The Public and General Statutes Passed by the Congress of the United States of America

BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the thirteenth day of November, A. D. 1827, in the fifty-second year of the
Independence of the United States of America, Wells and Lilly of the said District, have deposited in this Office
the title of a Book, the Right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the words following, to wit:

"The Public and General Statutes passed by the Congress of the United States of America, from 1789 to 1827

inclusive, whether expired, repealed, or in force; arranged in Chronological Order, with Marginal References, and a

copious Index. To which is added the Constitution of the United States, and an Appendix. Published under the

inspection of Joseph Story, one of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In Conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "An Act for the encouragement of

Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during

the times therein mentioned:" and also to an Act entitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled, An Act for

the encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors

of such Copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending the Benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing,

Engraving, and Etching Historical and other Prints."

JNO. W. DAVIS,

Clerk of the District of Massachusetts.

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In the present Edition the Acts of Congress are arranged in chapters, beginning a new series of numbers with the commencement of every new Congress. Of course, the numbers go on progressively through all the sessions of the same Congress, and the order of the Acts is strictly chronological. This method was adopted in numbering the Acts at the commencement of the Government, and it was for the most part followed until after the year 1815. Since that period it has been usual to begin a new series of numbers with each successive session of Congress. The irregularity either way being very considerable, it has been thought most adviseable in this Edition to adhere to the method originally adopted by the Government itself, which made each new Congress a new starting point or epoch. The mode of citation in the Marginal Notes is to give the year, in which the Act passed, and the number of the chapter. As the constitutional commencement of each Congress (unless a different day should be appointed by law) is on the first Monday of December, some Acts bear date in the same year, which have been enacted by different Congresses. But as these Acts are few, the number of the chapter will prevent any mistake in the reference, and lead the Reader at once to the Acts passed at the commencement, or close of the year.