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R. S., 2874.

R. S., 2875.

R. S., 2876.

R. S., 2877.

All merchandise, so unladen or delivered contrary to the provisions of section twenty-eight hundred and seventytwo, shall become forfeited, and may be seized by any of the officers of the customs; and where the value thereof, according to the highest market price of the same, at the port or district where landed, shall amount to four hundred dollars, the vessel, tackle, apparel, and furniture shall be subject to like forfeiture and seizure.

223. Supervision of unlading.

The collector of any district at which any vessel arrives, immediately on her first coming within such district, or the surveyor of any port where such vessel is, may put and keep on board such vessel, while remaining within such district, or in going from one district to another, one or more inspectors to examine the cargo or contents of such vessel, and to superintend the delivery thereof, or of so much thereof as shall be delivered within the United States, and to perform such other duties according to law, as they shall be directed by the collector, or surveyor, to perform for the better securing the collection of the duties. Only collectors shall have power, however, to put inspectors on board vessels to go from one district to another.

The inspector shall make known to the master of such vessel the duties he is to perform; and shall suffer no merchandise to be unladen, or otherwise removed from such vessel, without a permit in writing from the collector of the port, and naval officer thereof, if any. The inspector shall enter in a book, to be by him kept according to such a form as shall be prescribed or approved by the collector, the name of the person in whose behalf such permits are granted, together with the particulars therein specified, and the marks, numbers, kinds, and description of the respective packages which shall be unladen pursuant thereto, and shall keep a like account in the book of all merchandise which, not having been entered within the time limited by this Title [R. S. 2517–3129], or for some other cause, has been sent to the store or warehouse provided for the reception of such merchandise; such book shall be delivered to the surveyor in the month of January in every year for his inspection, and immediately after such inspection be transmitted by the surveyor, with such observations as he may think necessary thereon, to the collector, to be deposited in his office.

The inspector shall attend to the delivery of the cargo under his care, at all times when the unlading or delivery of merchandise is lawful, particularly from the rising to the setting of the sun on each day, Sundays and the fourth day of July in each year excepted; for which purpose he shall constantly attend and remain on board the vessel, the deliveries from which he is to superintend, or at any other station where his inspection is necessary. The inspector shall not quit such station or place without the leave of the surveyor of the port first obtained, who shall appoint another inspector, if he deems it necessary, to supply the

place of such inspector during his absence; and any inspector who shall neglect or in any manner act contrary to the duties hereby enjoined, shall for the first offense be liable to a penalty of the sum of fifty dollars, and for the second offense shall be displaced, and be incapable of holding any station of trust or profit under the revenue laws of the United States, for a term not exceeding seven years.

No inspector shall perform any other duties or service on board any vessel, the superintendence of which is committed to him, for any person whatever, other than what is required by this Title [R. S., 2517-3129], under the penalty of being disabled from acting any longer as an inspector of the customs; the wages or compensation of such inspector as may proceed from one district to another, shall be defrayed by the master of the vessel committed to his care; every inspector or other officer of the revenue, while performing any duty on board any vessel, not in a port of the United States, discharging her cargo, shall be entitled to receive from the master of such vessel such provisions and accommodations as are usually supplied to passengers, or as the state and condition of such vessel will admit, on receiving therefor fifty cents a day; and any master of any vessel who shall refuse such provisions and reasonable accommodations shall be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars.

If, by reason of the delivery of the cargo in several districts, more than the term allowed by law shall in the whole be spent therein, the wages or compensation of the inspector who may be employed on board of any vessel, in respect to which such term may be so exceeded, shall, for every day of such excess, be paid by the master or owner; and the inspector shall, previously to the clearance of the vessel, render an exact account to the collector of all such compensation as has been paid, or is due and payable by the master or owner.

The inspector who may be put on board of any vessel shall secure, after sunset in each evening, or previous to his quitting the vessel, the hatches and other communications with the hold of such vessel, or any other part thereof he may judge necessary, with locks or other proper fastenings, which locks or other fastenings shall not be opened, broken, or removed until the morning following, or after the rising of the sun, and in the presence of the inspector by whom the same were affixed, except by special license from the collector of the port, and the naval officer, if any, first obtained. If the locks or other fastenings, or any of them, are broken or removed contrary to this section, or if any merchandise or packages are clandestinely landed, notice thereof shall be immediately given by the inspector to the collector and naval officer, if any, of the port where the vessel may be; and the master of such vessel shall, for each or every such offense, be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars.

R. S., 2878.

R. S., 2879.

R. S., 3070.

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224. Limit of time for unlading.

Whenever any merchandise shall be imported into any port of the United States from any foreign port, in any vessel, at the expiration of ten working days if the vessel is less than five hundred tons register, and within fifteen working days if it is of five hundred tons register and less than one thousand, and within twenty working days if it is of one thousand tons register and less than fifteen hundred, and within twenty-five working days if it is of fifteen hundred tons register and upward, not including legal holidays and days when the condition of the weather prevents the unlading of the vessel with safety to its cargo, after the time within which the report of the master of any vessel is required to be made to the collector of the district, if there is found any merchandise other than has been reported for some other district or some foreign port, the collector shall take possession thereof; but with the consent of the owner or consignee of any merchandise, or with the consent of the owner or master of the vessel in which the same may be imported, the merchandise may be taken possession of by the collector after one day's notice to the collector of the district. All merchandise so taken shall be delivered pursuant to the order of the collector of the district, for which a certificate or receipt shall be granted.

