This letter has no reference to "duties imposed on American produce imported by him from Matanzas:" it relates to this extra tonnage duty imposed on the Spanish bark "Providencia," which cleared at this port for Matanzas on the 11th January last, which extra tonnage duty, agreeably to the 2d section of the act of June 30, 1834, is intended to be equivalent to the discriminating duty that would be imposed at Matanzas on the cargo of the vessel if imported in an American bottom. This duty was paid under protest, the protestant taking exception to the valuation given to certain articles of the cargo; and the objection may be well founded, as the schedule of valuations and rates of discriminating duty furnished by the Treasury Department for the guidance of collectors bears date February 23, 1835, since which time important changes may have been made in the tariffs of the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico. Annexed to the letter of J. M. Ceballos is a certificate of Joseph M. Noguera, deputy collector of the royal maritime revenue for her Majesty's customs, Matanzas, declaring that biscuit is free of duty; that Indian corn is dutiable with half of the dues specified in the actual tariff that bricks are appraised at the rate of $12 per thousand and coal at $1 50 per quintal. No mention is made of the articles upon which the duty or valuation may have been increased. The 4th section of the act of June 24, 1834, authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to estimate, from time to time, the additional tonnage duty, and instruct the officers of the customs. The existing schedule of rates prescribed, it is believed, needs revision. I return the letter of Mr. Ceballos. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. S. P. CHASE, HIRAM BARNEY, Collector. Secretary of the Treasury. NUEVITAS.-RICHARD GIBBS, Consul. Statement showing the description, quantity, and aggregate value of the exports to the United States in English vessels from the port of Nuevitas for the quarter ended March 31, 1862. Statement showing the description, quantity, and total value of the exports to the United States in English vessels from the port of Nuevitas for the quarter ended June 30, 1862. Returns of remaining quarters not received when this report was closed. SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO.-JASPER SMITH, Consul. JUNE 25, 1862. A new commercial regulation has been published here, which should be made known to persons doing business with this island. I find it was published here on the 17th April last, but it did not come to my knowledge until within a few days. NOTICE TO MERCHANTS AND SHIPMASTERS. ISLAND OF PORTO RICO. Change of time allowed for completing manifest, and change of mode of ascertaining and charging tonnage dues on ships, national or foreign, to be in force four months from and after this date. Her Majesty the Queen of Spain has approved the following royal order: First. That article 6 of the customs regulations of the island of Porto Rico be amended so as to read as follows: "Shipmasters will be allowed to make additions to their manifests by including whatever they may have omitted to add to them, whatsoever may have been the cause, on condition that the document in which such addition or amendment appears be delivered to the commanding officer of the carbineers at the precise time of the visit to which article 20 refers." Second. Article 118 of the same regulations shall be modified in the following manner: "National or foreign vessels which may enter the ports of the island for trade, with cargo of whatever kind, shall pay, besides the port dues, that on tonnage indicated by the tariff, and controlled as to the number of tons by the measurement stated in the certificate of construction. Third. Both modifications begin to operate at the end of four months from the date of the publication of this royal order in the gazette of this island. April 12, 1863. JUAN DE DIAZ. TRINIDAD DE CUBA.-WILLIAM H. RUSSELL, Consul. OCTOBER 1, 1862. In conformity to instructions given me for my guidance, and which I admit are imperative, I proceed to submit to you my second annual report touching the commercial, agricultural, manufacturing, and such other subjects of local concern, as place will within your knowledge the principal or most important statistical facts of this consulate. You will, however, bear in mind that this is a very old-settled portion of the island of Cuba, cotemporaneous, or very nearly so, with the settlement of Havana, or of the first Spanish colonies that took possession of the country; and as a peculiar characteristic of the population, they have from the date of their occupancy confined their efforts almost exclusively to the pursuit of agriculture especially adapted to the tropics. It is not surprising, therefore, that very marked monotony, uniformity of habits, and but little progress or change should characterize the country and population, and that the report of one year, of necessity, has to be pretty much the same for a succession of years to follow. This fact in regard to this