The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-21
Seizure Of Steamers for CONVEYING
COmtraband Goods.
No Official Information of the Defeat Of
Gen. Banks at Port Hudson.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20,
Attention is called to a report in a New
York paper that the members of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations have been
most earnest in their demonstrations of friend
shin to NJ Mercier and the government he
represents. On ipauiry IL appears that NJ
Mercier's dispatches and the relations with
France. as shown by the recent dispatches.
have not been considered in the committee.
nor is it known that any member of the COM
mittce has made any demonstration TO NJ.
hercier. Some of the committee attended the
recent diplomatic dinner of Mr.. Seward. given
since the publication of the Richmond Dis
patch. when the French Minister was an hon
ored guest. but Mr. Sumner. who was then IN
was Obliged to decline under the advice of his
phvsician. There is not A member of the
committee who don't repeI all ideas of FOREIGN
mediation or intervention. of whatever form IL
NAV take
G. f. Miller. who has been employed as a
clerk in Richmond. arrived here to-day. hay-
ing made his escape to one of the boats of the
Potomac fotila. He represents Merri,nac
No. 2 nj Fort Darling in the latter end of Ian
uary. having a lighter on each side owing
10 her ton heayipess. She carries four p,ns hnI
is pierced for eight. I,oncstreet,s division
passed through Richmond several weeks AGO
for the South and South-west. large nun
her of the soldiers of the Rannabannock have
III country Hlch-
mond and Fredericksburg. over which he
travelled on foot, is nearly desolated.
Secretary Chase has communicated to the
Senate, in answer TO a resolution. a statement
of Edward Jordan, Solicitor of the Treasury,
relative to frauds in the New York custom
house, showing that frauds upon the revenue
had been committed for at least six weeks
wears ?l past. They were effected by making
out false invoices. REPRESENTING different de-
Il. a
actually imported. aud then securing the pas-
sage of such invoices by various devices
through the custom house. In some cases
portion of the goods were correctly inyoice.l.
aud those particular packages examined. In
voices were sometimes made in fictitious
names, and sometimes the goods of one person
were entered in the name of another. In some
instances the importer was eognizant of the
fraud, In other his broker was responsible
alone Entries and invoices when completed
were in some cases destroyed and obliterated.
About $4,000 have been recovered by seizures
OF goods belonging to parties implicated
About 100 fraudulent entries By Junius X. Van
Vechten. MarceIlus Bells and b. Grigps have
been discovered. The first has been dismissed
and placed under bonds: the Others are all
suspenped, and the District Attorney has been
requested To indict them Henry Calhoup.the
Deputy Collector is ccnsured for want of yigi-
the record bureau are deemed culpabIe and
careless. Mr.. Jordan is confident that frauds
in importation are constantly and sysienati-
cally practiced in jewery, laces, silks and
other costly goods, BY smuggling In various
ways; in other goods through false invoices
Facts show that money In large sums has been
received BY officials for fraudulent acts or con
trivance, and belief is stated that nearly all
the officers are in the habitual recent of eipol
uments from importers and their agents. One
lawyer says he has in fifteen months paid
$l5OO 10 one record clerk. Van yechten adj
mits having received $500 per auuum. A
bond clerk on a salary of $1,000. In eight wears
accumulated S3O.OO0. Mr.. Jordan recon-
mends: lst-The designation of an officer at
Washington charged with the prevention and
detection OF frauds In the revenue. s2d-New
regulations concerning invoices and entries of
foreign merchandise 3d-The criminal pun
ishment of the guilty 4th-The prohibition