He issues all proclamations in the name of the president, and furnishes copies of papers and records of his office when required. He keeps the correspondence with foreign powers, and it is his special province, also, to preserve the original of all laws, public documents, and treaties with foreign powers. It is also his duty to conduct the correspondence with our ministers and consuls to other countries, with foreign ministers accredited to our government, and to him is confided the general charge of our foreign relations. He issues passports to our citizens visiting foreign countries, and it is his duty to issue warrants for the extradition of criminals to be delivered up to foreign governments. The department of state has a diplomatic bureau, consular bureau, and a domestic bureau. PUBLIC MINISTERS AND CONSULS. All persons who are sent abroad to represent our government are connected with the department of state. The different ranks of our ministers are as follows: (1) Ambassadors. (2) Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary. (3) Ministers resident. (4) Chargés d'affaires. (5) Secretaries of legation. The ambassador, and the envoy extraordinary, and ministers plenipotentiary have the same pay, and appear to be of equal rank. Strictly speaking, we never send ambassadors to foreign governments. Envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary are sent to thirteen governments. Four are of the first rank, namely: Great Britain, the German Empire, France, and Russia. Seven are of the second rank, namely: Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Austria, China, and Japan. Two are of the third rank, namely: Chili and Peru. The salaries of these ministers range from ten thousand dollars to seventeen thousand five hundred dollars a year. Ministers resident are sent to the Argentine Republic, Venezuela, Hawaiian Islands, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway. These officers receive seven thousand five hundred dollars a year. Our government sends one minister resident to the countries of Gautemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Salvador, and Nicaragua. This officer has a salary of ten thousand dollars. Our minister to Hayti receives a salary of seven thousand five hundred dollars, and is termed a minister resident and consul-general. Our minister resident to Liberia has four thousand dollars a year. Chargés d'affaires receive five thousand dollars each, and are sent to various countries of inferior rank. The secretary of legation is the clerk to the foreign embassy. Consuls are not diplomatic agents of our government, but commercial agents residing abroad, whose duty it is to watch over the interests of our commerce and our citizens, in the ports of the different countries. It is their duty also to protect the rights of our seamen. We have at the present time, in foreign ports, fifteen or twenty consuls-general and commercial agents. Their salaries range from one thousand dollars to six thousand dollars per annum. Many consuls are principally paid by fees. THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. - Of late years the importance of this department has greatly increased. During the civil war the government issued bank bills, termed greenbacks, and established a system of national banks, which have increased materially the number of officers and employees in this department. Under the secretary of the treasury are the following officers :(1) The comptroller. (2) Auditor. (3) Treasurer. (4) Register. (5) Assistant secretary. This department has charge of the management of the revenue, superintends its collection, and grants warrants for money to be issued from the treasury, in pursuance of appropriations made by law, and generally performs all needful services relative to the finances of our country. There are various bureaus in the treasury depart ment, as : (1) The bureau of the first comptroller. (2) The bureau of the second comptroller. (10) Register. (11) Commissioner of customs. (12) Comptroller of currency. (13) Commissioner of internal revenue. (14) Bureau of statistics. |