CUSTOM-HOUSE REGULATIONS.

GOODS IN TRANSIT.

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If after eight days from arrival a vessel has not broken bulk the consignee may request her clearance for another port: this shall be on a 25 cent. stamp, and on payment of port dues the Administrator, after the visit by the Resguardo, shall return her papers and clear her. The transit of goods not discharged may be effected either by «retorno»> in the same vessel or by «transbordo» to another. Duplicate petitions on 25 cent. stamps must be made, setting forth the name of the importing vessel and that of transhipment, the destination of the latter, the marks, contents, and qualities of the goods; and these must be presented to the Direct Despatch office of the Contaduria within twelve days after the ship's arrival. A term of forty days is allowed when the manifest expresses that the goods are for transhipment to a certain destination': the same term is allowed for lumber, salt, and coal. In like manner goods solicited for direct despatch within eight days from the ship's arrival may be transhipped within forty days in the manner already stated.

DIRECT DESPATCH.

The consignee has to draw up four documents: a manifest on 25 cent. stamp, a copy of bill of lading on 25 cent. stamp, and copies of each of the foregoing on common paper. In all must be specified the mark and number of each parcel, specifying its contents, quality, quantity, &c., either in local or foreign measurement, but the consignee may put if he wish «contents unknown,» and the papers are then sent to the Contaduria, the consignee either paying the duties cash, or giving the usual guarantee. The proper clerk then puts «despáchese» on the manifests, and «conforme>> on the bill of lading, as also on the copies. If the consignee has put «contents unknown» the inspector proceeds to open the case and note down its contents. The consignee presents the document at the Contaduria, the clerk stamps same, and specifies the employee who is to despatch the goods. This document must next be counter-sigued by the proper Vista, who sends it to the warehouseman, retaining the manifest for comparison. The warehouseman has to weigh the goods or measure them. The Vista assesses them at the valuation in the tariff, and, if not expressed In case the importer resist the therein, he puts his own valuation. valuation, and that the Vista do not alter it within three days, the Customhouse shall be obliged to take the goods at such valuation. If the goods be damaged they must be sold by auction within fifteen days, and the duties

assessed at 23 per cent. under the auctioneer's returns. In all cases of disagreement between the merchant and the Vista it shall be decided by the Tariff Committee, from whose decree there is no appeal for goods specified in the tariff. The Vista then writes «despachado»> on the copy, and the manifest is sent to the Contaduria. The Alcaidia clears the goods, and archives said copy. In comestibles and liquors the Vista often puts «despachado»> before measuring them, but the measurement is afterwards noted. The Contaduria recovers the duties cash, when not amounting to $50 s., or if there be no bail. All duties payable cash must be satisfied within five days from notification. The consignee in paying the duties must take a memorandum of their amount from the Contaduria to the Tesoreria, which latter office gives a receipt in due form. The Contaduria draws bills at four months, which are presented to the consignees, and must be accepted within five days, whereupon they are sent in to the National Treasury. Extra duties must be paid cash, in precisely the same way as those not amounting to $50 s.

PASSENGERS' LUGGAGE AND SPECIE.

Luggage, parcels, and samples may be landed at the passengers' wharf without permit, and before the vessel is registered for unloading. The Resguardo examines the luggage and shows it to the Vista, who despatches it if the value be under $10 s. If the value be over $10s., and under $50 s., the Vista calculates the duties and a stamp of 25 cents., which must be paid to the Inspector of the Resguardo before letting the goods pass. If the value be over $50 s. the Resguardo sends the parcel with a papeleta to the Custom-house, where the Alcaidia takes charge of same. Specie may also be despatched by the Resguardo, without waiting for the ship to be formally entered; but in case the consignee do not wish to run the risk of opening the parcel, the Resguardo seals the same, telling the consignee that he must produce it in the same condition within forty-eight hours at the Tesoreria under pain of $500. The Treasury counts it and delivers it at once to the owner.

GOODS FOR DEPOSIT.

Permits for storing goods are made on a 25 cent. duplicate stamp, the merchant declaring the name and port of the ship, the marks, number, and contents of the packages, and presenting same at the Contaduria within eight days of the ship's arrival: passing this term there is a fine of 2 per

cent. ad valorem. In the copy bill of lading the merchant may put «<contents unknown.». The goods are afterwards at the merchant's disposal, to be sold or transhipped, either the whole or in part, and if undisposed of after two years the storage may be renewed in form. In despatching bonded goods the form is similar to that used for «direct despatch:»> there must be a manifest on a 25 cent stamp, and two copies on plain paper. Petitions for «transbordo» or «retorno» of goods not landed must be made within forty days of the ship's arrival. Petitions for re-shipment of goods in transit must be made on three papers for sailing ships, and four for steamers, two of them with 25 cent stamp, expressing the ship's name, date of arrival, nature of goods, &c. Goods that have lain two years in deposit can be re-stored at the expiration of the legal term: the merchant presents a permit at the Contaduria on a 25 cent stamp, with copy on common paper, which after receiving the «conforme» is sent to the Alcaidia. One of the warehouse inspectors proceeds to the store in question and compares the goods: if the store be a private deposit there is no' warehouse fee, and the Contador puts his «conforme;» but if it be a Customs warehouse the merchant must pay at the Treasury the warehouse and «eslingage» fees for the two years past, getting receipt for same. The Custom-house allows packages to be broken up, provided they be taken to the «Deposito de fracciones.» Two permits are requisite, one on a 25 cent stamp, and specifying in what deposit the goods are: the Alcaidia gives the necessary order to the warehouse inspector, who delivers the goods to two Ayudantes and returns receipt for same, with the «conforme,» to the Contaduria: the goods so broken up are then despatched either for the market or transhipment, in the same manner as if whole packages. Merchants may also cut off a sample, on condition of restoring same when clearing the article: a permit is requisite on a 25 cent stamp, expressing the usual particulars and the quantity required for a sample for the Contaduria and Alcaidia despatch.

