CONSULS TO SOUTH AMERICA. (Hansard, 2 April 1824)

§ Mr. Hume
rose to ask a question. Was it to be understood, that, after this grant was made to the consuls and vice-consuls in Spanish America, the British trade in that quarter of the globe was to be free from the imposition of any further toll, to them? He did not object to the amount of the salaries which it was proposed to give these gentlemen; for he thought that they would not get men of respectability to fill them, unless they were properly remunerated. He was, however, anxious, that our different consuls should be paid by the public, and should be debarred from receiving any fees, save such as were merely nominal, upon the delivery of certificates required in the course of trade. Whilst he was upon the subject, he would suggest a plan to his majesty's ministers, which several eminent merchants had informed him was calculated to obviatmany of the vexatious difficulties whice they sometimes experienced in foreign countries, owing to the uncertain nature of our consular fees. The plan was this— that the captain of any ship, on clearing out for a foreign port at the custom-house should be entitled to ask and receive a printed copy of the consular charges at all the ports at which he was likely to touch in the course of his voyage. It might be said, that such a plan could not be put into execution without some expense. He allowed that it would occasion some trifling expense; but it ought not to be regarded, when it was considered that it was incurred on behalf of the commerce of the country, and that that commerce was the chief source of its strength and revenue. He was certain that if our consuls were paid fixed salaries and were only allowed to receive certain small stated fees, many of the difficulties would be removed with which our commerce was at present impeded.

§ Mr. Huskisson
was, to a certain degree, of the same opinion with the hon. member for Aberdeen, with regard to paying our consuls out of the public revenue. He intended, within a short period, to bring in a bill to enable government to pay them 105 out of the public purse, and to establish some uniformity in the system by which they were remunerated. At present nothing could be more vague and uncertain than the manner in which they obtained their emoluments. In some places they had fees, in others they had none; in some places they exacted high, and in others they exacted only trifling duties. He wished to reduce them all to one uniform practice; and to effect that purpose, he would give them fixed salaries and allow them certain moderate fees on the different commercial instruments which it was their duty to make out in the ordinary course of trade. He would also propose to levy a small tonnage upon all ships touching at the ports where we had consuls; and he would propose it for the purpose of defraying certain incidental expenses that were not paid out of the public purse; such as those for distressed or ship wrecked-seamen and others of a similar nature.

§ Mr. Hume
expressed himself well satisfied with the observations which had fallen from the right hon. gentleman, and said, that if there were any points on which he differed from him, they might be discussed when the right hon. gentleman brought his bill before the House. He would take that opportunity of expressing his thanks to the right hon. secretary for foreign affairs, for the attention which he had paid to a subject, in which, though he was not himself personally concerned, the public were largely interested. He alluded to our trade with the Brazils. He could not at present say what effect the regulations which the right hon. secretary had made might have produced abroad; but this he could not say, that they had given perfect satisfaction to all persons at home engaged in that trade. Before he sat down, he would suggest to the right hon. president of the board of trade, whether it would not be advisable, in any future regulation, to prevent consuls from deputing their duties at will to any person, they might choose to appoint as vice-consuls.