R. S., 4306. R. S., 4307. R. S., 4308. R. S., 4309. R. S., 4310. the dates of the certificates, and the names of the persons for whom and of the consular officer by whom the same were certified. 179. War documents; passports; sea-letters. Every vessel of the United States, going to any foreign country, shall, before she departs from the United States, at the request of the master, be furnished by the collector for the district where such vessel may be, with a passport, the form for which shall be prescribed by the Secretary of State. In order to be entitled to such passport, the master of every such vessel shall be bound, with sufficient sureties, to the Treasurer of the United States, in the penalty of two thousand dollars, conditioned that the passport shall not be applied to the use or protection of any other vessel than the one described in it; and that, in case of the loss or sale of any vessel having such passport, the same shall, within three months, be delivered up to the collector from whom it was received, if the loss or sale take place within the United States; or within six months, if the same shall happen at any place nearer than the Cape of Good Hope; and within eighteen months, if at a more distant place. If any vessel of the United States shall depart therefrom, and shall be bound to any foreign country, other than to some port in America, without such passport, the master of such vessel shall be liable to a penalty of two hundred dollars for every such offense. Every unregistered vessel owned by a citizen of the United States, and sailing with a sea-letter, going to any foreign country, shall, before she departs from the United States, at the request of the master, be furnished by the collector of the district where such vessel may be with a passport, for which the master shall be subject to the rules and conditions prescribed for vessels of the United States. Every master of a vessel, belonging to citizens of the United States, who shall sail from any port of the United States, shall, on his arrival at a foreign port, deposit his register, sea-letter, and Mediterranean passport with the consul, vice-consul, commercial agent, or vice-commercial agent, if any there be at such port; and it shall be the duty of such consul, vice-consul, commercial agent, or vice-commercial agent, on such master or commander producing to him a clearance from the proper officer of the port where his vessel may be, to deliver to the master all of his papers, if such master or commander has complied with the provisions of law relating to the discharge of seamen in a foreign country, and to the payment of the fees of consular officers. Every master of any such vessel who refuses or neglects to deposit the papers as required by the preceding section, shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars, to be recovered by such consul, vice consul, commercial agent, or vice-commercial agent, in his own name, for the benefit of the United States, in any court of competent jurisdiction. 180. Illegal boarding of vessel. Every person who, not being in the United States service, R. S., 4606. and not being duly authorized by law for the purpose, goes on board any vessel about to arrive at the place of her destination, before her actual arrival, and before she has been completely moored, without permission of the master, shall, for every such offense, be punishable by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars, and by imprisonment for not more than six months; and the master of such vessel may take any such person so going on board into custody, and deliver him up forthwith to any constable or police officer, to be by him taken before any justice of the peace, to be dealt with according to the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4501-4613]. The Secretary of Commerce and Labor is hereby authorized and directed to prescribe from time to time and enforce regulations governing the boarding of vessels arriving at the seaports of the United States, before such vessels have been properly inspected and placed in security, and for that purpose to employ any of the officers of that [or Treasury] Department. Mar. 31, 1900. Feb. 14, 1903. Sec. 10. Sec. 2. Each person violating such regulations shall be subject Mar. 31, 1900. to a penalty of not more than one hundred dollars or imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both, in the discretion of the court. This Act shall be construed as supplementary to section Sec. 3 nine of chapter three hundred and seventy-four of the Statutes of eighteen hundred and eighty two, and section forty-six hundred and six of the Revised Statutes. PART XIV.-CUSTOMS LAWS DIRECTLY RELATING TO VESSELS. 181. Boarding and search of vessel. 185. Moieties, informers', and customs R. S., 3059. R. S., 3060. R. S., 3067. 186. Procedure. 187. Limitation of time. 189. Oaths of masters and owners. 181. Boarding and search of vessel. It shall be lawful for any officer of the customs, including inspectors and occasional inspectors, or of a revenuecutter, or authorized agent of the Treasury Department, or other person specially appointed for the purpose in writing by a collector, naval officer, or surveyor, to go on board of any vessel, as well without as within his district, and to inspect, search, and examine the same, and any person, trunk, or envelope on board, and to this end to hail and stop such vessel if under way, and to use all necessary force to compel compliance; and if it shall appear that any breach or violation of the laws of the United States has been committed, whereby or in consequence of which such vessel, or the merchandise, or any part thereof, on board of or imported by such vessel, is liable to forfeiture, to make seizure of the same, or either or any part thereof, and to arrest, or in case of escape, or any attempt to escape, to pursue and arrest any person engaged in such breach or violation. The original appointment in writing of any person specially appointed under the provisions of the previous section shall be filed in the custom-house where such appointment is made. It shall be lawful for all collectors, naval officers, surveyors, inspectors, and the officers of the revenue-cutters, to go on board of vessels in any port of the United