cipal. (See paragraph 653.) If, however, the agent is a partner acting in behalf of his firm, a copy of the articles of copartnership, authenticated to the satisfaction of the Consul, may, if desired by the firm, be substituted. A form of power of attorney is given in Form 104.

657. When a verification by oath or affirmation of the owner, shipper, manufacturer, or agent, is deemed necessary by the Consular Officer, the affiant may, in countries where an oath, to be of legal force, must be taken before a local magistrate, or other officer, take the same before any such officer. The language and form of the oath, if taken by foreigners, should be those of their country. If Consular Officers in China and Japan shall be satisfied, in any case, that it is not practicable to take the oath required by law, they may authenticate the invoice and proceed without the oath, as in cases where none is required; leaving all questions in regard thereto to be disposed of by the proper authorities in the United States.

658. Consular Officers are forbidden to be in any way interested in the fees, or to interfere with the selection of such magistrate or other officer. They may, in their discretion, on points on which they are in doubt, examine experts and others, either on affidavit or orally, without charge or expense to the United States Government.

659. To facilitate the operations of the custom-house, Consuls will take care that, when practicable, all invoices are properly folded and indorsed, and all blanks properly filled.

660. One invoice must not embrace merchandise shipped by two or more vessels.

661. Every invoice must truly state quantities in the weights and measures of the country or place from which the importations are made, without respect to those of the United States, and should set forth the quantity by weight of all woolen, worsted, mohair, and mixed goods (excepting carpeting and bunting); also of cotton-bagging, of crinoline, of corset, and hat steel wire, and the quantity by weight, measure, or tale, respectively, of all other goods the duty on which is estimated partly on either weight, measure, or tale.

662. When the value of a foreign currency mentioned in the invoice is not fixed in pursuance of United States laws, as set forth in the annual estimates of values (Form No. 148), or shall be depreciated, or have been debased subsequently to the passage of such laws, the invoice must be accompanied by a Consular certificate (Form No. 144), showing the value of such currency in United States gold dollars. No such certificates are required as to invoices of Swiss goods, made out in the franc federal; the franc of France being the standard value thereof.

663. The Consular Officer must return one of the triplicates to the person producing them; file one in his office for careful preservation; and, as soon as practicable, transmit the remaining one directly to the collector of the port of destination of the merchandise, either by the master of the vessel in which shipment is made or by mail, and without the intervention of any party in in

terest.

664. Prior to forwarding the last-named copy, the Consul shall stamp, near the bottom of its first page, at the left-hand corner, and upon his certificate (on which he shall personally write his name), the amount of the invoice, its Consular number, the name of the Consulate, and the amount and number of the fee received for the Consular authentication.

665. The said copy (or copies, if there are two or more invoices to be forwarded by the same vessel or mail) must then be placed in an envelope, carefully addressed to the collector, and stamped with the name of the Consulate and the date. The blank for the numbers of the invoices must be filled in writing. A small silk cord or narrow ribbon must then be passed through the envelope, near the ends and sides, and under the Consular seal, with which the envelope must be carefully sealed (Form No. 142).

666. When invoices are transmitted from a Consulate in the interior, or place

of purchase, or manufacture, to the Consul of the port of shipment therein designated, to be thence forwarded to the proper collector, the package must. be accompanied with a descriptive list to facilitate comparison with the ship's manifest, before taking the master's receipt, as per Forms Nos. 141 and 143. The latter Consul must see that the integrity of the package is duly secured in the manner prescribed in the preceding paragraph.

667. The copy filed in the Consulate must be carefully folded, and indorsed with its number, date, the name of the owner or shipper, and the name of the vessel in which the merchandise is shipped. Forms of the invoice book required to be kept by Consular Officers, and the digest of its contents to be sent to the Department of State, are given in Forms Nos. 117 and 133.

668. Consular Officers will, on request of the proper collectors, supply them, free of charge, with copies of any such documents on file in their offices as they may need in the discharge of their official duties. Copies prepared by other persons for their own use will, on request, be certified on payment of two dollars. When, however, duplicates of originals are required, or the copy is prepared by the Consůl, the schedule fee will be exacted as for original service. They are also required to furnish to the Secretary of the Treasury, or to such officers of the customs as he may direct, as often as may be required, the prices current of all articles of merchandise usually exported to the United States from the port or place in which the Consular Officer is stationed.

669. If a Consular Officer ascertains and has reliable evidence of the falsity of an oath, administered either by himself or by a local magistrate whose certificate he has authenticated, he should notify the Treasury Department; which will transmit to him the original invoice and oath, to be used, if deemed expedient, in a prosecution for perjury. He should also promptly inform the Treasury Department, and the collector of the port to which goods may be destined, of all errors and frauds discovered in invoices that have been certified by him.

670. The statute authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to make regulations for sealing vessels, cars, and other vehicles coming into the United States with dutiable merchandise from any contiguous foreign lands or countries. The decliaraton to be made in such case is shown in Form No. 146.

FREE ENTRY OF PRODUCTS OF AMERICAN FISHERIES.

