# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/7th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 5

Chap. V.—An Act to provide for the granting of Clearances to ships or vessels owned by citizens of the United States, lying in the river Mississippi, south of the southern boundary of the United States, and therein to amend an act, intituled “An act to regulate the collection of duties on imposts and tonnage,” and for other purposes.
Act of February 24, 1804, ch. 13. In what manner goods to be exported from the Mississippi are to be identified.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, shall be intended to be exported from any of the ports of the United States within the Mississippi, by the way of New Orleans, to any foreign port, the identity of such articles shall be ascertained and certified in the same manner by the proper officers as has been or hereafter may be provided, for the transportation of the same articles to any of the ports of the United States, without the Mississippi.
Certificate to be granted by the collector of the Mississippi district.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the collector of the customs for the district of Mississippi, to grant to any ship or vessel owned by citizens of the United States, laden with articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the said states, and actually lying in some part of the river Mississippi, south of the southern boundary of the United States, a clearance in the same manner as if such ship or vessel was lying within the said district, which clearance shall be of the form following, to wit:
“District of Mississippi, to
Port of Adams,
These are to certify to all whom it doth concern, that master or commander of the burthen tons or thereabouts, mounted with guns (if any) navigated with men built, now lying in the river Mississippi, out of the limits of the United States, and bound for having on board (here specify the articles if required) being of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, or (if no specification be required) being laden with articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, hath here cleared his said vessel according to law:
Given under my hand and seal, at the custom-house of Fort Adams, this day of one thousand eight hundred and and in the year of the independence of the United States of America.”
Not to be given till it is ascertained that the goods are of the growth, &c. of the U. States.Provided nevertheless, That such clearance shall not be granted until the identity of the articles laden on board such ship or vessel, as being of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, shall be established to the satisfaction of the said collector, either by the exhibition of a certificate to that effect, from the consul, vice-consul, or other authorized agent of the United States, residing at or near New Orleans on the said river or otherwise: And provided also, that before the departure of such shipCertificate to be exhibited to the Consul of the U. States. or vessel for any foreign port or place without the said river, it shall be the duty of the master or commander thereof, to exhibit such clearance to the said consul, vice-consul, or other authorized agent of the United States, who shall certify thereon under his consular seal, if he be satisfied that the state of the cargo at the time of such exhibition correspond therewith, that such is the case; or if the whole or any part thereof shall have been unladen, or otherwise changed, so as not to agree with the tenor of such clearance, he shall accordingly state the same.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the consul, vice-consul, or other authorized agent of the United States, residing at New Orleans, or at such other place or deposit on the banks of the Mississippi, south of the southern boundary of the United States, as may be assigned by virtue of the treaty of San Lorenzo, shall be entitled to receive from the ​captains or owners of American vessels, two dollars for each certificate he shall sign, certifying that the articles contained in such certificate, are of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States; and he shall also be authorized to employ a proper person to attend to the landing and loading such articles, whose duty therein, and compensation, shall be the same as those of an inspector of customs in one of the ports of the United States, which compensation shall be considered as a charge against the revenue, and defrayed by the collector for the district of Mississippi, out of the monies received by him on account of the duties on tonnage and merchandise.
Approved, February 19, 1803.