tan, in conformity with which should be examined Alex Linoberry, Giovani Malfitano, and Chas. Spahlding, masters, respectively, of the vessels D. L. Trafton, Silas Stearns, and Lizzie B. Adams. I avail, etc., [Inclosure 6.] IGNO MARISCAL. Ambassador Thompson to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. AMERICAN EMBASSY, Mexico, January 11, 1907. Mr. MINISTER: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's courteous note of the 9th instant with which you have been pleased to transmit the interrogatories prepared by the district court of Yucatan to be answered by the masters of the American fishing vessels Silas Stearns, Lizzie B. Adams, and D. L. Trafton. So soon as the same are translated into the English language I will take pleasure in transmitting them to the Department of State at Washington, with the request that they be placed in the hands of such judicial authority for execution as the department may consider proper. I avail, etc., D. E. THOMPSON. [Inclosure 7.-Translation.] The Minister for Foreign Affairs to Ambassador Thompson. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Mr. AMBASSADOR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note, dated the 11th instant, in which you have been pleased to advise me that so soon as the interrogatories relating to the examination of the masters of the fishing vessels Silas Stearns, Lizzie B. Adams, and D. L. Trafton are translated the same shall be sent, through the proper channels, to the respective judicial authorities of the United States. I renew, etc., IGNO. MARISCAL. TRANSIT OF MERCHANDISE FROM PORT TO PORT OF THE UNITED STATES THROUGH MEXICO. No. 37.1 The Secretary of State to Ambassador Thompson. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, May 24, 1906. SIR: I inclose herewith a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury inclosing a draft of proposed regulations for the transit of merchandise from port to port of the United States through Mexico. Under section 3006 of the Revised Statutes of the United States the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to issue such regulations, with the consent of the proper authorities of Mexico. You will, therefore, bring the matter to the attention of the Mexican Government and request its consent to the issuing of the proposed regulations. I am, etc. ELIHU ROOT. [Inclosure.] The Secretary of the Treasury to the Secretary of State. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a draft of proposed regulations for submission to the Mexican authorities under section 3006 of the Revised Statutes, which provides that: "Imported merchandise in bond or duty paid, and products or manufactures of the United States, may, with the consent of the proper authorities of the British provinces or Republic of Mexico, be transported from one port in the United States to another port therein, over the territory of such provinces or Republic, by such routes, and under such rules, regulations, and conditions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe; and the merchandise so transported shall, upon arrival in the United States from such provinces or Republic, be treated in regard to the liability to or exemption from duty or tax as if the transportation had taken place entirely within the limits of the United States." L. M. SHAW. Respectfully, [Subin closure.] REGULATIONS FOR THE TRANSIT OF MERCHANDISE FROM PORT TO PORT IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGH MEXICO. Domestic merchandise and foreign merchandise upon which duty has been paid or foreign merchandise in bond regularly entered for that purpose may. with the consent of the proper authorities of the Republic of Mexico, be transported across the territory for that purpose partly by land and partly by water, and treated upon arrival at the port of destination as if such transportation had been wholly within the United States. The owner or shipper of such merchandise shall, before the merchandise is laden, present to the collector of customs at the port of departure a manifest in triplicate subscribed by the proper agent of the transporting company, which shall be prepared by said company, and shall contain a particular description of the merchandise by packages, marks, numbers, and contents, and shall also state ports of destination, the names of the consignees, and the route over which the transportation is to be made, distinguishing articles that are domestic from those of foreign growth or production or manufacture, and those upon which duty has been paid from those under warehouse or other entry. Such manifest shall be in the following form: Form No. Special coastwise manifest of merchandise in transit through Mexico. across the Mexican territory I hereby certify that the above-described merchandise has been laden on S. S. of the line at for transportation to by way of ; and that I have duly secured with cords and customs seals the If the entire cargo of such vessel consists of goods under such special manifest, the hatches of the vessel may be secured by customs seals and no further cording or sealing of the goods at the port of departure need be done. If the entire cargo does not consist of such goods, the same must be stowed in separate compartments and all the entrances to such compartments secured by customs seals, or in lieu therof each separate box, bale, case, or other package must be corded and sealed. The inspector of customs charged with the supervision of the lading of such goods shall check off the goods as laden upon the manifest, shall affix the proper seals and certify all of the manifests, one of which he shall deliver to the master of the transporting vessel to accompany the goods, and the others shall be immediately returned to the custom-house, where one shall be filed, and the third copy shall be verified by the signature and seal of the collector and sent by first mail to the collector of customs at the port of destination. On arrival of the goods at the port at which the same are to be transshipped from the vessel to the cars for transportation across Mexico, the master of the vessel shall deliver the copy of the special manifest accompanying said goods to the customs inspector at said port of transshipment, who will examine the seals, or cords and seals, as the case may be, and certify their condition upon the copy of the manifest delivered to him by the master of the vessel, and shall supervise the unlading and transshipment of such goods, checking the same upon the manifest and indicating thereon for the convenience of the inspector at the port of transshipment from the cars to the vessel the number of the car upon which each package is laden. Upon said merchandise being laden in the cars he shall so certify upon the carrier's manifest, noting any shortage or unusual condition of the package, and shall fasten the cars or compartments thereof containing such goods with customs seals, and thereupon shall deliver the carrier's copy of said manifest to the conductor of the train in which such goods are laden for delivery to the inspector at the port of transshipment from cars