The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-21
lrcuiar Instructions to Collectors and other
Onlcers Of the Customs.

circular Instructions to Collectors and other
Onicers Of the Customs.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, May 10, 1851.
The existing laws Of the United States re-
quire that all vessels, whether american or for
eign coming from foreign port, and bound TO
a port of the United States, shall, upup arriv,no
within four leagues of the coast thereof o. VIII.
in the limits of any collection district. produce
4 to the proper officers of the revenue who NAV
first board any such vessel, full manifest of tho
cargo on board, detailing all the items thereof.
the port or ports where the same may have been
shipped, the names of the consgnees thereof.
and the different ports, if more than one, where
the same is consigned or intended to be entered.
The department, however, has ascertained that
the execution of the sautary provision Of the
law on this subject has, in latter years, been in
many ports greatly relaxed or entirely neglected.
and that masters of vessels are constantly per.
mitted to make out and deliver their manifests
after they have actually arrived Mt their port Of
I entry.
The obvious protection to the revenue which
this provision OF law was intended to afford, is
TINS greatly lessened /: and, in cases of vessels
bound 10 inland ports, great facilities are thus
afforded for illegally landing portions of their
cargo, while passing up the great estuares or
rivers OF the country, which portion thus landed,
under the present practice of making out their
manifess after reaching their port of entry, they
can omit to report, but which otherwise would
have to be accounted for, if the return of it had
been included upon manifest delivered agree
ably to law on their first entering the waters Of
the United States.
independent however, OF these circumstances.
and fthe manifest necessity OF throwing around
the collection of the revenue all the puards
against fraud which the law has provided and
lenjoned, the department cannot, in faithful
discharge of its duties, allow so explicit a bro
vision of the law to be relaxed, and still less to
fall into dsuse; and the collectors of the cus-
toms, the commanders of the revenue vessels.
and all the boarding officers in the revenue SER
vice, are therefore required to carry the same
into effect in future. The commanders Of the
revenue cutters are instructed to board all yes
sells from foreign ports arriving within the limits
before referred to, and to demand and retain one
copy of their manifest, to be forwarded to the
collector Of the port to which said vessels may
respectively be bound, and to make, as provided
by law, the needful Endorsement on another copy.
to remain on board the vessel thus boarded and
II the masters of any such vessel shonld not have
their manfests ready for delivery the officer, if
and if not attended with too great
delay and Inconvenience, should remain on board
until such manifests can be prepared and deliy
cred to him. in all cases where the masters of
such vessels from foreign port have no mani
tests of their cargo ready for delivery when thus
boarded, or who shall neglect or refuse to de-
liver them when demanded by such boarding
officer the latter is instructed to report the same
TO the collector of the port to which such vessel
NAV be bound; and said collector will, prior 10
enforcing the penalty prescribed by law, make
report to the department, accompanied by an
affidavit of the master of the vessel setting forth
the causes for negeciing to cor ply with the
law and regulations, together with any exlen
Eating facts or circumstances involved in the
c se. for the ronsdera ion and action of the de-
partment. The commanders Of the cutters and
the boarding officers are further instructed 10
transmit. direct 10 this department, monthly abb
stracts Of all vessels thus boarded and reported
TO the collectors.
Although the department is precuded from
suspending or omi,trg TO enforce the provisions
Of the law on this subject, yet, for the reasons
before stated, and until proper notification of
t csc instructions can be given, it will, in4he
exercise of the RENTING power vested in il by
law. extend such leniency and indulgence as the
peculiar circumstances Of the cases respectively
may admit of, without hazarding the interests
of the public revenue. But whatever leniency
il may thus exercise in such cases, in conse-
quence of the erroneous practice which has ex-
listed for such length of time in not properly
enforcing the law on this subject, the penalty
will be rigidly enforced in all cases where the
masters of the vessels were aware of the change
in that respect and of the existence of the pres
ent circular, previous 10 their leaving foreign
port for the United States
The consuls and commercial agents of the
United States abroad will be requested to take
proper measures TO give publicity 10 these rega-
lations for the government Of masters and
owners Of foreign vessels bound TO the United
States. VIM l.. HODGE,
Acting Secretary Of the Treasury.