of the State of Iowa, to the northwest corner of the said State of Iowa, thence southerly along the western boundary of the said State to the point where said boundary strikes the Missouri River, thence up the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River to the mouth of the White-earth River, thence up the middle of the main channel of the White-earth River to the boundary-line between the possessions of the United States and Great Britain; thence east and south of east along the boundary-line between the possessions of the United States and Great Britain to Lake Superior; thence in a straight line to the northernmost point of the State of Wisconsin in Lake Superior; thence along the western boundary-line of said State of Wisconsin to the Mississippi River; thence down the main channel of said river to the place of beginning; — is erected into a temporary government by the name of the Territory of Minesota; but Congress may hereafter divide said Territory, or annex any portion of it to another State or Territory.

Every free white male inhabitant, 21 years old, resident in the Territory at the time of the passage of this act, may vote, and be chosen to any Territorial office at the first election; after which the qualifications of voters and for office shall be fixed by the Legislative Assembly; provided the right of suffrage and of holding office be exercised only by citizens of the United States, and those who have declared, on oath, their intention to become such, and have taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and the provisions of this act. The Legislative Assembly shall consist of a Council and House of Representatives. The Council shall consist of nine members, with the qualifications of voters, chosen for two years by a plurality vote of the people, in districts. The representatives, eighteen in number, with the qualifications of voters, shall be chosen for one year by a plurality vote; but the Legislative Assembly may increase the number of councillors to not more than fifteen, and of representatives to not more than thirty-nine. Members of either body must reside in their district, and every district shall be represented in proportion to its population, after deducting Indians. A census shall be taken before the first election, and the Governor shall appoint the places of voting, the number of councillors or representatives to a district, the manner of conducting the election, and the place of meeting of the Assembly. In case of a tie, the Governor shall order a new election. Thereafter these points shall be regulated by the Assembly; - but no session shall exceed sixty days. No law shall be passed interfering with the primary disposal of the soil; no tax shall be imposed on the property of the United States; nor shall the property of non-residents be taxed higher than that of residents. All laws shall be submitted to Congress, and if disapproved shall be null. Members of the Assembly receive $3 per day, and $3 for every twenty miles' travel. The first session of the Assembly shall be at St. Paul, at which session a temporary seat of government must be determined on. The permanent seat of government may be designated by a vote of the people, at such time as the Assembly see fit. $20,000 is appropriated for public buildings. No member of the Assembly shall be appointed to any office created or increased in pay during his term, or for one year thereafter; and no office-holder under the general government, except a postmaster, shall hold office under the Territorial government, or be a member of the Assembly. The Governor, appointed by the President and Senate for four years, and until his successor be appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed by the President, -shall receive a salary of $1,500, and $1,000 additional as Superintendent of Indian Affairs; shall be commanderin-chief of the militia; may grant pardons for offences against Territorial laws, and reprieves, until the decision of the President be known, for offences against the laws of the United States. His veto may be defeated by a vote of two thirds of each house. If the Governor vacate the office, or be necessarily absent from the Territory, his place shall be filled by the Secretary, whose mode of appointment and tenure of office is the same as the Governor's, and whose salary is $1,800 per annum. The Supreme Court shall consist of a chief justice and two associates, appointed by the President and Senate for four years, two of whom shall constitute a quorum, and who shall hold an annual term at the seat of gov ernment. The Territory shall be divided into three districts, in each of which one of the three justices shall reside, and hold a District Court, having the jurisdiction of United States District and Circuit Courts, in all cases arising under the laws or Constitution of the United States, for jury trials, subject to appeal to the Supreme Court, in which issues of law only are

heard. From the Supreme Court, writs of error and appeals shall lie to the Supreme Court of the United States, (as from a Circuit Court,) where the matter in dispute exceeds in value $1,000. Both the District and Supreme Courts shall possess chancery powers. Justices of the peace shall have no jurisdiction where the title or boundaries of land are concerned, or where the sun claimed exceeds $ 100. The judicial districts shall be defined, the judges assigned to them, and the times and places of holding the courts appointed by the Governor, subject to alteration by the Legislative Assembly. An attorney and marshal shall be appointed by the President and Senate, for four years, unless sooner removed by the President. Inhabitants of the Territory are secured all the rights, &c., heretofore granted to the inhabitants of Wisconsin; and the laws of Wisconsin, at the date of its admission as a State, shall be in force in Minesota, so far as compatible with this act, until repealed or modified. A delegate to the House of Representatives in Congress shall be chosen by a plurality of votes, for two years. $5,000 are appropriated for the purchase of a Territorial library. Sections sixteen and thirty-six in every township shall be reserved for schools.

All persons holding office, judicial or ministerial, at the time this act goes into effect, shall continue in office till superseded. And all civil or criminal proceedings pending in the courts of Wisconsin, now within the limits of this Territory, shall be tried in the proper District Courts of this Territory. All obligations valid under existing laws within the limits of Wisconsin shall be valid under this act; and all crimes and misdemeanours under said laws may be tried in the courts hereby established.

No. 53. An Act to establish the collection district of Brasos de Santiago, and for other purposes.

The district includes that part of the district of Saluria south and west of the north side of Padre Island, in the Gulf of Mexico. Point Isabel is made the port of entry, and the collector's salary is fixed at $1,750, inclusive of fees.