671. Fish, oil, bone, pearl-shells, and all other products of American fisheries brought into the United States from foreign places, in a vessel other than the one by which the same were taken, will be admitted to free entry only on the production to the collector of customs at the port of importation, by the master of the importing vessel, of a manifest of said articles, duly subscribed and sworn to by the master of the fishing vessel by which such articles were taken, and certified by the United States Consular Officer at the foreign port where the transshipment of such articles occurred. Such manifest and certificate will be in the form given, respectively, in Forms Nos. 157 and 158.

672. Articles the product of American fisheries in the Pacific may be landed from the fishing-vessel at Panama, New Granada, and transported across the Isthmus of Panama, and shipped to a port of the United States, on the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico, and be treated on arrival as if imported direct from the whaling or fishing ground in the original vessel, on due compliance with these Regulations. A manifest must be made out and verified in the manner above indicated. The United States Consul at Panama, or the revenue inspector, if there be one, will examine the packages, and make comparison thereof with the manifest, and certify thereon the result under his hand and official seal, stating in his certificate that the articles so manifested were placed, under his inspection, on the cars or other vehicles for transportation to the port or place of shipment on the Atlantic side. On arrival of the articles at the Atlantic terminus of the route, the manifest aforesaid must be presented to the United States Consul at Aspinwall, or to the revenue inspector, if there be one,

who will certify thereon to the due shipment of the same under his inspection on board the vessel, naming the vessel and her master, for its destination in the United States. Like proceedings will be had in case of products of American fishery transported by the route of San Juan de Nicaragua.

673. Provision has been made by law for the free entry into the United States of animals from beyond the seas when imported for breeding purposes. The customs regulations require in such cases that the owner of the animals shall produce to the collector at the port of importation a certificate from the Consular Officer of the United States at the port of shipment, showing that the animals are, to the best of his information and belief, intended for such purpose, and also a statement of the owner, under oath, that the animals were purchased abroad and imported into the United States especially for breeding purposes. The collector must also be satisfied that the animals are of superior stock, adapted to improving the breed in the United States. The term "beyond the seas" is held to apply to any territory beyond the limits of the United States. The form of the owner's statement and the Consular certificate will be found in Form No. 66.

674. The statute also provides for the free admission of the teams of animals, including tackle and harness, and the wagons, sleighs, or other vehicles drawn by such teams, when brought into the United States by emigrants. In such cases the emigrant must produce to the collector of customs at the port of importation an affidavit showing that the same have been in actual use by him abroad; that they are at the time in actual use for the purpose of emigration; and that they are brought into the United States for his own use and not for sale. The affidavit may be made before a collector of customs, or a Consular Officer, or before any local official qualified to administer oaths. No formal Consular certificate is required; but if the papers for such an entry are executed before a Consular Officer they should be in the form prescribed in Form No. 93. No greater fee than fifty cents shall be collected by a Consular Officer for the services rendered in such cases under any pretext, and his services shall include the necessary blanks and the preparation of them when required. 675. The statute provides for the entry at ports of the United States, free of duties, of paintings, statuary, fountains, and other works of art, the production of American artists. The fact of such production must be verified by the certificate of a Consul or Minister indorsed upon the written declaration of the artist. The forms applicable to such cases will be found in Forms Nos. 155 and 156.

676. It frequently happens, in regard to the importation of lumber from countries adjacent to the United States, that the lumber is imported in two or more canal-boats or barges towed by a single steamer. The regulation under which authority was given to shippers to embrace in a single Consular certificate the lumber on all the boats or barges of a tow has been rescinded. Hereafter a separate Consular certificate will be required for the lumber on each boat or barge of a tow.

677. Representations have from time to time been received at the Department of State that shipments of general merchandise are often divided into small lots, in order to bring each lot under the value of one hundred dollars, for the purpose of securing entry at the custom-house without the production of Consular invoices. This division of shipments has, in some quarters, grown into a general practice, and has been encouraged hitherto by the admission of such non-invoiced goods without special inquiry as to the reasons for the failure to produce verified invoices. At the instance of that Department the attention of customs officers has been called by the Secretary of the Treasury to section 2860 of the Revised Statutes, which provides that, except in the cases mentioned in the four preceding sections, no merchandise shall be admitted to entry from any foreign country unless an invoice is presented conforming to the requirements of sections 2853 to 2855 of the Revised Statutes. The principal exception to this rule is found in section 2859 of the Revised Statutes,

which provides that, whenever the value of imported merchandise does not exceed one hundred dollars, the collector at the port of arrival may admit it to entry without the production of a Consular invoice, if he is satisfied that the neglect to produce such invoice was unintentional and that the importation was made in good faith, and without any purpose of defrauding or evading the revenue laws.

678. Circular instructions were issued to collectors of customs enjoining them, where an entry of merchandise valued at less than one hundred dollars is presented, to make due examination in order to ascertain whether the failure to produce a Consular invoice was unintentional, and otherwise free from the objections specified in the statute. Where the merchandise is not clearly entitled to the privilege of entry without Consular invoice, they are directed to require a bond for the production of such invoice in the usual manner. Shipments of small quantities of butter, eggs, garden produce, and other like articles brought to the United States by parties living along the border, and who are producers of the same, have been heretofore considered as not being subject to the requirements of Consular invoices, and no objection will be made to a continuance of this rule.

