to maintain an action at law against the collector, so as to try the legality of the demand and payment of duties. Neither shall the duties paid under protest be refunded, nor shall any action be maintained for them, unless the protest was made in writing and signed at the time of paying the duties, setting forth distinctly the grounds of objection to the payment thereof. Feb. 26, 1845.

No. 15. An Act vesting in the County Commissioners of the county of Wyandott the right to certain town lots and out lots in the town of Upper Sandusky, in the State of Ohio. One third of the unsold town lots and out lots in this town is vested in these commissioners, on condition that they permanently fix the county seat of justice in the said town, and apply the proceeds of the sales of the lots to the erection of the public buildings and the improvement of the public grounds in the town. Feb. 26, 1845.

No. 16. An Act to authorize the South Carolina Railroad Company to import certain pipes and machinery free of duty. They may import free of duty pipes and machinery enough for an atmospheric pressure railroad one mile long. Feb. 26, 1845.

No. 17. An Act to amend an Act entitled "An Act to carry into effect, in the States of Alabama and Mississippi, the existing compacts with those States with regard to the five per cent. Fund and the School Reservations." So much of the fourth section of the act is hereby repealed as requires a quantity of land equal to one 36th part of the lands in Alabama, which were disposed of by the treaty with the Chickasaw Indians, made May 24, 1834, to be selected in any land district in the said State contiguous to the lands thus disposed of by the Chickasaws: Provided, that the validity of selections already made by virtue of this 4th section of the law be not impaired. Lands equal in quantity to one 36th part of these Chickasaw lands may be selected at any time within two years from the passing of this law, out of any of the surveyed public lands in Alabama or Mississippi that are subject to private sale. These selections shall be reported to the Commissioner of the Land Office, together with proofs that the inhabitants of the township for whose benefit they are selected have accepted the same, as a full equivalent for their school sections. The lands shall then be held under the conditions or terms prescribed for section number 16 in Alabama. Notice shall be given immediately, that the lands are thus selected, and they shall then be withdrawn from sale. Feb. 26, 1845.

No. 18. An Act to amend the Act entitled “ An Act making appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1845." The third section of the act shall not apply to the claim of an officer employed on a foreign station to receive the pay of a higher grade while temporarily performing its duties, until information of the passage of the act shall be received on board of the vessel to which he is attached. Feb. 26, 1845.

No. 19. An Act to alter the corporate limits of Georgetown. Feb. 27, 1845.

No. 20. An Act to change the time for holding the Circuit and Criminal Courts in the County of Washington. March 1, 1845. See page 107.

No. 21. An Act in alteration of an Act entitled "An Act to establish a port of delivery at the city of Lafayette, in the State of Louisiana." Vessels bound thither, after making report and entry at New Orleans, may unlade their cargoes at Lafayette. March 1, 1845.

No. 22. Appropriations for navy pensions. March 1, 1845. See abstract on page 143.

No. 23. An Act to authorize the sale of two Arabian horses received as a present by the Consul of the United States at Zanzibar, from the Imaum of Muscat. March 1, 1845.

No. 24. An Act to change the time of holding the Federal Courts of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana. March 1, 1845. See pages 107 and 110.

No. 25. An act renewing certain naval pensions for the term of five years. The five year pensions already granted to the widows of officers and seamen who have been killed, or have died in consequence of casualties, while on duty, shall be continued for a farther period of five years to such as remain unmarried; the pension to cease on their death or marriage. March 3, 1845.

No. 26. An Act to grant certain lands to the State of Indiana, the better to enable the said State to extend and complete the Wabash and Erie Canal from Terre Haute to the Ohio River. One half of the public lands yet unsold in a strip five miles wide on each side of the canal, is given for this purpose, every alternate section being reserved to the United States. Also, one half of all the other lands not yet disposed of in the Vincennes land district is given for the same purpose, to be sélected under the authority of the Governor of the State. The lands shall be disposed of by the General Assembly of the State, for the aforesaid purpose and no other. The canal shall forever remain a public highway, on which the property and servants of the United States shall pass without any toll or charge whatever; and shall be completed within fifteen years from the passing of this act, or the State shall pay back the money received for the lands, and surrender the unsold lands. The lands shall not be sold for less than the minimum price of other public lands. March 3, 1845.

