No. 39.
Mr. Partridge to Mr. Fish.
United States
Legation,
(Petropolis,) Rio de Janeiro, June
21, 1873. (Rec’d July 22.)
No. 116.]
Sir: In my No. 108, (April 24,) Unformed the
Department that I had addressed to the minister of foreign affairs here a
note in relation to the exaggerated Brazilian custom-house valuation of
products of the United States imported into this country, and urged a
reduction of this pauta, if not of the rate of duty,
as a proper answer to our liberality in regard to Brazilian products, and I
annexed copy of the note.
I now transmit, annexed, a translation of their reply, by which it will be
seen that they promise to give all consideration to these representations as
soon as the chambers shall proceed to fix the basis of the new pauta.
I am, &c.,
[Page 103]
(Inclosure—Translation.]
Reply of the minister of foreign affairs to Mr.
Partridge’s note of
April 16, 1873, in relation to the (pauta) valuation of
importations from the United States.
Rio de
Janeiro, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
May 29,
1873.
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the note which Mr.
James R. Partridge, envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States of
America, directed to me, under date of 16th April last.
In that note, Mr. Partridge, after
referring to the great consumption in those States of all our products
of exportation, and to the circumstance that since July, 1872, the
importation there of our chief production, coffee, has been free, offers
some remarks upon the duties which are paid in the empire by different
articles which we import from those States, and urges the propriety of
reducing said duties in the “pauta,” now about to be established.
Having, fully considered the contents of this note, I at once transmitted
it to the Viscount of Rio Branco, asking him to have the goodness to
enable me to give it the proper answer, and I now have the satisfaction
of informing Mr. Partridge that
the viscount has just declared to me that he will give the greatest
consideration to what has been stated by the minister in this regard,
but that he will not be able, meanwhile, to do anything in this respect
until the legislature shall determine the bases of the reform which is
intended in the custom-house tariff.
avail myself, &c.,
