STATUTES, PROCLAMATIONS, KULES, ORDERS, ETC. 1333 



No. m.18-SO, May 29: United States Statute, Gap. %07. 



CHAP. CCVII. An Act to amend the acts regulating the commercial intercourse 

 between the United States and certain colonies of Great Britain. 



Be it enacted, l>y the Senate and House of Representatives of the 

 United States of America, in Congress assembled, that whenever the 

 President of the United States shall receive satisfactory evidence 

 that the Government of Great Britain will open the ports in its 

 colonial possessions in the West Indies, on the continent of South 

 America, the Bahama Islands, the Caicos, and the Bermuda or Somer 

 Islands, to the vessels of the United States, for an indefinite or for 

 a limited term ; that the vessels of the United States and their cargoes, 

 on entering the colonial ports aforesaid, shall not be subject to other 

 or higher duties of tonnage or impost, or charges of any other descrip- 

 tion, than would be imposed on British vessels or their cargoes, arriv- 

 ing in said colonial possessions from the United States ; that the ves- 

 sels of the United States may import into the said colonial posses- 

 sions from the United States any article or articles which could be 

 imported in a British vessel into the said possessions from the United 

 States; and that the vessels of the United States may export from 

 the British colonies afore mentioned, to any country whatever, other 

 than the dominions or possessions of Great Britain, any article or 

 articles that can be exported therefrom in a British vessel, to any 

 country other than the British dominions or possessions as aforesaid ; 

 leaving the commercial intercourse of the United States with all 

 other parts of the British dominions or possessions, on a footing not 

 less favourable to the United States than it now is, and that then, 

 and in such case, the President of the United States shall be, and he 

 is hereby, authorised at any time before the next session of Congress, 

 to issue his proclamation, declaring that he has received such evi- 

 dence; and, thereupon, from the date of such proclamation, the ports 

 of the United States shall be opened, indefinitely or for a term fixed, 

 as the case may be, to British vessels coming from the said British 

 colonial possessions, and their cargoes, subject to no other or higher 

 duty of tonnage or impost, or charge of any description whatever, 

 than would be levied on the vessels of the United States, or their 

 cargoes, arriving from the said British possessions; and it shall be 

 lawful for the said British vessels to import into the United States, 

 and to export therefrom, any article or articles which may be. im- 

 ported or exported in vessels of the United States ; and the Act en- 

 titled "An Act concerning Navigation," passed on the eighteenth 

 day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen ; an Act sup- 

 plementary thereto, passed the fifteenth day of May, one thousand 

 eight hundred and twenty ; and an Act, entitled "An Act to Regulate 

 the Commercial Intercourse between the United States, and certain 

 British Ports ;" passed on the first day of March one thousand eight 

 hundred and twenty-three, are, in such case, hereby declared to be 

 suspended, or absolutely repealed, as the case may require. 



SEC. 2. And l>e it further enacted, that, whenever the ports of the 



United States shall have been opened, under the authority given in 



the first section of this Act, British vessels and their cargoes shall be 



admitted to an entry in the ports of the United States, from the 



92909 S. Doc. 870, 61-3, vol 5 32 