No. 27. An Act to reduce the rates of postage, to limit the use and correct the abuse of the franking privilege, and for the prevention of frauds on the revenues of the Post-Office Department. See a full abstract of this law on pp. 129-131. March 3, 1845.

No. 28. Post-Office appropriation bill. See abstract on page 143. March 3, 1845.

No. 29. An Act supplementary to an Act entitled "An Act to fix the value of certain foreign moneys of account in computations at the custom-houses." The florin of Austria shall be valued at 48 cents. March 3, 1845.

No. 30. An Act to confirm the survey and location of claims for lands in the State of Mississippi, east of the Pearl River and south of 31° N. All such surveys returned to the surveyor-general's office south of Tennessee before Jan. 1, 1839, are hereby confirmed. The surveyor-generals shall certify the return and plat of any such actual survey to the register and receiver for lands in the Augusta district in said State, who shall regard such surveys and plats as correctly made. If the claimant of the land thus surveyed shall, within one year from the passing of this act, file an exception to the regularity of the survey, the surveyor-general may order a resurvey of the claim, after proper notice to the party interested. If it shall be found that any claim hereby confirmed is deficient in the quantity of land to the amount of 40 acres or more, the claimant shall receive a warrant for an equal number of acres of any land subject to entry in the district. This act shall not aid the location of any claim to the prejudice of any other claim with which it may conflict; but such conflicting claims shall be left subject to existing laws. But if the conflicting claimants shall compromise, and one of them shall relinquish to the other his entire location or a part of it, the relinquishing claimant shall receive a warrant for a quantity of land subject to entry in the same district, equal in number of acres to the land relinquished. March 3, 1845.

No. 31. Military Academy appropriation bill. See abstract on p. 143. March 3, 1845.

No. 32. An Act for the admission of the States of Iowa and Florida into the Union. The people of Iowa having formed a constitution and State government for themselves on the 7th of October, 1844, and the people of Florida having done likewise on the 11 th of January, 1839, both of which constitutions are republican, and they having asked for admission into the Union as States on an equal footing with the original States, Iowa and Florida are hereby declared to be States of the United States of America, on an equal footing with the other States in all respects whatsoever. The State of Iowa shall be bounded thus: From the mouth of the Des Moines river along the middle of the channel of that river to a parallel of latitude passing through the mouth of the Mankato or Blue Earth river; thence west along this parallel of latitude to where it is intersected by a meridian line 17° 30' W. of Washington; thence due south to the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri; thence eastwardly, along that boundary, to where it intersects the Des Moines river; thence, by the middle of that river to the place of beginning. Iowa shall have concurrent jurisdiction on the river Mississippi, and every other river forming its boundary with any other States bounded by the same rivers; and the said rivers shall be common highways, free to the inhabitants of each and all the United States. It is a fundamental condition of the admission of Iowa into the Union, that so much of this act as relates to it shall be accepted

by a majority of the qualified electors at the time and in the manner prescribed in their constitution. The State of Florida shall embrace the Territories of East and West Florida, as ceded by the treaty with Spain on the 22d of February, 1819. Until the next census is taken, Iowa and Florida shall have one representative each in Congress. The two States are admitted on the express condition that they interfere not with the primary disposal of the public lands lying within them, nor levy any tax on said lands while they are the property of the United States. The ordinance of the convention which formed the constitution of Iowa, and which is appended to the said constitution, shall not be valid, nor have any binding force on the Government of the United States. March 3, 1845.

No. 33. Appropriations for fortifications. See abstract on page 143. March 3, 1845.

