time to time of such commercial information communi. cated to him by diplomatic and consular officers as he may deem important to the public interests, in such newspapers, not to exceed three in number, as he may select. (R. S., $211.)

He may designate a newspaper in the District of Columbia in which all Executive proclamations and all treaties required by law to be published shall be published. (Act July 31, 1876, Stats. 19, p. 105.)

66. He is empowered to grant and issue passports, and cause passports to be issued and verified in foreign countries by such diplomatic or consular officers of the United States, and under such rules, as the President shall prescribe. (R. S., §§ 212, 4075.)

67. The official bonds of every consul-general, consul, vice-consul, and commercial agent, executed in such form and on such conditions as the law prescribes, are subject to his approval. (R. S., § 1697; act June 11, 1874, Stats. 18, p. 67.)

68. He may empower the consuls of the United States to pay the foreign postage on such letters destined for the United States as may be detained at foreign ports for nonpayment of postage. (R. S., § 4014.)

69. The Secretary of State, through the minister resident at Japan, is authorized to rent, furnish, and keep suitable buildings, with grounds appurtenant, in Jeddo, or such other place as he may designate, for a court-house and jail, at an annual cost not exceeding five thousand dollars; provided that the period for which the building shall be rented shall be for two years, with renewals for two years, as he may determine. (R. S., § 4124.)

70. He is also authorized to rent, furnish, and keep suitable buildings, with grounds appurtenant, at Pekin, for the use of the legation at China, at an annual cost not exceed.

ing five thousand dollars, such lease to be for two or more years, renewable as he shall determine. (Act March 3, 1875, Stats. 18, p. 377.)

71. Certain judicial functions imposed upon the ministers of the United States in certain uncivilized countries, such as China, Japan, Siam, Egypt, Madagascar, Turkey, Persia, Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, and Muscat, devolve, when there is no such minister, upon the Secretary of State. (R. S., § 4128.)

72. Upon a requisition of the proper authority of any foreign government for the extradition of a person charged with crime provided for by any treaty or convention with such government, and on the submission to him of the certificate of the United States judge before whom an examination has been had that he deems the evidence sufficient to sustain the charge, together with a copy of the evidence, the Secretary of State is required to issue a warrant for the commitment to the proper jail of the person so charged. And it is lawful for the Secretary, under his hand and seal of office, to order the person so committed to be delivered to the proper authority, in the name and on behalf of such foreign government, pursuant to the treaty therewith. (R. S., §§ 5270, 5272.)

73. The Secretary of State is authorized to allow and pay to the secretary of legation, the assistant secretary of legation, and messenger at Paris, from the moneys collected at the legation for the transmission of consular invoices, an amount not to exceed in the aggregate six hundred dollars in any one year, to be divided and distributed according to his discretion; provided that the surplus receipts are sufficient for that purpose. (Act June 11, 1874, Stats. 18, p. 67.)

74. It is made his duty to establish and maintain the maximum amount of time actually necessary to make the

transit between each diplomatic and consular post and the city of Washington, and vice versa, and to make his decision public in respect of the same, to the end that the allowance for time actually and necessarily occupied by each diplomatic and consular officer entitled to allowance may be thereby determined. (Act June 11, 1874, § 4; Stats. 18, p. 70.)

75. He is empowered by law to prescribe duties for the assistant secretaries; for the solicitor of his department, so as not to interfere with such solicitor's duties as an officer of the Department of Justice; for the clerks of bureaus, and for all other employees in his department. And he may make changes and transfers therein when in his judgment it becomes necessary. (Act June 11, 1874, Stats. 18, p. 90.)

76. This summary constitutes the powers and duties devolving upon the Secretary of State, in general, as laid down in the statutes of the United States. They comprehend every detail necessary to a proper oversight and conduct of our foreign relations.

77. The officers under charge of the Department of State in foreign countries are divided into the Diplomatic and Consular service.

78. The diplomatic officers include envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary, ministers resident, commissioners, agents, chargés d'affaires, and secretaries of legation, viz.:

Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiaries to Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia, Austria, Brazil, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Chili, and Peru.

Ministers resident at Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Salvador and Nicaragua, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, Turkey, Ecuador, Colombia, Hawaiian Islands, Venezuela, Argentine Republic.

Ministers resident and consuls-general at Hayti, Liberia, and Bolivia.

Chargés d'affaires at Denmark, Greece, Switzerland, Portugal, and Paraguay and Uruguay.

Secretaries of legation at London, Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg, Japan, Austria, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and China. Second secretaries of legation at Great Britain, France, and Germany.

Interpreters for the legations at China, Turkey, and Ja

pan.

79. The consular officers are designated consuls-general, consuls, vice-consuls, commercial agents, and consular clerks.

Consulates-general are by law established at London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Frankfort-on-the-Main, Rome, Constantinople, Cairo, Calcutta, Shanghai, Melbourne, Mexico, Kanagawa, St. Petersburg, Rio de Janeiro, Havana, Montreal.

The consuls-general at these places exercise a supervision over the subordinate consulates within their respective jurisdictions; while at the same time they exercise the ordinary duties of a consul. The consuls are of three classes: those who are not allowed to engage in business and receive fixed salaries, those who receive fixed salaries and are permitted to seek other employment, and those who are entitled to the fees of the office and are also allowed to transact business.

80. These officers are guided in their functions and duties by regulations promulgated by the President in accordance with the provisions of the statutes. These regulations, with blanks of the forms to be used in the transaction of official business, are embodied in a printed compilation of about five hundred pages issued by the Department of State September 1, 1874.

THE ASSISTANTS.

81. The statutes do not prescribe the duties of the three assistants to the Secretary of State. They give their attention, however, to such matters as are assigned them by their superior.

These duties, as so assigned, consist of a general supervision of correspondence with diplomatic and consular officers of the United States abroad, and with the representatives of foreign governments accredited to this country. This correspondence, as well as all other relating to the several countries with which we have diplomatic relations and to the consulates therein, is divided into three classes, designated by the letters A, B, and C, according to a distribution made of the same to divisions of a corresponding designation in the consular and diplomatic bureaus respectively.

The correspondence embraced in class A is under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary of State, and relates to France, Germany, and Great Britain.

That assigned to the supervision of the Second Assistant is included in class B, and relates to the Argentine Republic, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chili, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Norway, Switzerland, and Uruguay.

That assigned to the Third Assistant is included in class C, and relates to the Barbary States, Bolivia, Central America, Colombia, China, Ecuador, Egypt; Friendly, Navigators, Hawaiian, Fiji, and Society Islands; Hayti, Japan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Muscat, San Domingo, Siam, Turkey, Venezuela, and countries otherwise unassigned.