Show I THE U S STATE AT the N Y this american paper had a special reporter in washington to take in the different federal departments depart mente offices and and administrative arrangements and give its readers an idea of the vari oas brance of the national govern arnout the business mode in them the laws concerning them and the duties of the officers all theae things although highly interesting are generally but little known to people outside cl washington or the capitol Ci pitol hence we think it very proper to avail ourselves of the excellent opportunity to give our readers some information with relation to the matter in the first line on the US department this was formerly located in an insignificant building not far from the white house from which it was separated only by ft street and a park now it is domiciled in the south wing of a superb edifice which is a yet unfinished and where besides the state department those of war and of the navy are to be located the south wing is completed and commands a magnificent view down the potomac to mt vernon and far into virginia opposite a little to the right lies on the other bank of the river arlington heights with the confiscated mansion of gen lee and the extensive burbine grounds aher many thousands 01 union eol diera found their last abode during the lat war to the left are the white inhouse and the treasury building whence a very wide street called pennsylvania avenue leada up to the capitol the state received its name by an act of congress of july 1789 before that time it was called tho department of foreign affairs a designation which yet to this day would be more appropriate than the one prevailing at the head of it stands at this moment the well known new york lawyer bvm M Evarle who ie considered the first executive officer next to the dent he has three assistant secretaries the department is divided into four tho consular the diplomatic the account and the archives in cheso a great number of clerks are employed and occupied partly with real and partly with imaginary labors before the war this department was conducted in a most primitive simplicity an assistant secretary a head clerk and few assistant clerks besides some bookkeepers book keepers attended to the whole service As in consequence of the war all tho other departments were considerably enlarged the state department part ment could not remain behind but expanded correspondingly during the war there may have been more work to do for the gentlemen and what wa done for tho division tf labor in this department part ment has since remained un changed and unchangeable it occurs but seldom that a higher functionary reduces the number of his and every time when congress has made the laudable at tempt of reducing the the whole country has been flooded by the party press with the clamor that congress was about crippling the public service starving the government and ruining the country and congress is duly intimated and drops the odious subject desirable its accomplishment would be the secretary of state is at the same time the legal keeper of the great seal of the united states he has to give the necessary instructions to tho ministers consuls and other officers in foreign countries and to conduct the deliberation and cor with the tivee of foreign powers as the president nay n ay instruct him foreign ministers confer with the secretary of state not directly with the president in the state department all acts of congress are preserved every year the secretary of state has to send into congress a compilation of all change in the commercial systems of foreign countries as brought about by treaties alterations in tar afis or any other official regulations of the diplomatic correspondence which he has carried on during the year with our own ministers sandwith foreign government he can publish what he pleasia and keep secret what be thinks unsuited for publication of course he has to give an annual account of the receipt and expenditure of the department and of the salaries which have been paid to american consuls and ministers abroad he issues papers to citizens of tho united states who intend traveling abroad or rather he signs them whenever a foreign govern ment applies for iho extradition of fugitive criminal the secretary of stale upon the certificate of a federal judge who has investigated the charge and the evidences and found them substantiated issues the order of extradition these are in rough outline the duties and prerogatives of the secretary of state for whose punctual and conscientious perform nea the laws bold him answerable I is matter of course that most of he work in the state department is lone by subaltern officer but upon he secretary instruction and un ler his the duties of he three assistant secretaries are lot circumscribed or defined by any law they comprise the di and consular correspond and are divided into three flakes according to the different the first class at lend to the with france germany and great britain ind ane american minister and con als residing in those countries it is conducted by the first assistant secretary the second attend to the correspondence with austria italy russia spain portugal belgium denmark greece the netherlands sweden norway switzerland erland brazil chili peru the argentine republic paraguay and uruguay the third class under the third A distant secretary comprise turkey mexico the barbary states bonitia Tia central america columbia ecuador egypt japan san domingo venezuela china and the government ori lada in ocean tb consular lumu is partly m in th duties of tk secretaries which probably could be performed by the latter with the aid of a few additional clerk the consul abroad whose practical useful appear more than that of the iteM shall from time to time send in report containing detailed and reliable information concerning the countries they reside i this duty is prescribed by no law it imply is an instruction of the department part ment they are to remit copies of all commercial treaties lighthouse notices entrance dues and any other communications of interest and value for the government or the people of the united state once a year the consuls shall bend in reports on the trade of the district they reside in this report has to indicate the causes of any fluctuation of this trade the average market price of the principal exports and imports the freight rates from and to the united states the con shall report whether any amer ions are within their respective districts and whether they have invested capital in industrial or scientific enterprises consular reports are arranged copied and sent in globo each year to congress sometimes communications of specially important matter are sent to newspapers during the year but this has to be don through the secretary of state and not directly by the consuls A violation of this regulation has recently been committed by colonel consul in some chinese port moseby had to the secreta ry of the frequent frauds of another american consul in china bailey and a the anticipated consequence were too long in taking place be repeated his charges in a letter to a friend in los angelos who publia bd them in a newspaper this proceeding was received very ill in the department of state and unless public opinion supports the consul in consideration of the good service he has rendered the country in unmasking an unfaithful officer his official head may have to pay for his indiscretion and neglect of red tape the diplomatic bureau copies and registers all the correspondence with our ministered mini stere abroad and their ro porte to this department this correspondence is once a year seat to congress and printed the bureau of account keeps the accounts of mr ministers and consuls with the government and reports thereon to the secretary the bureau for archives arranges the archives of the department A librarian has besides his usual duties th supervision of the printing of the laws besides these there are several other subordinate division as a statistical division an auditor of accounts etc the union has bad the good fortune of finding as rule eminently able men for this high office we will only mention the names of jef ferson J Q adama webster clay everett marcy cass and Sev rard |