December, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-eighth.
[L. S.]
[No. 12.]
Dec. 16, 1863.
By the President of the United States of America.
A PROCLAMATION.
Preamble.
Whereas, by an act of the congress of the United States of the 24th of May, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, entitled ‘‘An act in addition to an act entitled ‘An act concerning discriminating duties of tonnage and ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ impost,’ and to equalize the duties on Prussian vessels and their cargoes,’’ it is ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ provided that, upon satisfactory evidence being given to the President of the United States, by the government of any foreign nation, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or impost are imposed or levied in the ports of the said nation upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the United States, or from any foreign country, the President is thereby authorized to issue his proclamation declaring that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the United States are and shall be suspended and discontinued, so far as respects the vessels of the said foreign nation, and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported into the United States in the same from the said foreign nation, or from any other foreign country; the said suspension to take effect from the time of such notincation being given to the President of the United States, and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels belonging to citizens of the United States, and their cargoes, as aforesaid, shall be continued, and no longer;
And whereas, satisfactory evidence has lately been received by me, through an official communication of Sefior Don Luis Molina, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Nicaragua, under date of the 28th of November, 1863, that no other or higher duties of tonnage and impost have been imposed or levied since the second day of August, 1838, in the ports of Nicaragua, upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, and ppon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the United States, and from any foreign country whatever, than are levied on Nicaragpan ships and their cargoes in the same ports under like circumstances:
Now, therefore, I, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States of America, do hereby declare and proclaim, that so much of the several acts imposing discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the United States are, ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ and shall be, suspended and discontinued, so far as respects the vessels of ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ Nicaragua, and the produce, manufactures, and merchandise imported into the ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ United States in the same from the dominions of Nicaravua, and from any other ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ foreign country whatever; the said suspension to take effect from the day above ragua disconmentioned, and to continue theneeforward, so long as the reciprocal exemption ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ of the vessels of the United States, and the produce, manufactures, and merchandise imported into the dominions of Nicaragua in the same, as aforesaid, shall be continued on the part of the government of Nicaragua.
Given under my hand at the city of Washington, the sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and the eighty-eighth of the Independence of the United States.
[L. S.]
