Kingdom, that to live in the same style with Dr. Franklin, his expenses must amount to nearly the double of theirs. But as every conjecture of this kind must be very uncertain, all I can do is to lay before Congress the relative expense, as far as I can learn it, between the different places at which the ministers reside, taking Philadelphia for a common standard. Paris, if wine, clothing, and the wages of servants are included, is about twenty per cent. cheaper than Philadelphia; Amsterdam, ten; and at Madrid, the expenses of a family are somewhat higher than at this place. But from the unsettled state of those who follow the court, their travelling equipage and charges must greatly enhance this expense. Congress will make their own deductions from these facts, after allowing for their inaccuracy. "Annual expense of the Department of Foreign Affairs, exclusive of contingencies: "Secretary of the United States for the Department Private Secretary to Dr. Franklin. By the law of May 1810, the salaries of ministers were fixed at $9000, and of chargés, at $4,500, exclusive of one year's salary in the shape of outfit. We are indebted to the kindness of a gentleman, formerly occupying a public station at a foreign court, for a copy of the personal instructions, given by the Department of State, which we propose to insert here at length, for the purpose of filling up, by means of these private details, the outline of the diplomatic arrangement, we have attempted to present. "DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON, 18-. "Sir,-With this letter you will receive the following papers, documents and books, which will be found necessary or useful to you in the discharge of the mission, to which you have been appointed. "1. A commission as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. "2. A letter of Credence to the King. "3. A full power for negotiating a treaty of Commerce; to be used in case such a negotiation should be proposed. "4. A Cypher, to be used as occasion may require, in your correspondence with this Department, or with any of the other Ministers of the United States in Europe. 5. An engraved design of the Uniform worn by the Ministers of the United States, at foreign courts, on occasions when full dress is required. "6. A letter of Credit upon the bankers of the United States at London, authorizing them to pay your draughts upon them for your salary, and the contingent expenses of the Legation. You will be careful, in availing yourself of this, not to exceed, in the whole amount drawn, the sum to which you may be entitled in account with the United States at the time of the draught. "7. A set of the Laws of the United States, Bioren's edition, with pamphlet copies of the laws of the subsequent sessions to this time. 8. A volume containing the Commercial Regulations of the foreign countries, with which the United States have commercial intercourse collected, digested, and published by order of Congress. Supplementary information upon the same subject being very desirable, you are requested to collect and communicate any such, as it may be in your power to obtain. "9. A set of Niles's Register. "10. A set of Wait's State Papers. "All these books are for the use of the Legation; and at the termination of your mission are to remain with the Chargé d'Affaires, in case one should be left, or pass to your successor. "11. A Passport for yourself and your family. "12. A sample of despatch paper, and a set of lines. "Your allowance, as limited by law, is nine thousand dollars a year for all personal and other expenses, with an outfit, equal to one year's salary, and a quarter's salary for your return. By a general rule the salary commences from the time of the Minister's leaving home, to proceed upon his mission, and ceases on his receiving notice or permission to return: after which the additional quarter's allowance takes place. The cost of gazettes and pamphlets transmitted to this office, of postage, stationary, necessary and customary presents to the menial attendants at court, and of the public functionaries, at your presentation, and on other established occasions (usually the Christmas, or New Year's days), are not considered, as included under the denomination of personal and other expenses, and will form, as contingencies of the legation, a separate charge in your accounts. But no contingent expenses are to be incurred without necessity, or in compliance with the established usages, and no charge of any other description will be admitted, unless warranted by express directions from this department. Exact vouchers in all cases of expenditures will be necessary for the settlement of your accounts: and as some of these incidental charges are of a nature, scarcely admitting of any other sort of voucher for every item, a separate account of them should be kept and certified by the secretary of the legation. "These particulars are stated thus minutely, that you may be relieved from all doubts on the subject of your accounts, which, you will keep in remembrance, are to be regularly transmitted by duplicates for adjustment at the Treasury, at the close of every quarter, ending with March, June, September and December. "Among the most important general duties of a Minister of the United States in foreign countries, is that of transmitting to his government accurate information of the policy and views of the government, to which