to vessels. Upon the arrival at the port at which the goods are to be transshipped from the cars to the vessels for shipment to the United States the same examination and comparison shall be made by the customs inspector stationed at that port and similar certificate made upon the goods being laden and sealed. Said inspector shall thereupon deliver the carrier's manifest to the master of the vessel. In case of packages secured by cords and seals it will not be necessary that the car, compartment, or hold containing the same be also secured by customs seals. In case of the nonarrival of vessels or other inadvertent delay at either port of transshipment in Mexico the merchandise in transit may be stored in warehouse until transshipment under the supervision of the inspectors of customs stationed at such ports. Such merchandise may also be transported from one port to another of the United States over the territory of the Republic of Mexico by routes wholly by land transportation in the same manner and under the same regulations as merchandise is transported across the Dominion of Canada under the provisions of articles 700 to 712, inclusive, of the Customs Regulations of 1899. No. 320.] Ambassador Thompson to the Secretary of State. AMERICAN EMBASSY, Mexico, November 20, 1906. SIR: Referring to the department's instruction No. 37, dated May 24 last, and to my dispatch No. 93, of June 19 this year, relative to the regulations proposed by the United States for the transit of merchandise from port to port of our country through Mexico, I have the honor to transmit herewith copies and translations of correspondence from the Mexican Government, stating that by order of the President of this Republic the department of the treasury of Mexico will offer no impediment against the adoption of the above regulations provided the Government of the United States will, in its turn, accept such measures as Mexico may enact for the transit of goods which, leaving a Mexican port or frontier, may pass over American territory, to be reimported into this country by some other port or frontier. As the Mexican Government awaits such decision as the United States will pass upon the subject, I have advised Minister Mariscal, as per copy of my note herewith inclosed, that I have submitted to my Government the suggestion of that of Mexico for such action as may be expedient. I have, etc., etc., DAVID E. THOMPSON. [Inclosure 1.-Translation.] The Minister of Foreign Affairs to Ambassador Thompson. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Mr. AMBASSADOR: Referring to my note of June 13 last, in which I advised your excellency that I had already transmitted to the department of the treasury, for such action as might be expedient, the regulations proposed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America for the transit of merchandise from port to port of the United States through Mexico, I have the honor to transmit to your excellency herewith copy of a communication from the secretary of the treasury relative to the matter in question. I avail myself of this occasion to renew to your excellency the assurance of my high consideration. IGNO. MARISCAL. [Subinclosure.-Translation.] The Secretary of the Treasury of Mexico to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Department of the Treasury and Public Credit.-Mexico.-Office of the Director-General of Customs.-No. 1922. This department received in due time your note dated June 13 last, in which you were pleased to include that of the 4th of the same month addressed to you by the ambassador of the United States of America, inclosing a draft of regulations proposed by the Secretary of the Treasury of said country for the transit of merchandise from port to port of the United States through Mexico. In reply, and by order of the President of the Republic, I beg to say that this department has no impediment against adopting in principle the abovementioned regulations, provided that the Government of the United States be willing, for its part, to accept those which the Mexican Government may enact for the transit of merchandise which, leaving a Mexican port or frontier, may pass over the territory of the United States to be reimported into Mexico by some other port or frontier. Awaiting such early reply from the American Government as the ambassador of said country may transmit to you, I renew to you the assurance of my respectful consideration. Mr. MINISTER: I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's note dated the 15th instant, relative to the transit of merchandise from port to port of the United States through Mexico, advising me that by order of the President of this Republic the department of the treasury will adopt the regulations proposed by the United States upon the above traffic, provided the regulations enacted by Mexico for the transit of merchandise from port to port of this country through the United States will be accepted by the Government of the latter. I have therefore submitted the decision of the President of Mexico to my Government for such action as may be expedient. I avail myself of this occasion to renew to your excellency the assurance of my high consideration. D. E. THOMPSON. Ambassador Thompson to the Secretary of State. [Telegram.] MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, Because of the intended early opening of the Tehuantepec Railway for general traffic, the desire of Finance Minister Limantour to arrange his organization to cover the demands that will be made upon it, he asks me if it is possible to know from the American Government, without delay, if it is its desire to enter into a convention under the proposition set forth in my dispatch No. 320 of November 20th. The minister mentioned in our conversation only one possible like arrangement for Mexico, such as is asked in the department's No. 37 of May 24th; this between Chihuahua and Sonora. THOMPSON. The Acting Secretary of State to Ambassador Thompson. [Telegram.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 8, 1906. Referring your telegram 30th November, Treasury Department states merchandise may now be shipped duty free through United States from port to port in Mexico under section 3005, Revised Statutes, as amended by act of May 21, 1900, and regulations similar to those proposed under section 3005 for goods from port to port in United States through Mexico. ADEE. The Acting Secretary of State to Ambassador Thompson. No. 167.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 14, 1906. SIR: Referring to the department's telegram of the 8th instant, regarding the proposed arrangement between the United States and Mexico for the regulation of the transit of merchandise from port to port of either country through the territory of the other, I inclose herewith a copy of a letter from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury expressing his views in the matter. It may reasonably be assumed that the intention of the understanding is that each Government shall make known to the other any modifications of the transit regulations which may be made or con |