nation of wit nesses. &c. for exami- stated to reside, accompanied by interrogatories to be propounded to such witnesses, which said commission, when executed, shall be returned, together with the examinations to be taken in virtue thereof, by mail, free of postage, to the office of the said commissioner. Adjudications of the commis sioner to be en tered in a book by the clerk. Payments to be made upon certified copies of judgments, &c. Claims barred SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That, in all adjudications of the said commissioner upon the claims above-mentioned, whether such judg ment be in favour of, or adverse to, the claim of the applicant, the same shall be entered by his clerk in a book to be provided for that purpose: And when such judgment shall be in favour of such claim, shall entitle the claimant, or his legal representative, upon the production of a copy of such judgment, duly certified by the clerk of said commissioner, to payment of the amount thereof at the treasury of the United States. SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That no claim authorized by unless present this act shall be allowed or paid, unless the same shall be exhibited within ed within two two years from the passing hereof. years. APPROVED, April 9, 1816. STATUTE I. April 9, 1816. So much of the act of Jan. 18, 1815, as lays duties on household furniture, and on watches, &c. repealed. Act of Jan. 18, 1815, ch. 23. CHAP. XLI.—An Act to repeal the act, entitled “An act to provide additional re- STATUTE I. April 9, 1816. [Repealed.] 1810, ch. 37. Rates of postage after the 1st May, 1816. Proviso. Weight of packets restricted evi dence of lawful postage, &c. CHAP. XLIII.—An Act in addition to an act to regulate the Post-office establish ment. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That, from and after the first day of May next, the following rates of postage be charged upon all letters and packets, (excepting such as are now excepted by law,) conveyed by the posts of the United States, viz: For every letter composed of a single sheet of paper, conveyed not exceeding thirty miles, six cents; over thirty and not exceeding eighty, ten cents; over eighty and not exceeding one hundred and fifty, twelve and a half cents; over one hundred and fifty and not exceeding four hundred, eighteen and a half cents; over four hundred miles, twenty-five cents; and for every double letter, or letter composed of two pieces of paper, double those rates; and for every triple letter, or one composed of three pieces of paper, triple those rates; and for every packet composed of four or more pieces of paper, or one or more other articles, and weighing one ounce avoirdupois, quadruple those rates: and in that proportion for all greater weights: Provided, That no packet of letters conveyed by the water mails shall be charged with more than quadruple postage, unless the same shall contain more than four distinct letters. No postmaster shall be obliged to receive, to be conveyed by the mail, any packet which shall weigh more than three pounds; and the postage marked on any letter or packet, and charged in the post bill which may accompany the same, shall be conclusive evidence, in favour of the postmaster who delivers the same, of the lawful postage thereon, unless such letter or packet shall be opened in presence of the postmaster or his clerk. Every four folio pages, or eight quarto pages, or sixteen octavo pages, of a pamphlet or magazine, shall be considered a sheet, and the surplus pages of any pamphlet or magazine shall also be considered a sheet; and the journals of the legislatures of the several states, not being stitched or bound, shall be liable to the same postage as pamphlets. Any memorandum which shall be written on a newspaper, or other printed paper, and transmitted by mail, shall be charged letter postage; and any person who shall deposit such memorandum in any office for the purpose of defrauding the revenue, shall forfeit, for every such offence, the sum of five dollars. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General be, and is hereby, authorized to allow to each postmaster such commission on the postages by him collected, as shall be adequate to his services: Provided, That his commission shall not exceed the following several rates on the amount received in one quarter; that is to say: On a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, thirty per cent. On any sum over and above the first hundred dollars, and not exceeding four hundred dollars, twenty-five per cent. On any sum over and above the first four hundred dollars, and not exceeding two thousand four hundred dollars, twenty per cent. On any sum over and above the first two thousand four hundred dollars, eight per cent. Except to the postmasters who may be employed in receiving and despatching foreign mails, whose compensation may be augmented not exceeding twenty-five dollars in one quarter; and excepting to the postmasters at offices where the mail is regularly to arrive between the hours of nine o'clock at night and five o'clock in the morning, whose commission, on the first hundred dollars collected in one quarter, may be increased to a sum not exceeding fifty per cent. The Postmaster General may allow to the postmasters, respectively, a commission of fifty per cent. on the moneys arising from the postage of newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets; and to the postmaster whose compensation shall not exceed five hundred dollars in one quarter, two cents for every free letter delivered out of the office, excepting such as are for the postmaster himself; and each postmaster who shall be required to keep a register of the arrival and departure of the mails, shall be allowed ten cents for each monthly return which he makes thereof to the general post-office. The Postmaster General may allow to the postmaster at New Orleans, at the rate of eight hundred dollars, and to the postmaster at Warrenton, in North Carolina, at the rate of two hundred dollars, and to the postmaster at Wheeling, in Virginia, at the rate of two hundred dollars a year, in addition to their ordinary commissions. The Postmaster General is hereby authorized to allow to the postmaster at the city of Washington, in addition to the allowance made by this act for postage collected, and for free letters received by him for delivery, a commission of five per centum on the amount of mails distributed at his office: Provided, nevertheless, That the whole annual emoluments of the said postmaster, including the extra compensation heretofore allowed to him by law, shall always be subject to the restriction imposed by the fortieth section of the act of Congress approved the thirtieth of April, one thousand eight hundred and ten, to which this act is in addition. