No. 283.
Mr. Nelson to Mr. Fish.
Legation of
the United States,
Mexico, January 27,
1872. (Received February 16.)
No. 505.]
Sir: I herewith inclose a copy and translation
(A and R) of a decree, dated the 25th ultimo, issued by President
Juarez, by virtue of his extraordinary faculties, permitting the transit
of foreign merchandise for exportation from the Mexican frontier
custom-houses to the nearest Mexican sea-ports, and vice versa; and also from a similar transit between such
sea-ports, in conformity with the regulations therein laid down.
I am, &c.,
[Page 380]
[Inclosure in B.—Translation.]
Treasury Department, First Section.
The President of the republic has been pleased to address me the
following decree:
Benito Juarez,
constitutional President of the United States of Mexico, to the
inhabitants thereof, know ye:
That in the exercise of the faculties granted to the executive by the
third article of the law of the 1st instant, I have thought proper
to issue the following decree:
- Article 1. The transit of
foreign goods across the Mexican territory is hereby
authorized from the frontier custom-house of the republic,
near the coast, to the neighboring ports, and, vice versa, from the ports of the
republic, near the frontier, to the neighboring
custom-houses of the frontier, upon the conditions laid down
in this law.
- Article 2. The transit of
foreign goods from one port of the republic to another is
also authorized under the provisions contained in this” law,
and in the regulations and other precepts which the
executive will promulgate for each case, according to
circumstances, in order to prevent fraud; reserving the
right to refuse such transit, in whole or in part, whenever
in his opinion there may be danger that such permission
would be abused in order to defraud the treasury, without
the necessity of conceding a term, or of giving previous
notice.
- Article 3. The employés of the
port or frontier custom-house, who shall permit the entry of
goods for such transit, shall exercise respecting them all
the faculties conceded by the laws concerning foreign goods
destined to be consumed within the republic. Such goods may
be examined during their transit through Mexican territory
by the fiscal agents of the federal government.
- Article 4. The goods so entered
for transit, whatever may be their quantity or quality,
shall be protected by safe-conducts, issued by the port or
custom-house where introduced.
- Article 5. The introducers of
such goods shall give bond, to the satisfaction of the
collector of the port or frontier custom-house, for the
entire amount of the tariff dues, to be paid in case the
return safe-conduct shall not be presented at the expiration
of the proper term.
- Article 6. The term for the
presentation of the return safe-conduct shall be one day for
every three leagues of the road which the goods must take in
order to leave Mexican territory, and ten days more for each
fifty leagues, but not to exceed in any case the total term
of three months for the eases” comprehended in the first
article of this law, and of six months for the cases coming
under the second article. At the expiration of the term
designated in the safe-conduct, the bond will be forfeited
without admitting any allegation to the contrary.
- Article 7. Merchandise in
transit must be taken by the route laid down in the
safe-conduct. Any variation from this route will be
considered a case of smuggling, and the penalty laid down in
the first clause of article 20 of the general customs
regulations of January 31, 1856, will be applied to said
goods.
- Article 8. On dispatching such
goods for transit from the port or frontier customhouse
where introduced, the packages will be examined anew by the
collector, the inspector, and the commander of the
customs-guards, comparing them with the inventory which is
to be inserted in all safe-conducts.
- Article 9. Foreign goods for
simple transit will pay on the issuance of the safe-conduct
at said port or frontier custom-house five per cent, in coin
of the total duties imposed thereupon by the present tariff.
This duty will be the only one to be paid to the federal
treasury by such goods for their simple transit, and they
shall remain exempt from any additional or even municipal
duties, whatever may be the locality to which they may be
conducted.
Therefore, I order the above decree to be printed, published,
circulated, and duly obeyed.
Given in the national palace at Mexico, December 25,
1871.
BENITO JUAREZ.
The Citizen Matias Romero,
Minister of Finance.
And I communicate it to you for its due observance and the
consequent effects. Independence and Liberty!
ROMERO.
Mexico, December 25,
1871.