2. RELATIONS BETWEEN CONSULAR OFFICERS AND REVENUE AGENTS. 679. Consular Officers will confer freely with the Treasury Revenue Agents who may be appointed to visit and examine the Consulates. They will remember, however, that these agents have no authority to instruct them as to their official acts. Consular Officers will also render to such Revenue Agents every assistance in their power in the performance of their duties, giving them free access to the records and papers of their Consulates relating to trade with the United States; communicating to them promptly any information acquired by the former, showing or indicating actual or contemplated frauds in the exportation of merchandise to the United States, or which may be in any wise useful to such agents in the prosecution of their inquiries or the performance of their duties; and generally co-operating with them therein, and particularly giving special attention to any invoices or merchandise in which, or in relation to which, such agents may advise them that there is reason to apprehend that fraud or irregularity has been or is likely to be committed. Where samples are susceptible of being divided, such agents will be entitled to one-half of any such sample on application therefor; and in all cases they will be entitled to make such use of samples as may be necessary to enable them to prosecute any inquiry, or procure any required proof, in the performance of their duties.

3. DEBENTURE AND LANDING-CERTIFICATES.

680. An important duty of Consular Officers is the giving of debenture and landing-certificates for goods brought to their ports from this country, under export bonds, without payment of customs duties or internal taxes, or with benefit of drawback after payment of duties or taxes. To prevent frauds, they are cautioned not to certify without personal inspection, or undoubted proof of their truth. Such proof may consist of the production, whenever practicable, of the certificate of the collector of customs or chief revenue officer of the port where the merchandise has been landed.

681. For the discharge of the export bond covering imported merchandise, the exporter must produce a certificate from the consignees (Form No. 150) and joint affidavit of the master and mate of the exporting vessel (Form No. 153) and the certificate (Form No. 151) of the Consul of the United States at the port to which the goods were exported, verifying the consignee's certificate; or in case the latter certificate cannot be produced, a certificate from two merchants residing at the place to which the goods were exported (Form No. 152). He must also produce, whenever practicable, the certificate of the chief revenue officer or collector of the foreign port (appended thereto) under the

hand and seal of that officer, certifying that the merchandise described has been landed and duly entered at the custom-house at said port, and that the duties imposed thereon by the laws of the country in which the port is situated have been fully paid or secured to be paid (Form No. 154). The fact that the oaths of the master and mate (Form No. 153) are wanting in a landingcertificate does not debar the Consul from authenticating such certificate, he being satisfied that the same is correct.

682. For the discharge of export bonds covering the exportation of articles manufactured in part from domestic alcohol, under the provisions of the twentieth section of the act of March 3, 1879, the same proof of shipment and like certificates, or other evidence of the landing of the manufactured articles at a foreign port, are required as in the case of bonds given to secure the exportation of imported merchandise withdrawn from warehouse.

683. For the discharge of export bonds covering articles exported in bond under the internal-revenue laws of the United States, the importer must produce and deliver to the proper collector of customs, within the time limited in each bond, a landing-certificate embracing, in addition to the evidence required in other cases, evidence of the following description, viz.:

684. (1.) The certificate of the chief revenue officer or collector of the foreign port (appended to the foregoing) under the hand and seal of that officer, certifying that the merchandise described has been landed, weighed, and duly entered at the custom-house at said port, and that the duties imposed thereon by the laws of the country in which the port is situated have been fully paid, or secured to be paid (Form No. 154).

685. (2.) The certificate of the Consular Officer of the United States residing at such port certifying to the truth of the statements set forth in the certificate of the consignee, and also that the person signing the foregoing certificate is the chief revenue officer of the port, and that his signature is genuine (Form No. 151).

686. Where there is no United States Consular Officer residing at the foreign port of landing and delivery, this verification will be signed by two American merchants, if any such reside there, and in failure of both of these, by two respectable foreign merchants, in which case the blank must be filled up with the words "nor American merchants" (Form No. 152).

A register of landing-certificates is required to be kept by Consular Officers in the form given in Form No. 134.

REPORTS TO THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.

571. It is the duty of every Consular Officer to furnish to the Secretary of the Treasury, as often as shall be required, the prices-current of all articles of merchandise usually exported to the United States from the port or place in which he shall be located. They are also requested to transmit, at least once a month, if opportunity offers, to the Secretary of State and to the* Comptroller of the Treasury, the rates of exchange, and also a statement of the rates at which any depreciated currency of the country in which they reside is computed in United States or Spanish dollars, or in silver or gold coins of other countries, observing in all cases of an estimate of the value of the currency in such foreign coins that their weight and standard should be made known to the Department.

572. Consular Officers will also report monthly to the Treasury Department the rates of exchange prevailing between the ports or places at which they reside and the following places, to wit, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Hamburg; also New York, and other principal ports in the United States; and they will keep the Department regularly and fully advised of the course and progress of trade from the several ports of their Consulates to the United States.

The first Comptroller of the Treasury.