AN ACT to amend and re-enact sections twenty-five hundred and fifty-two and twentyfive hundred and fifty-three of the Revised Statutes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That paragraph four of section twenty-five hundred and fifty-two of the Revised Statutes be, and the same is hereby, amended so that it shall read: "The district of Yorktown: To comprise all the waters and shores from the point forming the south shore of the mouth of the Rappahannock River, and from the mouth of York River to Cappahoosic, in which Yorktown shall be the port of entry, and East River and Cumberland ports of delivery."

SEC. 2. And that paragraph seventh of section twenty-five hundred and fifty-two of the Revised Statutes be, and the same is hereby, amended so that it shall read: "The district of Richmond: To comprise all the waters and shores of the James River, from its junction with the Appomattox River to the highest tide-waters of the James River, and all the waters and shores of the York River from Cappahoosic to its head, and the waters and shores of the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers, to the highest tide-waters in said rivers, in which the port of entry shall extend from Richmond and Manchester to Bermuda Hundreds, and to West Point, at the head of York River."

SEC. 3. And that paragraph seventh of section twenty-five hundred and fifty-three of the Revised Statutes be, and the same is hereby, amended, so that it shall read: "In the district of Richmond, a collector and a surveyor, who shall reside at Richmond; a surveyor, who shall reside at Bermuda Hundred; and a deputy-collector, who shall reside at West Point."

Approved, May 27, 1880.

(4569.)

Common carriers-Approval of the bond of Oliver P. and Chancellor V.

Shinkle.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 11, 1880.

SIR: The bond in duplicate of Oliver P. Shinkle and Chancellor V. Shinkle as common carriers of unappraised merchandise in bond, transmitted with your letter of the 5th instant, is hereby approved, and one copy thereof is herein inclosed, to be placed upon the files of your office.

Under their bond, Messrs. Oliver P. and Chancellor V. Shinkle are authorized to transport unappraised goods in bond from the port of New Orleans, La., to the ports of Memphis, Tenn., St. Louis, Mo. Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio, in the steamboat "Golden Rule' (of which steamboat they are sole owners), plying upon the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers between the ports named.

Very respectfully,
By order:

SURVEYOR OF CUSTOMS, Cincinnati, Ohio.

H. F. FRENCH,

Assistant Secretary.

(4570.)

Cloth composed of vegetable fiber and cotton-Duty on.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 11, 1880.

SIR: The Department is in receipt of your letter of the 26th of April last, transmitting the appeal (6265ƒ) of Merrill & Wilkins from your decision assessing duty at the rate of 6 cents per square yard and 15 per cent. ad valorem on certain so-called fiber cloth imported, per "Algeria," January 8, 1880, which the appellants claim to be dutiable at the rate of 30 per cent. ad valorem.

It is understood, from the report of the appraiser, that the merchandise in question is a fabric composed in part of cotton and in part of vegetable fiber, cotton, however, being the material of chief value.

Referring, therefore, to Department's ruling of the 7th instant, as to goods of mixed materials, where cotton is the component of chief value, it would seem that neither the classification as made by you nor the claims of the appellants can be sustained, as the goods are properly liable to duty at the rate of 35 per cent. ad valorem, under the provision in Schedule A (Heyl, 932) for "all other manufactures of cotton, not otherwise provided for."

You will therefore reliquidate the entry accordingly.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 12, 1880.

SIR: In reply to your letters of the 10th instant, inquiring as to the admeasuring, documenting, and status of certain barges now being built at your port and intended to be used in trade on Long Island Sound, you are informed as follows:

1. Barges employed in trade on Long Island Sound and other marine waters of the United States are required by law to be documented, but no fees can be charged for services rendered in admeasuring or documenting them. (See Department Circular No. 7, January 27, 1880.) 2. If the owners of barges exempt by law wish to have them docu

mented, they may do so; but as such action renders the legal exemption inoperative, the barges are placed upon the same footing as other vessels, and must pay the same fees.

3. Undocumented vessels cannot be considered as vessels of the United States under any circumstances. (See section 4131, Revised Statutes.)

The matter of damages arising from collisions on the high seas is not within the jurisdiction of this Department.

Very respectfully,

JOHN SHERMAN,

Secretary.

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, Middletown, Conn.

(4572.)

Free entry-Domestic lard-barrels returned from abroad.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 12, 1880.

