brought, such reasonable compensation is to be granted, in addition to the allowance of $ 10, as may be deemed equitable by the comptroller of the treasury.

$11. A number of regulations have been established by law at different times, for the government and protection of Ameri

can seamen..

The masters of vessels bound to foreign ports are required, under certain penalties, to execute a shipping-agreement with their mariners, at the foot of which there must be a memorandum in writing of the day and hour on which the subscribing mariners shall render themselves on board to begin the voyage, which they are bound strictly to observe, on penalty of a day's wages for every hour they are absent. A penalty is also imposed of three days pay for every day he may be absent after shipping himself, and should he be absent more than 48 hours at a time, he forfeits all the wages due to him, every thing that he had on board the vessel, or in any store in which they may have been lodged at the time of his desertion, for the use of the owners of the vessel, besides being liable for all the damages they may sustain by being obliged to hire another seaman in his place. When a seaman deserts in the United States he may be apprehended by a justice of the peace, and confined in the house of correction or common jail, till the vessel is ready to proceed on her voyage, or till the master require his discharge. Heavy penalties also are imposed on persons harbouring runaway sea

men.

The act for the protection of American seamen was passed on the 28th of May, 1796. It enacts that the collector of every district shall keep a book for registering seamen who are American citizens, in which every seaman may have his name entered who shall produce authenticated proof of his citizenship, of which he shall receive a certificate.

In order that full and speedy information may be obtained of the impressment of seamen in American vessels, by any foreign power, it is the duty of the master of every American vessel, on board of which an impressment has taken place, as soon as possible to make a protest, stating the manner of such impressment, by whom made, together with the name and place of residence of the person impressed; distinguishing also whether he was an American citizen, and if not, to what nation he belonged. Should this protest be made in a foreign country, it must be transmitted to the nearest consul or agent, or to the American minister, should there be one, and a copy preserved to be sent to the secretary of state on the arrival of the vessel in the United States. Should the protest be made within the United States,

or in a foreign country where there is no consul, agent, or minister of the United States, the original protest must be transmitted to the secretary of state.

The collectors of the customs are bound to make known the provisions of this law to all masters of vessels entering or clearing at their office; and the master of every vessel, before he is admitted to an entry, is required to declare on oath, whether any of his crew has been impressed in the course of his voyage, and how far he has complied with the directions of the act. For a neglect of this duty the master is liable to a fine of $ 100, for which the collector is bound to prosecute.

The collectors send a list of the registered seamen every three months to the department of state, with a list of such impressments as appear to have taken place by the protests of the masters; and it is the duty of the secretary of state to lay an annual statement before congress, containing an abstract of the returns of the collectors, and of the communications received from the agents in foreign countries.

Every American vessel bound on a voyage across the Atlantic, must have on board, at the time of leaving the last port, at least 60 gallons of water, 100lb. of salt meat, and 100lb. of wholesome ship-bread, well secured under deck, for every person on board, over and above the provisions laid in by the master or passengers, and in like proportion for longer and shorter voyages. In case the crew of any vessel which shall not have been so provided shall be put on short allowance during the voyage, they shall have a right to an extra day's pay as long as the short allowance shall be continued. Every American vessel bound on a foreign voyage, of 150 tons burthen, navigated by more than nine persons, must be provided with a chest of medicines, put up by some apothecary of known reputation. The medicine-chest must be examined and supplied at least once a year by an apothecary. In default of attention to these regulations, the master of the vessel must bear the expense attending the sickness of any of his men at any place they may touch at, without any right to deduct it from their wages. The regula tion respecting medicine-chests was enacted in 1790; it has been subsequently extended to all merchant vessels of 75 tons or upwards, navigated with more than five persons, and bound to any port in the West Indies.

In order to enjoy the benefits of American vessels, viz. a lower rate of duties on imports and tonnage, and the right to a licence for carrying on the coasting trade or fisheries, it is necessary in the former case to be registered, and in the latter to be enrolled. In both cases they must have been built in the United

States, or owned by a citizen before the adoption of the federal constitution, or sold as prizes for a breach of the laws, and they must be owned wholly by citizens of the United States. The register may at any time be changed for an enrolment, or vice

versa.

