port at which said cattle are to be landed and quarantined, and the approximate date of their arrival; and this permit shall secure the reception of the number and kind of animals specified therein at the port and quarantine station named, at the date prescribed for their arrival, or at any time during three weeks immediately following, after which the permit shall be void.

Such permit shall in no case be available at any port other than the one mentioned therein.

Permits will be issued to quarantine at such ports as the importer may elect, so far as facilities exist at such port, but in no case will permits for importation at any port be granted in excess of the accommodations of the Government quarantine station at such port.

Every importer shall, on the day of shipment from a foreign port, telegraph to the Secretary of the Treasury the number of cattle shipped, the vessel upon which they are shipped, and the port at which they are to be landed.

United States Consuls at foreign ports, in addition to the precautions in the foregoing paragraphs, will give clearance papers or certificates for importations of cattle only upon presentation of permits as above provided, with dates of probable arrival and destination corresponding with the said permits, and in no case for a number in excess of that mentioned therein.

The ports now provided with quarantine stations under the control of the Treasury Department, and at which cattle may be landed, subject to the foregoing conditions, are Portland, Boston, New York, and Baltimore.

ABUSE OF GOVERNMENT POUCHES.

413. The following matter only may hereafter be transmitted by Consular Officers in Government pouches to the United States, where such pouches are used: 1st. Correspondence and packages addressed to the President or VicePresident of the United States, or to either of the Executive Departments of this Government, or the heads thereof, or to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 2d. Letters, newspapers, and printed matter intended for either of

765 C R-10

What to contain

Transfer of United States stocks.

No fee for witnesses, &c.

Unclaimed let

ters.

the Assistant Secretaries, the Assistant Postmasters-General, or the Assistant Attorneys-General, or for any of the clerks of this Department. 3d. Invoices required by law to be transmitted to the United States.

VERIFICATION OF POWERS TO TRANSFER UNITED STATES
STOCKS.

414. All powers of attorney in a foreign country for the transfer of any stock of the United States, or for the receipt of interest thereon, shall be verified by the certificate and seal of a Consul, Vice-Consul, Commercial Agent, or ViceCommercial Agent, if any there be at the place where the same shall be executed. (See Form No. 88 for a general form for the authentication of a signature, and No. 89 for a certificate that an Officer is qualified to administer an oath.) 415. But no fee is to be charged for witnessing the execution and taking the acknowledgment of assignments of egistered bonds or stocks of the United States, or of powers of attorney to assign such bonds or stocks, or to collect the interest thereon; it being apprehended that such charges might affect the value of our securities abroad.

LETTERS UNCALLED FOR.

416. All letters except as below, addressed to the care or in the custody of Consular Officers, remaining uncalled for for a period of six months, are, on the first days of January and July in each year, to be forwarded directly to the PostOffice Department as dead letters. The packet should be securely sealed and addressed to the "Post-Office Department, Dead Letter Office, Washington, D. C.," and should be forwarded as other official matter. It should be accompanied by a letter of advice showing the number of the inclosures. 417. But letters intended for officers and seamen of the Navy in the Pacific and Asiatic squadrons, and letters intended for the crews of whaling vessels, may be retained one year before transmitting them to the Post-Office Department. Upon returning such letters an indorsement should be made on each, stating the reason for detaining it beyond the six months above prescribed.

418. Instances have occurred where dead letters returned from Consulates have been found opened, and where the stamps have been detached. As the post-mark is frequently indistinct, the removal of the postage-stamp often deprives the Post-Office Department of the means of ascertaining where such letters were originally mailed, without opening them, which, under treaty stipulations, it has no authority to do with letters mailed in a foreign state.

419. Consuls are therefore instructed to take care that letters received by them are not opened by unauthorized parties, and that they are not despoiled of the stamps which they may bear on their arrival at their Consulates.

LETTERS DETAINED AT FOREIGN PORTS.

420. It is provided by statute that the Secretary of State may empower the Consuls of the United States to pay the foreign postage on such letters destined for the United States as may be detained at the ports of foreign countries for the non-payment of postage; and that the amount so paid may be credited in the account of the Consul with the Depar, ent of State. In carrying out this statute Consular Officers are instructed that they are authorized to state the amount paid for such postage in their postage account with the Department, but that it should be entered as a separate item, in order that upon its repayment by the Post-Office Department the proper appropriation may be credited.

