20th ultimo, in which it is stated that it appears from official publications, contained in the "German Imperial Advertiser," that the cattle disease, commonly known as the "rinderpest," has made its appearance in divers parts of Germany, and is rapidly spreading and increasing throughout the country.

Referring to section 2493 of the Revised Statutes, the Department hereby prohibits the importation of neat-cattle, and the hides of neatcattle, into the United States from Germany until further orders.

Respectfully,

C. F. CONANT,

Acting Secretary.

COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, New York.

[These instructions will be treated as applicable to importations of such cattle and hides imported from Germany into any ports in the United States.]

(3108.)

Embroidered Linen Suits-Duty on.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, February 12, 1877.

SIR: The Department is in receipt of your letter of the 2d instant, reporting further on the appeal (9309 d) of Mr. Daniel Kirk from your assessment of duty on certain linen embroidered suits imported by him per "Germanic," February 1, 1876, and returned by the appraiser as “manufactures of flax, not otherwise provided for," at 40 per cent. ad valorem.

It appears from the special report of the appraiser that the merchandise in question consists of dresses basted by the seamstress, to be easily fitted to the size and form of the purchaser, and of embroidered bands which were contained in the carton with the suits, and evidently intended for use in making them up.

The appellant claims that the articles in question are liable to duty as embroideries, at 35 per cent. ad valorem. By Department's decision (No. 2027) of December 4, 1874, it was held that only such articles are entitled to classification as embroideries as have embroidery for a leading characteristic, and in which embroidery is the chief element of value.

It is understood from the report of the appraiser that in this case the embroidery was neither the leading characteristic nor element of

chief value, and the Department is, therefore, of opinion that the goods should be classified as a manufacture of flax not otherwise provided for, at the rate assessed by you.

Instructions concerning the Payment of Treasury Drafts and Official Checks of Public Disbursing Officers.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, February 13, 1877.

The following sections of the Revised Statutes of the United States and the subsequent Regulations are published for the information and guidance of all concerned:

"SECTION 306. At the termination of each fiscal year all amounts of moneys that are represented by certificates, drafts, or checks, issued by the Treasurer, or by any disbursing officer of any Department of the Government, upon the Treasurer or any assistant treasurer, or designated depositary of the United States, or upon any national bank designated as a depositary of the United States, and which shall be represented on the books of either of such offices as standing to the credit of any disbursing officer, and which were issued to facilitate the payment of warrants, or for any other purpose in liquidation of a debt due from the United States, and which have for three years or more remained outstanding, unsatisfied and unpaid, shall be deposited by the Treasurer, to be covered into the Treasury by warrant, and to be carried to the credit of the parties in whose favor such certificates, drafts, or checks were respectively issued, or to the persons who are entitled to receive pay therefor, and into an appropriation account to be denominated 'outstanding liabilities.'

"SECTION 308. The payee or the bona-fide holder of any draft or check the amount of which has been deposited and covered into the Treasury pursuant to the preceding sections, shall, on presenting the same to the proper officer of the Treasury, be entitled to have it paid by the settlement of an account and the issuing of a warrant in his favor, according to the practice in other cases of authorized and liquidated claims against the United States.

"SECTION 309. The amounts, except such as are provided for in section three hundred and six, of the accounts of every kind of disbursing officer, which shall have remained unchanged, or which shall not have been increased by any new deposit thereto, nor decreased by drafts drawn thereon for the space of three years, shall in like manner be covered into the Treasury, to the proper appropriation to which they belong; and the amounts thereof shall, on the certificate of the Treasurer that such amount has been deposited in the Treasury, be

credited by the proper accounting officer of the Department of the Treasury on the books of the Department, to the officer in whose name it had stood on the books of any agency of the Treasury, if it appears that he is entitled to such credit.

"SECTION 310. The Treasurer, each assistant treasurer, and each designated depositary of the United States, and the cashier of each of the national banks designated as such depositaries, shall, at the close of business on every thirtieth day of June, report to the Secretary of the Treasury the condition of every account standing, as in the preceding section specified, on the books of their respective offices, stating the name of each depositor, with his official designation, the total amount remaining on deposit to his credit, and the dates, respectively, of the last credit and the last debit made to each account. And each disbursing officer shall make a like return of all checks issued by him, and which may then have been outstanding and unpaid for three years and more, stating fully in such report the name of the payee, for what purpose each check was given, the office on which drawn, the number of the voucher received therefor, the date, number, and amount for which it was drawn, and, when known, the residence of the payee."

