adopted to give consular officers opportunities of increasing their practical knowledge of commercial matters and to bring them more into personal contact with the commercial community. The suggestions of the committee as the result of its inquiries were adopted in principle by the Foreign Office. The consular service is now grouped into three main divisions: (1) the general service; (2) Levant and Persia; and (3) China, Japan, Korea and Siam. The general consular service is graded into three divisions: first grade, consuls-general, salary L1000 with local allowances; second grade, consuls-general and consuls, salary L800 and local allowances; third grade, consuls, salary L600, with local allowances. Vice-consuls have an annual salary of L350, rising by annual increments of L15 to L450. In the general consular service appointments are sometimes made to the higher offices from the ranks, but more usually from a select list of nominees, who must pass a qualifying examination. A proportion of the vacancies are reserved for competition amongst candidates who have had actual commercial experience. Divisions 2 and 3 are recruited by open competition. There were at one time a small number of commercial agents whose business consisted in watching and reporting on the commerce, industries and products of special districts, and in answering inquiries on commercial subjects. Their duties were subsequently transferred to the consular staff, and a new class of officers, consular attaches, created. The consular attaches divide their time between special investigations abroad, and visits to manufacturing districts in the United Kingdom. The headquarters of the commercial attaches in Europe, except those at Paris and Constantinople, were transferred to London, without defined districts, in 1907 (see _Report on the System of British Commercial Attaches and Agents_, 1908, Cd. 3610). "Pro-consuls" are frequently appointed for the purpose of administering oaths, taking affidavits or affirmations, and performing notarial acts under the Commissioners for Oaths Acts 1889.