12. Consuls are established in the different towns with which trade is carried on by American merchants, for their protection, and in order to facilitate and dispatch business. In the year 1813, when of course the powers of all the consuls in British ports were suspended by the war, there were forty-four American consuls in different ports. The consuls have a right to receive, in the places to which they are severally appointed, the protests or declarations, which such captains, masters, crews, passengers, and merchants, as are citizens of the United States may respectively chuse to make there; and also such as any foreigner may chuse to make before them, relative to the personal interest of any citizens of the United States. It is their duty, where the laws of the country permit, to take possession of the personal estate left by any citizen of the United States (other than seamen belonging to any ship or vessel who shall die within their consulate), leaving there no legal representative, partner in trade, or trustee to take care of his effects; to inventory the same, with the assistance of two merchants of the United States, or for want of them, of any others at their choice; to collect the debts due to the deceased in the country where he died, and pay the debts due from his estate which have been there contracted; to sell at auction, after reasonable public notice, such part of the estate as may be of a perishable nature, and such further part, if any, as may be necessary for the payment of his debts, and at the expiration of one year from his decease, the residue; and to transmit the balance of the estate to the treasury of the United States, to be holden in trust for the legal claimants. But if, at any time before such transmission, the legal representative of the deceased appear and demand his effects, they must deliver them up, after being paid their fees, and cease their proceedings.

For the information of the representative of the deceased, it is the duty of the consul immediately to notify his death in one of the gazettes published in the consulate, and also to the secretary of state, that the same may be notified in the state to which the deceased belonged; and he must also, as soon as may be, transmit to the secretary of state, an inventory of the effects of the deceased.

When vessels of the United States are stranded on the coasts of their consulates, it is the duty of the consuls, as far as the

laws of the country will permit, to take proper measures, as well for the purpose of saving the vessels and cargoes, as for storing and securing the effects and merchandize saved, and for taking inventories thereof. But the consuls are not to take possession of the property when the master, owner, or consignee is present, or capable of taking possession of it; and should they not be present, it must be delivered to the owners, on demand, and payment of the expenses incurred.

The consuls in the European and American ports receive no salaries, but are allowed certain fees, which are established by law. The consul at Algiers, however, is allowed a salary not exceeding four thousand dollars a year, and the consuls in the other Barbary states a salary not exceeding two thousand dollars

a year.

The salary of a minister plenipotentiary cannot exceed nine thousand dollars; that of a charge des affaires four thousand five hundred dollars; nor that of a secretary of legation or embassy, or secretary to a minister plenipotentiary, two thousand dollars per annum. Ministers plenipotentiary and charges des affaires, however, are allowed an outfit of an year's salary. Should any charge des affaires, secretary of legation or embassy, or secretary of a minister plenipotentiary, be appointed during the recess of the senate, and the appointment not be approved of by that body on its meeting, he is not entitled to any compensation*.

* Act of May 1, 1810.

CHAPTER VII.

OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION.

(In Continuation.)

§ 1. Revenues of the United States. 2. The customs. § 3. The postoffice. 4. Public lands. § 5. Receipts and expenditures from the commencement of the federal government § 6. Public debt. § 7. Funding system. § 8. The sinking fund. § 9. Statement of the public debt in 1814. § 10. The post-office establishment. § 11. Surveyor general's department and land-offices. 12. The mint establishment. 13. United States coin. § 14. Trading-houses with the Indians. § 15. Indian intercourse.

§1. THE permanent revenue of the United States is derived from the proceeds of the customs, postage, and the sale of the public lands; to which are occasionally added, a direct tax on land with its improvements and slaves, and a variety of other internal taxes, such as taxes on distilled liquors, refined sugars, carriages, stamps, &c.

2. The most important branch of revenue is the customs, or duties on imports, which, from the commencement of the federal government till 1808, have been almost regularly and constantly increasing in amount. In 1792 the total proceeds from this source amounted only to $ 3,443,070 85; in 1808 they amounted to $ 16,363,550 58: the year 1792 has been taken, as they can hardly be said to have got into complete operation before that time. Since 1808 the decrease has been very considerable, owing to the hostile decrees of the European belligerents, the restraints imposed by our own government, and the war in which we are now involved. They still, however, amount to a very considerable sum.

§3. The post-office first began to be productive of a revenue in 1793, in which year the profits amounted to rather more than eleven thousand dollars. The amount is very irregular, owing to the increase of post-offices which is constantly taking place, many of which are at first unproductive.

4. The public lands of the United States arise from the cessions of the right to back lands made to the union by Connecticut and the southern states, for the purpose of paying off the public debt, and from the purchase of Louisiana. The number of acres sold from the opening of the land-offices to October 1, 1812, was upwards of four millions, for which payments had