thereof, shall be fined not exceeding five thousand dollars, or be imprisoned at hard labor not more thau two years, or both, in the discretion of the court. And evidence of such soliciting, demanding, exacting, or receiving, satisfactory to the court in which such trial is had, shall be regarded as prima facie evidence that such soliciting, demanding, exacting, or receiving was contrary to law, and shall put upon the accused the burden of proving that such act was innocent and not with an unlawful intention.

241. Express packages.

Articles, not merchandise intended for sale, not exceeding five hundred dollars in value, imported in packages not exceeding one hundred pounds in weight, in vessels of the United States, may be specially delivered to and appraised at the public stores, and the entry thereof liquidated by the collector under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, and after such appraisement and liquidation may be delivered, upon payment of the liquidated duties under the bond provided for in this Act, to express companies or other duly incorporated inland carriers bonded for the transportation of appraised or unappraised merchandise between the several ports in the United States: Provided, That not more than one such consignment to one ultimate consignee from the same consignor shall be imported in any one vessel: And provided, That the original appraisement of and liquidation of duties on such importations shall be final against the owner, importer, agent, or consignee, except in the case of manifest clerical errors, as provided for in section twenty-four of the Act of June tenth, eighteen hundred and ninety: Provided, That nothing contained in this Act shall apply to explosives, or any article the importation of which is prohibited by law.

Such express companies or other inland carriers shall be responsible to the United States under bond for the safe delivery of such articles to the ultimate consignee: Provided, That if any package shall not be delivered to the ultimate consignee by the express company or other inland carrier, and shall be returned to the collector of the port where such articles are entered under the provisions of this Act within ninety days from the date of importation intact, the collector shall take charge of such package and dispose of it as unclaimed merchandise, and the duties, including additional duties, if any, under section seven of the Act of June tenth, eighteen hundred and ninety, paid shall be refunded by the Secretary of the Treasury out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated; and the express company or other inland carriers shall be relieved of any liability therefor under its bond; and before any express company or other inland carrier shall be permitted to receive and transport any such articles they shall become bound to the United States in such bonds, in such form and amount, and with such conditions not inconsistent with law as the Secretary of the Treasury may require.

Articles transported under the provisions of this Act Sec. 3. shall be corded and sealed in such manner as shall from time to time be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury; and the collector of the port of first arrival shall retain in his office a permanent record of such merchandise so forwarded.

Such packages may be consigned to and entered by the Sec. 4. agents of the express company or other inland carrier or steamship company, who shall at the time of entry state the ultimate consignee, and in all cases where a certified or other invoice is now required by law such invoice may be attached to or inclosed in the package, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; and the delivery of such articles to the express company or other inland carrier shall not be delayed because of the nonarrival of the triplicate invoice, but the ultimate consignee shall be liable for any increased duty found due on reliquidation, if any, after receipt of said merchandise from the express company or other inland carrier or steamship company making entry under this Act; and the provisions of section twenty-eight hundred and fifty-seven, Revised Statutes, shall not apply to importations under this Act.

242. Liens for freight or general average.

Whenever the collector of the port of entry of the vessel, or other proper officer of the customs, shall be duly notified in writing of the existence of a lien for freight, charges, or contribution in general average upon imported goods, wares, or merchandise in his custody, he shall, before delivering such goods, wares, or merchandise to the importer, owner, or consignee thereof for consumption, or to any vessel or vehicle for transportation or exportation, give seasonable notice to the party or parties claiming the lien; and the possession by the officers of customs shall not affect the discharge of such lien, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; and such officer shall refuse the delivery of such merchandise from any public or bonded warehouse or other place in which the same shall be deposited until proof to his satisfaction shall be produced that the freight, charges, or contribution in general average thereon has been paid or secured; but the rights of the United States shall not be prejudiced thereby, nor shall the United States or its officers be in any manner liable for losses consequent upon such refusal to deliver. If merchandise so subject to a lien, regarding which notice has been filed, shall be forfeited to the United States and sold, the freight, charges, or contribution in general average due thereon shall be paid from the proceeds of such sale in the same manner as other charges and expenses authorized by law to be paid therefrom are paid.

R. S., 2981.
May 21, 1896.

PART XVI. TARIFF PROVISIONS DIRECTLY RELATING TO VESSELS.

243. Coal.

244. Shipbuilding materials. 245. Materials for repairs.

July 24, 1897. 415.

523.

R. S., 2513.

Sec. 7.

July 24, 1897.
Sec. 12.

243. Coal.

Coal, bituminous, and all coals containing less than ninety-two per centum of fixed carbon, and shale, sixtyseven cents per ton of twenty-eight bushels, eighty pounds to the bushel; coal slack or culm, such as will pass through a half-inch screen, fifteen cents per ton of twenty-eight bushels, eighty pounds to the bushel: Provided, That on all coal imported into the United States, which is afterwards used for fuel on board vessels propelled by steam and engaged in trade with foreign countries, or in trade between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States, and which are registered under the laws of the United States, a drawback shall be allowed equal to the duty imposed by law upon such coal, and shall be paid under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe; coke, twenty per centum ad valorem.

