CESSATION DE FONCTIONS

tages considérables à la suppression de ces inconvénients mutuels ; pour cela, ils n'auraient qu’à conserver, en dépit des hostilités, les Consuls de l'Etat ennemi. Îl est vrai que d’auires considérations rendent des plus dangereuses la présence, sur le territoire d’un Etat, d’un corps de fonctionnaires dévoués aux intérêts de l'ennemi. La suspicion qui ne manquerait pas d’entourer les Consuls placés dans ces circonstances les empêcherait d’être réellement utiles à leurs compatriotes.

Lorsque la souveraineté de l'Etat du Consul ou de l'Etat étranger se modifie, il est dans les usages de renouveler la commission et l'exequatur, bien que, dans plusieurs cas, les Consuls continuent à agir comme auparavant. Si l'Etat étranger a subi dans sa souveraineté un changement que l’autre Etat reconnaît, il peut considérer comme à peu près inutile de renouveler l’exequatur des Consuls de cet Etat. Semblablement, si l'Etat étranger a des raisons de croire que l'Etat du Consul refusera de le reconnaître officiellement, et qu'il ne soit pas désireux de soulever la question, il trouvera préférable d'autoriser les Consuls à se prévaloir de l’ancien exequatur, jusqu’à ce qu’il se sente assez fort pour demander cette reconnaissance.

S'il survient un changement dans la souveraineté de l'Etat qui envoie le Consul, Ja question offre moins d'importance. En effet, l'Etat étranger autorisant les

Consuls à continuer leurs fonctions sur son territoire sans nouvel exequatur, comme ce sont des fonctionnaires du nouveau gouvernement sous l'autorité duquel ils agissent, son attitude équivaut pratiquement à une reconnaissance.

Définition.

Un Consul est un fonctionnaire public nommé par un Etat pour agir, du consentement d’un autre Etat, dans le domaine juridictionnel de ce dernier. Il a pour mission de surveiller et de protéger, conformément aux traités particuliers des deux Etats et aux principes généraux du droit international, les intérêls, nationaux ou individuels, que son Gouvernement juge opportun qu’il soutienne. Enfin, il remplit à l'étranger les fonctions, très diverses, de nombreux officiers publics, dont le ministère eût été, soit indispensable, soit utile à ses concitoyens à l'étranger, ou, plus simplement, avantageux à toute transaction soit commerciale soit civile qui intéresse son pays ou ses nationaux.

APPENDICE A Duties of the United States Consuls.

Selected from Report submitted tc the Senate, June 9, 4902, (Senate Doc. 411, lst Session, 57th Congress).

1. —- Rosario. …. p. 12. (Settling) complaints made by seamen of abuses by ship’s officers or by masters of drunkenness and insubordination or mutiny on the part of the crew.

2. — REICHENBERG..…. p. 18. The Consul at Reichenberg is occupied chiefly with invoices, though the protection of Americans has of late been no unimportant part of his duties. Naturalized American citizens, returning to this district Lo visit relatives, have been arrested or threatened with expulsion by local officials who evidently misunderstood the provisions of the treaty between the United States and Austria-Hungary, and it has required much patient effort to secure justice in such cases.

3. — VIENNA..…. P. 23. Many of the inquiries as, for instance, the methods of taxation in this monarchy, or the cheapest means of extracling copper ore, or the prospect of a market in Austria for maple sugar or maple Syrup, consume many hours in collecting the requisite information for an intelligent reply.

Stovrell, 15

According to our treaties with this monarchy, a Consul has no right to administer estates or to act as a curator for a deceased American citizen. Our consular officers are, nevertheless, subjected to a great deal of care and labor in acting in an intermediate capacity between the interested American claimants and the local authorities.

4. — Genr.……. p. 30. Disinfection of rags, and issuance of certificates of disinfection to accompany shipments of rags to the United States.

…Settlement of estates of Belgian subjects deceased in the United States...

D. — Liece..……. p. 32. Listening to the woes of Americans 6. — Rio... p. 45. Inseparable from an intelligent and

effective discharge of the duties of this office, are numerous social obligations, a close study of the local daily press, of trade publications, of the daily fluctuations in currency, and of the transportation problems.

7. — VALPARAISO..….. p. 54. Services to United States war vessels and naval colliers; ...

8. — BARRANQUILLIA...… p. 79. Local passports to American citizens,

9. — Port Limon...… p. 9. Visiting sick Americans ; arranging fort funerals of deceased Americans, and, at times, in the absence of a clergyman, officiating at the burial services ; reporting their deaths to relatives and to the State Department ; taking charge of their effects and settling their estates ; performing notarial acts, and such other duties as naturally fall to the consular agent as a representative of the United States government.

10 .— Sanro Dominco……. P. 103. Protection to Americans, Porto Ricans, and Cubans..….

11, — Macoris..….. p. 105. The duties connected with this office are the certifying of invoices, issuing bills of health, certifying landing cerüficates, noting and extending marine protests with the issuing of orders for the necessary surveys, protection of Americans afloat and on shore, including some 150 Porto Ricans residing here ; the shipping and discharging of American seamen and the rendering of assistance Lo the captains of American vessels to sustain the necessary discipline while in port when called upon to do so,

12. — BouLocne-sur-MEr.…. p. 116. The duties of this office mainly concern the issuance of bills of health to Trans-Atlantic vessels touching here, and seeing that our emigration laws are observed.

13. — Havre... p. 123. Executing the emigration and quarantine laws of the United States, …

14. — Nice... P. 143. Caring for estates of deccased Americans pending action by the executors.

15. — Tunis... p. 166. Every mail brings a batch of communications enclosing advertising prospectuses.

16. — BREMEN..... p. 177. Inspection of emigrants passing through Bremen en route for the United States, The North German Lloyd Steamship Company runs three steamers every week from Bremen to New-York or Baltimore, and every alternate week a fourth stcamer is started bound for Galveston. Each of them requires three inspections of the emigrants, which makes on the average from nine to eleven inspections every week.

To illustrate : To get the sieerage passengers ready for Tuesday’s fast steamer in each week the following not inconsiderable work has to be done . On monday noon at 12.30 the baggage of the emigrants has to be inspected and all the bedding ordered into the disinfection chamber. At 1 p. m. the inspection of the emigrants themselves takes place and usually last still 2.30. Besides the Consul there are présent. Doctor Peltzer, who is employed by this consulate, and one or two of the physicians of the vessel which is to start the next day. On this occasion every man, woman, and child ticketed for the steerage is vaccinated and his or her general physical condition examined into, special care being taken to detect diseases of the eyes and skin and lungs.

At 5p. m. the second inspection takes place, beginning again with the baggage and continuing vaccinating and examining the second installment of emigrants, which frequently lasts ull 7 p. m.

The third installment, comprising such emigrants as may have arrived during the night, is examined and vaccinated on Tuesday morning one hour before the steamer train leaves, which occurs almost always at a very early hour, between 4 and 9 o’clock. At this early inspection the Consul or one of his assistants must be present, because then all the various papers have to be signed that go to the United States officials at the port of destination. As already stated, these three inspections take place with every steamer leaving, so that there are from nine Lo eleven

every week.