191
PAPERS OF l\IIRABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
No. 1540 1839 Nov. 25, W. ROBERTS, GALVESTON, [TEXAS], TO M. B. LAMAR, AUSTIN, TEXAS 13 To his excellency l\I. B. Lamar Custom House Galveston 25th N ovr 1839 I find it necessary that an I appraiser should be ap- pointed for the Custom House in this place, This office in the U. States, as you ·may have seen, is filled by an executive appointment, and in no Custom House in the U. S. is this officer so much needed as at this place. The duties of shippers and consigners ~n entering goods at the Custom House there is so well understood, that it seldom hap- pens that a merchant attempts to make an entry of his goods without producing an original invoice; as the law directs, and whenever this is done there is no need of an appraiser, But here the case is far otherwise; A large number of the shipments of goods made to this place are brought in by the Emigrants, who bring with them the rem[nalnts of old stocks purchilsed at diffirent times and places, and are seldom accompanied by original invoices, and cases occur almost daily of goods brought to be entered without such an invoice, and con- sequently we are in constant want of an appraiser, we cannot rely upon the merchants to act as appraisers, the calls upon them are so frequent, that they generally excuse themselves under some pretext or other and hense difficulties and delays arrise ; I have written 14 to his Honor James H. Starr, Secty of the Treasury on this subject and have named to him Mr. Charles l\Ionell as a suit- able person to fill that office, he has been bred a merchant and is well acquainted with the prices of goods in foreign markets, and from his correct deportment and general knowledge of business, is well deserving the confidence that may be reposed in him; He is at present employed in the Custom House as Bookeeper and could comenient[l:vl attend to the duties of an Appraiser with his other duties and as the salary allowed him, is inadequate to the expenses of living here, I see no im- propriety in combining the two offices in the same person and thereby improving his pay, hoping that these views meet your approbation, I request that you will execute a commission and send it down by the earliest conveyance- I have the honor to remain Your obt. sevt His Excellency M. B. Lamar [Addressed] W. Roberts [Endorsed] Antonio Vasquez- Goliad To his W. Roberts Excellency Nov. 25. 1839
l\I. B. Lamar Austin
Texas
131,, s.
"This communieation, dated Nov. 25, 1830, is in the Texas archives, "Comp- troller's Letters."
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