Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 2.djvu/846



further regulations, and to give such directions to the several commanders of public vessels, and to the several collectors, as may be proper and necessary respecting the proofs of citizenship, to be exhibited to the commanders or collectors aforesaid: Provided, that nothing contained in such regulations or directions shall be repugnant to any of the provisions of this act.

. And be it further enacted, That from and after the time when this act shall take effect, no seaman or other seafaring man, not being a citizen of the United States, shall be admitted or received as a passenger on board of any public or private vessel of the United States, in a foreign port, without permission in writing from the proper officers of the country of which such seaman or seafaring man may be subject or citizen.

. And be it further enacted, That from and after the time when this act shall take effect, the consuls or commercial agents of any nation at peace with the United States shall be admitted (under such regulations as may be prescribed by the President of the United States) to state their objections to the proper commander or collector as aforesaid, against the employment of any seaman or sea-faring man on board of any public or private vessel of the United States, on account of his being a native subject or citizen of such nation, and not embraced within the description of persons who may be lawfully employed, according to the provisions of this act; and the said consuls or commercial agents shall also be admitted under the said regulations, to be present at the time when the proofs of citizenship of the persons against whom such objections may have been made, shall be investigated by such commander or collector.

. And be it further enacted, That if any commander of a public vessel of the United States, shall knowingly employ or permit to be employed, or shall admit or receive, or permit to be admitted or received, on board his vessel, any person whose employment or admission is prohibited by the provisions of this act, he shall on conviction thereof forfeit and pay the sum of one thousand dollars for each person thus unlawfully employed or admitted on board such vessel.

. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, contrary to the prohibitions of this act, be employed, or be received on board of any private vessel, the master or commander, and the owner or owners of such vessel, knowing thereof, shall respectively forfeit and pay five hundred dollars for each person thus unlawfully employed or received in any one voyage; which sum or sums shall be recovered, although such seaman or person shall have been admitted and entered in the certified list of the crew aforesaid, by the collector for the district to which the vessel may belong: and all penalties and forfeitures arising under or incurred by virtue of this act, may be sued for, prosecuted and recovered, with costs of suit by action of debt, and shall accrue and be one moiety thereof to the use of the person who shall sue for the same, and the other moiety thereof to the use of the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to prohibit any commander or master of a public or private vessel of the United States, whilst in a foreign port or place, from receiving any American seamen in conformity to law, or supplying any deficiency of seamen on board such vessel, by employing American seamen, or subjects of such foreign country, the employment of whom shall not be prohibited by the laws thereof.

. And be it further enacted, That the provisions of this act shall have no effect or operation with respect to the employment as seamen of the subjects or citizens of any foreign nation which shall not, by treaty or special convention with the government of the United States, have prohibited on board of her public and private vessels the