No. 34. An Act providing payment for certain military services in Florida. Certain militia companies are to be paid for short terms of service in the Florida war, the muster roll of each company being sworn to by its captain, or senior living officer present in Florida. March 3, 1845.

No. 35. Army appropriation bills. See abstract on page 143. March 3, 1845.

No. 36. An Act regulating commercial intercourse with the islands of Mignelon and St. Pierre. French vessels coming direct from these islands are to be admitted into our ports on the payment of no higher tonnage or cargo duties than are imposed on American vessels and cargoes. Provided, that the French government grant and continue similar privileges to American vessels and cargoes at these islands. March 3, 1845.

Nos. 37 and 38. Appropriations for public improvements in Wisconsin. See abstract on page 143. March 3, 1845.

No. 39. An Act to provide for the transportation of the mail between the United States and foreign countries, and for other purposes. The Postmaster General may make contracts for transporting the U. S. mail between any of our ports and the ports of a foreign power, reporting to the next Congress a copy of each contract, and a statement of the amount of postage derived under it. The contracts may be for any period greater than four, and less than ten years. The contracts must be made with our own citizens, the mail to be carried in American vessels, by Americans Each contract shall stipulate that it may at any time be terminated by a joint resolution of the two houses of Congress. The rates of postage shall be as follows:- Upon all letters and packets not exceeding one half ounce in weight, between any of the ports of the United States and the ports of England or France, or any other foreign port, not less than three thousand miles distant, twenty-four cents, with the inland postage of the United States added; upon letters and packets over one half an ounce in weight, and not exceeding one ounce, forty-eight cents; and for every additional

ounce;

half ounce or fraction of an ounce, fifteen cents; upon all letters and packets not exceeding one half ounce sent through the United States mail to any of the West India islands, or islands on the Gulf of Mexico, ten cents; and twenty cents upon letters and packets not exceeding one and five cents for every additional half ounce or fraction of an ounce; upon each newspaper, pamphlet, and price current, sent in the mail to any of the ports and places above enumerated, three cents, with inland United States postage added. No person shall carry any letters, packet, newspaper, or printed circular on board the vessels that may transport the U. S. mail, under penalty of $500. Forging or counterfeiting the Post Office stamp of this or any foreign government shall be accounted felony, punishable with imprisonment not less than two, nor more than ten years. U. S. consuls may be authorized to pay the foreign postage accruing at their ports on letters for the United States, and the amount thus paid shall be added to the other postage on the delivery of the letters, and be repaid to the consuls. Preference shall be given, in making contracts, to steamers and steamships, the owners contracting to make over the steamers to the United States in case of war, if they are wanted, at an appraised value. On this last condition, also, contracts may be made with steamers for carrying the mail along our coast. March 3, 1845.

No. 40. An Act for allowing drawback on foreign merchandize exported in the original packages to Chihuahua and Santa Fe, in Mexico; and to the British North American Provinces adjoining the United States. Any imported merchandize may be exported with drawback to Chihuahua and Santa Fe, either by way of the Arkansas river through Van Buren, or the Red river through Fulton, or the Missouri river through Independence. The goods must be in the original packages, with an invoice accurately describing them and their marks, specifying the route they are to take, and certified by the collector at the port of entry. When the goods arrive at either of the places above named in Arkansas or Missouri, they shall be again inspected and compared with the invoice, and again by the U. S. consul at Santa Fe or Chihuahua. Then the exporter, giving bond with good sureties in thrice the amount of duties, that the merchandize has been exported in good faith, shall receive the drawback. Inspectors shall be appointed at Van Buren, Fulton, and Independence, at a salary of $250 each. Foreign goods may be exported with like privilege of drawback, under the regulations of existing laws, to the British North American provinces through the ports of Plattsburg, Burlington, Sackett's Harbor, Oswego, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Sandusky, Detroit, and those ports on the seaboard from which merchandize may now be imported for drawback; such other ports may afterwards be added to these as the Secretary of the Treasury may recommend. In addition to existing provisions on the subject, the exporter shall show to the