States, or within four leagues of the coast thereof, if bound to the United States, whether in or out of their respective districts, for the purpose of demanding the manifests, and of examining and searching the vessels; and those officers respectively shall have free access to the cabin and every other part of a vessel. If any master of a vessel coming into or having arrived R. S., 3068. at any port within the United States shall obstruct or hinder or shall intentionally cause any obstruction or hindrance to any officer in lawfully going on board such vessel for the purpose of carrying into effect any of the revenue. laws of the United States, he shall for every such offense be liable to a penalty of not more than five hundred dollars nor less than fifty dollars. If any box, trunk, chest, cask, or other package shall be R. S., 3069, found in the cabin, steerage, or forecastle of a vessel, or in any other place separate from the residue of the cargo, the officer of the customs shall take a particular account of such package, and of the marks and numbers thereof, if any, and a description thereof, and, if he judges proper, shall seal every such package; and such account and description shall be by him forwarded without delay to the collector of the district to which such vessel is bound. upon her arrival at the port of her entry, the packages so described, or any of them, are missing, or if any seal put thereon has been broken, the master shall be liable to a penalty for every package missing, or on which any seal shall be broken, of two hundred dollars. If Every officer or other person authorized to make searches R. S., 3071. and seizures by this Title [R. S., 2517-3129] shall, at the time of executing any of the powers conferred upon him, make known, upon being questioned, his character as an officer or agent of the customs or Government, and shall have authority to demand of any person within the distance of three miles to assist him in making any arrests, search, or seizure authorized by this Title, where such assistance may be necessary; and if such person shall, without reasonable excuse, neglect or refuse so to assist, upon proper demand, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars, nor less than five dollars. 182. Seizure of vessels or merchandise. It shall be the duty of the several officers of the customs R. S., 3072. to seize and secure any vessel or merchandise which shall become liable to seizure by virtue of any law respecting the revenue, as well without as within their respective districts. If any officer, or other person, executing or aiding or assisting in the seizure of goods, under any act providing for or regulating the collection of duties on imports or tonnage, is sued for anything done in virtue of the powers given thereby, or by virtue of a warrant granted by any judge, or justice, pursuant to law, he may plead the general issue and give such act and the special matter in evidence. R. S., 3073. In all cases of seizure of property subject to forfeiture R.S., 3074. for any of the causes named in any provision of law relating to the customs, or for the registering, enrolling, or licensing of vessels, when, in the opinion of the collector R. S., 3075. R. S., 3076. R. S., 3077. or other principal officer of the revenue making such seizure, the value of the property seized does not exceed five hundred dollars, he shall cause a list and particular description of the property seized to be prepared in duplicate, and an appraisement of the same to be made by two sworn appraisers under the revenue laws, if there are such appraisers at or near the place of seizure; but if there are no such appraisers, then by two competent and disinterested citizens of the United States, to be selected by him for that purpose, residing at or near the place of seizure; which list and appraisement shall be properly attested by such collector or other officer and the persons making the appraisal. For such services of the appraisers they shall be allowed out of the revenue one dollar and fifty cents each, for every day necessarily employed in such service. If the amount of the appraisal of property so seized as forfeited shall not exceed the sum of five hundred dollars, the collector or other principal officer shall publish a notice once a week for three successive weeks in some newspaper of the county or place where such seizure shall have been made, if any newspaper shall be published in such county; but if no newspaper shall be published in such county, then such notice shall be published in some newspaper of the county in which the principal customs office of the district shall be situated; and if no newspaper shall be published in such county, then notices shall be posted in proper public places, which notices shall describe the articles seized, and state the time, cause, and place of seizure, and shall require any person claiming such articles to appear and file with such collector or other officer his claim to such articles within twenty days from the date of the first publication of such notice. Any person claiming the property so seized may, at any time within twenty days from the date of such publication, file with the collector or other officer a claim, stating his interest in the articles seized, and, upon depositing with such collector or other officer a bond to the United States in the penal sum of two hundred and fifty dollars, with two sureties, to be approved by such collector or other officer, conditioned that, in case of the condemnation of the articles so claimed, the obligors shall pay all the costs and expenses of the proceedings to obtain such condemnation. Such collector or other officer shall transmit the same, with the duplicate list and description of the articles seized and claimed, to the United States district attorney for the district, who shall proceed for a condemnation of the property in the ordinary mode prescribed by law. If no such claim shall be filed or bond given within the twenty days above specified, such collector or other officer shall give not less than fifteen days' notice of the sale of the property so seized, by publication in the manner before mentioned; and, at the time and place specified in such notice, he shall sell at public auction the property so |