Secretary

an officer who by his master’s orders writes letters, dispatches, and other instruments, which he renders authentic by his signet. Of these there are several kinds; as, 1. Secretaries of State, who are officers that have under their management and direction the most important affairs of the kingdom, and are obliged constantly to attend on the king: they receive and dispatch whatever comes to their hands, either from the crown, the church, the army, private grants, pardons, dispensations, . as likewise petitions to the sovereign, which, when read, are returned to them; all which they dispatch according to the king’s direction. ‘They have authority to commit persons for treason and other offences against the state, as conservators of the peace, at common law, as justices of the peate throughout the kingdom. They are members of the privy council, which is seldom or never held without one of them being present; and sas to the busine and correspondence in all parts of this kingdom, it is managed by either of the secretaries, without any distinction; but with respect to foreign affairs the busine js divided into two provinces or departments, the southern and the northern, comprehending all the kingdoms and states that have any intercourse with Great Britain; each secretary receiving all letters and addre es from, and mak « ing all dispatches to, the several princes and states comprehended in his province. 2. Secretary of an Emba y, a person attending an amba ador for writing) dispatches relating to the negociation. There is a great difference between the secretary of an emba y, and the amba ador's secretary; the last being a domestic or menial of the amba ador, and the first a servant or minister of the prince. 3. The Se. cretary of War, an officer of the War Office, who has two chief clerks under him, the last of which is the secretary’s me enger. There are also secretaries 1n most of the other offices,