port, or this thing could not certainly be carried on with the profit certain parties appear to be reaping who are engaged in it. There does not appear to be any system in the manner in which the affairs of the custom-house here are conducted. * For instance, a vessel arrives here with a manifest certified by the Spanish consul in the United States to be correct, and to which he has put his official seal and received his fees, yet when the manifest is presented at the custom-house and the numbers of the packages happen to be in figures instead of being written in words the vessel or consignee is fined; and again, if flour is manifested without distinctly stating that it is manufactured from wheat, there is a fine imposed. Also, the gross weight of soap, herring, fish, pork (which are never sold by weight in any civilized country,) candles, &c., should there be one package over or deficient in the manifest the vessel is fined two hundred dollars for each package not corresponding with the manifest, and there is no redress. On several occasions applications for justice were made to the higher authorities, but their only reply was "that it was the Spanish law and they could not interfere or amend the matter." It has been the case for some time that vessels arriving here from the United States with provisions, &c., have been obliged to return with only half cargoes, there not being sufficient products of the island at hand for a full cargo owing to the revolutionary state of the country, yet they are obliged to pay full export duties on their tonnage. A vessel, say of 200 tons, taking in but one hundred tons of lignumvita at one dollar per ton export duty, is obliged to pay her full registered tonnage of two hundred dollars. During the last year there have been several applications made to this gov ernment for mining and other privileges, some of which have been granted; but owing to the difficulty of procuring labor and the fatality of the climate to foreigners most of the grants have been thrown up, and other cases the time in which the companies were to have commenced work has expired. Last February a company applied to this government and received a grant for working the salt mines of Neyba, which are situated on the south coast, some ninety miles by sea, west of this city. The company is to have sole control of the whole salt district for a term of ninety-nine years. They are to build a railroad from the mines to Barahona, a distance of thirty-odd miles. The road has been surveyed, the cost of which, with the necessary machinery, &c., is estimated at one million two hundred thousand dollars. At the expiration of the ninety-nine years the road, machinery, and all the improvements the company may have made within the time, are to become the property of the government. The president of the company, Mr. Davis Hatch, left here for New York last March, as far as I can learn, with the intention of raising the necessary funds to commence operations, and ought to have returned long before this time. In my opinion the survey of the railroad will be the last of the salt enterprise. The only enterprise yet undertaken, and which promises to become a valuable acquisition to this country, is one of New York capitalists incorporated under the title of the American West India Company. This company has purchased extensive tracts of land-for which they hold good and sufficient titles-for colonization purposes, particularly with a view of cultivating cotton on an extensive scale by free labor. The company have already brought in laborers with the requisite tools, machinery, and provisious, and have commenced operations at Azomante, situated about four leagues north of this city, on a navigable branch of the Ozama river. This place has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful and healthy districts on the south part of the island, and was noted for its production of fine cotton in the early days of the colony. The unsettled state of the country for some time to come will, no doubt, very much retard the operations of this enterprising company. * * * * * * Should this enterprise be successfully carried out, and the cultivation of cotton within the tropics by free labor become profitable, the example and instruction it will offer to other settlers will be of incalculable value to those who are considering the best mode of employing masses of free laborers in a manner which shall insure permanent homes and satisfactory means of livelihood. On the termination of the existing war I have no doubt very favorable arrangements can be made either with the "West India Company, or independent of it, for the introduction of a large number of agricultural, homeless laborers from the United States in whom our government feels a responsible interest, and who would find here a most desirable home. The principal export trade of this country has been with the island of St. Thomas, where merchants do an extensive business with the surrounding islands. As they are no consumers of the products of this island, they keep the country drained of its gold at a loss to the merchants here. The Spanish doubloon is current at seventeen dollars in St. Domingo, whereas the St. Thomas merchants allow but sixteen 5 dollars when they receive them from the merchants of St. Domingo. Consequently the merchants of St. Domingo lose three per cent. on all goods purchased at St. Thomas, and with the continual unsettled state of the country, change of government, and the depreciation of the paper currency since 1845, and St. Thomas drawing nearly every dollar out of the country, has brought this country and its merchants to a state of bankruptcy. One of the main conditions of the compact was the redemption by Spain of the Dominican paper money for gold and silver within one year from the day of annexation. After Spain had had possession of the country for two years she commenced the work of redemption, but quite contrary to what was expected. Instead o gold and silver, she brought in and flooded the country with copper coin, and a paper currency made of worse material than even the poor Dominican papeletas were composed of. The Dominican issues were in twos, fives, tens, twenties, and fifties. At the beginning of the redemption by the Spaniards, they pronounced as counterfeit and repudiated all the fifties, which