Of those vessels belonging to the Ports of Entry, the following were, at the

close of

OUR COMMERCE WITH THE EAST INDIES AND PORTS IN THE PACIFIC.

A STATEMENT OF CLEARANCES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR, AND ARRIVALS FROM, THE EAST INDIES AND PORTS OF THE PACIFIC, DURING 1850, YEAR COMMENCING JANUARY 1, AND ENDING 31ST OF DECEMBER.

According to a statement in the Traveler, the clearances from Boston for East India ports were not so great the last as in former years, on account of the diversion of a portion of the trade to California.

WHOLE NUMBER OF CLEARANCES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR EAST INDIES AND PORTS IN THE PACIFIC, FROM JANUARY 1, 1850, TO JANUARY 1, 1851.

WHOLE NUMBER OF ARRIVALS IN THE UNITED STATES FROM EAST INDIA AND PACIFIC ports FROM JANUARY 1, 1850, TO JANUARY 1, 1851.

2 Cape Town... ... ... .... ....

2 Zanzibar..

2 Honolulu

2 Realajo, W. C. Cal

1 San Francisco

1

Total.............

1

69

WHOLE NUMBER OF CLEARANCES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR CALIFORNIA, FROM JANUARY 1,

We copy the following table from the London Chronicle of the number of emigrants who have left the United Kingdom during the past ten years, and the several places of their destination. It will be seen by this table that more than one-half of the emigrants from Great Britain come to the United States, and if we take into account the fact that a large part of the Europeans, who land in the provinces, find their way into the States of the Union, it will reach nearer two-thirds than one-half :

A return of the exports from the district of Port Philip, Australia, for the year ending the 30th of June, 1850, has just been received, and shows the total value to have been £978,741; the portion shipped coastwise and to Van Diemen's Land being £101,834, and the portion to Europe, £876,907. Wool appears in the list for £770,938; tallow, £99,847, and leather, £4,565. The other articles were, hides, horns, bones, oil, sheepskins, whalebone, starch, and wattle bark, but the amount of each was insignificant. Of 39 vessels in which these exports were conveyed, 21 sailed from Melbourne, 14 from Geelong, and 4 from Portland. Amongst them, the largest was the Diadem 714 tons; and the smallest, the Cockermouth Castle, 214 tons.

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS.

OF THE APPRAISEMENT OF MERCHANDISE IN THE UNITED STATES.

The following act was passed during the second session of the 31st Congress, and approved by the President of the United States, March 3d, 1851. It takes effect on and after the 1st day of April, 1851

AN ACT TO AMEND THE ACT REGULATING THE APPRAISEMENT OF MERCHANDISE, ETC.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in all cases where there is or shall be imposed any ad valorem rate of duty on any goods, wares, or merchandise imported into the United States, it shall be the duty of the Collector within whose district the same shall be imported or entered, to cause the actual market value or wholesale price thereof, at the period of the exportation to the United States, in the principal markets of the country from which the same shall have been imported into the United States, to be appraised, estimated, and ascertained; and to such value or price shall be added all costs and charges, except insurance, and including, in every case, a charge for commissions at the usual rates, as the true value at the port where the same may be entered, upon which duties shall be assessed. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the certificate of any one of the appraisers of the United States, of the dutiable value of any imported merchandise required to be appraised, shall be deemed and taken to be the appraisement of such merchandise required by existing laws to be made by such appraisers. And where merchandise shall be entered at ports where there are no appraisers, the certificate of the revenue officer to whom is committed the estimating and collection of duties, if the dutiable value of any merchandise required to be appraised shall be deemed and taken to be the appraisement of such inerchandise required by existing laws to be made by such reve-nue officer.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That there shall be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, four appraisers of merchandise, to be allowed an annual salary each of two thousand five hundred dollars, together with their actual traveling expenses, to be regulated by the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall be employed in visiting such ports of entry in the United States, under the direction of the said Secretary, as may be deemed useful by him for the security of the revenue, and shall at such ports afford such aid and assistance in the appraisement of merchandise thereat as may be deemed necessary by the Secretary of the Treasury to protect and ensure uniformity in the collection of the revenue from customs; and whenever practicable, in cases of appeal from the decision of the United States appraiser, under the provisions of the seventeenth section of the tariff act of thirtieth August, eighteen hundred forty-two, the collector shall select one discreet and experienced merchant, to be associated with one of the appraisers appointed under the provisions of this act, who together shall appraise the goods in question; and if they shall disagree, the collector shall decide between them; and the appraisement thus determined shall be final, and deemed and taken to be the true value of said goods, and the duties shall be levied thereon accordingly, any act of Congress to the contrary notwithstanding.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect on and after the first day of April next; and all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act be and the same are hereby repealed.

