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[PUBLIC-No. 105.]

AN ACT to authorize the city of Washington to issue bonds for the purpose of paying the floating debt of the city.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the city of Washington be, and hereby is, authorized to issue, by vote of its councils, registered or coupon bonds in denominations of fifty dollars, one hundred dollars, five hundred dollars, and one thousand dollars, payable in ten years from the date of issue, bearing interest at the rate of six per centum per annum, payable semi-annually-principal and interest payable in lawful money of the United States. Said bonds shall be signed by the mayor and countersigned by the register of the city, and shall be payable at such place or places as may by them be deemed expedient, and may be issued and disposed of to an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the present floating debt of the city, not, however, to exceed the sum of eight hundred thousand dollars: Provided, That said bonds shall not be sold for less than their par value in lawful money of the United States, or in exchange for said matured and liquidated indebtedness: Provided also, That no greater amount of said bonds shall be disposed of than may be found necessary for the payment of said indebtedness.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the city councils upon issuing the bonds herein authorized to provide by taxation for the prompt payment of the interest thereon; also to provide for the redemption of the said bonds by establishing a sinking fund to be set apart annually to an amount not exceeding ten per centum of the amount of bonds issued, said sinking fund to be created from regular taxes levied for that purpose, and to be assessed and collected as other taxes.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said city councils are hereby authorized to pass any and all ordinances which may be necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this act, and all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 106.]

AN ACT to amend section one of "An act to prevent and punish frauds upon the revenue, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and sixty-three.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act entitled "An act to prevent and punish frauds upon the revenue, to provide for more certain and speedy collection of claims in favor of the United States, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be, and the same is hereby, amended by adding to section one thereof an additional proviso, as follows: And provided further, That in case of goods, wares, and merchandise, imported from a foreign country adjacent to the United States, the declaration in this section herein before required may be made to, and the certificate endorsed by, the consul, vice-consul, or commercial agent, at or nearest to the port or place of clearance for the United States.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 107.]

AN ACT supplementary to an act entitled "An act to allow the United States to prosecute appeals and writs of error, without giving security," and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of the act entitled "An act to allow the United States to prosecute appeals and writs of error without giving security," approved February twenty-one, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, be, and the same hereby are, extended to writs of error, appeals, or other process in law, admiralty or equity, issuing from or brought up to a circuit court of the United States.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That any corporation, or any member thereof, orther [other] than a banking corporation, organized under a law of the United States, and against which a suit at law or in equity has been or may be commenced in any court other than a circuit or district court of the United States, for any liability or alleged liability of such corporation, or any member thereof as such member, may have such suit removed from the court in which it may be pending, to the proper circuit or district court of the United States, upon filing a petition therefor, verified by oath, either before or after issue joined, stating they have a defence arising under or by virtue of the Constitution of the United States, or any treaty or law of the United States, and offering good and sufficient surety for entering in such court on the first day of its session, copies of all process, pleadings, dispositions, testimony, and other proceedings in said suit, and doing such other appropriate acts as are required to be done by the act entitled "An act for the removal of causes in certain cases from State courts," approved July twenty-seventh, eighteen hundred and sixtysix; and it shall be thereupon the duty of the court to accept the surety and proceed no further in the suit; and the said copies being entered as aforesaid in such court of the United States, the suit shall then proceed in the same manner as if it had been brought there by original process, and all the provisions of said act in this section referred to, respecting any bail, attachment, injunction, or other restraining process, and respecting any bond of indemnity or other obligation given upon the issuing or granting of any attachment, injunction, or other restraining process, shall apply with like force and effect in all respects to similar matters, process, or things in the suits for the removal of which this act provides.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 108.]

AN ACT to protect the rights of actual settlers upon the public lands of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in no case shall more than three sections of public lands of the United States be entered in any one township by scrip issued to any State under the act approved July second, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, for the establishment of an agricultural college therein.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 109.]

AN ACT changing the ports of entry from Plymouth to Edenton, in North Carolina, and Port Royal to Beaufort, in South Carolina.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the port of entry in the Albemarle collection district be removed from Plymouth to Edenton, North Carolina, and also that Beaufort, in South Carolina, be created a port of entry in lieu of Port Royal, which is hereby abolished as a port of entry.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 110.]

AN ACT in amendment of an act entitled "An act to establish a uniform system of bankruptcy throughout the United States," approved March second, eighteen hundred and sixty-seven.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of second clause of the thirty-third section of said act shall not apply to the cases of proceedings in bankruptcy commenced prior to the first day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, and the time during which the operation of the provisions of said clause is postponed shall be extended until said first day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine. And said clause is hereby so amended as to read as follows: In all proceedings in bankruptcy commenced after the first day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, no discharge shall be granted to a debtor whose assets shall not be equal to fifty per centum of the claims proved against his estate upon which he shall be liable as the principal debtor, unless the assent in writing of a majority in number and value of his creditors to whom he shall have become liable as principal debtor, and who shall have proved their claims, be filed in the case at or before the time of the hearing of the application for discharge.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That said act be further amended as follows: The phrase "presented or defended" in the fourteenth section of said act shall read "prosecuted or defended;" the phrase "non-resident debtors" in line five, section twenty-two, of the act as printed in the Statutes at Large, shall read "non-resident creditors ;" that the word "or" in the next to the last line of the thirty-ninth section of the act shall read "and ;" that the phrase "section thirteen" in the forty-second section of said act shall read "section eleven;" and the phrase "or spends any part thereof in gaming" in the forty-fourth section of said act shall read "or shall spend any part thereof in gaming;" and that the words "with the senior register, or" and the phrase "to be delivered to the register" in the forty-seventh section of said act be stricken out.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That registers in bankruptcy shall have power to administer oaths in all cases and in relation to all matters in which oaths may be administered by commissioners of the circuit courts of the United States, and such commissioners may take proof of debts in bankruptcy in all cases, subject to the revision of such proofs by the register and by the court according to the provisions of said act.

Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC-No. 111.]

AN ACT to transfer to the Department of the Interior certain powers and duties now exercised by the Secretary of the Treasury in connection with Indian affairs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the powers and duties devolving upon the Secretary of the Treasury, under and by virtue of the fourth section of the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the current and contingent expenses of the Indian department, and for fulfilling treaty stipulations with the various Indian tribes for the year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and forty-nine, and for other purposes," approved July twenty-ninth, eighteen hundred and forty-eight, and the powers and duties devolving upon him under and by virtue of the laws relating to the investment of the moneys in behalf of the Cherokee Indians, from the sales of land under the treaties concluded at Pontotoc, October twentieth, eighteen hundred and thirty-two, and at Washington city, May twenty-fourth, eighteen hundred and thirty-four, as also all other supervisory and appellate powers and duties in regard to Indian affairs, which may now by law be vested in the said Secretary of the Treasury, shall from and after the passage of this act be exercised and performed by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Interior shall cause a new roll or census to be made of the North Carolina or Eastern Cherokees, which shall be the roll upon which payments due said Indians shall be made.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That hereafter the Secretary of the Interior shall cause the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to take the same supervisory charge of the Eastern or North Carolina Cherokees as of other tribes of Indians. Approved, July 27, 1868.

[PUBLIC NO. 112.]

AN ACT to provide for an American line of mail and emigrant passenger steamships between New York and one or more European ports.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Postmaster General is empowered and hereby authorized to contract with the Commercial Navigation Company of the State of New York, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of New York, under a special charter passed by the legislature of said State under the date of April twenty-three, eighteen hundred and sixty-six, for the weekly or semi-weekly conveyance of all European and foreign mails of the United States between New York and Bremen, touching at Southampton, England, or Liverpool, touching at Queenstown, in first-class sea-going steamships, to be constructed in the United States and owned by said company, for a term not exceeding fifteen years, in the manner and on the conditions hereinafter stated.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said navigation company shall, with a purpose of performing the above service, build, contract, and fit out, within one year from the passage of this act, at least seven first-class sea-going steamships, five of which shall not be of less than three thousand tons each, government measurement, and two others of not less than two thousand tons each, all of which vessels shall be constructed in the best manner, under the supervision and inspection of the American Lloyds, or, if ordered by the Postmaster General, under the inspection of the most competent engineer, to be detailed for this purpose by the Secretary of the Navy, upon a written application of the Postmaster General, so that when completed each vessel shall be of

the first class in every respect, and with all known modern improvements in model, machinery, and outfit, so as to secure the greatest possible speed and safety; which steamships, when so constructed, shall be organized into and compose the United States mail steamship line, for the proper conveyance of mails and passengers, as hereinafter provided; the time of sailing, and all other details, to be arranged and agreed upon between the said company and the Postmaster General, with power to modify such agreements, from time to time, as may best promote the object in view: Provided, That no letters or mail matter shall be detained for the purpose of being sent by this line: And provided further, That the average rate of speed of the steamships of the said navigation company shall not be less than that of the steamships of other lines upon the same or similar routes, and if for the space of three months the trips successively of the steamships of said company shall be made in longer time than that employed by other steamships as aforesaid, then any contract made under the provisions of this act shall cease and determine at the pleasure of the government of the United States.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the compensation for carrying and transporting the mails by sea, as herein provided, shall be agreed upon, and shall be in conformity with the act of Congress, approved June fourteen, eighteen hundred and fifty-eight, and shall in no event or contingency exceed the sum therein provided, being all postage on letters, newspapers, and all other matter transported by or in the mails carried by said navigation company, shall belong to said company, and shall be paid to said navigation company quarterly, or applied to their use or benefit, as hereinafter provided: Provided, That when the receipts of said navigation company from sea postages, under any contract to be made in pursuance of this act, shall equal or exceed the sum of four hundred thousand dollars per annum, then the right of said company to receive the inland postages shall cease and determine, and said company shall only receive the sea postages: Provided, That such postages shall not exceed six hundred thousand dollars per annum, after the discontinuance of said inland postage.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That to insure the construction of the above-mentioned vessels within the time and in the manner hereinbefore provided, and the maintenance of the said line, the said Commercial Navigation Company may issue bonds to such an amount that the entire annual interest thereon shall not exceed the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, such bonds to be made payable at the expiration of the before-named fifteen years, and the interest thereof to be made payable semi-annually, the principal and interest of such bonds to be made payable in coin of the United States. That for the protection of the holders of such bonds they shall be severally registered at the Post Office Department and certified by the chief clerk of the department, without liability for the payment of the interest or principal of said bonds upon the part of the Post Office Department only in manner as hereinafter provided. And the Postmaster General shall receive all moneys for postage earned by the steamships of said company, and shall apply the same as far as needed to the payment of the semi-annual interest upon the before-named bonds, and shall retain the surplus after paying such interest, and shall invest the same quarterly in the securities of the United States to form a sinking fund, to be held solely for the benefit of the bondholders, and to be applied to the payment of the principal of such bonds. And whenever, and as soon as such sinking fund shall equal in amount the entire principal of said bonds, then from that time forward the interest of said bonds shall be paid out of the income of such sinking fund, and the principal thereof out of the same fund at their maturity. And all postage earned after the time when said sinking fund shall be made up to the amount aforesaid, shall belong to and be paid quarterly to the said company by the Postmaster General of the United States.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the aforesaid mail steamships shall be

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