Foreign Affairs,
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, his duties.
and that there shall be a principal officer therein, to be called the Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, who shall perform and execute such duties as shall from time to time be enjoined on or intrusted to him by the President of the United States, agreeable to the Constitution, relative to correspondences, commissions or instructions to or with public ministers or consuls, from the United States, or to negotiations with public ministers from foreign states or princes, or to memorials or other applications from foreign public ministers or other foreigners, or to such other matters respecting foreign affairs, as the President of the United States shall assign to the said department; and furthermore, that the said principal officer shall conduct the business of the said department in such manner as the President of the United States shall from time to time order or instruct.
Principal clerk, his duty. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be in the said department, an inferior officer, to be appointed by the said principal officer, and to be employed therein as he shall deem proper, and to be called the chief Clerk in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and who, whenever the said principal officer shall be removed from office by the President of the United States, or in any other case of vacancy, shall during such vacancy have the charge and custody of all records, books and papers appertaining to the said department.
Oath of office. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said principal officer, and every other person to be appointed or employed in the said department, shall, before he enters on the execution of his office or employment, take an oath or affirmation, well and faithfully to execute the trust committed to him.
Secretary to take charge of papers, &c. of foreign department. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, to be appointed in consequence of this act, shall forthwith after his appointment, be entitled to have the custody and charge of all records, books and papers in the office of Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, heretofore established by the United States in Congress assembled.
Approved, July 27, 1789.
Statute Ⅰ.July 31, 1789.
Chap. V.—An Act to regulate the Collection of the Duties imposed by law on the tonnage of ships or vessels, and on goods, wares and merchandises imported into the United States.
Repealed by act of August 4, 1790, ch. 35, sec. 73. Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That for the due collection of the duties imposed by law on the tonnage of ships and vessels, and on goods, wares and merchandises imported into the United States, there shall be established and appointed, districts, ports, and officers, in manner following, to wit:
District and ports in New Hampshire.
The State of New Hampshire shall be one district, to include the town of Portsmouth as the sole port of entry; and the towns of Newcastle, Dover and Exeter, as ports of delivery only, but all ships or vessels bound to or from either of the said ports of delivery, shall first come to, enter and clear at Portsmouth; and a naval officer, collectorResolved, That the salaries annexed to this department be as follows:
To the Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs, the sum of four thousand dollars per annum, exclusive of office expenses, to commence from the first day of October last.
To the secretary, one thousand dollars per annum.
To the clerks, each, five hundred dollars per annum.
Resolved, That the Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, and each of the persons employed under him, shall take an oath before a judge of the State where Congress shall sit, for the faithful discharge of their respective trusts, and an oath of fidelity to the United States, before they enter upon office.
By an act passed September 15, 1789, chap. 14, the Executive department denominated the Department of Foreign Affairs, was declared to be, thereafter, denominated the Department of State.
