PAPERS OF MIRABEAU Buo~APARTE L.BI.!R
431
ordinate Officers of the customs, I have for some time past desired to communicate to your Hon on that subject in relation to the position which I occupy in the Collection of the Revenue at this Port The business of collecting the Revenue at this Port is pretty much similar to the collection of Duties in the United States, and it would appear that the Salery of Officers and Clerks should bear a relative pro- portion, and to this subject I beg most respectfully to call your attention I have, from the time of the first Collector, till now performed the duty of Serveyor and Boarding Officer of the port. It would lengthen this communication unnecesarily e'ier to give a brief statement of all the duties devolving on these two offices, and I would therefore refer you to Jones Dijest for particulars,-See pages 3-32-73 & 74 and although it is not suposed the duties of those two offices at this Port are so arclerous and complex as at New York yet it is proportionably so with other officers and Clerks at this Port At New York in 1836 the following saleries were received by the officers and Clerks mentioned Collector .............................................. . $4.400 Deputy Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.600 Cashier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.500 Naval Officer (a second Collector) ....... . . . ....... . ..... .$3.000 Surveyor .. . .... .. . ..... .... . . .. .. . . .. . .$2.000 Boarding Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.095. . . . . . . . . . 3.995 Hence it would appear that there is but one office in the Revenue Service, which ranks before the surveyor as respects pay, and certainly there is none whose duty is more ardurous. As Boarding Officer I am compeled to hold myself ready to Board any vessel That may arrive at any time of the day or Night Examine the Manifests of Cargoes-and keep a record of all the Vesseles arriYeing from foreign Ports and report to the Collector every morning before The hour of business in The Custom House. .As Surveyor I have to s[u]perintend the discharging of Vessels and to see to the right arrangement of the Inspectors or dischargeing officers and also to Examine and certify to all their reports or returns of the cargos of Vessels, unlading to see if they agree with the Manifest of the inward Cargo. And to the performance of my duty I am obliged to keep corresponding books and a Roster of all the officers and certify to the time employed by the Inspectors and discharging Officers Wherefore I think it mav be fairly considered that on the score of Services as well as precedent in the rate of Salery in the United States, the Office of Surveyor stands Next to Collector and that my Salery Ought to be the Next highest to his and which augmentation I claim under the 7th Section of the above recited Act which says "That the Secretary of the Treasury shall, Through instructions to the several Collectors prescribe The compensation of sutch subordinate officers of the Customs as are not provided for in this Act." Heretofore my salery has not hen under the controll of the Collector, if it had ben, 1 doubt not I should have received a greater compensation for my s~rrices But it is hoped your Hon will, give the Collector authority to allow me a salery commensurate to the ser\'ices which I haYe to perform [ ?] and which in time employed, and amount of labour is not surpnscd by any other officer or Clerk in The ReYenue Service.
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