Pictures of life in Mexico/Volume 2/Chapter 41
CHAPTER XLI.
PASSPORTS AND PENALTIES.
The master of any vessel coming from a foreign port, shall, immediate on his arrival in any of the ports of the republic, declare in writing-to the chief of the maritime customhouse, the number of passengers he has on board, the country to which they belong, their trade or occupation, and the place where they embarked. The penalty for neglecting to comply with this regulation, or the making-a false statement, is 100 dollars; and an additional fine of 20 dollars for each passenger omitted in the report. The vessel may be detained until the penalty be paid. Seamen, whose names are entered on the roll, are not considered as passengers. Every foreigner shall, before he disembarks declare his name, age, stature, place of birth from whence he came, his destination, the object of his voyage, and his profession; which report when made by the head of a family will be sufficient for the women and children thereof.
The declaration above must be in writing and signed by the person making the same.
This formality being complied with the collector shall give to the foreigner a permit to disembark; subject, however, to the following rules:—
1. That no Spaniard, or subject of the Spanish government, shall enter the republic.
2. That any foreigner provided with a passport from the general government, may disembark.
3. That the citizens of the new States of America, and the subjects of nations who have agents officially accredited to the republic, may also land, having passports granted, or examined by any Mexican agent at the place of embarkation, or on security of their consul in the port where they may arrive, or on that of any Mexican citizen.
The subjects of nations who are not comprehended in the foregoing paragraph shall only be permitted to land with a passport of the general g'overnment, or with one granted or examined by any Mexican agent residing in a foreign country.
The foreigner to whom such permit is granted must within twenty-four hours after having, landed present himself to the civil authority of the port.
Any foreigner permitted to introduce himself into the republic as aforesaid shall, within one month thereafter, solicit of the supreme government a carta de seguridad (card of safety), to remain in, and pass through the same for the period of one year; in order to obtain which, a certificate will be required from the officially accredited agent of the applicant, stating that he is a subject or citizen of the nation he represents, as also his occupation or profession.
Every foreigner, whatever his passport may be, must present himself to the civil authority of the place where he may have resided more than eight days; and, also, whenever he may change his place of residence; non-compliance with this provision subjects the party to a fine of twenty dollars.Foreigners introduced and established agreeably to the regulations herein prescribed shall, be under the protection of the laws, and enjoy the same civil rights that are conceded by said laws to Mexican citizens, with the exception of acquiring real estates, which can only be held by citizens.[1]
Any foreig'ner who shall disembark and introduce himself into the territory of the republic, contrary to the provisions of this decree, shall be expelled therefrom. As, also, any foreigner who shall be adjudged guilty of having used, for the purpose of his disembarkation, any document belonging to another, or for having suppressed or falsified any of the statements required, or for having counterfeited or altered any passport or carta de seguridad.
Every foreigner wishing to leave the republic must make application for the proper passport, either to the general government, or the civil authority of the state in which he may be. Penalties.
If any foreign vessel, of whatever burden or form, or wherever she may have come from, be found loadmg or unloading goods of any kind at any coast, river, harbour, bay, or other place, not pointed out by the tariff as a port for foreign vessels, she shall for this alone be confiscated, together with the cargo and all that belongs to her. The commander of the said vessel shall be fined from 500 to 3,000 dollars, according to the value of the cargo and shall be condemned besides to from six to five years of labour and banishment. All those who knowingly aid or protect the loading of said vessels, or the carriage of goods by land, introduced into, or carried out of places described by decree, shall suffer the following fines and punishments, viz.:—the owner, or his deputy, of the carts, beasts of burden, and everything used in the transport of the effects and the persons who receive the goods, as well as he who delivers, deposits, takes charge of, or conceals them, shall all undergo the same penalties and punishments as the captain or supercargo of the vessel, and the other shall be punished by paying a tenth part of the fine, and suffering a tenth of the punishment imposed on the principals.
National vessels shall be liable to the same penalties on coming from a foreign port, and entering any of those not open to foreign commerce, if found shipping any effects whatever for a foreign country, and when they are found loading or unloading any kind of goods whatever at ports or places not open to foreign commerce or to the coasting trade.
All merchandise found in ports open to foreign commerce, or the coasting trade which has been introduced, or be in the act of being introduced, without observing of the instructions or regulations issued by the government, shall be confiscated, together with all the boats canoes, and vessels of every class.
Should the goods be those of which the government has a monopoly, the importers and exporters who introduce them in another port or coast of the republic, together with him who delivers and receives them, shall suffer, besides the confiscation of the goods, vessels, cars, beasts for riding or of burden, with harnesses, equipments, and arms, a fine of double the value of the monopolized goods, rated at the price of the monopoly at the respective places, and in default of payment shall be condemned to banishment for the term of from two to eight years.
Should false money, whatever the metal may be, be found, besides the confiscation of everthing mentioned in the preceding clause, and besides a fine, equal to that the false money would represent, if legal, the offender shall be punished with all the penalties inflicted by the law on coiners; should the offender be unable to pay the fine, the metal shall be melted, and held, together with all the property that may have been recovered, for the benefit of the informer, and those who seized it.
- ↑ This exception does not extend to lands belonging to mining establishments, in which aliens may hold shares. Aliens may purchase and hold land by permission of the general government for federal territory, or of the state governments for state territory.