ments；　our　Government　Offices；　Colonial　Office；　Foreign　Office　and　the　others；　in　Downing　Street　and　the　neighborhood。　　To　me　individually　these　branches　of　human　business　are　little　known；　but　every　British　citizen　and　reflective　passer…by　has　occasion　to　wonder　much；　and　inquire　earnestly；　concerning　them。　　To　all　men　it　is　evident　that　the　social　interests　of　one　hundred　and　fifty　Millions　of　us　depend　on　the　mysterious　industry　there　carried　on；　and　likewise　that　the　dissatisfaction　with　it　is　great；　universal；　and　continually　increasing　in　intensity；in　fact；　mounting；　we　might　say；　to　the　pitch　of　settled　despair。
  Every　colony；　every　agent　for　a　matter　colonial；　has　his　tragic　tale　to　tell　you　of　his　sad　experiences　in　the　Colonial　Office；　what　blind　obstructions；　fatal　indolences；　pedantries；　stupidities；　on　the　right　and　on　the　left；　he　had　to　do　battle　with；　what　a　world…wide　jungle　of　red…tape；　inhabited　by　doleful　creatures；　deaf　or　nearly　so　to　human　reason　or　entreaty；　he　had　entered　on；　and　how　he　paused　in　amazement；　almost　in　despair；　passionately　appealed　now　to　this　doleful　creature；　now　to　that；　and　to　the　dead　red…tape　jungle；　and　to　the　living　Universe　itself；　and　to　the　Voices　and　to　the　Silences；and；　on　the　whole；　found　that　it　was　an　adventure；　in　sorrowful　fact；　equal　to　the　fabulous　ones　by　old　knights…errant　against　dragons　and　wizards　in　enchanted　wildernesses　and　waste　howling　solitudes；　not　achievable　except　by　nearly　superhuman　exercise　of　all　the　four　cardinal　virtues；　and　unexpected　favor　of　the　special　blessing　of　Heaven。　　His　adventure　achieved　or　found　unachievable；　he　has　returned　with　experiences　new　to　him　in　the　affairs　of　men。　　What　this　Colonial　Office；　inhabiting　the　head　of　Downing　Street；　really　was；　and　had　to　do；　or　try　doing；　in　God's　practical　Earth；　he　could　not　by　any　means　precisely　get　to　know；　believes　that　it　does　not　itself　in　the　least　precisely　know。　　Believes　that　nobody　knows；that　it　is　a　mystery；　a　kind　of　Heathen　myth；　and　stranger　than　any　piece　of　the　old　mythological　Pantheon；　for　it　practically　presides　over　the　destinies　of　many　millions　of　living　men。
  Such　is　his　report　of　the　Colonial　Office：　　and　if　we　oftener　hear　such　a　report　of　that　than　we　do　of　the　Home　Office；　Foreign　Office　or　the　rest；the　reason　probably　is；　that　Colonies　excite　more　attention　at　present　than　any　of　our　other　interests。　　The　Forty　Colonies；　it　appears；　are　all　pretty　like　rebelling　just　now；　and　are　to　be　pacified　with　constitutions；　luckier　Constitutions；　let　us　hope；　than　some　late　ones　have　been。　　Loyal　Canada；　for　instance；　had　to　quench　a　rebellion　the　other　year；　and　this　year；　in　virtue　of　its　constitution；　it　is　called　upon　to　pay　the　rebels　their　damages；　which　surely　is　a　rather　surprising　result；　however　constitutional！Men　have　rents　and　moneys　dependent　in　the　Colonies；　Emigration　schemes；　Black　Emancipations；　New…Zealand　and　other　schemes；　and　feel　and　publish　more　emphatically　what　their　Downing…Street　woes　in　these　respects　have　been。
  Were　the　state　of　poor　sallow　English　ploughers　and　weavers；　what　we　may　call　the　Sallow　or　Yellow　Emancipation　interest；　as　much　in　object　with　Exeter…Hall　Philanthropists　as　that　of　the　Black　blockheads　now　all　emancipated；　and　going　at　large　without　work；　or　need　of　working；　in　West…India　clover　（and　fattening　very　much　in　it；　one　delights　to　hear）；　then　perhaps　the　Home　Office；　its　huge　virtual　task　better　understood；　and　its　small　actual　performance　better　seen　into；　might　be　found　still　more　deficient；　and　behind　the　wants　of　the　age；　than　the　Colonial　itself　is。
  How　it　stands　with　the　Foreign　Office；　again；　one　still　less　knows。　Seizures　of　Sapienza；　and　the　like　sudden　appearances　of　Britain　in　the　character　of　Hercules…Harlequin；　waving；　with　big　bully…voice；　her　huge　sword…of…sharpness　over　field…mice；　and　in　the　air　making　horrid　circles　（horrid　catherine…wheels　and　death…disks　of　metallic　terror　from　said　huge　sword）；　to　see　how　they　will　like　it；do　from　time　to　time　astonish　the　world；　in　a　not　pleasant　manner。　　Hercules…Harlequin；　the　Attorney　Triumphant；　the　World's　Busybody：　　none　of　these　are　parts　this　Nation　has　a　turn　for；　she；　if　you　consulted　her；　would　rather　not　play　these　parts；　but　another！　　Seizures　of　Sapienza；　correspondences　with　Sotomayor；　remonstrances　to　Otho　King　of　Athens；　fleets　hanging　by　their　anchor　in　behalf　of　the　Majesty　of　Portugal；　and　in　short　the　whole；　or　at　present　very　nearly　the　whole；　of　that　industry　of　protocolling；　diplomatizing；　remonstrating；　admonishing；　and　〃having　the　honor　to　be；〃has　sunk　justly　in　public　estimation　to　a　very　low　figure。