he is accredited, and of the character and vicissitudes of its important relations with other European powers. To acquire this information, and particularly to discriminate between that which is authentic, and that which is spurious, requires steady and impartial observation, a free though cautious correspondence with the other Ministers of the United States abroad, and friendly, social relations with the members of the diplomatic body at the same court. "In your correspondence with this Department, besides the current general and particular politics of the country, where you are to reside, you will be mindful, so far as you may find it convenient, to collect and transmit information of every kind, relating to the government, finances, commerce, arts, sciences and condition of the nation, which is not already known, and may be made use. ful to our own country. Books of travels, containing statistical, or other information of political importance, historical works, not be fore in circulation, authentic maps, published by authority of the state, or distinguished by extraordinary reputation, and publications of new and useful discoveries-will always be acceptable acquisitions to this Department. The expense of procuring and transmitting them will form, in your account, a separate charge to the Department. But no such charge of any considerable amount is to be incurred in any one account, without a previous express direction for it from this Department. "It is the practice of the European governments, in the drawing up of their treaties with each other, to vary the order of naming the parties, and of the signatures of the plenipotentiaries in the counterparts of the same treaty, so that each party is first named, and its plenipotentiary signs first, in the copy possessed and published by itself: and in treaties, drawn up between parties, using different languages, and executed in both, each party is first named, and its plenipotentiary signs first in the copy, executed in its own language. This practice, having been accidentally omitted, on one or two occasions, to be observed by the United States, the omission was followed by indications of a disposition in certain European governments to question its application to them. It became, therefore, proper to insist upon it, as was accordingly done with effect. As it is understood to involve a principle, you will consider it as a standing instruction to adhere to this alternative, in the conclusion of any treaty, convention, or other document, to be jointly signed by you with the plenipotentiary of the other power. "In the practice of our government, there is no immediate connexion or dependence between the persons, holding diplomatic and consular appointments in the same country; but by the usage of all the commercial nations of Europe, such a subordination is considered as of course. In the transaction of their official duties, the Consuls are often in necessary correspondence with their Minis ters, and are always supposed to be under their directions. You will accordingly maintain such correspondence with the consuls of the United States in as you shall think conducive to the public interest; and in case of any vacancy in their offices, which may require a temporary appointment of a person to perform the duties of the Consulate, you are authorized, with the consent of the government, to which you are accredited, to make it, giving immediate notice of it to this Department. "Among the ordinary functions of an American Minister in Europe, is that of giving passports to citizens of the United States, who apply for them. They sometimes receive applications for such passports from the subjects of other countries; but as these are not regularly valid, they should be granted only under special circumstances, as may sometimes occur in the case of foreigners, coming to the United States. All passports should be gratuitously given, and may on some occasions be refused even to American citizens. Protections to seamen are not included under the denomination of passports, nor are they ever granted by public minis ters. "A custom prevails among the European sovereigns, upon the conclusion of treaties, of bestowing presents of jewelry, or other articles of pecuniary value, upon the Minister of the power with which they were negotiated; the same usage is repeated upon the Minister's taking leave, at the termination of his mission. The acceptance of such presents, by Ministers of the United States, is expressly prohibited by the Constitution, and even if it were not, it can scarcely be consistent with the delicacy of intercourse with foreign powers, for the Ministers of the United States to receive from foreign princes, such favours, as the Ministers of those princes to the United States never can receive from this government in return. The usage, exceptionable in itself, could be tolerated only by its being reciprocal. It is expected by the President, that every offer of such present, which may in future be made to any public minister or other officer of this government abroad, will be respectfully, but decisively declined. This having been already a standing instruction to all the Ministers of the United States abroad for several years, the rule is probably known, so that no offer of such present will be made; but should there be reason to expect it, to avoid the apparent harshness of declining an intended favour, |