817
Br the President of the United States of America ,
A PROCLAMATION.
Whereas, by an act of the Congress of the United States , passed on thetwenty-ninth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty, it is provided,that, whenever the President of the United States shall receive satisfactoryevidence that the government of Great Britain will open the ports in its colo-nial possessions in the West Indies, on the continent of South America , theBahama Islands, the Caicos, and the Bermuda or Somer Islands, to the vesselsof the United States , for an indefinite or for a limited term; that the vessels ofthe 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 chargesof any other description, than would be imposed on British vessels or their car-goes arriving in the said colonial possessions from the United States ; that thevessels of the United States may import into the said colonial possessions, fromthe 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 ofthe United States may export from the British colonies aforementioned, to anycountry whatever other than the dominions or possessions of Great Britain , anyarticle or articles that can be exported therefrom in a British vessel, to anycountry other than the British dominions or possessions aforesaid, leaving thecommercial intercourse of the United States with all other parts of the British dominions or possessions on a footing not less favorable to the United States than it now is, That then, and in such case, the President of the United States shall be authorized, at any time before the next session of Congress , to issuehis proclamation, declaring that he has received such evidence, and that there-upon, and 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, sub-ject to no other or higher duty of tonnage or impost, or charge of any descrip-tion whatever, than would be levied on the vessels of the United States or theircargoes, arriving from the said British possessions; and that it shall be lawfulfor the said British vessels to import into the United States , and to export there-from, any article or articles which .may be imported or exported in vessels of theUnited States ; and that the act, entitled “An Act concerning navigation,” passedon the eighteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, an actsupplementary thereto, passed the fifteenth day of May, one thousand eighthundred and twenty, and an act, “ An Act to regulate the commercial inter-course between the United States and certain British ports,” passed on the firstday of March, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, shall, in such case,be suspended, or absolutely repealed, as the case may require.
And whereas, by the said act, it is further provided, that, whenever the portsof the United States shall have been opened under the authority thereby given,British vessels and their cargoes shall be admitted to an entry in the ports ofthe United States from the islands, provinces, or colonies of Great Britain ,on or near the North American continent, and north or east of the UnitedStates .
And whereas satisfactory evidence has been received by the President ofthe United States , that, whenever he shall give effect to the provisions of theact aforesaid, the government of Great Britain will open, for an indefinite period,the ports in its colonial possessions in the West Indies , on the continent ofSouth America, the Bahama Islands, the Caicos, and the Bermuda or SomerIslands, to the vessels of the United States and their cargoes, upon the termsand according to the requisitions of the aforesaid act of Congress .
Now, therefore, I, Andrew Jackson, President of the United States of Ame-rica , do hereby declare and proclaim that such evidence has been received byme; and that by the operation of the act of Congress , passed on the twenty-ninth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and thirty, the ports of theUnited States are, from the date of this proclamation, open to British ves-sels coming from the said British possessions, and their cargoes, upon the termsset forth in the said act; the act, entitled “ An Act concerning navigation,”passed on the eighteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen,the act supplementary thereto, passed the fifteenth day of May, one thousandeight hundred and twenty, and the act, entitled “ An Act to regulate the com-mercial intercourse between the United States and certain British ports,”passed the first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three,Vol. IV.—103 3Z
Oct. S, 1830.
Recital.
1830, ch. 207.
1818, ch. 70.1820, ch. 122.
1823, ch. 22.