1 Story 423 | U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts | 1841
The act of March 2, 1799 [1 Stat. 627], c. 22, amended by the act of 1816, c. 95, authorizes the fees, due to the officers of the customs, “to be paid by the collector out of the revenue, and to be charged to the United States.” But upon the statement of facts, I am very clear, that the present action for money had and received is not maintainable for several reasons. In the first place, the defendant (Bancroft) is not now in office; and even if he had moneys of the United States in his hands, he could not now lawfully appropriate them to the payment of the fees, if any are due to the plaintiff, since it Is an official act, and can be properly done only by the collector, who is actually in office. In the next place, the moneys of the United States in the hands of the collector, arising from the revenue, are not specifically appropriated by law to the payment of these partic-