of recall
of my predecessor, Phya Visuddha
Suriyasaku, and my letters of ere
dence, and TO beg to express the desire
of the King, my royal master, that the
al have
many years existed between Siam and
the United States may in the future be
maintained and strengthened.
The principles of Industrial and
commercial progress and of peaceful
development upon which the greatness
of the United States rests are entirely
in accord with those of the Govern
ment of his Majesty and may well be
permanent bond of sympathy between
the two countries.
THE President responded as fol-
lows:
Mr. Minister: 1t affords me pleas
ure to greet you as the representative
in the United States of his Majesty, the
King of Siam, and TO receive from your
hands the royal letters whereby 1 am
informed of the recall of your esteem
ed predecessor, Phya Visuddha Surf
yasaku, and of your being accredited
in his place near the Government of
the United States.
The desires of his Majesty for the
maintenance and constant strengthen
ing of the ties of sincere amity which
have so long existed between Siam and
sponse on the part OF the Government
of the United States, and ] shall well
come your cooperation toward the
realization, as respects your favored
land, of the earnest policy Of this coun-
try to promote by all practical and
friendly means commercial intercourse
and Industrial advancement in its rela-
tions with other States
AS is, perhaps, generally known, the
business of the foreign ambassadors
and ministers is transacted through
the State Department. It is only upon
rare occasions that the diplomats meet
the President personally in official mat
ters. Sometimes a message of sym
pathy or coincidence furnishes such an
occasion or some especially important
announcement. The story Is told that
when the diSnified Lord Lyons, the
British Minister, who was bachelor,
informed President Lincoln of the pros
pectiVe marriage of one of queen We
toria's daughters the diplomatic rep
resentative of Great Britain was sur
prised and, in a measure stunned by
the genial Abe's replying solemnly,
Lord Lyons, GO and do likewise
The most historic occasion. probably,
of n direct interview between foreign
d Dr. 4
Just before the Spa alish-American war.
| Then the ambassadors of Great Britain,
Russia, Germany. France. and Italy
waited upon President Mckinley and
expressed the hope of their respective
Governments that the impending war
might be aVerted.
The address which Sir Julian, now
Lord Pauncefote, delivered on behalf
of the diplomats had been written out
and submitted to the State Department
and President Mckinley had read it
before framing his reply.
One of the strangest and most awk-
! ward features about the Diplomatic
| Corps in this city is furnished in the
relations between the representatives
of Austria and Mexico. The history Of
this feud dates from Napoleon ITS at
tempt to create an empire in Mexico.
All the world knows the tragic fate of
MaXimilian, the Austrian archduke,
whom the ambitious Bonaparte selected
as the emperor of the Government he
had planned. Since that time Austria
has never recognized the existence of
such country as Mexico and the two
nations have no diplomatic intercourse.
Hence the little contretemps arising
between the two which have to be
Strengthened out by the Dean of the
Diplomatic Corps Lord Pauncefote) or
the Secretary Of State.