§ SIR HENRY WOLFFasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether Her Majesty's Government have reduced the rank of the head of the Mission at Berne to that of a Chargé d'Affaires; whether the French Government have raised the representative of France at that capital to the rank of an Ambassador; what is the diplomatic rank of the representatives at Berne of other Powers guarantors of the neutrality of Switzerland; and, whether, in case the reduction has taken place in Switzerland, it is proposed to apply a similar reduction to Her Majesty's Missions in Belgium and Greece, the neutrality of which Countries is also guaranteed?
§ MR. BOURKESir, the rank and title of the future head of the Mission at Berne will be that of Minister Resident and not of Chargé d'Affaires. The Swiss Government have no diplomatic representative in this country. The French Government, on the appointment of Count Chaudordy, raised their representative at Berne to the rank of Ambassador. With regard to the other Powers referred to, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Portugal have each at Berne an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. 1584 Spain has a Minister Resident, Sweden a Consul General at both Geneva and Berne, and no Mission at Berne, there is no intention on the part of Her Majesty's Government to make any change with regard to the Missions in Belgium and Greece.