Mr. Motley to Mr. Seward.

No. 37.]

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches Nos. 42, 43, and 44.

[Page 120]

I beg herewith to enclose to you the translation of a communication just received from the imperial royal department of foreign affairs.

I have the honor to remain, sir, your obedient servant,

J. LOTHROP MOTLEY.

Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington.

[Translation.]

The consuls of the United States of North America, in Venice and Trieste— the former under date October 28 and November 19, the latter November 17, 1862—have notified the imperial royal stadtholdership in Venice and the imperial royal central authorities in Trieste, respectively, that a new law of the United States empowers ships-of-war of such foreign countries as will reciprocate the favor, in certain cases therein specified, to purchase stores in the public magazines of the ports of the United States, free from any tax or duty whatever; and at the same time have inquired whether in the Austrian ports, lying within the jurisdiction of the said consular functionaries, ships-of-war belonging to the United States were already enjoying this privilege, or whether it would be allowed in future?

In relation to the said notice, the imperial royal foreign office has the honor, after due consultation with the proper imperial royal central authority, to communicate to the honorable legation of the United States and to place at its disposal the following information:

In the Austrian ports there are no public magazines from which ships obtain supplies.

As Venice, Trieste, Fiume, Buccari, Porto Re, and Zeugg are in fact free ports, and therefore lie outside the Austrian tariff limits, of course stores can be obtained in them free of duties. In the other Austrian ports all the freely marketable articles used for ships’ stores are either Austrian or foreign productions; in the latter case they have already been taxed upon their importation into the tariff territory, and consequently are subjected to no further tax when they are taken on board ship—that is, out of the tariff territory—since no export duties are payable upon articles of food, drink, &c. Even productions of foreign origin, which in transitu are temporarily stored in the magazines of the customs, are only subjected to a small rate for storage as a remuneration for the use of the official warehouses at the time when they are removed and transported over the tariff boundaries, or on board a ship as stores, transit duties having been abolished in Austria. In adding the request that the honorable legation will transmit the information herein imparted to the government of the United States, the undersigned embraces the opportunity to renew to the same the assurance of his most perfect consideration.

For the minister of foreign affairs, the moderator of state,

MEYSENBERG.