Coal, anthracite, not specially provided for in this Act, and coal stores of American vessels, but none shall be unloaded. [Free List.]

244. Shipbuilding materials.

All materials of foreign production which may be necessary for the construction of vessels built in the United Aug. 28, 1894. States for foreign account and ownership or for the purpose of being employed in the foreign trade including the trade between the Atlantic and l'acific ports of the United States, and all such materials necessary for the building of their machinery, and all articles necessary for their outfit and equipment, after the passage of this Act, may be imported in bond under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; and upon proof that such materials have been used for such purposes no duties shall be paid thereon. But vessels receiving the benefit of this section shall not be allowed to engage in the coastwise trade of the United States more than two months in any one year except upon the payment to the United States of the duties of which a rebate is herein allowed: Provided, That vessels built in the United States for foreign account and ownership shall not be allowed to engage in the coastwise trade of the United States.

245. Materials for repairs.

R. S., 2514.

Sec. 8.

Aug. 28, 1894.
July 24, 1897.
Sec. 13.

All articles of foreign production needed for the repair of American vessels engaged in foreign trade, including the trade between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States, may be withdrawn from bonded warehouses free of duty, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe. Machinery for repair may be imported into the United R. S., 2511. States without payment of duty, under bond, to be given in double the appraised value thereof, to be withdrawn and exported after said machinery shall have been repaired; and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary to protect the revenue against fraud and secure the identity and character of all such importations when again withdrawn and exported, restricting and limiting the export and withdrawal to the same port of entry where imported, and also limiting all bonds to a period of time of not more than six months from the date of the importation. 246. Sunken merchandise.

Aug. 28, 1894.

Sec. 13.

Whenever any vessel laden with merchandise in whole R. S., 2507. or in part subject to duty has been sunk in any river, harbor, bay, or waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and within its limits, for the period of two years, and is abandoned by the owner thereof, any person who may raise such vessel shall be permitted to bring any merchandise recovered therefrom into the port nearest to the place where such vessel was so raised free from the payment of any duty thereupon, but under such regulations Sec. 28. as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe.

247. Supplies.

That all articles of foreign or domestic production needed and actually withdrawn from bonded warehouses and bonded manufacturing warehouses for supplies (not including equipment) of vessels of the United States engaged in foreign trade, or in trade between the Atlantic and Pacific ports of the United States, may be so withdrawn from said bonded warehouses, free of duty or of internal-revenue tax, as the case may be, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; but no such articles shall be landed at any port of the United States.

248. Sea stores and equipment.

[See paragraph 204.]

Aug. 28, 1894.

Sec. 20.

July 24, 1897.

June 26, 1884.

Sec. 16.

July 24, 1897.

Sec. 14.

PART XVII.-CONSULS' SERVICES TO VESSELS.

249. Consuls' services to vessels.

R. S., 1707.

R. S., 1708.

R. S., 1718.

| 250. Naval officer acting as consul.

249. Consuls' services to vessels.

Consuls and vice-consuls shall have the right, in the ports or places to which they are severally appointed, of receiving the protests or declarations which captains, masters, crews, passengers, or merchants, who are citizens of the United States, may respectively choose to make there; and also such as any foreigner may choose to make before them relative to the personal interest of any citizen of the United States. Copies of such acts duly authenticated by consuls or vice consuls, under the seal of their consulates, respectively, shall be received in evidence equally with their originals in all courts in the United States.

Every consular officer shall keep a detailed list of all seamen and mariners shipped and discharged by him, specifying their names and the names of the vessels on which they are shipped and from which they are discharged, and the payments, if any, made on account of each so discharged; also of the number of the vessels arrived and departed, the amounts of their registered tonnage, and the number of their seamen and mariners, and of those who are protected, and whether citizens of the United States or not, and as nearly as possible the nature and value of their cargoes, and where produced, and shall make returns of the same, with their accounts and other returns, to the Secretary of the Treasury.

Whenever any master or commander of a vessel of the United States has occasion for any consular or other official service, which any consular officer of the United States is authorized by law or usage officially to perform, and for which any fees are allowed by the rates or tariffs of fees, he shall apply to the consular officer at the consulate or commercial agency where such service is required to perform such service, and shall pay to such officer the fees allowed for such service by the rates or tariffs of fees. And every such master or commander who omits so to do shall be liable to the United States for the amount of the fees lawfully chargeable for such services when actually performed. All consular officers are authorized and required to retain in their possession all the papers of such vessels, which shall be deposited with them as directed by law, till payment shall be made of all demands and wages on account of such vessels.