In compliance with the resolution of the Senate of December 14, 1870, certain statements relative to the collection and distribution of fines and forfeitures under the customs laws.

FEBRUARY 16, 1871.-Referred to the Committee on Finance and ordered to be printed.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
February 16, 1871.

SIR: By resolution of the Senate of the United States adopted December 14, 1870, the Secretary of the Treasury is requested to furnish for the information of that body certain statements relative to the collection and distribution of fines and forfeitures under the customs laws.

In compliance with this request, I have the honor herewith to transmit a detailed statement, marked A, exhibiting the amounts of money paid into the Treasury as the proceeds of fines, &c., by customs officers at the ports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and San Francisco, from January 1, 1868, to November 30, 1870, and showing how the same were collected and the causes of their exaction; also showing the amounts paid as distributive shares out of the funds thus received to officers of the customs, and to informers and other persons during the same period, with the names of the persons from whom the fines and penalties were exacted, and the amount received from each in cases where the amount was one thousand dollars or more; as also the names of those to whom moneys have been paid in such cases, and the amount thereof respectively.

The statement above referred to is accompanied by an aggregate statement, marked B, showing the total amount collected and distributed in each of the ports named in the resolution during the time specified; and also a statement, marked C, of the names of parties detected in smuggling or otherwise defrauding the customs revenue, and who have been prosecuted criminally, convicted, and punished otherwise than by the payment of money.

A few explanatory remarks seem necessary. The headings at the top of each page show the date of month in which the money accruing from the cases therein stated was paid to the collector. Of course, the payment into the Treasury by covering warrant, after deduction of expenses, &c., occurred in each instance some weeks subsequently. The resolution is not understood to require the statement of the names of persons receiving shares in any case when the amount received was less than $1,000;

and it may be well to remark in this connection that the persons in of fice at the time of the receipt of the money are not in all cases those entitled to distributive shares; the collector, surveyor, and naval officer in whose administration a seizure was made or suit brought for a penalty, being entitled to share in the proceeds. It will readily be understood that where more than one person is named as informer, the net amount due the informer has been distributed equally among those whose names are given. The large difference between the amounts received by the naval officer at the port of New York, and by the collector and surveyor of the same port, is caused by the fact that the office of naval officer at New York was vacant for a great length of time prior to April, 1869, and the naval officer's share in all cases instituted during the period was divided, under the ruling of a former Attorney General, between the collector and surveyor.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEO. S. BOUTWELL,
Secretary of the Treasury.

Hon. SCHUYLER COLFAX,

President of the United States Senate.

From whom recovered.

District.

Net am't.

Collector.

Surveyor. Nav. officer. Informer.

How recovered.

Offense charged.

REPORT FOR JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, AND OCTOBER, 1868.