CORRESPONDENCE AND SPEECHES OF MR. PETER RYLANDS, M.P. WITH A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER. BY HIS SON, L. GORDON RYLANDS, B.A., Author of Crime: its Causes and Remedy.” VOL. II SPEECHES. Manchester: ABEL HEYWOOD & SON, 56 & 58, OLDHAM STREET. London: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & Co.. LIMITED. 1890. SPEECHES OF MR. PETER RYLANDS, M.P. FOREIGN AFFAIRS. No. I. ON MR. OTWAY'S MOTION FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE TO INQUIRE INTO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICES. Delivered in the House of Commons, Feb. 14, 1870. I wish to express my gratification at the course taken by the Government in proposing a Select Committee in accordance with the recommendation I made last session. I am not quite satisfied with the wording of the resolution, but I presume there is no intention of limiting the inquiries of the Committee, but that the Committee will inquire into the management of the Foreign Office as well as into the constitution of the Services; and that, although no reference is made to the cost of the Diplomatic and Consular Services, the attention of the Committee will be directed to the means of securing a reduction of expenditure. When I ventured to address the House last year upon this question, I referred to the recommendation of the Official Salaries Committee of 1850, and pointed out that those recommendations, if carried out, would have been the means of great economy, but that they had been entirely disregarded by the Foreign Office, and, in consequence, the expenditure of that Department had been continually increasing. I moved for Returns showing the total increased charges for embassies abroad since 1851, which were laid on the table last week, and which entirely confirm the statements I made. The Foreign Office have drawn out the Returns in [such a way as to give the impression that the increased expenditure was balanced by savings in other directions; but that is not B |