Whereas by an act of the Congress of the United States of the 24th
of May, 1828, entitled "An act in addition to an act entitled 'An
act concerning discriminating duties of tonnage and impost' and to
equalize the duties on Prussian vessels and their cargoes," it is
provided that upon satisfactory evidence being given to the President
of the United States by the government of any foreign nation that no
discriminating duties of tonnage or impost are imposed or levied
in the ports of the said nation upon vessels wholly belonging to
citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or
merchandise imported in the same from the United States or from any
foreign country, the President is thereby authorized to issue his
proclamation declaring that the foreign discriminating duties of
tonnage and impost within the United States are and shall be suspended
and discontinued so far as respects the vessels of the said foreign
nation and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported into the
United States in the same from the said foreign nation or from any
other foreign country, the said suspension to take effect from the
time of such notification being given to the President of the United
States and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels
belonging to citizens of the United States and their cargoes, as
aforesaid, shall be continued, and no longer; and
Whereas satisfactory evidence has lately been received by me from the
Government of the Republic of Chile, through an official communication
of Señor Don Manuel Carvallo, accredited to this Government as envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of that Republic, under
date of the 31st of October, 1850, that no other or higher duties of
tonnage and impost are imposed or levied in the ports of Chile upon
vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States and upon the
produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the
United States and from any foreign country whatever than are levied on
Chilean ships and their cargoes in the same ports and under like
circumstances:
Now, therefore, I, Millard Fillmore, President of the United States of
America, do hereby declare and proclaim that so much of the several
acts imposing discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the
United States are and shall be suspended and discontinued so far as
respects the vessels of Chile and the produce, manufactures, and
merchandise imported into the United States in the same from Chile and
from any other foreign country whatever, the said suspension to take
effect from the day above mentioned and to continue thenceforward so
long as the reciprocal exemption of the vessels of the United States
and the produce, manufactures, and merchandise imported into Chile in
the same, as aforesaid, shall be continued on the part of the
Government of Chile.
Given under my hand, at the city of Washington, this 1st day of
November, A.D. 1850, and the seventy-fifth of the Independence of the
United States.