The Portland daily press., 1866-10-04
CffyCULAas OF INsTRUCTIONs TO
Y 90 eOLLECTORs. ~
COLLECTION OF TAXES ON COTTON.


WASHINGTON Oct 8. /
Ancasspciation has been formed here of for
mer soldiers and sailors of the Union army and
navy who were prisoners of war in the South
A resolution was adopted last night request
ing ex-prisoners of war resident in different
States to notify the Association of their places
of residence, in order that full record OF pris-
oners of war may be kept. 1t was also deter
mined to have an annual celebration.
Brevet Major j. Jones, Superintendent OF
the Freedmen's Bureau for Northern Alabama,
who is now in w nshingtOn, says the people in
that section are anxious for peaceful settle-
ment of all national difficulties, and accept the
present condition of affairs in good faith Their
treatment of the freedmen is humane and hon
orable, and they entertain no malice toward
Northern men who are not offensive. Business
is being re-estabished and plantations have
produced bountfully, and enterprising men
from the North are prospecting
q Mr. Fitman, late Consul ut ;Geoderick Ca,
has been appointed Consul at st. Helena.
+ The. following changes have, SO tar, been
made in the State of Maine, and others will
soon follow:-W. G. Crosby. Collector of Gus
toms at Belfast; John .Hanscom, Collector at
Saco, and Charles p. Kimball, Surveyor at
Portland. a'l 1'
- A circular Of instructions to Collectors and
other officers of the Customs, has just been is
sued from the Treasury Department. to carry
out the provisions of the 18th Section of the
1866. s. -
The President to-day nominated and made the
following appointments: Albert G. Lawrence,
of Rhode Island, United States Minister resi-
dent at Costa Rica; Madison E. HOLSTER, of
illinois, United States Consul at Buenos Ayres
Charles Doughty, of Pennsylvania, United
States Consul at Londonderry rs
During the week three hundred and eighty
four applications for patents, and sxty-eigRt
caveats have been received at the Patent office.
Yesterday one hundred and ninety patents
were issued.
The Attorney General says the President has
no power to appoint special Collector for the
tax imposed on the particular article of cotton.
nor could he designate any one of the District
Collectors who should proceed throughout the
entire cotton territory, and collect tax on that
article wherever found. The mischief COM
planned OF in the present system by the Cham
bers of Commerce of Mobile and New Orleans
can only be remedied by Congress. is
The Secretary of the Treasury having ad-
dressed the following query to the ATTORNEY
General whether the La ws imposing tax on
cottons, and providing for its collection, SO res
trains the Executive authority as to forbid the
arrangement OF the cotton States into single
cotton districts for the purpose of collecting the
tax on cotton, having reference to the cotton
tax on the same without necessarily involving
any change of districts which NAV be most
convenient for the collection of other taxes,
that officer responds as follows: ct am clear
ly of the opinion that such a consolidation of
the cotton growing States as is described by
the terms OF the foregoing inquiry, into a sim
gle collection district, for the purpose of levy
ing and collectngKthe duties imposed by the
internal revenue laws upon cotton, cannot law
fully be collected under the existing provisions
of those laws"