Office of the Historian

No. 292.
Mr. Hunter to Mr. Hamlin.

Department of State,
Washington, September 5, 1882.
No. 95.]

Sir: Referring to the instruction No. 94 of yesterday, in relation to the claim of Mr. James McKay, I now, by way of supplement to that instruction, call your attention to the inclosed copy of a letter to this department from Hon. J. H. Sypher, attorney for an American line of steamers plying between New Orleans and Havana, from which it appears that the Spanish consul at New Orleans exacted ten cents per [Page 480] ton on all the cargo carried by a vessel of that line which recently cleared for Havana, claiming the same as a portion of his fees.

The general observations in instruction No. 94, being equally applicable to this case, I have only to ask you to bring it at once to the attention of the Spanish Government with the request that, if upon inquiry the facts shall be found to have been correctly represented to this Department, the necessary steps may be taken to refund the charges in question to the steamship company.

I am, &c.,

W. HUNTER,
Acting Secretary.
[Inclosure in No. 95.]

Mr. Sypher to Mr. Frelinghuysen.

Washington, August 22, 1882.

Dear Sir: About two months ago, I addressed the Department on the subject of the exorbitant fees charged by Spanish consuls upon our line of steamers plying between New Orleans and Havana. I am in receipt of a letter from the managers of the company, under date of 17th, from which I extract the following:

“We cleared one of our steamers for Havana to-day, and the Spanish consul exacted ten cents a ton on all the cargo carried by the vessel as a portion of his fees. This is a very heavy tax, and we are sure none such is imposed on Spanish steamers by the American authorities.”

If there is any relief against such imposition, I respectfully invoke it through your Department.

Yours, &c.,

J. H. SYPHER.