  For　in　fact；　it　is　reasonably　asked；　What　vital　interest　has　England　in　any　cause　now　deciding　itself　in　foreign　parts？　　Once　there　was　a　Papistry　and　Protestantism；　important　as　life　eternal　and　death　eternal；　more　lately　there　was　an　interest　of　Civil　Order　and　Horrors　of　the　French　Revolution；　important　at　least　as　rent…roll　and　preservation　of　the　game；　but　now　what　is　there？　　No　cause　in　which　any　god　or　man　of　this　British　Nation　can　be　thought　to　be　concerned。　　Sham…kingship；　now　recognized　and　even　self…recognized　everywhere　to　be　sham；　wrestles　and　struggles　with　mere　ballot…box　Anarchy：　　not　a　pleasant　spectacle　to　British　minds。　　Both　parties　in　the　wrestle　professing　earnest　wishes　of　peace　to　us；　what　have　we　to　do　with　it　except　answer　earnestly；　〃Peace；　yes　certainly；〃　and　mind　our　affairs　elsewhere。　　The　British　Nation　has　no　concern　with　that　indispensable　sorrowful　and　shameful　wrestle　now　going　on　everywhere　in　foreign　parts。　　The　British　Nation　already；　by　self…experience　centuries　old；　understands　all　that；　was　lucky　enough　to　transact　the　greater　part　of　that；　in　noble　ancient　ages；　while　the　wrestle　had　not　yet　become　a　shameful　one；　but　on　both　sides　of　it　there　was　wisdom；　virtue；　heroic　nobleness　fruitful　to　all　time；thrice…lucky　British　Nation！　　The　British　Nation；　I　say；　has　nothing　to　learn　there；　has　now　quite　another　set　of　lessons　to　learn；　far　ahead　of　what　is　going　on　there。　　Sad　example　there；　of　what　the　issue　is；　and　how　inevitable　and　how　imminent；　might　admonish　the　British　Nation　to　be　speedy　with　its　new　lessons；　to　bestir　itself；　as　men　in　peril　of　conflagration　do；　with　the　neighboring　houses　all　on　fire！　To　obtain；　for　its　own　very　pressing　behoof；　if　by　possibility　it　could；　some　real　Captaincy　instead　of　an　imaginary　one：　　to　remove　resolutely；　and　replace　by　a　better　sort；　its　own　peculiar　species　of　teaching　and　guiding　histrios　of　various　name；　who　here　too　are　numerous　exceedingly；　and　much　in　need　of　gentle　removal；　while　the　play　is　still　good；　and　the　comedy　has　not　yet　become　_tragic_；　and　to　be　a　little　swift　about　it　withal；　and　so　to　escape　the　otherwise　inevitable　evil　day！　　This　Britain　might　learn：　but　she　does　not　need　a　protocolling　establishment；　with　much　〃having　the　honor　to　be；〃　to　teach　it　her。
  No：she　has　in　fact　certain　cottons；　hardwares　and　such　like　to　sell　in　foreign　parts；　and　certain　wines；　Portugal　oranges；　Baltic　tar　and　other　products　to　buy；　and　does　need；　I　suppose；　some　kind　of　Consul；　or　accredited　agent；　accessible　to　British　voyagers；　here　and　there；　in　the　chief　cities　of　the　Continent：　　through　which　functionary；　or　through　the　penny…post；　if　she　had　any　specific　message　to　foreign　courts；　it　would　be　easy　and　proper　to　transmit　the　same。　　Special　message…carriers；　to　be　still　called　Ambassadors；　if　the　name　gratified　them；　could　be　sent　when　occasion　great　enough　demanded；　not　sent　when　it　did　not。　　But　for　all　purposes　of　a　resident　ambassador；　I　hear　persons　extensively　and　well　acquainted　among　our　foreign　embassies　at　this　date　declare；　That　a　well…selected　_Times_　reporter　or　　〃own　correspondent〃　ordered　to　reside　in　foreign　capitals；　and　keep　his　eyes　open；　and　（though　sparingly）　his　pen　going；　would　in　reality　be　much　more　effective；and　surely　we　see　well；　he　would　come　a　good　deal　cheaper！　　Considerably　cheaper　in　expense　of　money；　and　in　expense　of　falsity　and　grimacing　hypocrisy　（of　which　no　human　arithmetic　can　count　the　ultimate　cost）　incalculably　cheaper！　　If　this　is　the　fact；　why　not　treat　it　as　such？　　If　this　is　so　in　any　measure；　we　had　better　in　that　measure　admit　it　to　be　so！　　The　time；　I　believe；　has　come　for　asking　with　considerable　severity；　How　far　is　it　so？　　Nay　there　are　men　now　current　in　political　society；　men　of　weight　though　also　of　wit；　who　have　been　heard　to　say；　〃That　there　was　but　one　reform　for　the　Foreign　Office；to　set　a　live　coal　under　it；〃　and　with；　of　course；　a　fire…brigade　which　could　prevent　the　undue　spread　of　the　devouring　element　into　neighboring　houses；　let　that　reform　it！　　In　such　odor　is　the　Foreign　Office　too；　if　it　were　not　that　the　Public；　oppressed　and　nearly　stifled　with　a　mere　infinitude　of　bad　odors；　neglects　this　one；in　fact；　being　able　nearly　always　to　avoid　the　street　where　it　is；　_escapes_　this　one；　and　（except　a　passing　curse；　once　in　the　quarter　or　so）　as　good　as　forgets　the　existence　of　it。
  Such；　from　sad　personal　experience　and　credited　prevailing　rumor；　is　the　exoteric　public　conviction　about　these　sublime　establishments　in　Downing　Street　and　the　neighborhood；　the　esoteric　mysteries　of　which　a