constituted the bulk of the whole currency. By this Spain saved many thousands of dollars, but the poor people of the country were the sufferers. The present issues of the Spaniards are fifty cents, two dollars, five, fifteen, and twenty-five dollar bills. These have been in circulation ten months, and have already become so worn out, torn, and ragged, that its circulation is, at this time, as great a trouble and annoyance to the people as the former "Dominican papeletas," and attended with much more loss to the holders. The What is to become of all this ragged paper currency is yet to be seen. few doubloons Spain has brought into the country to pay her officials and troops have been swallowed up by the St. Thomas merchants. MEXICO. TAMPICO-FRANKLIN CHASE, Consul. NOVEMBER 10, 1863. *The unsettled and very disorganized state of political affairs in this consulate district has caused so many changes in every department of the government (by the removal of the public archives, and the retirement of the constitutional government to the interior,) as to preclude the bare possibility of making my annual report of the commerce worthy of your attention. In times of regular commerce in this place there is such a sameness in the quantity and quality of importations of goods, wares, and merchandise suited to this and the interior markets, that after making up one annual report it would be difficult to discover any material change for many years. The custom-house of this port is now under the control of the so-called regency at the city of Mexico; and all vessels (which left any foreign port after the 20th September last) will be admitted with their cargoes, under the decree of General Forey of the 1st May, 1863, at a reduction of 50 per cent. of the duties, as per tariff of the Mexican republic of January, 1856. The decree of the regency of the 27th of August last permits the exportation of gold and silver coins, in conformity to the tariff of 1856 and the decree of the 18th February, 1857. Up to the present date the interior trade has been interdicted by the regency. Consequently all importations of merchandise, with the exception of the limited consumption of this place, remains in the importers' stores as so much dead capital. During the last eighteen months there has been a constant deficiency of water on the bar, causing serious delays and heavy expenses for lighterage, as well as several marine disasters on the coast. The decree, above quoted, imposes an export duty of 6 per cent. on coined silver. Port regulations at Tampico. DECREE. The colonel, superior commander of Tampico, decrees: Art. 1. The captain of every merchant vessel that arrives at Tampico shall send to the captain of the port, immediately after anchorage, a statement of all the passengers; said statement, signed by the captain, shall indicate the place of birth, nationality, trade, from whence sailed, and the destination of the pas sengers. Art. 2. The passports of said passengers shall be accompanied with the statement referred to in the preceding article. Art. 3. The discharging shall not begin until the captain of the port may have given his competent authorization. Art. 4. The passports shall be deposited in the prefectura of the city, where the passengers must appear personally to reclaim them. Art. 5. No captain of a vessel shall receive on board (when anchored at the bar) the passengers that may go out of Tampico, unless they have their passports visaed by the local authorities. Art. 6. All violation of the provisions of the preceding articles shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars, without prejudicing the penalties dictated by the laws in such cases. Art. 7. The prefect of Tampico and the captain of the port are charged, each, in the way it appertains to them, for the execution of the present decree. Done at Tampico on the 20th August, 1863. The Superior Commandant, Seen: The Captain of the Port, J. HOLZINGER. VERA CRUZ. Statement of exports to the United States from Vera Cruz during the quarter ended March 31, 1863, (compiled from official invoices.) Statement of exports to the United States from Vera Cruz during the quarter ended June 30, 1863, (compiled from official invoices.) Statement showing the description and value of the exports from Acapulco, together with the name of country of production and ports of destination, during the quarter ended September 30, 1863, (compiled from official invoices.) * NICARAGUA. SAN JUAN DEL NORTE-B. S. COTRELL, Commercial Agent. OCTOBER 30, 1863. * The department is already aware that there is no customhouse at this port. The governor of the port collects 5 per cent. duties on all H. Ex. Doc 41-38 merchandise imported for consumption and sale here, with the exception of the two articles of gunpowder and manufactured tobacco, on the former of which is imposed a duty of 15 per cent., and on the latter 20 per cent. Merchandise sent into the interior is entered at the custom-house at San Carlos, where the same duties are collected as have been paid for years past. IMPORTS. All kinds of general merchandise are imported into the country, the greater portion of which consists of English and French dry goods, Italian and French wines, oils and liquors. Very small quantities of foreign provisions pass into the interior via this port, and the greater part of the provisions sold and consumed here are imported from the United States. The following is the estimated amount of the value of the importations for the year ended September 20, 1863: Merchandise of all kinds imported from Europe, the United States, and St. Thomas, and sold and consumed at this Indigo, valued at.......... EXPORTS. $38,677 90 18,591 44 73,996 50 India-rubber, procured at this port.. Gold uncoined, procured here.. Gold uncoined, sent from the interior. Money, procured here.... Money, sent from the interior.. Total amount of exports. 51,121 47 900 30 5,787 50 2,339 30 5,996 40 1,927 25 13 00 936 70 40.00 14,925 70 60.00 2,358 50 34,404 35 5,695 47 63,045 70 320,817 48 VALUE OF PRODUCTS. Beef hides, each, $2; deer skins, each, 75 cents; Brazil wood, per ton, $30; indigo, per quintal, $100; cacao, per quintal, $20; coffee, per quintal, $14; cotton, per pound, 10 cents; sarsaparilla, per pound, 25 cents; tortoise shell, per pound, $2; India-rubber, per pound, 28 cents, average. |