PROPOSED REDUCTION OF DUTY ON COFFEE IN ENGLAND.

The London Sun says, it is stated that, in consequence of the immense increase in the use of chickory, and the falling off in the consumption of coffee, it is the intention of the Government at an early period, to equalize the coffee duties, chiefly with a view of checking the consumption of chichory. The plan likely to be pursued is, that during the year 1851, coffee, without distinction to growth, shall be admitted for home consumption at a duty of 4d per lb.; and the same to remain in force until the end of 1852, after which the duty to be 3d per lb. until the close of 1859; and in 1854, the uniform "duty will be 10d per lb.

COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

CONDENSED ABSTRACT OF LAWS RESPECTING COMMERCE, PUBLISHED FOR THE INFORMATION OF SHIP-MASTERS AND OTHERS, FREQUENTING THE PORTS OF THE HAWAIIAN OR SANDWICH ISLANDS.

Vessels arriving off the ports of entry to make the usual marine signal, if they want a pilot.

The pilot will approach vessels to the windward, and present the health certificate, to be signed by the captain. If the vessel is free from any contagion the captain will hoist the white flag, otherwise he will hoist the yellow flag, and obey the direction of the pilot and health officer.

Passports must be exhibited to the Governor or Collector by passengers before landing. Masters of vessels allowing baggage to be landed, before compliance with the laws, are subject to a fine of $500.

Masters of vessels, on arriving at any of the ports of entry, are required to deliver all letters to the Collector of Customs. The law regarding the delivery of letters by ship-masters to the Collector, will only take effect on promulgation by his Hawaiian Majesty in privy council.

The commanding officer of any merchant vessel, immediately after her arrival at either of the legalized ports of entry, shall make known to the Collector of Customs the business upon which said vessel has come to this port-furnish him with a list of her passengers, and deliver to him under oath, a full, true, and perfect manifest of the cargo with which said vessel is laden; which manifest shall contain an account of the packages, with their marks, numbers, contents, quantities, and also the names of the improrters or consignees. When any such officer shall fail to perform any or all of the acts above mentioned within forty-eight hours after his arrival, he shall be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000.

All manifests, entries, and other documents presented at any Custom-house, shall be either in the Hawaiian or English language.

The Collector, at his discretion, and at the expense of any vessel, may provide an officer to be present on board such vessel during her discharge, to superintend the disembarkation, and see that no other or greater amount of merchandise be landed than is set forth in the permit.

All goods landed at any of the ports of these islands are subject to a duty of 5 per cent ad valorem, except spirituous or fermented liquors.

The following are the only ports of entry at these islands, viz.:-for merchantmen, Honolulu, Oahu, Labaina, and Maui; and for whalers, in addition thereto, Hilo, Hawaii, Hanalei, Kauai, and Kealekekua, Hawaii. The port charges on merchant vessels are as follows:-At Honolulu, 20 cents per ton; buoys, $2; clearance, $1; pilotage in and out, $1 per foot, each way. At Lahaina, anchorage due, $10; pilotage, $1; health certificate, $1; light, $1; canal, (if used,) $2; and clearance, $1.

Merchant vessels touching at the port of Honolulu, for refreshments only, and neither lading or unlading any cargo, taking or leaving any passengers, shall pay but six cents per ton harbor dues, instead of twenty cents; but if they discharge or take cargo, feave or take passengers, they shall pay twenty cents per ton harbor dues.

By a law promulgated in the Polynesian newspaper, of June 19, 1847, whale ships are, from and after that date, exempted from all charges for pilotage, tonnage dues, or anchorage fees, at all the various ports of entry for whalers of this group.