EXPORT TRAFFIC.

When a vessel wishes to load for foreign parts, the consignee, broker, captain, or other person, makes a petition to the Administrator for permission to be placed on the berth, expressing the name, class, nationality and destination. The stamp is determined by the ship's tonnage. The petition is lodged at the «Mesa de despacho directo>> in the Contaduria, for the vessel to be entered; it is then sent to the Secretaria,

which in turn passes it to the Resguardo, and finally it is sent to the office of clearances or «salidas á ultramar.» The vessel is then ready to receive cargo. In shipping produce that is subject to export duties the shipper must present two permits on 25 cent stamps, specifying the ship's name, &c., and the produce to be shipped, as also the point of shipment. The «Mesa de Salidas» gives a ticket for such shipment. If the shipment be made from the old or new Custom-house, the «boleto» must be shewn to the Resguardo, and the barraquero or shipper sends off each cart with a «papeleta» expressing the ship's name, the lighter, the nature of goods, and the shipper: this «papeleta» is given to the Resguardo. The lighter being fully laden proceeds to the ship, and thus each lighter goes till all the cargo is shipped. If the goods are to be shipped from Barracas the Resguardo sends an official to weigh or count them at the barraca in the act of shipment. The barraquero gives the lighterman a «papeleta» of the goods shipped, with the names of the shipper, the lighter, and the vessel receiving; this «papeleta» is countersigned by the official and afterwards presented at the Resguardo, which gives the lighterman a «pasavante» to the Boca. Here the second Resguardo gives another to the third Resguardo, situate at the mouth of the Riachuelo. If the last has any suspicion of smuggling it sends an official to superintend the loading. When the shipment is made from the Boca the same formalities are observed, As soon as all the cargo is shipped the Resguardo returns the «<boleto>> to the shipper, who takes it to the Contaduria and Liquidacion for payment of the export duties. The «Mesa de salidas»> having assessed the amount of these, the shipper then goes to the Tesoreria and pays same, getting a receipt for the amount. If the shipper has any «boletos de transito» these are deducted from the duties. In the event of shipping goods that are duty-free the same formalities are gone through as already expressed, except as regards duties.

SHIPMENT IN TRANSIT.

When a merchant has obtained a permit of «re-embarco» in the manner already explained, he takes it to the Alcaidia, to be stamped, &c. Either of the transit offices, in the old or new Custom-house, receives the permit after which the Resguardo is notified, that it may oversee the transhipment and then endorse the permit, previous to the inspector returning it to the merchant. If the shipment takes place at the Boca the Resguardo superintends the operation and endorses the permit «embarcado.» The

goods being re-embarked the merchant presents the permit at the Contaduria, which assesses the warehouse fees to be paid at the Tesoreria, the latter giving receipt for same in due form.

RE-EXPORTATION OF GOODS.

Goods that have been duly cleared and have paid duties may be again shipped for foreign ports in this manner: two permits for exportation are presented to the «Mesa de salidas» on a 25 cent stamp, with the usual particulars and specifying that the goods have already paid duty; the permit is then sent to the Resguardo, who oversees the shipment.

CLEARING VESSELS FOR ABROAD.

When a vessel has taken in all her cargo the consignee gives on oath a full return of same, according to the bills of lading, to the «<Mesa de salidas,» which sends him to the «despacho directo»; the latter office compares the papers, to see if the vessel has discharged all the cargo expressed in her manifest on arrival in port. But if it happen that there are goods not cleared by the consignees, the office will require a certificate from the Alcaidia that such goods are in deposit, before clearing the vessel. These formalities being fulfilled, the merchant presents to the Oficina de Entradas a petition with same stamp as that for breaking bulk, begging that the vessel may be cleared for such or such port. This permit is granted with the note (after payment of duties), and the permit is sent to the Mesa de Salidas. The merchant next presents a Guia on $3 stamp, expressing ship's name, class, &c., and a full manifest of all her cargo: the manifest is countersigned by the Administrador and Contador, and then given to the captain.

CAPTAIN'S AND HEALTH PAPERS.

Before clearing a vessel the Mesa de Salidas shall calculate from the consular papers the amount of port-dues, including the health-paper, which the captain shall pay at the Tesoreria, in the same manner as the entrance dues on arrival. The Mesa then advises the consul by certificate that the vessel is duly cleared, and notifies the Capitania in like manner.

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