currence of a misunderstanding, out of which, under the most favorable circumstances, it is difficult for persons to disembarrass themselves, without considerable delay and inconvenience,

(Signed)

JAMES HENDErson,

His Britannic Majesty's Consul-General.

John Bennett, Esq., Secretary of Lloyd's.

ARTICLES PROHIBITED.

By law of the congress of Sept. 27, 1821 :-Coffee, cocoa, indigo, * sugars, molasses-under penalty of the confiscation of the vessel and cargo.

By decree of the executive of January 20, 1823:-All productions and manufactures of Spain, or her dependencies, after being warned off-under penalty of the condemnation of the vessel, and destruction of the cargo.

By law of the congress of July 4, 1823:-Gunpowder, tobacco, whether in leaf, segars, snuff, or rappee-under penalty of the confiscation of the articles, and the vessel, or the whole or any other part of the cargo, if belonging to the proprietor of the contraband articles.

By law of the congress of August 2, 1823:-Foreign spirits, extracted from the sugar cane, or their compounds— under penalty of the confiscation of the vessel and spirits.

By law of the congress of July 8, 1824:-Foreign saltunder penalty of confiscation of the vessel and salt.

COMMERCE WITH BUENOS AYRES.

Buenos Ayres is described to be the most agreeable residence in South America, and inhabited by the most enlightened population. The dictator of Paraguay is complained of as a friend to the non-intercourse system with his neighbours :

* The term "sugar" is here considered to imply the raw material, as well as every denomination of refined sugars.

and, but for that evil (a temporary one no doubt), Buenos Ayres, it is said, would be a market almost unlimited for British manufactures the probable consumption of Paraguay being guessed at about a million sterling per annum. The British trade to Buenos Ayres is now estimated annually at one million and a half sterling: fifteen thousand pipes of wine and spirits are supplied from France and Spain; and from the North American United States are imported eighty thousand barrels of flour: sugar, cocoa, coffee, &c., come from Brasil; from China, sundries. The general improvement of Buenos Ayres within ten years is described to be almost incredible,— persons returning after that period do not know the place again. From eighty to one hundred square-rigged vessels, averaging two hundred tons burden, are usually within the harbour of Buenos Ayres, thirty of which are English. Expenses there are greater than in London, and the allowance of our Consul-general, 2,000l. per annum, is not thought by ány means an excessive income-not more than covers the natural expenditure of the office. Nothing but an increase of people is wanted to render the La Plata one of the most delightful countries on earth.

The Gaceta de Colombia of the 10th of October announces that on the 3d of that month there had been concluded in Bogota a general treaty of peace, friendship, navigation, and commerce, between the republic of Colombia and the United States. The commissioners were Don Pedro Gual, minister for foreign affairs, on the part of Colombia, and Mr. Anderson, minister plenipotentiary from the United States, on the part of that government.

ENGLAND.

The whole of the duty of excise on wine is repealed. The remaining, or rather the new duty, is a customs duty merely. The necessity, in future, of permits, will, we presume, be done away with. French wine was formerly subject to

an excise duty of 6s. 24d., and to a customs duty of 5s. 3d., when imported in British, and 5s. 7d. per gallon when imported in foreign ships: in all, a charge of 11s. 51d. or 11s. 9 d. per gallon. The customs duty, now the only duty on wines, and the drawbacks on re-exportation, will be the following per gallon :

French imported in British ships.

Duty. Drawback.

6s. Od. 6s. Od.

German, Portuguese, Spanish, Sicilian-every wine, in fact except French, is subject to one duty. Why this distinction between French and other wines is still kept up-why Claret, or Burgundy, or Champagne-still more, why the lighter or poorer wines of France should remain charged with a higher duty than the finest Port or Sherry, Madeira, Hock, or even Tokay-it is difficult to divine. The continuation of the unequal duties keeps alive in the French the prejudice against free trade, which it is our interest as well as theirs to have removed. The new duties on coffee are as follows-they, too, are entirely customs duties:

Coffee from our colonies in the West In

dies, or in the west of Africa

From within the limits of the East India

Company's charter

From other places

6s. 6d. per lb.

The former duties were double, and were excise duties.

FINANCES.

REVENUE OF THE BRASILIAN EMPIRE.

The revenue of the empire is estimated at nearly 3,000,0007. sterling; in the year 1824, it is estimated at 95,000,000 of francs, or nearly 4,000,000l. sterling. The vast extent of lands belonging to the nation permits Brasil, by their sale, to redeem its debt without imposing burdens on the people,*

REVENUE OF THE KINGDOM OF PORTUGAL.

A Portuguese Journal published in London, entitled "The Popular," presents an " Abstract of the financial state of Portugal;" from which it appears, that the income is 1,687,500/. sterling; the expenditure, 4,006,2001.; consequently, the deficit is 2,318,7501.-If this be correct (and minute data are given by the Portuguese journalist) here is a pleasant prospect for the holders of the " securities" of his Most Faithful Majesty!

BANK OF THE UNITED STATES.

The stock of the bank of the United States has been steadily advancing for some time past, until it has attained a

* See American Monitor N. 2. page 274---statement of the progressive increase of the public revenue of the empire of Brasil from 1808 to 1820,

point of appreciation not only much above what it has been at any previous period since its great depression, at the close of the first administration of the institution, but which looks like an approximation (though from different causes) towards the inflated value which speculation attached to it during the first years of its existence. Large sales have been made at New York, as high as 22 per cent. above par, and that is the price at which the stock is last quoted in most of the eastern cities. This advance is not the effect of reckless speculation, of the prosperous condition of the institution, the abundance of capital in the commercial cities, and the increased confidence of monied men in the bank, as a safe and profitable institution for the investment of surplus capital. The large loan lately effected by the bank to the government. for the payment of the Spanish claimants, and the probability of others which it is known the government contemplates negotiating, in the reduction of the public debt, have doubtless had considerable influence in raising the stock of the bank to its present price; and these causes combined may carry it even much higher.