PRESENTS AND TESTIMONIALS FROM FOREIGN POWERS.

421. Consular Officers are forbidden by law from asking or accepting, for themselves or other persons, any presents, emolument, pecuniary favor, office, or title of any kind, from any foreign government. This statute is substantially the provision of the Constitution in this respect. It not unfrequently happens that Consular Officers are tendered presents, orders, or other testimonials in acknowledgment of services rendered to the subjects or the governments of foreign states. They are, however, prohibited from accepting them until authorized to do so by Congress, to which body all requests for permission to accept them are referred.

age.

Payment of post

R. S., sec. 4014.

Presents ani testimonials. R. S., rec. 1751.

Consular uni

form.

1688.

CONSULAR UNIFORMS.

422. No uniform is now prescribed to be used by ConsuR. S., secs. 1226, lar Officers as such, and none is authorized by statute or regulation to be worn by them. The use of a uniform or official costume, unless previously authorized by Congress, is expressly prohibited to Diplomatic Officers. It is provided, however, that all officers who served during the rebellion as volunteers in the Army of the United States, and were honorably mustered out of the volunteer service, may bear the official title, and, upon occasions of ceremony, may wear the uniform of the highest grade they held in that service. They may also, on like occasions, wear the distinctive Army badge of the corps or division in which they served. These provisions are held to apply to Consular Officers whose service and discharge from the volunteer Army bring them under its terms. Apart from them, however, no authority now exists under which a Consular Officer may wear a uniform. The former regulations in this respect have been rescinded for many years; and while a uniform may under some circumstances be useful to a consul, there is no authority to permit it to be worn, except as above provided for, and it is believed to be advisable that he should abstain from its use.

Consuls acting for foreign States.

Deposit of pub. lic moneys.

CONSULAR OFFICERS ACTING FOR FOREIGN STATES.

423. Consular Officers are sometimes requested to discharge temporarily the duties of those of other countries. It may be proper as a matter of comity to accede to such requests, but not (unless under urgent circumstances) until permission has been granted by the Department of State. Consular Officers, however, are prohibited by the Constitution (Art. I, sec. 9) from performing without the consent of Congress any duties for any foreign government which involve the acceptance of office from such foreign government. (See paragraph 149.)

DEPOSIT OF PUBLIC MONEYS.

424. No authority can be given to a Consular Officer under which he can be relieved of his liability for fees or

other public moneys in his possession, deposited with banks or bankers other than the designated bankers of the United States. All such deposits are made at his own risk; and in the event of loss by failure or otherwise of the banks or bankers, the Department of State is without the power to relieve him from the necessity of making good the amount. Relief can be obtained only by an act of Congress.

IRREGULAR USE OF CONSULAR TITLE AND SEAL.

425. Cases have been brought to the attention of the Government in which Consular Officers have used their official title and the Consular seal in their private business transactions, and have, in some instances, signed themselves officially and affixed the official seal to notes, bills, bonds, or other personal obligations. The Government can assume and can be held to no liability for such obligations. Such proceedings are regarded as involving grave irregularity, and a Consular Officer known to offend in this respect will be removed. The practice of impressing the Consular seal on letters or other papers when its use is unnecessary is considered an abuse. The seal should only be used for the purpose of authentication or certification, and should be kept under lock to prevent the possibility of its use by unanthorized persons.

426. On the other hand, it is known that Consular Officers, especially in the larger cities, are often solicited and importuned to indorse notes, bills of exchange, or in other ways to become responsible pecuniarily for American citizens or others, who have no personal claim upon them, but who seek them as persons who, from their position, are available for the purpose. Such transactions are not a part of the official duties of a Consular Officer. He is not authorized to lend money to indigent Americans or others, nor to incur expenses or liabilities for any persons except seamen of the United States, in the expectation of reimbursement by the Government. The frequency of such solicitations, and the embarrassment which is known to result to Consular Officers on complying with them, require that they should be protected against these importunities and difficulties. They

Irregular use of title and seal.

Indorsements and loans.