§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, before a person is appointed by a foreign Government a consul in a town situated in a self-governing British colony, and after the approval of the representative of the local government of that colony has been asked and obtained, it is usual to ask the Imperial Government whether there are objections to the appointment before it is made or before an exequatur for the person appointed is asked for; if so, whether the application is made to the Governor of the colony or to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and whether the British Consul at Johannesburg was appointed after a mere notification, or whether the approval of the Government of the Transvaal Republic was first asked.
§ * MR. BRODRICK(1) When a consul is appointed in Her Majesty's dominions, the representative of his government at this Court makes a formal application to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for the issue of the Queen's exequatur to, empower the consul to act in his official capacity. If he is in the regular consular service, steps are at once taken to prepare Her Majesty's exequatur. If he is not a member of the regular service, and is resident at the post to which he is appointed, the fecal authorities are first asked whether there is any objection known by them to the appointment. 441 (2) In the case of the appointment of the present Vice-Consul at Johannesburg, the Government of the South African Republic were asked whether they had any objection to him, and no objection being made he was appointed.