John Adam Kasson to Blaine, March 30, 1881

No. 33. Mr. Kasson to Mr. Blaine.

Sir: In order to complete the information which I have believed to be interesting to the Department of State at Washington, I have procured copies of the official regulations established by the ministry of foreign affairs in Vienna for the examination and admission of candidates for appointment into the diplomatic and consular service.

The original and translations are transmitted herewith.

The rigidity and thoroughness of the examinations will compare well with those of undergraduates at our best institutions of learning.

I have, &c.,

Extract from the regulation of the year 1849 relative to the creation of posts of consular clerks (eleves).

• It is not only a primary condition for admission as consular clerk that he should be unmarried, but he must so continue during his tenure of this office.
• As conditions for attainment of the post of consular clerk, are further established:
  • Age under thirty years.
  • Jurdicial political studies finished with satisfactory result.
  • Performance of at least one year’s service in concept department of the State, with public officers, where opportunity is afforded to obtain precise acquaintance with the organization and scope of the branches of the government and the forms of conducting business.
  • Commendable mental capacity and blameless moral character.
  • Complete knowledge of the German, Italian, and French languages.
  • Passing a competitive examination in writing.
• The requisite a is to be shown by a certificate of baptism; b by the testimonials of study; c and d by the reports of the official chiefs in the public offices with whom or under whose direction the candidate has served or is yet serving.
• With regard to the requisite e, testimonials, duly attested by such official chiefs, are to be produced, but the result of the examination will afford satisfactory proof.
• To the competitive examination to be passed in writing only such candidates will be admitted whose possession of the requisites a, b, c, and d shall have been previously shown. The competitive examination will take place at the imperial and royal ministry for foreign affairs, and the time will be made known to such candidates as may be admitted to it. At this examination the candidates must, under official supervision, discuss in writing three themes or questions submitted to them, namely: One drawn from the Hungarian international law, or specially in relation to the treaties of commerce and navigation of Austria and foreign nations; one drawn from the Austrian laws and regulations relative to the consular system and relative to marine navigation; one drawn from political economy or the customs and commercial system of Austria, or from the statistics of Austrian commerce and industry.

One of these treaties must be prepared in the German, the second in the Italian, the third in the French language. The examination of the finished compositions will take place at the imperial and royal ministry for foreign affairs, and the result of it will, in connection with the requisites mentioned in § 4 and § 5, serve as reasons in influencing the nominations of consular clerks.