COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS. RATES OF PILOTAGE IN AND OUT OF THE MISSISSIPPI PASSES. Vessels drawing 10 feet or less, at. 13. 134. * * * CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN. LA ROCHELLE, (France,) 1859. I would beg leave to call the attention of the department to a want of reciprocity as regards the ships of France and those of the United States, the latter being required to produce at the custom-houses here a consular certificate as to the origin of cargo, while the former, it would appear, can manage to evade its production at our custom-houses; for, with two exceptions, no French masters have ever procured at this consulate such certificate, although I have in every instance notified them in writing as to its necessity. I have written to the collectors of the ports to which the vessels were bound on the subject, and have also very respectfully brought the matter to the knowledge of the Secretary of the Treasury. In my despatch to that officer on the 1st inst., I have again mentioned the circumstance, and as several French vessels are at this time chartered for the United States, I have requested him to give me instructions as to the necessity or otherwise of continuing to give the written notice. I urge the matter solely at the instance of American shipmasters, who justly think that unless it is reciprocal they should be relieved from the heavy charges of the French cousulates. SIAM DUTIES. Pursuant to the treaty entered into between the American Minister, TownSEND HARRIS, and the Siamese authorities, the following is the tariff of export and inland duties to be levied on articles of trade: SECTION I. The undermentioned articles shall be entirely free from inland or other taxes on production or transit, and shall pay export duty as follows: SECTION II. The undermentioned articles, being subject to the inland or transit duties herein named, and which shall not be increased, shall be exempt from export All goods or produce enumerated in this tariff shall be free of export duty, and shall only be subject to one inland tax or transit duty, not exceeding the rate now paid. [L. 8. [L. B.] [L. s.] [L. S.] TOWNSEND HARRIS. [L. 8.]* And whereas, the said treaty has been duly ratified on both parts, and the respective ratifications of the same were exchanged at Bangkok, on the 15th day of June, 1857, by CHARLES WILLIAM BRADLEY, Consul of the United States at Ningpo, in China, and the royal Siamese Commissioners, on the part of their respective governments. 6. PLAQUES. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 27, 1860. SIR: I have examined your report under date of the 4th ultimo, and other papers and samples submitted to me, on the appeal of J. B. BEHRMANN from your decision assessing a duty of 24 per cent on certain articles described as plaques," composed of a metallic base or plate, on which is laid a composition of porcelain and tinsel or foil, and used in the manufacture of ornaments for the person. The Department is of the opinion that the articles cannot be classified, as claimed by the importer, as imitation of cameos and mosaics, not set," nor as subject to the duty of 24 per cent assessed on the entry under the final clause of the 20th section of the tariff of 1842, but that they should be treated as unenumerated, and liable to a duty of 15 per cent under the 1st section of the tariff act of 1857. I am, very respectfully, HOWELL COBB, Secretary of the Treasury. AUGUSTUS SCHELL, Esq., Collector, &c., New York. CAUSTIC SODA. It having been decided in several suits in circuit courts of the United States that "caustic soda " is entitled, under the law, to be admitted to entry at the same duty as "soda ash," and the Department having acquiesced in those decisions, collectors are hereby instructed that the duty to be assessed on "caustic soda" will be at the rate of 4 per cent, as a non-enumerated article, assimilated by operation of the 20th section of the tariff act of 1842, to "soda ash," specified in schedule H of the tariff of 1857. Signatures of Siamese plenipotentiaries. COPY BOOKS WITH PRINTED HEADINGS. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 27, 1860. SIR-I acknowledge the receipt of your report on the appeal of JOHN GILKISON, Esq., from your decision on certain "copy books with printed headings" imported by him. The books in question were, it appears, decided by you on the entry to be liable to a duty of 24 per cent under the classification in schedule C of the tariff of 1857, of "manufactures of paper, or of which paper is a component material, not otherwise provided for." The appellant claims entry at the rate of 15 per cent under the classification in schedule E, of "blank books, bound or unbound." The Department is of opinion that they cannot properly fall within either of these classifications, nor under that of "printed books," &c., in schedule G, but should be treated as unenumerated, and subject to a duty of 15 per cent under the 1st section of the tariff act of 1857. I am, very respectfully, HOWELL COBB, Secretary of the Treasury. AUGUSTUS SCHELL, Esq., Collector, &c., New York. HUMAN HAIR. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, July 27, 1860. SIR: I acknowledge the receipt of your report of the 9th ultimo on the appeal of T. MOREAU, Esq., from your decision assessing a duty at the rate of 24 per cent under the classification in schedule C of the tariff of 1857, of human hair, cleansed or prepared for use," on a certain lot of hair imported from Havre, per the Nuremburg," styled by the importers, " cheveux bruts." The appeilant contends that it should be subject to a duty of 8 per cent under the classification in schedule G of "hair of all kinds, uncleaned and unmanufactured." The classification depends on a question of fact. Assuming the description of the article by the appraiser to be correct, and that it is, in fact, human hair, cleansed, dyed, and fully prepared and ready for braiding, curling, and other uses by the hair worker, the Department is of the opinion that it falls within the classification in schedule C, to which you have referred it. The duty of 24 per cent was properly exacted by you, and your decision is affirmed. I am, very respectfully, HOWELL COBB, Secretary of the Treasury. F. II. HATCH, Esq., Collector, &c., New Orleans, La. CUBAN MANIFESTS OF CARGOES. Information has been received at the Department of State from JOHN C. HELM, Esq., the United States Consul-General at Havana, that the form of a manifest as hereto annexed, which is in conformity with the Spanish law, has been transmitted to him by the Captain-General of Cuba. It is stated by Mr. HELM that if this form be followed by shipmasters trading with the island, a vast amount of trouble will be avoided, as well as the fines which will invariably be imposed by the Custom house authorities at Havana and other Cuban ports for a variance from this form." Report and manifest of the cargo laden at the port of Captain burden tons, for -, on board of the consigned to RAILROAD, CANAL, AND STEAMBOAT STATISTICS. GERMAN RAILWAYS. The whole length of railways in Germany in 1857, was 6,708 miles, besides 2,060 authorized but not opened. The capital raised by shares and loans was, up to the end of 1857, in Prussia Of the new lines, 95 miles were opened in 1858. The revenue from the 6,708 miles in 1857 was £12,875,913, or about 11.5 per cent on the capital. The average cost of (capital raised for) German railways on the 31st December, 1857, was £16,980 per mile opened, which is a little less than half that of British railways, the ratio being as 48 to 100. In 1857, the Prussian railways carried 18,414,094 passengers, and killed only one passenger, and injured but one. What did the British do in the same time? According to Captain GALTON's report (Board of Trade) they killed 25 passengers from causes beyond their own control, and wounded not less than 63 passengers. The British roads carried 139,008,887 passengers in that year, (1857,) and kiled 1 to 5,560,355; the Prussian being 1 to 18,414,094. The greater safety of the German railways may, we think, be traced to their moderate speed and careful working. The percentage of working expenses to receipts on German railways has greatly fallen in the course of years, but owing to the increase of the traffic the cost per mile per annum has enlarged. The great fall in the percentage of expenses has of course benefited the owners of the German railways. lowing table exhibits these interesting facts clearly : : Working The fo Working Per cent Per cent 1834.. 79 1846... 75.0 1847. the latter column being expressed in pounds sterling. The percentage of profits on capital of the German railways in 1857 appears to have been 7.05 per cent. In Great Britain, according to Captain GALTON, * Managed by government. |