minister or consul or other consular officer, or before some officer of that country duly authorized to administer oaths for general purposes, and whose official character and signature shall be duly authenticated by the certificate of a United States minister or consul or other consular officer.-27 Stat. L., 272, sec. 2.

455. To be free of charge.-All United States officers now authorized to administer oaths are required and directed to administer any and all oaths required to be made by pensioners and their witnesses in the execution of their vouchers for their pensions free of charge.-25 Stat. L., 782. Where the voucher is sworn to before a competent local official the consul is expected to certify without charge to the competency of that official. No pension can be paid to a nonresident who is not a citizen of the United States, except for actual disabilities incurred in the service.-27 Stat. L., 524.

USE OF OFFICIAL TITLE AND SEAL.

456. The consul's official title and seal must not be used in the consul's private business transactions or affixed to notes, bills, bonds, or other personal obligations. The Government can assume and can be held to no liability for such obligations. Such proceedings are regarded as involving grave irregularity. Impressing the consular seal on letters or other papers when its use is unnecessary is forbidden. The seal should be used for the purpose of authentication or certification only, and should be kept under lock to prevent the possibility of its use by unauthorized persons.

CONSULS NOT TO ASSUME PECUNIARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.

457. Consular officers are not authorized to indorse notes or bills of exchange, nor in other ways to become responsible

pecuniarily for American citizens or others who have no personal claims upon them, but who seek them as persons who from their position are available for the purpose. Such transactions are not a part of the official duties of a consular officer. He is not authorized to lend money to indigent citizens of the United States or others, nor to incur expenses or liabilities for any persons, except seamen of the United States, in the expectation of reimbursement by the Government.

USE OF NAME AS BUSINESS REFERENCE-REPORTING FINAN OCIAL STANDING OF FOREIGN BUSINESS MEN OR HOUSES.

458. Consular officers are forbidden to allow the use of their names as references for business or other enterprises, and they are not authorized to report to private inquirers concerning the financial standing or commercial repute of business men or houses in their districts. They may, however, refer such inquiries to banks or other business agencies, if any that can answer them; or they may quote the ratings of local business agencies.

ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES OF CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES.

459. Inquiries made by citizens of the United States touching business matters, or other matters not of mere curiosity, should be answered as far as they can be consistently with the consul's other duties. All inquiries of this character should be acknowledged, even when it is impracticable to answer them. The postage on such correspondence is a proper charge against the allowance for contingent expenses. When the information sought relates to commercial or industrial matters of general interest, the answer should be sent to the Department of State, to be transmitted to the inquirer after the Department has extracted any portion that it may desire to publish for the information of the public.

LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION.

460. An official letter of introduction, when given to a citizen of the United States, is valuable to the holder for prompt identification in case he needs the intervention of a consular officer in his behalf. But in no case must the letter be understood or taken as implying any claim upon the consul for hospitality or personal courtesies beyond the politeness always due to citizens of the United States when they have legitimate business with a consulate.

USE OF THE TELEGRAPH.

461. The use of the telegraph at the expense of the Government is restricted to cases of urgency, and to those in which some injury to the public interests would result from delay. It is not permitted in the ordinary business of a consulate, or in communicating with the Department of State, except when justified by the importance and urgency of the case, or when it is done under instructions from the Department. Applications by telegraph or cable for leave of absence and telegraphic replies thereto will generally be at the private expense of the consul.

462. Accounts for telegrams.-In verifying official telegrams in the accounts for the same transmitted to the Department of State for approval at the expiration of each quarter, it is required that each voucher for telegrams should either be indorsed with a reference to the number and date of the dispatch to the Department reporting the telegram or be accompanied with a slip, pinned to it, giving the exact text of the message as sent.

CIRCULARS.

463. All circulars issued over the signature of a consular officer must be submitted to the Department of State and receive its approval before publication, unless they conform

to a draft furnished by the Department or follow the exact language of an instruction or circular of the Department.

ALTERATION OF OFFICIAL FORMS.

4 4. The official forms contained in Appendix VI have been prescribed by the President, under authority of law, to be used in cases to which they apply; and consular officers are forbidden to alter any of them without permission and the approval by the Department of State of the substitute offered. Suggestions for the improvement of forms are, however, invited, and they will always receive consideration. Exact translation of English forms into the language of the country to which the consul is accredited is not within this prohibition, where the local conditions require translation. (Asto unofficial and miscellaneous forms, see paragraphs 188 and 335.)

LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

465. Absence exceeding forty-eight hours.-All absences of a consul from his post exceeding forty-eight hours, whether by leave or otherwise, must be reported to the Department of State, and are regarded as a part of the sixty days during which a consul may be absent in one year without loss of salary.-12 Op. Att. Gen., 410.

466. Consuls not to be absent more than ten days without leave.— No consul-general, consul, commercial agent, consular clerk, consular agent, marshal, or interpreter at a consulate shall be absent from his post or the performance of his duties for a longer period than ten days at any one time without permission previously obtained of the President.-R. S., sec. 1741; 18 Stat. L., 77. This provision in regard to an absence of ten days is intended to meet those cases of sudden emergency which do not allow sufficient time for communicating with the Department of State, and in which some serious detriment to the health or the affairs of the officer, or otherwise,

is likely to occur before a formal application can be acted upon. It is not to be assumed that an unauthorized absence of ten days can be taken as a matter of course. The circumstance of distance between the Department and its officers abroad requires that the use of the permission granted by statute should be intrusted to their fidelity and honor; and when an officer is known to violate the confidence reposed in him in this respect, he must expect to incur the serious displeasure of the President. Application for leave of absence must be addressed to the Department of State in the manner directed by paragraphs 97-99, 105, and 106.

467. Salary during absence from post. The statute referring to consuls-general, consuls, and commercial agents, who are the only consular officers entitled to any compensation when not in the actual performance of duty at the post, provides that no consular officer shall receive salary for the time during which he may be absent from his post, by leave or otherwise, beyond the term of sixty days in any one year; but the time equal to that usually occupied in going to and from the United States, in case of the return on leave of such consular officer to the United States, may be allowed in addition to such sixty days. The Department of State may, for good reason, grant leave for a longer time; but it carries no right to salary beyond the time fixed by law.-R. S., secs. 1740, 1742.

468. Leave of absence discretionary with President. The statute limits the period of a consul's absence from his post, but it does not entitle him to leave of absence each year.-R. S., sec. 1742. The President, acting through the Department of State, will determine in each case whether the consul may be absent.

469. Applications for leave of absence.-Every application for leave of absence must contain a statement of the number of days the consul has been absent from his post during the previous twelve months, and whether with or without leave;