324  SELLING  LATIN  AMERICA

ment  states  briefly  the  contents  of  the  invoice,
its  weight,  and  value,  from  whom  and  for
whom  intended.  This  paper  must  be  made
out  before  the  consul  or  vice-consul  of  the
country  to  which  the  goods  are  to  be  exported,
the  idea  being  to  keep  track  of  the  business  between ­
  the  nations.  This  document  should  always ­
  be  in  the  language  of  the  country  for
which  the  shipment  is  intended,  although  all
the  consuls  do  not  require  this  condition  to  be
rigidly  complied  with.  They  must  be  taken
to  the  office  of  the  consul  or  vice-consul  empowered ­
  to  issue  and  sign  them  and  as  a  rule
he  requires  one  or  more  copies  for  his  files  and
for  forwarding  to  his  government,  or  to  the
customs  authorities  at  the  port  to  which  the
goods  are  going.  For  this  service  he  charges
a  fee,  generally  specified  by  law.  Great  care
should  be  exercised  in  the  preparation  of  these
papers,  as  before  intimated.  The  importer
generally  states  just  how  he  wishes  his  goods
declared  in  these  documents  and  it  is  best  to
follow  his  commands  instead  of  those  which
may  be  issued  or  suggested  by  some  of  the  em ­