REGULATIONS.

(1.) Hereafter any treasury draft or any check drawn by a public disbursing officer still in service, which shall be presented for payment before it shall have been issued three full fiscal years, will be paid in the usual manner by the office or bank on which it is drawn, and from funds to the credit of the drawer. Thus, any such draft or check issued on or after July 1, 1873, will be paid as above stated until June 30, 1877, and the same rule will apply for subsequent years.

Any such draft or check which has been issued for a longer period than three full fiscal years will be paid only by the settlement of an account in this Department, as provided in section 308 above published; and for this purpose the draft or check will be transmitted to the Secretary of the Treasury for the necessary action.

(2.) The reports of Independent Treasury officers, national-bank depositaries, and public disbursing officers, required by section 310 above published, will be rendered promptly to the Secretary of the Treasury at the close of each fiscal year.

(3) Whenever any disbursing officer of the United States shall cease to act in that capacity, he will at once inform the Secretary of the Treasury whether he has any public funds to his credit in any office or bank, and, if so, what checks, if any, he has drawn against the same which are still outstanding and unpaid. Until satisfactory information of this character shall have been furnished, the whole amount of such moneys will be held to meet the payment of his checks properly payable therefrom.

(4.) Hereafter, at the close of each fiscal year, the Treasurer, the

several assistant treasurers, and designated and national-bank depositaries, will also render to the Secretary of the Treasury a list of all disbursing officers' accounts still unclosed which have been opened on the books of their respective offices or banks more than three fiscal years, giving in each case the name and official designation of the officer, the date when the account with him was opened, and the balance remaining to his credit.

(5.) In case of the death, resignation, or removal of a public disbursing officer, any check previously drawn by him and not presented for payment within four months of its date, will not be paid until its. correctness shall have been attested by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.

(6.) If the object or purpose for which any check of a public disbursing officer is drawn is not stated thereon, as required by Departmental regulations, or if any reason exists for suspecting fraud, the office or bank on which such check is drawn will refuse its payment. CHAS. F. CONANT,

Acting Secretary.

(3110,)

Antique Pottery, so called-Duty on.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, February 13, 1877.

SIR: Your letter of the 3d instant was duly received, transmitting the appeal (3138 e) of Mr. William Homer from your decision assessing duty at the rate of 40 per cent. ad valorem on four (4) pieces of Spanish and Italian pottery, imported by him at your port, per “Illyrian," from Liverpool.

The appellant claims that the articles in question are entitled to free entry, as being antiquities, and as intended to form part of a collection of antiquities owned by him. They are majolica plates, and are of the period known as the renaissance or sixteenth century.

By Department's decision of August 19, 1876, (Synopsis 2934,) it was held that paintings and other works of art of the period mentioned are not entitled to classification as antiquities, and that the term "antiques" can only be properly applied to productions of ancient date, as distinguished from those of the medieval or modern periods.

While this rule was only applied in that case to paintings, statuary, and other works of art, I see no reason why it is not equally appli

cable in the present case.

The Department is therefore of opinion

that the majolica plates in question were properly excluded by you from classification as antiquities, and that they are subject to duty at the rate of 40 per cent. ad valorem.

Allowance for Shortage in Cargo.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT, February 13, 1877.

SIR: Your letter of the 20th ultimo was duly received, reporting further in the matter of the alleged deficiency in a quantity of salt imported by Messrs. Kingan & Co. on the 18th of November last.

From the papers now before the Department, it is understood that entry of the salt in question was made on the 28th of November, the invoice calling for 495 sacks. The quantity contained therein was estimated to be 110,900 pounds.

The weigher's return stated the actual quantity to be 106,979 pounds. From the certificate of the port warden who examined the cargo on arrival, it appears that he found twenty-five of the bags empty, or nearly so, the salt being dissolved in consequence of sea-water getting into the hold during the voyage of importation. The weigher states that on or about the 27th of December last, or more than five weeks after the arrival of the vessel, he was informed by the importers that the lot was not full; that, upon consulting with the inspector, he became satisfied that fifty-five of the sacks were empty; and, on that day, submitted an amended return to correct the error in his prior report.

Ten per centum only of the importation was weighed on arrival, which accounts for the fact that the deficiency was not discovered by the weigher, who did not inspect that portion of the salt which had become badly wet.

Upon these facts, it is the opinion of the Depariment that duties accrued upon the actual quantity landed, unless the parties can be relieved therefrom under some special provision of law applicable thereto. Taking the port warden's certificate into consideration, it