consular district or department of the island is so obviously true that my report of this year, with a few slight fiscal changes, must be substantially the same as that of last year. There are but three or four American merchants resident in this city. As stated in my report of last year, the chief agricultural products of this consulate, which, indeed, with equal truth, may be said of the whole island, are sugar, molasses, rum, a little coffee, honey, wax, cigars, tobacco, and hides, to which may be added mahogany and cedar lumber. The latter in considerable amount is the production of a jurisdiction within this consulate called San Espiritos. The probable total amount of all exports from this consulate for the present year, embracing Trinidad and the two agencies of Cienfuegos and Taza, will probably reach the sum of $6,645,000, or an excess of $1,645,000 over what I computed it to have reached last year. The foregoing amount may be accounted for by the following tabular statement, viz: There is not now, as there was not last year, any direct communication by steam between any part of this consulate and the United States, although we have coasting steamers that connect with a railway from Batabana, on the south side of the island, that runs to Havana, average of somewhat less than two days. There is no depreciation in the value of silver coin of the United States, the half dollar, dime, and half dime passing quite as currently here as with us. Our gold coin is not quite so readily received, and consequently there is but little of it in circulation. There are no banks in this consulate, and no bank paper of any kind in circulation. In Havana they have one bank called the Banco Españo (Spanish Bank;) but as there is none of its paper in circulation here, I am uninformed as to the extent or character of its business. The exchanges in Trinidad are regulated almost entirely by the Havana market, which, at present, is as follows: On London, 60 days' sight, 13 or 14 per cent. premium; Paris, 60 days' sight, about par; Spain, 6 days' sight, 5 per cent. premium; on New York or Boston, 60 days' sight, 13 or 14 per cent. discount. The most common mode of transacting business between the merchants and the planters in the interior is a credit of one year; and then, if payment is not made, interest at the rate of 12 per cent. per annum is charged. There is no broker in this city, and the discount for cash varies from 1 to 4 per cent. per month. The usual commission on exports is two and a half per cent. Freight from the interior to Casilda, the seaport of Trinidad, a distance of 15 or 20 miles, is $1 75 per hogshead of sugar, and in that proportion for other freight. I have now, I think, substantially laid before you the substantive facts that are important to put you in possession of the business operations in this isolated portion of the world. TENERIFFE. WILLIAM H. DABNEY, Consul. OCTOBER 12, 1862. I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your circular of July 31, 1862, (No. 17,) respecting the privilege extended to foreign vessels-of-war, under certain regulations, of purchasing supplies from public warehouses, duty free, in our ports, and requesting me to communicate a copy of the provisions of the law above named, with the regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury, to the chief local authority at this place, and ascertain whether the same privileges will be extended to United States vessels-of-war in this port; and also communicating new instructions to consuls in regard to the verification of invoices, and enclosing a copy of section 17 of the act increasing temporarily the duties on imports, &c., &c., for my guidance. With regard to the first subject of your circular, I would observe that this being a free port, and the duty on everything excepting cereals and their flours, (which pay duty by sliding scale according to price,) and tobacco, (which pays a moderate duty,) amounts to only one per cent. ad valorem, and that there is consequently no bonded warehouse system in this port, it therefore becomes unnecessary for me to make public the privileges mentioned, or to make the inquiry solicited. * * * PORTUGUESE DOMINIONS. LISBON.-C. A. MUNRO, Consul. DECEMBER 31, 1861. The fiscal year in Portugal commences on the 1st of July and ends on the 30th of June of the following year, and the remarks and accounts undermentioned bear reference to the fiscal year ending on the 30th of June, 1861, this being the date up to which statistical reports have been lately made. The annexed are reduced from milreis into dollars, at the fixed par reis to a dollar of United States currency. Custom-house revenue. of 920 The total amount of duties, &c., received by the Lisbon custom-house in 1860-'61 was $2,855,400 95; for the same period in 1859-'60, $2,718,815 32. Increase in favor of 1860-'61, $137,685 63. The total value of the goods imported into Lisbon through the custom-house was $16,321,730 98; and this amount was imported from the following countries, viz: Great Britain and British possessions..... $8, 834, 795 87 2, 305, 905 54 |