Hereafter the charges on whalers will be, clearance, $1; permits, (when required,) $1 each; and in addition thereto, at Honolulu, buoys, $2. At Lahaina, health certificate, $1; lights, $1; canal, (when used,) $1; and at Kealekekua, health certificate, $1. Whale ships are allowed to land goods to the value of $200 free of duty, but if they exceed that amount, they are then liable to pay 5 per cent on the whole amount landed, as well as the charges for pilotage and tonnage dues, or ancharage fees, required by law of whalers previous to June 19, 1847, and if the goods landed shall exceed $1,200, (which is only permitted by law at Honolulu and Lahaina,) they will then be considered as merchantmen, and subject to the like charges and legal liabilities.

The permits granted to whalers do not include the trade, sale, or landing of spirituous liquors. Any such traffic by them (which is prohibited, except at Lahaina and Honolulu,) will subject them to the charges upon merchantmen, including the payment of twenty cents per ton, as well at the anchorage of Lahaina and at the roadstead of Honolulu, as within the port of Honolulu.

Any master of a whale ship who shall fail to produce his permit when called for,

shall be liable to a fine not less than $10 nor more than $50, to be imposed by the Collector.

Before obtaining a clearance, each ship-master is required to produce to the Collector of Customs a certificate under the seal of his Consul, that all legal charges or demands, in his office, against said vessel have been paid, and that he knowns of no reason why said vessel should not immediately depart.

Spirituous or fermented liquors landed at any of the ports of these islands are subject to the following duties:-Rum, gin, brandy, whisky, &c., of more than 27 and less than 55 per cent alcohol, $5 per gallon; if more than 55 per cent alcohol, $10 per gallon; wines, liquors, &c., (except Claret, Bordeaux, Champagne, and Sinclair wines of not over 18 per cent alcohol,) $1 per gallon; Claret, &c., of less than 18 per cent alcohol, malt liquors and cider, 5 per cent ad valorem.

Products of the whale fishery may be transhipped free from any charge of transit duty.

Vessels landing goods upon which the duties have not been paid are liable to seizure

and confiscation.

If any person commit an offense on shore, and the offender escape on board any vessel, it shall be the duty of the commanding officer of said vessel to surrender any suspected or culprit person to any officer of the police who demands his surrender, on production of a legal warrant.

It shall not be lawful for any person on board of a vessel at anchor in the harbor of Honolulu to throw stones or other rubbish overboard, under a penalty of $100.

All sailors found ashore at Lahaina, after the beating of the drum, or at Honolulu, after the ringing of the bell, are subject to apprehension and a fine of $2.

Ship-masters must give notice to the harbor-master of the desertion of any of their sailors within forty-eight hours, under a penalty of $100.

Seamen are not allowed to be discharged at any of the ports of the islands, excepting those of Lahaina and Honolulu.

It shall not be lawful to discharge seamen at any of the ports of these islands without the written consent of the Governor.

Honolulu and Lahaina are the only ports which native seamen are allowed to be shipped-and at those places with the Governor's consent only.

Any vessel taking away a prisoner from these islands shall be subject to a fine of $500. To entitle any vessel to a clearance, it shall be incumbent on her commanding officer, first to furnish the Collector of Customs with a manifest of cargo intended to be exported in such vessel.

It shall not be lawful for the commanding officer of any Hawaiian or foreign vessel to carry out of this kingdom as a passenger any domiciled alien, naturalized foreigner, or native, without previous exhibition to him of a passport from His Majesty's Minister of Foreign Relations.

THE ACT REDUCING AND MODIFYING THE RATES OF POSTAGE.

We regret that it is not in our power to record in the pages of the Merchants, Magazine an act more in accordance with the wishes of the great mass of the people, and more creditable to the wisdom and sagacity of their representatives, than that which passed at the close of the second Session of the Thirty-first Congress of the United States. That most equitable principle of a uniform rate of postage on all mailable matter is departed from, more widely than under the law now in force. But the act has become a law, and goes into effect on the 1st of July, 1851. We subjoin a correct copy of the act, with the intention, however, of giving in a future number of the Merchants' Magazine a condensed view of its provisions, in a form more convenient for reference.

AN ACT TO REDUCE AND MODIFY THE RATES OF POSTAGE IN THE UNITED STATES AND FOR OTHES PURPOSES.

RATES OF POSTAGE ON LETTERS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Bepresentatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That from and after the thirtieth day of June, eighteen hundred and fifty-one, in lieu of the rates of postage now established by law, there shall be charged the following rates, to wit:-For every single letter in manuscript, or