The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915 Page: 124
438 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
middle of 1844 nothing of importance occurred to break the or-
dinary routine of trade conditions along the coast.
In that year, however, certain changes were made in the Cali-
fornia tariff laws that benefited one class of American commerce
and injured another. The practice had become common for ves-
sels flying the Mexican flag to pay duties at Mazatlan; and thus,
through the ruling of the Mexican law, to secure free access for
their cargoes into California. This custom, however, was playing
sad havoc with the profits of the Boston ships and with the revenues
of the province, all of which were derived from customs receipts,
as well. So, in order to protect the threatened provincial treas-
ury and keep the New England trade, the assembly and governor
calmly set the Mexican law aside and required all goods, whether
paying duties at a port of the home government or not, to abide
by the regulation of the custom house at Monterey;14 while a
further disregard for the national authority was shown, as indeed
it long had been, by permitting the introduction of various com-
modities prohibited by Mexican law, upon the payment of local
duties."
The second alteration in the regulations governing trade along
the coast, while of advantage to the Boston merchants, worked no
slight temporary hardship upon the whaling vessels touching at
California ports. This was a prohibition upon the long estab-
lished practice of trading a limited amount of goods for needed
supplies ;" and was doubtless justified, as the privilege had been
greatly abused, both to the detriment of the regular trade and the
loss of revenue receipts.1' At least one instance, however, is re-
corded where, if the captain's complaint be true, the new edict
caused much inconvenience if not actual suffering.'s The sub-
"The Californians claimed they did this because the Mazatlan officials,
with the hope of lining their own pockets, allowed a lower rate of duty
than the law specified, and that a receipt for customs duties was fre-
quently given when only a bribe had been paid by the ship owner or captain.
5"Larkin to Secretary of State, Sept. 16, 1844. Official Correspondence,
Pt. II, No. 10; same to same, Oct. 16; Bancroft, XXI, 376-377.
"Larkin to Calhoun, Aug. 24, 1844. MS., State Department; same to
United States Minister in Mexico, Aug. 14, 1844. Ibid.
'"Bancroft, XXI, 376.
sThos. A. Norton, captain of the Chas. W. Morgan, to Consul Larkin,
Aug. 12, 1844-Has just put into port after a cruise of thirty-four months.
Men down with scurvy-custom of all ports in Pacific to allow whalers124
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 18, July 1914 - April, 1915, periodical, 1915; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101064/m1/130/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.