A general statement of the sums paid monthly at the custom-houses for duties on merchandize imported into the United States, and of the sums repaid monthly upon debentures, issued for the drawback of the duties on importation, has been prepared, embracing the period from March, 1815, to July 1816, both months inclusive. From this document it appears

(1) That the aggregate of the duties received at all the customhouses of the United States during the above specified period, amounts to the sum of

28,271,143 50

6,916,399 76

794,857 33

6,121,542 43

21,354,743 74

1,829,564 33

19,525,179 41

The districts of the United States have contributed in very different proportions to the results in the collection of the customis, which have been thus generally stated. The following abstract will afford a comparative view of the importations into some of the principal districts, (those whose importations have produced duties exceeding 400,000 dollars,) from March, 1815, to July, 1816, both months inclusive.*

This statement exhibits the amount of money actually paid into the treasury at those ports, and not the amount of duties which accrued during that period.

Baltimore,

Charleston,

3,339,101 11 306,633 42 2,942,467 69 1,047,546 73 86,392 49

961,154 24

New-Orleans,

732,083 13 15,669 02

716,414 11

Savannah, Norfolk,

521,287 58 3,690 56 491,150 36 10,364 65|

517,597 02

471,786 71

of

$8,335,832 58

556,558 26

37,779,274 32

Dolls. 68,374,764 94

43,956 04

43,956 04

335,447 90

The balance of $8,733,794 00 exclusive of interest thereon is still subject to reductions, for the amount of treasury notes in the hands of collectors and receivers, not deposited in the banks on the first of August, 1816. There can, therefore, be no doubt, that during the five subsequent months of the present year, the whole of the floating public debt in treasury notes, as well as in temporary loans, will be extinguished, agreeably to the anticipations which were expressed upon that subject.

From the preceding estimates it appears, that, at this time, the aggregate amount of the public debt is the sum of $120,159,482 55, consisting of the following items:

The funded public debt will, unavoidably, be augmented as long as the disordered state of the currency shall compel the treasury to make any of its payments in the small treasury fundable at seven per cent.; and the necessity of issuing treasury notes, bearing interest, from the same cause, will also, in some degree, augment the funded debt, while it retards the extinguishment of the floating debt, for which the revenue is otherwise ample To render the funds of the treasury as active as possible, however, they have been applied to pay off the temporary loans by anticipation: those obtained in Boston and Maine, making together 550,000 dollars, being the only loans, for which the local currency could not be provided. It would have been desirable, indeed, to have employed some of the public funds in the purchase of the public stock, where it had fallen below par; but, upon examination, it was found, that the appropriation for the sinking fund did not admit of that operation:

For, the balance of the appropriation of the preceding year, ap plicable to the sinking fund, and remaining on the 1st of January, 1816, was

And the appropriation for the year 1816, was ~

4,630,381 42

8,000,000 00

12,630,381 42

9,354,762 62

4,218,360 00

-13,573,122 62

Another item will be added to the public debt, by the creation of the five per cent. stock, in payment for the shares held by the government, in the capital of the

Bank of the United States. And it may be proper to bring into view the Mississippi stock, created upon the settlement of what are usually called, 'the Yazoo claims,' amounting, on the 30th of August, 1816, to the sum of $4,241,725 80. It will be observed, however, that the five per cent. stock is, in effect, an exchange for another capital, producing, probably, a higher rate of interest; and that the Mississippi stock bears no interest, and is only eventually reimbursable out of the proceeds of the sales of public lands.

For the payment of the interest both of the old and new debt, and for the reimbursement of the instalment of the principal of the old debt, due on the 1st of October next, provision has been made by the treasury. Remittances have, also, been made to the bankers of the United States in London and Amsterdam, for the payment of the interest on the Louisiana stock, payable at those places, respectively, on the 1st of July, 1816, and the 1st of January, 1817. And, so far as depends upon this department, funds have been supplied to meet all the demands upon the government of the United States, on the various general accounts, which are open there

For the interest on the Louisiana stock;

For foreign intercourse, including the diplomatic fund;

For the maintenance of prisoners of war; and

For the support of American seamen in foreign countries.

4. Of the Miscellaneous business of the Department.

The several important objects confided to the department, independent of its merely fiscal duties, have received attention. Without

entering into a minute enumeration of them, the following are proper to be selected for notice. 1. The Survey of the Coast. The necessary instruments having been procured, Mr. Hassler has been employed as the superintendant of the work, upon the principles and terms stated in his letter of instructions, dated the 3d of August, 1816.

2. The Road from Cumberland to the Ohio. The course of the road having been confirmed by the president from Cumberland to Uniontown, thence to Brownsville, thence through Washington and Alexandria to Wheeling, Col. Elie Williams has been employed to survey and locate the road from Brownsville to Wheeling, as well as to examine the deviations which have been made by Mr. Shriver, from the route originally proposed by the commissioners. Several plans have also been suggested for dividing the road into sections, and for expediting the work. But the difficulties which have arisen, require immediate care and attention; and may be traced in the correspondence between the department, and Col. Williams and Mr. Shriver.

3. The Custom-House Establishments. The 8th section of the act of the 30th of April, 1816, has appropriated 250,000 dollars for custom-house establishments, upon a suggestion from this department to the committee of ways and means, with a view to the accommodation of the five principal commercial cities; to wit, Boston, NewYork, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston. The only establishment previously owned by the government, was the custom-house at New-Orleans.