as an act of justice to Spain, that this inequality
be removed by Congress and that the discriminating
duties which have been levied under the act of the
13th of July, 1832, on Spanish vessels coming to the
United States from any other foreign country be refunded.
This recommendation does not embrace Spanish vessels
arriving in the United States from Cuba and Porto
Rico, which will still remain subject to the provisions
of the act of June 30, 1834, concerning tonnage duty
on such vessels. By the act of the 14th of July,
1832, coffee was exempted from duty altogether.
This exemption was universal, without reference to
the country where it was produced or the national character
of the vessel in which it was imported. By the
tariff act of the 30th of August, 1842, this exemption
from duty was restricted to coffee imported in American
vessels from the place of its production, whilst coffee
imported under all other circumstances was subjected
to a duty of 20 per cent ad valorem. Under this
act and our existing treaty with the King of the Netherlands
Java coffee imported from the European ports of that
Kingdom into the United States, whether in Dutch or
American vessels, now pays this rate of duty.
The Government of the Netherlands complains that such
a discriminating duty should have been imposed on
coffee the production of one of its colonies, and
which is chiefly brought from Java to the ports of
that Kingdom and exported from thence to foreign countries.
Our trade with the Netherlands is highly beneficial
to both countries and our relations with them have
ever been of the most friendly character. Under
all the circumstances of the case, I recommend that
this discrimination should be abolished and that the
coffee of Java imported from the Netherlands be placed
upon the same footing with that imported directly from
Brazil and other countries where it is produced.
Under the eighth section of the tariff act of the
30th of August, 1842, a duty of 15 cents per gallon
was imposed on port wine in casks, while on the red
wines of several other countries, when imported in
casks, a duty of only 6 cents per gallon was imposed.
This discrimination, so far as regarded the port wine
of Portugal, was deemed a violation of our treaty
with that power, which provides that—
No higher or other duties shall be imposed on the
importation into the United States of America of any
article the growth, produce, or manufacture of the
Kingdom and possessions of Portugal than such as are
or shall be payable on the like article being the
growth, produce, or manufacture of any other foreign
country.