The limitation of time for unlading, prescribed by the preceding section, shall not extend to vessels laden exclusively with coal, salt, sugar, hides, dyewoods, wool, or jute butts, consigned to one consignee, arriving at a port for orders; but if the master of any such vessel requires a longer time to discharge her cargo, the wages or compensation of the inspector, for every day's attendance exeeding the number of days allowed by law, shall be paid by the master or owner; and thereupon the collector is hereby authorized and required to allow such longer time, not exceeding fifteen days.

All merchandise of which the collector shall take pos session under the provisions relating to the time for the discharge of a vessel's cargo shall be kept with due and reasonable care at the charge and risk of the owner.

225. Weighing, gauging, and measuring.

No merchandise, brought in any vessel, from any foreign port or place, requiring to be weighed, gauged, or measured, in order to ascertain the duties thereupon, shall, without the consent of the proper officer, be removed from any wharf, or place, upon which the same may be landed or put, before the same shall have been so weighed, gauged, or measured, and if spirits, wines, or sugars, before the proof or quality and quantity thereof is ascertained and marked thereon, by or under the direction of the proper officer; and if any such merchandise shall be removed from such wharf or place, unless with the consent of the proper officer, obtained before the same has been so weighed, gauged, or measured, and if spirits, wines, or sugars, before the

proof or quality and quantity has been so ascertained and marked, the same shall be forfeited, and may be seized by any officer of the customs or inspection.

226. Unlading of wines and spirits.

Every permit for the unlading of spirits, wines, or any R. S., 2883. part thereof, shall, previous to such landing or unlading thereof, be produced to the officer of inspection, who shall record or register in proper books the contents thereof, and shall indorse thereupon the word "Inspected," the time when, and his own name; after which he shall return the permit to the person by whom it was produced, and then, and not otherwise, it shall be lawful to land the spirits, or wines, therein specified; and if spirits or wines shall be landed without such indorsement upon the permit granted for that purpose, the master of the vessel from which the same shall have been so landed shall for every such offense be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars, and the spirits or wines so landed shall be forfeited.

All distilled spirits, and wines, shall be landed under R. S., 2884. the inspection of the surveyor, or other officer acting as inspector of the revenue for the port, and such of the inspectors of the customs as shall be deputed by him for that purpose, and not otherwise, on pain of forfeiture thereof, for which purpose the officer shall at all reasonable times attend. This shall not, however, be construed to exclude the inspection of any officer of the customs, as now or heretofore practiced.

The officers of inspection of any port where distilled R. S., 2385. spirits or wines shall be landed, shall, upon the landing thereof, and as soon as the casks, vessels, and cases containing the same shall be inspected, gauged, or measured, brand or otherwise mark in durable characters, the several casks, vessels, and cases containing the same, and the marks shall express the number of casks, vessels, or cases, whether of spirits or wines, marked by each officer respectively, in each year, in progressive numbers for each of the articles; also the port of importation, the name of the vessel, and the surname of the master; also each kind of spirits or wines, for which different rates of duty are or shall be imposed, the number of gailons in each cask or case, and the rate of proof if spirits; also the name of the surveyor or chief officer of inspection for the port, and the date of importation; of all which particulars the chief officers of inspection shall keep fair and correct accounts, in books to be provided for that purpose.

On the sale of any cask, vessel, or case, which has been R. S., 2886. or shall be marked as containing distilled spirits or wines, and which has been emptied of its contents, and prior to the delivery thereof to the purchaser, or any removal thereof, the marks and numbers, which shall have been set thereon by or under the direction of any officer of inspection, shall be defaced and obliterated in the presence of some officer of inspection or of the customs, who shall,

R. S., 2887.

R. S., 2888.

on due notice being given, attend for that purpose, at which time the certificate which ought to accompany such chest, vessel, or case, shall also be returned and canceled. Every person who shall obliterate, counterfeit, alter, or deface any mark or number placed by an officer of inspec tion upon any cask, vessel, or case, containing distilled spirits or wines, or any certificate thereof; or who shall sell or in any way alienate or remove any cask, vessel, or case, which has been emptied of its contents, before the marks and numbers, set thereon pursuant to the provisions of the preceding section, shall have been defaced or obliterated, in presence of an officer of inspection; or who shall neglect or refuse to deliver the certificate issued to accompany the cask, chest, vessel, or case, of which the marks and numbers shall have been defaced or obliterated in manner aforesaid, on being thereto required by an officer of inspection or of the customs, shall for every such offense be liable to a penalty of one hundred dollars, with costs of suit.

227. Post entry.

If any package whatever which has been so reported is wanting, and not found on board such vessel, or if the merchandise on board such vessel does not otherwise agree with the report or manifest delivered by the master of any such vessel, in every such case the master shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars; except that if it is made to appear to the satisfaction of the collector, naval officer, and surveyor, or to the major part of them where those officers are established at any port, or to the satisfaction of the collector alone where neither of the others is established, or in case of trial for the penalty, to the satisfaction of the court, that no part whatever of merchandise of such vessel has been unshipped, landed, or unladen since it was taken on board, except as specified in the report or manifest, and pursuant to permits, or that the disagreement is by accident or mistake, in such case the penalty shall not be inflicted. But in all such cases the master of any vessel shall be required and shall make a post entry or addition to the report or manifest by him delivered of any and all merchandise omitted to be included and reported in such manifest; and it shall not be lawful to grant a permit to unlade any such merchandise so omitted before such post entry or addition to such report or manifest has been made.

228. Returns of unlading of cargo.

When the delivery of merchandise from on board of any vessel is completed, copies of the accounts or entries which have been kept or made thereof, by the officer charged with the deliveries, shall be returned to the collector of the district, and the naval officer, if any, within three days after such delivery has been completed, if at the port where such officer resides, and if at any other port as soon as the nature of the case will admit, not exceeding fifteen days. The accounts or entries to be so returned shall comprise all

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