SIR Referring to previous correspondence on the subject of the right to free entry of certain empty lard-barrels claimed to be of domestic manufacture, imported by Messrs. Crew, Moore & Levick, I have to state that a further letter from said parties has been received, which presents the question whether in case barrels (not petroleum-barrels) are exported filled with domestic products and returned empty, it is necessary that a declaration shall be filed, prior to exportation, of intent to return the same empty, in order to secure their free entry on reimportation.

The free-list of the Revised Statutes exempts from duty casks, barrels, or carboys, and other vessels and grain-bags (the manufacture of the United States), if exported containing American produce and declaration be made of intend to return the same empty, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury.

A further provision exists in the free-list for petroleum-barrels, by which they may be admitted free without requiring the filing of a declaration at time of export of intent to return the same empty.

The act of February 8, 1875, in effect amended the provision of the free-list first mentioned by omitting the requirement of a declaration, at the time of exportation, of intent to return empty grain-bags, boxes, and barrels exported filled with domestic products, and their right to free.

entry was to be determined by such regulations as might be prescribed by this Department.

The regulations of February 17, 1875, issued under authority of this act, did not in terms prescribe that a declaration should be filed prior to exportation of intent to return empty barrels, boxes, or grain-bags of domestic manufacture exported filled with American products.

Decision No. 3918, dated March 17, 1879, held, however, that said regulations were not to be construed as abolishing the requirements of articles 380 and 381 of the General Regulations additional to those set forth in said circular of February 17, 1875, and that therefore the declaration of intent to return empty was still to be exacted, excepting, of course, as to petroleum-barrels. This was modified by decision of October 25, 1879 (Synopsis 4260), which declared that no evidence of declaration at the time of exportation of intent to return grain-bags empty will be required.

Upon a review of the matter, it occurs to the Department that the object of the act of February 8, 1875, concerning boxes, barrels, and grain-bags, was partly to avoid the exaction required by the previous statute of a declaration at time of exportation of intent to return the packages empty, and that the regulations should not exact a condition which the law intended to avoid. Furthermore, the packages should

be properly entered on the outward manifest, so that they can be identified on their return, and in that event no additional safeguard to the revenue would seem to exist in requiring the filing at the date of exportation of a declaration of intent to return the packages empty.

The regulations of February 17, 1875 (Synopsis 2110), relating to packages of American manufacture, will therefore be construed as not requiring the filing on importation of an intent to return the packages empty.

It is understood that the barrels (filled with turpentine) embraced in the present application were exported from Wilmington, N. C., in the year 1879; and upon receipt from the collector at that port of a proper certificate showing such exportation, you are authorized to cancel the bond given for the production of such certificate, upon an affidavit being filed by the importers showing the identity of the barrels now imported with those described in the export certificate.

Proper instructions will be given to the collector of customs at Wilmington, N. C., in the premises.

Very respectfully,

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, Philadelphia, Pa.

H. F. FRENCH,

Assistant Secretary.

(4573.)

Cotton hat-bands-Duty on.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 12, 1880.

SIR: The Department is in receipt of your letter of the 10th instant, submitting the appeal (6755ƒ) of Messrs. W. Itschner & Co. from your assessment of duty at the rate of 35 per cent. ad valorem on certain cotton hat-bands (so called) imported by them, per "Celtic," April 20, 1880.

The appellants claim that the article in question is entitled to entry at the rate of 30 per cent. ad valorem, under the Department's decision of April 30, 1878 (Synopsis 3559).

From the report of the appraiser and an inspection of the sample submitted by the importers, it appears that the goods consist of woven cotton ribbons, used as hat-bands and bindings, and that they differ entirely from the goods covered by the Department's decision above mentioned.

The Department is of opinion that the goods are subject to duty at the rate of 35 per cent. ad valorem, as "cotton trimmings" or as "manufactures of cotton not otherwise provided for," and your decision is therefore affirmed.

Very respectfully,

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, New York.

H. F. FRENCH,
Assistant Secretary.

(4574.)

Importations for the International Sheep and Wool Show at Philadelphia in September, 1880.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, June 14, 1880.

Department Circular No. 34, of April 8, 1880, provided regulations governing importations of sheep and wool for the International Sheep and Wool Show to be held at Philadelphia in September next, under authority of the act of Congress approved April 1, 1880.

The exhibition in question is to be held in the Centennial building in Philadelphia, and the portion thereof designed for the exhibition of foreign products connected with this exhibition will be duly bonded as a warehouse. Application has been made by the managers of the ex