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That letters and packets to and from any member of the Senate, or member or delegate of the House of Representatives of the United States, the secretary of the Senate, and clerk of the House of Representatives, shall be conveyed free of postage, for thirty days previous to each session of Congress, and for thirty VOL. III.-34 Ꮓ days after the termination thereof: Provided always, That no letter or packet shall exceed two ounces in weight, and in case of excess of weight, that excess alone shall be paid for. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the eleventh and twentyeighth sections of the act, entitled "An act regulating the post-office establishment," approved April thirtieth, one thousand eight hundred and ten, and the first and second sections of the act, entitled " An act in addition to the act regulating the post-office establishment," approved February twenty-seventh, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, and the fourth and fifth sections of the same, except such parts as relate to steamboats, their masters, or managers, and persons employed on board the same, be, and the same are hereby repealed. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect from and after the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen. APPROVED, April 9, 1816. CHAP. XLIV.-An Act to incorporate the subscribers to the Bank of the Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That a bank of the United States of America shall be established, with a capital of thirtyfive millions of dollars, divided into three hundred and fifty thousand shares, of one hundred dollars each share. Seventy thousand shares, amounting to the sum of seven millions of dollars, part of the capital of the said bank, shall be subscribed and paid for by the United States, in the manner hereinafter specified; and two hundred and eighty thousand shares, amounting to the sum of twenty-eight millions of dollars, shall be subscribed and paid for by individuals, companies, or corporations, in the manner hereinafter specified. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That subscriptions for the sum of twenty-eight millions of dollars, towards constituting the capital of the said bank, shall be opened on the first Monday in July next, at the following places: that is to say, at Portland, in the District of Maine; at Portsmouth, in the state of New Hampshire; at Boston, in the state of Massachusetts; at Providence, in the state of Rhode Island; at Middletown, in the state of Connecticut; at Burlington, in the state of Vermont; at New York, in the state of New York; at New Brunswick, in the state of New Jersey; at Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania; at Wilmington, in the state of Delaware; at Baltimore, in the state of Maryland; at Richmond, in the state of Virginia; at Lexington, in the state of Kentucky; at Cincinnati, in the state of Ohio; at Raleigh, in the state of North Carolina; at Nashville, in the state of Tennessee; at Charleston, in the state of South Carolina; at Augusta, in the state of Georgia; at New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana; and at Washington, in the district of Columbia. And the said subscriptions shall be opened under the superintendence of five commissioners at Philadelphia, and of three commissioners at each of the other places aforesaid, to be appointed by the President of the United States, who is hereby authorized to make such appointments, and shall continue open every day, from the time of opening the same, between the hours of ten o'clock in the forenoon and four o'clock in the afternoon, for the term of twenty days, exclusive of Sundays, when the same shall be closed, and immediately thereafter the commissioners, or any two of them, at the respective (a) For the act incorporating the first Bank of the United States, see vol. i. 191. places aforesaid, shall cause two transcripts or copies of such subscriptions to be made, one of which they shall send to the Secretary of the Treasury, one they shall retain, and the original they shall transmit, within seven days from the closing of the subscriptions as aforesaid, to the commissioners at Philadelphia aforesaid. And on the receipt of the said original subscriptions, or of either of the said copies thereof, if the original be lost, mislaid, or detained, the commissioners at Philadelphia aforesaid, or a majority of them, shall immediately thereafter convene, and proceed to take an account of the said subscriptions. And if more than the amount of twenty-eight millions of dollars shall have been subscribed, then the said last mentioned commissioners shall deduct the amount of such excess from the largest subscriptions, in such manner as that no subscription shall be reduced in amount, while any one remains larger: Provided, That if the subscriptions taken at either of the places aforesaid shall not exceed three thousand shares, there shall be no reduction of such subscriptions, nor shall, in any case, the subscriptions taken at either of the places aforesaid be reduced below that amount. And in case the aggregate amount of the said subscriptions shall exceed twenty-eight millions of dollars, the said last mentioned commissioners, after having apportioned the same as aforesaid, shall cause lists of the said apportioned subscriptions, to be made out, including in each list the apportioned subscription for the place where the original subscription was made, one of which lists they shall transmit to the commissioners or one of them, under whose superintendence such subscriptions were originally made, that the subscribers may thereby ascertain the number of shares to them respectively apportioned as aforesaid. And in case the aggregate amount of the said subscriptions made during the period aforesaid, at all the places aforesaid, shall not amount to twenty-eight millions of dollars, the subscriptions to complete the said sum shall be and remain open at Philadelphia aforesaid, under the superintendence of the commissioners appointed for that place; and the subscriptions may be then made by any individual, company, or corporation, for any number of shares, not exceeding, in the whole, the amount required to complete the said sum of twenty-eight millions of dollars. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for any individual, company, corporation, or state, when the subscriptions shall be opened as herein before directed, to subscribe for any number of shares of the capital of the said bank, not exceeding three thousand shares, and the sums so subscribed shall be payable, and paid, in the manner following; that is to say, seven millions of dollars thereof in gold or silver coin of the United States, or in gold coin of Spain, or the dominions of Spain, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twentyeight grains and sixty hundredths of a grain of the actual weight thereof, or in other foreign gold or silver coin at the several rates prescribed by the first section of an act regulating the currency of foreign coins Places, &c. for receiving subscriptions, &c. Regulations concerning sub scriptions and payments on them, &c. in the United States, passed tenth day of April, one thousand eight April 10, 1806, hundred and six, and twenty-one millions of dollars thereof in like gold ch. 22. or silver coin, or in the funded debt of the United States contracted at the time of the subscriptions respectively. And the payments made in the funded debt of the United States, shall be paid and received at the following rates: that is to say, the funded debt bearing an interest of six per centum per annum, at the nominal or par value thereof; the funded debt bearing an interest of three per centum per annum, at the rate of sixty-five dollars for every sum of one hundred dollars of the nominal amount thereof; and the funded debt bearing an interest of seven per centum per annum, at the rate of one hundred and six dollars and fiftyone cents, for every sum of one hundred dollars of the nominal amount thereof; together with the amount of the interest accrued on the said on Regulations several denominations of funded debt, to be computed and allowed to concerning subscriptions and the time of subscribing the same to the capital of the said bank as aforepayments said. And the payments of the said subscriptions shall be made and them, &c. completed by the subscribers, respectively, at the times and in the manner following; that is to say, at the time of subscribing there shall be paid five dollars on each share, in gold or silver coin as aforesaid, and twenty-five dollars more in coin as aforesaid, or in funded debt as aforesaid; at the expiration of six calendar months after the time of subscribing, there shall be paid the further sum of ten dollars on each share, in gold or silver coin as aforesaid, and twenty-five dollars more in coin as aforesaid, or in funded debt as aforesaid; at the expiration of twelve calendar months from the time of subscribing, there shall be paid the further sum of ten dollars on each share, in gold or silver coin as aforesaid, and twenty-five dollars more, in coin as aforesaid, or in funded debt as aforesaid. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That at the time of subscribing to the capital of the said bank as aforesaid, each and every subscriber shall deliver to the commissioners, at the place of subscribing, as well the amount of their subscriptions respectively in coin as aforesaid, as the certificates of funded debt, for the funded debt proportions of their respective subscriptions, together with a power of attorney, authorizing the said commissioners, or a majority of them, to transfer the said stock in due form of law to "the president, directors, and company, of the bank of the United States," as soon as the said bank shall be organized. Provided always, That if, in consequence of the apportionment of the shares in the capital of the said bank among the subscribers, in the case, and in the manner, herein before provided, any subscriber shall have delivered to the commissioners, at the time of subscribing, a greater amount of gold or silver coin and funded debt than shall be necessary to complete the payments for the share or shares to such subscribers, apportioned as aforesaid, the commissioners shall only retain so much of the said gold or silver coin, and funded debt, as shall be necessary to complete such payments, and shall, forthwith, return the Surplus thereof, on application for the same, to the subscribers lawfully entitled thereto. And the commissioners, respectively, shall deposit the gold and silver coin, and certificates of public debt by them respectively received as aforesaid from the subscribers to the capital of the said bank, in some place of secure and safe keeping, so that the same may and shall be specifically delivered and transferred, as the same were by them respectively received, to the president, directors, and company, of the bank of the United States, or to their order, as soon as shall be required after the organization of the said bank. And the said commissioners appointed to superintend the subscriptions to the capital of the said bank as aforesaid, shall receive a reasonable compensation for their services respectively, and shall be allowed all reasonable charges and expenses incurred in the execution of to the commis- their trust, to be paid by the president, directors, and company, of the bank, out of the funds thereof. Reasonable compensation sioners. The United deem the fund ed debt, &c. and the bank may sell for gold and silver, SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the States may re- United States to pay and redeem the funded debt subscribed to the capital of the said bank at the rates aforesaid, in such sums, and at such times, as shall be deemed expedient, any thing in any act or acts of Congress to the contrary thereof notwithstanding. And it shall also be lawful for the president, directors, and company, of the said bank, to sell and transfer for gold and silver coin, or bullion, the funded debt subscribed to the capital of the said bank as aforesaid: Provided always, 'That they shall not sell more thereof than the sum of two millions of dollars in any one year; nor sell any part thereof at any time within the United States, without previously giving notice of their intention to the &c. |