0 an official chosen by a government to live in a foreign city, in order to take care of people from the official's own country who travel or live there, and to protect the trade interests of that government:
the German Consul
1 a government official who lives in a foreign city in order to take care of the people from the official’s own country who are traveling or living there and to protect the trade interests of that government
2 a government official who lives in a foreign city and takes care of people from his or her own country who live or are travelling there. Part of a consul's job is also to protect the trade and business interests of his or her own country in the foreign country:
the US Consul in Shanghai
The principle of granting to the consuls a specific ceremonial was rejected by the beylical court.
Before the 1830s, consuls acquired distinctions by the multiplication of contacts outside of the setting of court ceremonies and public audiences.
During audiences, however, consuls had to mingle with the bey's subjects.
Until around 1830, most consuls negotiated arrangements that respected the framework of the ceremonial of the beylical court, but which nevertheless introduced some considerable modifications.
To transmit news or orders, consuls and the beylical authorities resorted by preference to converts.
It was difficult to obtain a ceremonial that distinguished consuls and envoys as representatives of a sovereign of equal, or even superior, rank.
The same is true of the imperium of the consuls and the limitations on that imperium through provocatio legislation.
A nice touch are intermittent notes with practical information on sailing, statistics and government decrees, the kind of information useful to a traveling consul.