Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the First Session Thirty-ninth Congress

Mr. Hunter to Sir F. Bruce

Department of State, Washington, June 7, 1865.

Sir: Referring to your note of the 18th ultimo requesting that the additional tax which is alleged to have been unduly levied upon British vessels since the 17th of April may be remitted, I have the honor to enclose, in reply, a copy of a communication of the 29th ultimo from the Treasury Department.

I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, sir, your obedient servant,

W. HUNTER, Acting Secretary.

Hon. Sir Frederick W. A. Bruce, &c., &c., &c.

Mr. McCulloch to Mr Hunter

Treasury Department, May 29, 1865.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of the 26th instant, covering the despatch of the British minister of the 18th, remonstrating against the enforcement by the collector of Boston of tonnage tax on British vessels under the old system of 1799, whereby their register tonnage is increased nearly one-third, and requesting that the tonnage of such vessels may be hereafter assessed upon the tonnage borne by their British registers; and also that the excess of tonnage tax thus collected may be refunded.

The excess of tonnage tax on British vessels over and above the tonnage ascertained to be due by remeasurement under the act of 6th May, 1864, will be refunded by the collector in compliance with my letter of instructions to him of this day’s date, a copy of which is herewith enclosed.

With great respect,

H. McCULLOCH,Secretary of the Treasury.

Hon. W. Huster, Acting Secretary of State.

Mr. McCulloch to Mr. Goodrich

Treasury Department, May 29, 1865.

Sir: The attention of this department has been called to the imposition of the tonnage tax on British vessels under the act of 1799 instead of the 6th of May, 1864, with the request that the additional tax which you have “thus unduly levied upon British vessels since the 1st of April last may be remitted, and that in future the tax in question may be assessed upon the tonnage borne upon the British registers.”

This last request cannot be granted. By letter of this department of the 6th instant, you were directed to levy the tonnage tax according to the law regulating the admeasurement of tonnage of May 6, 1864, but that no fee for such readmeasurement of British vessels was to be charged by you.

You are hereby authorized and instructed to refund to masters or their representatives any excess of tonnage you may have collected of British vessels as may be shown by readmeasurement under the act of May 6, 1864, and in case these vessels are no longer within your district or are loaded for departure, you will charge tonnage duties according to their several British registers.

With great respect,

H. McCULLOCH,Secretary of the Treasury.

J. Z. Goodrich, Esq., Collector, &c., Boston, Massachusetts