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of clerk of the circuit court of the United States for the southern district of New York according to the best of my knowledge and abilities.

Sworn, this 2d day of May, 1839, before me,

SMITH THOMPSON.

At a stated term of the district court of the United States of America for the southern district of New York, held at the city hall, in the city of New York, on Thursday, the eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one.

Present: The Hon. Samuel R. Betts.

Frederick J. Betts, Esq., having this day resigned the office of clerk of the district court of the United States for the southern district of New York, I hereby appoint Charles D. Betts clerk of the said court, to fill the vacancy aforesaid.

NEW YORK, March 10, 1841.

SAMUEL R. BETTS.

I, Charles D. Betts, being appointed clerk of the district court of the United States for the southern district of New York, do solemnly swear that I will truly and faithfully enter and record all the orders, decrees, judgments, and proceedings of the said court, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties of my said office, according to the best of my abilities and understanding. So help me God. CHARLES D. BETTS.

Sworn before me this 11th day of March, A. D. 1841.
SAMUEL R. BETTS.

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I, Charles D. Betts, appointed clerk of the district court of the Unitel States for the southern district of New York, do solemnly swear that I wil support the Constitution of the United States.

CHARLES D. BETTS.

Sworn, this 10th day of March, A. D. 1841, before me.

SAMUEL R. BETTS.

At a special session of the circuit court of the United States for the southern district of New York, in the second circuit, held at the city hall, in the city of New York, Friday, the 12th day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, pursuant to the second section of the act of Congress entitled an act in addition to the acts respecting the judicial system of the United States, approved July 4,

1840.

Present: The Hon. Smith Thompson and Samuel R. Betts.

Extract from the minutes.

Frederick J. Betts, Esq., having resigned the office of clerk of the circuit court for the second circuit in and for the southern district of New York, we hereby appoint James W. Metcalf clerk of this court, to fill the vacancy aforesaid.

NEW YORK, March 12, 1841.

SMITH THOMPSON,
SAMUEL R. BETTS.

Whereupon the said James W. Metcalf subscribed the following oath: I, James W. Metcalf, being appointed clerk of the circuit court of the second circuit in and for the southern district of New York, do solemnly swear that I will truly and faithfully enter and record all the orders, decrees, judgments, and proceedings of the said court, and that I will faithfully and impartially perform all the duties of my said office, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, and that I will support the Constitution of the United States. So help me God.

JAMES W. METCALF.

Sworn to this 12th day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one. GEORGE W. MORTON, Deputy Clerk.

Whereupon it was ordered, that the said clerk file a bond of similar amount to the bond filed by the clerk of the district court.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE,

Natchez, April 21, 1842.

SIR: Your letter of the 2d instant, giving me a copy of a resolution of the House of Representatives calling for information whether the office of clerk of the district and circuit courts of this district has not been divided, so that there is now a clerkship of the district court held by one person, and a clerkship of the circuit court held by another, and whether, before the passage of the civil and diplomatic appropriation bill of March, 1841, both offices were not held by one individual, is duly received.

In reply, I have the honor to state that the office of clerk of the district and circuit courts of this district has been divided, in consequence of the resignation, by the clerk, at the last term, of the office of clerk of the circuit court, upon which that court appointed another person to that office, and the old clerk retains the office of clerk of the district court. Before that time, and before the passage of the act referred to, both offices were held and exercised by the same individual.

Very respectfully, your most obedient,

R. M. GAINES,

U. S. Attorney, Southern District of Mississippi.

Hon. W. FORWARD,
Secretary of the Treasury.

2d Session.

Treas. Dep

REVISED TARIFF.

REPORT

OF

THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY,

TRANSMITTING

A bill to provide revenue from imports, and to change and modify exist--ing laws imposing duties on imports, and for other purposes.

MAY 9, 1842.

Laid upon the table, and 10,000 copies extra ordered to be printed.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, May 9, 1942.

SIR: In obedience to a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 29th March last, requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to communicate to the House "the plans, views, and information, and matters, called for in the following letter addressed to him on the 26th February last by the chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means"-

COMMITTEE ROOM OF WAYS AND MEANS,

February 26, 1842.

