§ MR. JAMES HUTTON (Manchester, N.)asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether it is a fact that a considerable number of the British Consuls and Vice Consuls holding appointments in France, Germany, Italy, 1769 Spain, and Sweden, are not British subjects?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. BRYCE) (Aberdeen, S.)All the paid Consuls General and Consuls in the countries named are British subjects. The Consuls General at Vienna, Berlin, and Leipzig are unpaid—the two latter are not British subjects. A good many of the Vice Consuls in these and other countries are foreigners. They are, however, unpaid, and to replace them by paid officials, forbidden to engage in trade, would involve an enormous increase to the expenditure on the Consular Service. Whenever qualified British subjects can be found willing to undertake the duties of an unpaid Vice Consul, they are selected by preference.