lands, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Norway, Switzerland, Uruguay, and miscellaneous correspondence relating thereto.

Division C, correspondence with Consulates within the dominions of the Barbary States, Bolivia, Central America, Colombia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Friendly and Navigators' Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Haiti, Japan, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Muscat, San Domingo, Siam, Turkey, Venezuela, and other countries not assigned, and miscellaneous correspondence relating thereto.

Besides the three heads of the above-named divisions the Bureau includes a law clerk, whose duty is to examine questions of law involved in the work of the Bureau; * * * a mail clerk, who is charged with the forwarding of all mail matter originating in the Bureau. * * *

The work of the Consular Bureau consists principally of correspondence with Consular officers in regard to their official duties and with the several Departments of the Government and individuals on the same subject. *** It may be said generally to cover instructions to consuls in regard to commercial matters, seamen's accounts and difficulties, estates of deceased Americans, sanitary reports and inspections of vessels, undervaluation of goods, certification of invoices, accounts for salary and miscellaneous expenses, &c., and correspondence with Departments and individuals on similar subjects. Besides this work, much

time is taken up in giving to new consuls and consuls on leave verbal instructions in regard to all matters pertaining to their offices.

Dispatches from consuls, and letters from Departments and individuals, on reaching the desk of the chief of the Bureau,* are by him examined and sent to the proper divisions for reply, the nature of the reply being indicated by indorsement of the Secretary or one of the Assistant Secretaries, or the chief of the Bureau. If necessary, a report showing the previous history of the case or the law bearing thereon is made and the matter submitted for decision. Replies are written by the heads of divisions and submitted to the chief of the Bureau for approval, and are then sent to be signed and indexed, when they are returned to the Bureau [through the Chief Clerk] to be press-copied and forwarded.

There are more than twelve hundred persons in the consular service of the United States. The rules for their government are found in the volume known as "Consular Regulations," the last issue of which appeared in 1888. It contains all the laws and rules which govern a Consul's performance of his duties, except in

* Having previously been indexed, as in the case of diplomatic communications.

extraordinary cases which it would be impossible to cover. The first issue of this handbook was made in 1874, under the supervision of Honorable Hamilton Fish, and a second edition appeared in 1881. There had, however, been issued in 1855, by Honorable William L. Marcy, as Secretary of State, a handbook called "General Instructions to the Consuls and Commercial Agents of the United States, Prepared under the Direction of the Department of State," which followed the Act of March 1, 1855, remodeling the consular and diplomatic systems. In accordance with the Act of August 18, 1856, another edition was issued in 1857, entitled "Regulations Prescribed by the President for Consular Officers of the United States." Before these volumes appeared, the consular officers were dependent upon circulars and instructions issued by the Department, and upon their general knowledge and experience in the transaction of business.

The reports of the Consuls which relate to

trade or commerce in their respective districts are printed under the supervision of the Bureau of Statistics, and this Bureau edits and distributes the reports. They are printed in pamphlets or volumes varying in size, according to their nature, and are divided into three classesregular reports which come in under the general consular regulations, special reports in response to circulars from the Department calling upon the Consuls for reports upon some particular subject or subjects, and annual reports covering the trade of the different consular districts with this country.

An edition of nine thousand copies of the regular reports is printed, of which five copies go to each Senator and Representative, five copies to each board of trade, beside copies to the libraries, to the press, to our consular and diplomatic officers, to individuals and corporations. Between two and three hundred copies are reserved for distribution by the Department as they may be called for. Inquiries in person or

by letter relating to the commerce, industry, and trade of foreign countries are answered by this Bureau.

The introduction, dated October, 1880, to the first of the regular issues of the "Consular Reports" contains a statement of the origin of the system of publication, which has been followed ever since. It is as follows:

Previous to the last session of Congress, with the exception of short abstracts given, from time to time, to the press, the only means of giving publicity to consular reports was through the annual volume of Commercial Relations. The delay incident hereto neutralized, to a large degree, the good which would have resulted from the immediate publication of many of these communications, while a large number of valuable reports were left unpublished altogether, and many others necessarily curtailed, in order that the annual volume might be kept within reasonable limits.

Appreciating the good results of the praiseworthy efforts of our consuls for the enlargement of our commercial relations in their several districts, and desirous of giving the country the fullest and most direct benefits of their labors, Congress, upon representations made thereto by this Department, at its recent session, made provision "for print