SIR: I am instructed by the Committee of Ways and Means to request you to communicate to them any plan which you may have for raising the necessary amount of revenue for detraying the expenses of Government by an increase of duties on importations, or by auction duties on goods imported, or otherwise; also, any plan or view which you may have on the subject of home valuation, cash duties, a warehousing system, or any other matters incidentally connected with these subjects, and especially any information which can be afforded by your Department as to the particular article imported which will best bear an increase of duty, and the amount of such increase.

As the committee are now ready to take this subject under consideration, they would be happy to receive your views at as early a day as possible.. Respectfully yours,

Hon. WALTER FORWARD

MILLARD FILLMORE, Chairman.

I have the honor to state that, upon the subject of taxing "sales at auction, of goods imported or otherwise," with a view "to increasing the revenue,"

the Department is under the necessity, for the want of more full and distinct information respecting it, to defer the expression of any opinion in reference to the expediency of the tax in question.

The opinion of the Department as to the impracticability of the "home valuation," provided in the compromise act, was expressed in a report on the finances, made on the 20th of December last, and remains unchanged. Various substitutes, proposed with a view of securing the benefits promised to the manufacturing interests and laboring classes by such valuation, have been considered; but, after mature reflection, it has been thought best to continue the existing mode of assessing ad valorem duties, so far as those duties are retained, guarding it, as far as practicable, from abuse, by additional precautions against fraudulent invoices.

The plan of the Department "for raising the necessary amount of revenue for defraying the expenses of Government by an increase of duties on importations" will appear in the accompanying bill.

The object primarily regarded in framing this bill was the supply of an amount or revenue supposed to be commensurate with the probable wants of the Government in future years. The limit of expenditures must of course be determined by Congress; and all estimates by the Department of their amount are necessarily, in some degree, conjectural. In reference to this matter, it possesses no means of forming a correct judgment other than those which are equally in the power of every member of Congress. The Department can go no further than assume that, whatever expenditures may be required to support the Government, and maintain or enlarge our system of national defence, will be certainly incurred; and, being well convinced that the United States cannot be placed in that condition of entire security, which appears to be called for by popular opinion as well as demanded by our highest interests, without liberal and perhaps increased appropriations from year to year, the supposition of diminished expenses has not been entertained. That spirit of economy which forbids prodigality and waste is not expected to interpose to frustrate a liberal system of measures for the national defence.

A secondary, though extremely important object in framing this bill has been to afford some relief and encouragement to the laboring classes and the mechanical trades of the country, whose interests are now languishing under a severe and, in many instances, ruinous depression. While it is conceded that the primary object of duties on imports is the raising of revenue, it is believed that a proper discrimination among the articles made dutiable, as well as in the amount of duties, may be rightfully demanded by the interests referred to, and is favorable to the interests of all.

In order to carry out the views of the Department on this subject, it became necessary to institute inquiries in various parts of the United States, and to await the required details and statements. The delay, therefore, which has taken place in replying to the letter of the chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means, as well as to the resolution of the House, was necessary, not only in affording the opportunity to those who are connected with the several interests above mentioned to present their views on matters vitally important, but also in allowing to this Department some reasonable time for due examination, and for an equitable and judicious arrange ment of a subject so complicated and delicate in its character as that of framing a system of duties.

The following estimate of the expenditures of the years 1842, 1843, and 1844, exhibits the measure of income necessary to be raised during the same period:

For the year 1842.

Civil, foreign intercourse and miscellaneous, military and naval, as estimated by the Departments

Permanent appropriations

Debt due by corporate cities, principal and interest
Parts of the old public debt

3 and 5 per cent. funds due to the States, including the suis due to Mississippi and Alabama, under the late law Interest payable in 1842, on the loan of 1841

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$513,000

and 1842 Redemption of Treasury notes, including interest 7,400,000

$24,424,358 95

932,000 00 135,900 00 5,000 00

412,000 00

7,913,000 00

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The following is a statement of the probable amount of receipts into the Treasury to meet the expenditures during the years above mentioned, provided the scale of duties on imports now submitted by the Department shall be acceptable to Congress:

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