Mr. Livingston to Mr. McLane.

Department of State,

Washington, 2d November, 1832.

SIR: In 1827 the French ship "Pactole," laden with French merchandise, arrived at Pensacola, in Florida. The collector at that port levied upon the vessel and cargo a discriminating duty of ten per cent., upon the ground that such a duty was levied in the ports of Florida upon vessels of all nations except Spain, whose vessels, by the 15th article of our treaty with that nation, are to be admitted into Florida, for the space of twelve years, upon the same terms with vessels of the United States, it being provided, moreover, that, "during the said term, no other nation shall enjoy the same privileges within the ceded territory.'

At the date of the arrival of the "Pactole" (1827) the gradual reduction of tonnage duty, provided by our convention of 1822 with France, had brought that duty down to 0.932 per ton. A claim was made at the time, by the French Government, which is now urged by Mr. Serurier, for the repayment of the difference between 0.934 per ton, chargeable agreeably to the convention with France, and that which was levied by the collector of Pensacola.

On the 28th January, 1831, the Secretary of State replied to Mr. Roux's application, that the delay in deciding upon the case had arisen, in part, from the necessity of submitting several points involved in it to the Secre tary of the Treasury, and that other considerations, which had but a “temporary existence," prevented a definitive answer at that time. In his letter to Mr. Roux, Mr. Van Buren proceeds to say, that, on the removal of those temporary considerations, "the Government of the United States will then be enabled to act upon it, in a manner which the undersigned hope! will be satisfactory to the French Government."

The stipulation with France being in contravention of that with Spain, the question is, whether we could, consistently with the latter, have admit ted the claim of France, at the time it was made? There was then certainly some difficulty, but there can be none now, since the twelve years of exclusive privilege to Spain have expired. As the case appears heretofore to have been referred to your department, I now request your opinion on it. and, also, that you would advise me whether the Treasury has power to re fund the duties, or whether, in answer to Mr. Serurier, I must refer him t an appropriation to be made at the next session.

For the better understanding of the case, I herewith transmit the notes which have been addressed to this department, by the French ministe here, upon that subject, and which I will thank you to return.

I am, respectfully,

Your obedient servant,
EDW. LIVINGSTON.

LOUIS MCLANE,

Secretary of the Treasury.

Mr. McLane to Mr. Livingston.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,

November 7, 1832.

SIR: I have had the honor to receive your communication of the 2d inst., with its enclosures, relative to an application, by the French minister, for the refunding of certain duties, which are represented to have been levied, at Pensacola, in 1827, on the French ship Pactole and her cargo, contrary to the convention of 1822 with France. As you request my opinion on the case, and whether this department has power to refund the duties, I have to state that, in this case, the stipulations of that convention appear to have been in conflict with those of 1819 with Spain, and that treaty, being of anterior date, and in the nature of a compact, had the strongest claim to be executed. If, in executing it, the French owners of the Pactole and her cargo have been subject to the payment of duties to which, by the convention, they were not liable, the indemnity therefor, if it be competent for the Government to grant it, can only be afforded by Congress. This department has no authority, without a special appropriation for that purpose, to refund duties that have been paid and accounted for.

I have the honor to be, &c.,

To the Hon. EDWARD LIVINGSTON,

LOUIS MCLANE, Secretary of the Treasury.

Seeretary of State.

Mr. Livingston to M. Serurier.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, December 11, 1832.

SIR: The intention of the department being to make an application to Congress for an appropriation to meet the various claims preferred by you for tonnage duties overpaid by French vessels, I will thank you to furnish me a statement of the amount in each case. The cases which occur in your correspondence with this departinent, are the Pactole, at Mobile, the brig Casimer, from Martinico to New York, the brig Louisa, from Guadaloupe to the same port, and two or three others, names not mentioned, at New Orleans.

I seize the present occasion to express the high consideration with which I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

M. SERURIER,

EDWARD LIVINGSTON.

Envoy Extraordinary, &c., of France.

