The New York herald., 1868-05-09
nf mfoSrDM ufen AnERicAn COMMENCE N cvsAn
PORTS y. b. $3.50 .r' r'e|
NEW YORK, May 8. 1868.

.''.''''-''.'"' NEW YORK, May g. 1865.
TO THE EDITOR or THE HERALD:-
feel bound to refute the charges made against
the Spanish oficers in the Island Of Cuba. In the
protest signed by several merchants Of this
city and published In the HERALD 1t Is
said that they have been fined on account OF
the blots scratches and erasures found in the mani
Fest and because each OF the manests is not exactly
similar to the other in all its particulars. But this Is
simply natural, since under the plea OF an error,
blot, scratch erasure the merchants, the ship
owners, the captains Of the vessels or any other in
terested party can commit as many frauds as they
like. A cipher, for instance, omitted or added to
any sum whatever alter 1t considerably; and you
cannot deny that between 10Oo, 900 and 10, ,0Oo 900
there is q great difference, although the diYer-
ence consists only in the omission OF cipher.
present question, the Spanish authorities are are
perfectly right, and the charge Is null and void
copy Of the manifest and necessary corrsct ssss
1t before the signature OF the Spanish consul is
appended 70 IT, the said signature is the best
guarantee that the correction Is right and no fine
can be legally imposed should this be the case
The cases referred to In the protest are all within
and no merchant, shipOwner or shipmaster can ex.
cuse himself under the plea Of ignorance of said regu-
latlons. should sell here bottle Of whiskey on
sunday on the pretence that l am a foreigner and
not cognizant OF the laws of the country
would this excuse relieve me Of the fine
wmon i Wouiu incur, Ut cOuu L nave any
right to complain OF it or to protest against 1t,
either IN the courts by appealing to diplOmacyP
think not as everybody must be acquainted with the
laws OF the country wherein he has any kind Of busi
ness. M
1t is forbidden in ports the entrance of foreign
vessels with general cargoes from ports where there
ls not Spanish consult and such was the case with
the brig J. q. Clark, on which was imposed fine Of
500. Please compare the smaness OF the fine with
the benefit she could have by having an irregular
manifest and you will see that the Spanish au-
thoritfcs have been rather too lenient. As for the
case OF the bark Ocean Home II was so scandalous
that 1t would be better to say nothing about 1t. Ac-
cording to the monthly report of the Director Of the
Bureau OF Statistics in Washington published the
28th OF March last, 1t officially appears that said
sci carried to Havana 499 packages Of merchandise
not on the manifest Should any Spanish vessel
come to this port under similar circumstances |
would have been the first to denounce 1t and ask for
an exemplary punishment Of the fault. In the mani
fest OF the schooner Valcra the clerk omitted to state
the item OF 600 hoops for hOgsheads but the
committed by the clerk, whether It was made
at the spanish consulate or at the office OF the Ship
TEST was made by him as clerk OF the shipOwners, and
the Spanish consul could not be responsible for such
a gross mistake. The OF the other vessels, al
luded to In the protest, come within the province OF
what have stated about the blots, scratches and
erasures. fIift tEn tf..
liberty of calling your attention to the telegraphic
despatch, sent from Washington on the Sd of last
April to the Associated Press and published in the
HERALD of Jhat date, in which the American Consul
at Havana euogZes the eniency ofthe Spanish authO-
rifles and reflects rather too sharply upon the Ame-
rican merchants on account Of their abuses. s,f
! hope that the above explanations will be suf-
hclent TO enghten everybody about this subject, to
set the matter IN the right way. i0 n.
JOSE FERRER DE C0Uro.