There has of late been a great increase in the number of independent Consulates, and the merchant Consuls are gradually disappearing. The Netherlands were the first to lead the way by establishing Consulate-General, the Belgian Government followed suit by appointing a Consul; Peru pursued the same course soon after, and now the notices of an Austro-Hungarian Vice-Consulate appear in the papers, of which Mr. Max Kutschera is advertised the Vice-Consul. Probably Russia will be the next to open a Consulate.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.