RELATIVE VALUE OF GOLD AND SILVER BULLION, &c. &c.

LETTER

FROM

THE DIRECTOR OF THE MINT,

Transmilting, in obedience to a resolution of the House of Representatives, a report of the Relative Value of Gold and Silver Bullion in the principal countries of Europe and the United States, &c. &c.

JANUARY 14, 1833.

Read, and laid upon the table.

MINT OF THE UNITED STATES,

Philadelphia, January 12, 1833.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit, herewith, my report to the House of Representatives, on the subjects referred to me under two resolutions of the 14th December; which report, with the specimens of coins alluded to therein, I have respectfully to request may be presented to the House.

In obedience to the resolutions of the House of Representatives, of the 4th December, requiring "the Director of the Mint to report to the House, far as in his power, the present relative value of gold and silver bullion in e principal countries of Europe and the United States; that is to say: if 1.25 grains of pure silver is worth one dollar, what is the worth of the same eight of pure gold?"

And, also, to report to the House his opinion of the degree of fineness or oportion of alloy the best fitted, in gold coins, to give durability and contin

ued brightness to the metal; and also his opinion, what is the most suitable metal for that alloy:" the Director of the Mint has the honor to submit the following report:

In accomplishing the objects of the first resolution, it has been considered desirable to ascertain, not only the relative value of gold and silver bullion in the principal countries of Europe and the United States at the latest dates to which autheitic data apply, but also the average proportional value during a series of recent years, adequate to determine the vibrations to which it is liable from transient causes. This latitude of inquiry seems particularly expe dient in regard to the United States, where the relative value of gold and silver has exhibited conspicuous fluctuations within the last twelve years.

The period proposed to be assumed as the basis of an instructive average, is the interval from the year 1821 to the year 1832, inclusive. About the commencement of this period, the effects of a general peace, and the conse quent new order of commercial relations, began to develope their full infuence on the currency both here and in Europe. The effective return to specie payments in the United States, occurred between 1817 and 1819, and in England about the year 1820. To these considerations, are especially to be added the new mint regulations of the latter, adopted in 1816, but only carried into full effect about the year 1821, which appear to have exerted a very sensible control over the relative value of gold and silver in the bullion market.

When, at the commencement of the Mint in 1792, the ratio of fine gold to fine silver was established as 15. to 1, it was supposed to be conformatie to their relative value in the principal commercial nations of Europe, and it probably was nearly conformable to the mint regulations then prevailing How far the value of those metals in the foreign market deviated from the Mint proportion during the interval from 1792 to 1821, the means are not possessed to determine. No deficiency, however, in the Mint ratio of gold to silver in the United States became early apparent. Gold and silver coins remained at par with each other throughout that period. Both were the ob jects of a premium measured in the actual currency during the suspension of specie payments, but both of the same premium.

The first notice of a premium on gold measured in silver, in the United States, appears late in 1821. Before the end of that year it had advanced to 5 per cent. Since that time it has occasionally been as high as 7 per cest, and, at intermediate intervals, as low as 2 per cent. During the past mosti it has been from 34 to 4 per cent. The above fluctuations evince the propriety of adopting the interval mentioned as the range of the present inquiry.

The annexed tables A and B, present the facts which, it is presumed, will be considered as of most importance in regard to the objects of the first resolttion, as far as it has been found practicable to obtain them, with a satisfaciery assurance of their correctness.

Table A exhibits the proportional value of gold and silver coins as estab lished by the latest ascertained mint regulations of the several countries a Europe named therein, contrasted with those of the United States. Where actual assays, at the Mint, of perfect gold and silver coins of the several ne tions could be made available, the results of these have been exhibited zi the 2d column as the practical illustration of the legal coinage to which they belong. The regulations of the other foreign mints have been tested by sults deduced from the tables of foreign assayers, particularly those give Kelley's Cambyst, and the Traite des Monnaies, of Bonneville, a distinguis assayer of Paris.

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