Statement showing the number of vessels arrived at and departed from the port of Spezia during the year 1862, together with their nationality and tonnage. FLORENCE-T. BIGELOW LAWRENCE, Consul General. APRIL 30, 1863. I have the honor to enclose herewith the return of fees received at this consulate general during the last quarter, amounting to $111. The value of goods exported to the United States from the city of Florence and its vicinity during that period amounts, it will be seen, to 421,911.36 francs. In my despatch (No. 1) of January 6 I stated that I had been informed by the attorney general of this province that the oath administered in the verification of invoices, whether taken before a consular officer or local magistrate, would not, in case the invoice proved to be false, render the offender liable to prosecution for perjury. As, however, any person certifying an invoice to be veritable which proved to be false, would be answerable to a prosecution for fraud, and as an additional barrier would thus be created against the latter, he recommended me to continue to administer the oath. Upon this recommendation I continued to administer the oath in the usual manner until the receipt, on the 28th February, of your despatch of February 4, enclosing circular No. 29. Thereupon I instituted a more careful investigation, taking the opinions of two of the most eminent counsellors of the province. These gentlemen, after carefully examining the law, assured me, though consular officers could not adininister the oath to Italian subjects, yet notaries public were empowered so to do, and that an oath to an invoice proving to be false, taken before the latter class of officers, would most undoubtedly subject the offender to a prosecution and conviction for perjury. Of the entire correctness of the legal opinion thus given I became fully convinced by still further inquiry. The following are among the principal articles of export, with their respective values, during the year 1859: Metals... Drugs, dyes, and chemicals Mercury, hardware, and rags Horses, cattle, goats, and pigs, (9,588 head) Cork, coal, timber, and manufactures of wood. Francs. 2, 114, 162 1,501, 354 1, 469, 389 882,855 833, 280 704, 367 600, 324 I have the honor to enclose herewith a statement of the imports of the port of Leghorn for the years 1881 and 1862, and also valuable statements of the grain trade of the port for the same years. You will please consider these tables as a supplement to my despatch No. 59, as they are in fact the completion of my reports for the year 1862. Comparative tabular statement showing the principal articles of merchandise imported into the free port of Leghorn for the years 1861 and 1862. Comparative tabular statement showing the movements of grain in the port of Leghorn for the years 1861 and 1862, estimated by sacks of four bushels each. PALERMO LUIGE MONTE, Consul. Statement showing the total of exports in vessels of all nationalities from Palermo to the United States for the quarter ended December 31, 1862. Names of vessels. Brimstone, cantars. Statement showing the total of exports from Palermo to the United States in American vessels for the quarter ending March 31, 1863. Robert Caldwell. 960 1,500 18 75 45 4,745 $17,500 New York. Imogene Emily 780 1,500 200 150 100 4, COO 19,770 Do. 350 600 90 2 4,000 8,993 Do. Palermo 3,200 1,500 17 270 200 104 100 3,360 26, 100 Do. Petrea 1,600 2,632 204 100 4,000 23,400 Do. Morning Light 352 1,700 20 5 2,930 11,805 Do. General Cabb 1,280 2,358 100 3,792 19, 105 Do. H. A. Stephenson 1,365 125 4,562 10,585 Do. G. T. Ward. 1,300 1,720 70 169 3,520 17,708 Do. Orphan. 1,280 49 121 40 5,565 11,983 Do. Gzarina.. 200 104 2,700 10,300 Do. Osmanli 400 4,228 9,575 Do. Fredonia 350 3,800 7,755 Do. Heroine. 960 1,000 79 28 50 100 100 3,650 13, 190 Do. Rebecca Goddard 1,280 1,550 117 100 80 159 3,050 16,872 Do. Total. 13,342 18, 175 525 1,043 450 94 793 449 20 20 100 7 57,902 224, 641 Value. Destination. |