a sort of etiquette to send an ambassador. The sovereigns of the House of Bourbon, (France, Spain, and the two Sicilies,) are usually represented at their respective courts by a minister of this rank.

Difficulties have often arisen from the claims of ministers on the score of precedence. We find in the Recueil des Pièces officielles, (Tom. 8. No. 17.) an arrangement signed by the eight powers,* parties to the treaties of 1814-1815 on this subject. As it is quite short and is now probably adopted in most of the European courts, we take this opportunity of translating it; the provisions appear just; they are at least very convenient.

"ART. 1. Diplomatic agents are divided into three classes. 1. Ambassadors, Legates, or Nuncios. 2. Envoys, Ministers and other agents accredited by the Sovereigns. 3. Chargés d'Affaires, accredited by the Department of Foreign Relations.

"ART. 2. Ambassadors, Legates or Nuncios, are alone invested with a representative character.

"ART. 3. Diplomatic agents sent on a mission extraordinary, are not entitled, on this account, to a superior rank.

The

"ART. 4. Diplomatic agents of the respective classes take rank according to the date of the official notice of their arrival. representatives of the Pope are not affected by this article.

"ART. 5. Each State shall determine upon an uniform mode of

receiving diplomatic agents of the different classes.

"ART. 6. Neither relationship nor family or political alliances between courts confer rank upon their agents.

"ART. 7. The order in which the signatures of Ministers shall be placed in acts or treaties between several powers, that allow of the alternat, shall be determined by lot."

During the confederation, the public officers of the United States abroad were called, either Chargés d'Affaires, Commissioners, or Ministers Plenipotentiary. We are not aware that the confederation ever received or employed an Envoy Extra

*Austria, Spain, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia, Russia and Sweden.

ordinary. At present the government has established by its practice three classes, viz. Chargé d'Affaires; Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary. The Corps Diplomatic of this country in Europe now consists either of Chargés d'Affaires or Envoys Extraordinary with full powers.

The salaries of public ministers varied very much under the confederation. They had at first no fixed compensation. But in October '79 a salary of £2500 was established for the ministers in France, and of £1000 for the Secretaries, in full for services and expenses. This rate continued till '84, when Congress resolved that the salary of a minister should not exceed 9000 dollars. It does not appear that any outfit was allowed. The confederation generally paid their ministers better than is now done; for the expense of living in Europe, particularly on the continent, has increased at least one half the last forty years. We have still remaining a report of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs on the expenses of his department in 1782. It is in some respects an amusing document, though, as it regards the expense of the ministers, obviously quite loose and hasty.

"Dr. Franklin has a part of Mr. Chaumont's house at Passy, he keeps a chariot and pair, and three or four servants, and gives a dinner occasionally to the Americans and others. His whole expense as far as I can learn, is very much within his income. Mr. Adams lives in lodgings; keeps a chariot and pair, and two men servants. He has hitherto retained a private secretary, who will, in the absence of Mr. Dana, it is presumed, be paid by Congress. I have lately heard that Mr. Adams was about to take a house. Mr. Dana's salary, even if he should assume a public character in a country where the relative value of money is so high, that if I am well informed, an elegant house may be hired for fifteen guineas a year, is very ample. Of Mr. Jay's manner of living, I have been able to give no account, but I should conclude from the price of the necessaries of life in that part of Spain in which he lives, from the port the Court and the people about it maintain, and above all, from its sitting in different parts of the

Franklin, his

But as every

Kingdom, that to live in the same style with Dr. expenses must amount to nearly the double of theirs. 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 Mr. Adams.

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.

10

We observe, i ment of this do

THE United S sador,"* in th the form of ou we confine ou An ambassado the person and of ambassado monial of the appointed to audiences they or throne in course, often like any other ter of the hor his particular quality an A represents not has a right to them of the obviously dep sentation of t believe, are n most of their there are cert

* The Congr monial of receiv their presence ai but also when h vileges.

CEREMONIAL OF RECEPTION.

Is receiving the first Foreign Minister in 78, various difficulthes persepito, the tuselves to the consideration of Congress. Theet paette pra tused in the courts of Europe was probably kayown or at the least, it could easy have been ascertained. But tha terem .. al could in no way be made to apply to the tom of the American Congress. It was not a mg verament with a monarch, nor a confederated republer w 15 an executive to represent it. The single House of De gates was the whole government. The foreign minister was actressed to the Congress, and by that body he alone could accmited. Tas part of the affair was very plain and cas v understood, but the details of the reception were sem ng's difficult to arrage. Congress itself was the sovere gauni pendent body, to whom the minister was to be presented-it was the man: but every member of it was dgate from a sover and independent state and

pos

gpal dignity and authority with every other member. 8' a could only be approached as a body. Neither was Cogress turnshed with officers to perform the minor parts of the cerem in al of introduction. Their own members who exposed the nation, and each of whom represented a sort of naton, were obliged to be the actors or assistants in the

Mr. Gerard was the first foreign minister received by ConHe arrived in this country in the summer of 1778, and was a Minister Plenipotentiary. The form of his presentatan obviously caused some embarrassment. The subject was early referred, like any other matter, to a committee, (Rard Henry Lee, Samuel Adams, Gouverneur Morris,) and the report of this committee was discussed five days by Congress. The debates have not been preserved. The busi

ness was finally arranged with uncommon care and minuteness, not perhaps in very good taste, nor with much simplicity; but the reader will be satisfied by the extracts we are about to quote from the order of the ceremony, that Congress had not neglected the rights or pretensions of either party.

"Resolved, that the ceremonial for a Minister Plenipotentiary or Envoy shall be as follows. When a Minister Plenipotentiary or Envoy, shall arrive within any of the United States, he shall receive, at all places, where there are guards, sentries, and the like, such military honours as are paid to a general officer of the second rank in the armies of the United States. When he shall arrive at the place in which Congress shall be, he shall wait upon the President, and deliver his credentials, or a copy thereof. Two members of Congress shall then be deputed to wait upon him, when and where he shall receive audience of the Congress. At the time he is to receive his audience, the two members shall again wait upon him in a coach belonging to the States, and the person first named of the two, shall return with the Minister Plenipotentiary or envoy in the coach, giving the Minister the right hand, and placing himself on the left with the other member on the first seat. When the Minister Plenipotentiary or Envoy is arrived at the door of the Congress Hall, he shall be introduced to his chair by the two members who shall stand at his left hand." "When the Minister is introduced to his chair by the two members, he shall sit down. His Secretary shall then deliver to the President the letter of his Sovereign, which shall be read and translated by the Secretary of Congress. Then the Minister shall be announced, at which time the President, the House, and the Minister shall rise together. The Minister shall then bow to the President and the House, and they to him. The Minister and the President shall then bow to each other, and be seated, after which the House shall sit down. The Minister shall deliver his speech standing. The President and the House shall sit while the Minister is delivering his speech. The House shall rise and the President shall deliver the answer standing. The Minister shall stand while the President delivers his answer. Having spoken, and being answered, the Minister and President shall bow to each other, at which time the House shall bow, and then the Minister shall be conducted home in the manner in which he was brought to the