Merchandise duly entered at Point Isabel, and the duties paid or secured, may be sent by land to Fort Brown, or to any other place near there which may be designated by the Secretary of the Treasury, and be thence exported, with drawback, to any foreign country : Provided the exportation be within one year from the date of importation, and under the provisions of "An Act allowing drawback," &c., passed March 3, 1845. And any merchandise duly entered at Corpus Christi, and the duties paid or secured, may be transported to Loredo, and thence to Mexico, with drawback, with conditions as before. An additional inspector shall be appointed at Fort Brown, (or such other place as is designated by the Secretary,) and at Loredo.

A deputy collector is appointed at Chesapeake City, Md. Owners of vessels on New River, Onslow Co., N. C., may take out registers, or enrolments and licenses, at Wilmington. March 3, 1849.

No. 54. An Act to cause the northern boundary of the State of Iowa to be run and marked. March 3, 1849.

No. 55. An Act to amend the Act entitled "An Act supplemental to the Act for the admission of the States of Iowa and Florida into the Union."

For the purpose of trying issues of fact by a jury in the District Court, the district of Iowa is separated into three divisions, to wit: that part lying within the Dubuque land district, as altered by the "Act to establish an additional land district in Iowa," approved Aug. 8, 1846, constitutes the northern division, and a regular term shall be held at Dubuque, on the first Monday of every January. That part lying within the Iowa land district, established by said act, constitutes the middle division; and a regular term shall be held at Iowa City, on the first Monday of every October. The residue of the State constitutes the southern division; and a regular term shall be held at Burlington, on the first Monday of every June. Provision is made for adjournments, for intermediate terms of the court, and for the conducting of suits now pending. In cases where the defendants reside in different divisions of the district, the plaintiff may sue in any division where one defendant resides, serving the others with duplicate writs;-and in every case, not of a local nature, the suit must be brought where the defendants, or one of them, reside. The travel of the marshal is computed from Iowa City; but he shall keep an office at each of the places where the sessions

of the District Court are held. The District Court, in civil cases, shall have a concurrent jurisdiction with the Circuit Court. March 3, 1849.

No. 56. An Act to transfer the towns of Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Islesboro' from the collection district of Penobscot to that of Belfast, in the State of Maine. March 3, 1849.

No. 57. An Act to provide for the settlement of the accounts of public officers and others who may have received moneys arising from military contributions, or otherwise, in Mexico. All moneys raised in Mexico, by contributions or otherwise, and received by any officer of the United States army or navy, shall be charged against such officer, on the books of the Treasury Department, and accounted for by him in like manner as if the moneys had been drawn from the treasury of the United States; and if any part of said moneys have been expended for objects not usually embraced among those for which appropriations are made for that branch of the service to which the officer belongs, the sums so expended shall not be passed to his credit, except in the case of an officer of the army, on the certificate of the Secretary of War, and in the case of an officer of the navy, on the certificate of the Secretary of the Navy. And any balance due by such officer, on an adjustment of accounts, shall be paid into the treasury for general purposes. And any officer refusing or neglecting to settle his accounts, or to pay over a balance due, shall be proceeded against as in the case of disbursing officers. Where an officer has supervised the collection of military contributions at a Mexican port, and at the same time has exercised civil functions under the temporary government, or when any person has acted as collector, he shall be allowed a compensation, "assimilated in amount, as nearly as may be," (including the regular pay and emoluments, if an officer), to that of United States officers of the customs,— the allowance to be determined by the President. "And all officers of the army, and other persons in public employment, who have received payment for their services in collecting, keeping, or accounting for said moneys, and for other necessary services, are authorized to retain so much of the amounts so received as, in the opinion of the President of the United States, may be a fair compensation for said services."

The Secretary of the Treasury shall decide questions as to refunding duties collected or remitting penalties imposed in Mexico, and, under the direction of the President, he is required to pay, out of the money in the treasury raised from contributions, such sums as he determines to have been improperly levied or imposed. When accounts are rendered, with the approval of the proper officers, which appear to be for necessary expenditures, but which cannot be paid for want of specific appropriations, they may be paid out of the contribution fund, on the approval of the head of the department having charge of the branch of business to which the expenditure relates. In expenditures for secret services in the Mexican war, by direction of the commanding generals, the accounts shall be adjusted and paid in the same manner as by "An Act providing the means of intercourse," &c., passed Mar. 19, 1798. Where pursers in the navy, by direction of their commanding officers, have made disbursements for hostile operations on land, which operations have been approved by govern ment, they shall, by direction of the President, be credited therewith. And such parts thereof as have been received by officers of the army shall be charged to and accounted for by them. March 3, 1849.

No. 58. An Act declaring Fort Covington, in the State of New York, to be a port of delivery, and for other purposes. This act provides for a deputy collector at Chesapeake City, already provided for by act No. 53. March 3, 1849.

No. 59. An Act to incorporate the Oak Hill Cemetery, in the District of Columbia. March 3, 1849.

No. 60. An Act to provide for the payment of horses, and other property lost or de stroyed in the military service of the United States.

Any field, staff, or other officer, mounted militia-man, volunteer, ranger, or dragoon, engaged in the United States service since June 18, 1812, or who shall hereafter be in said ser vice, and who has lost or shall lose his horse by any of the casualties hereafter named, — viz. by the horse's being killed or mortally wounded in battle; by his being wounded in battle, and by the officer's order abandoned, and lost; by his death or abandonment because of the

dangers of the sea, when on board a United States transport; because the United States failed to supply means of transportation, and the owner was compelled by his officer's order to embark and leave him; because the United States failed to supply sufficient forage; because the owner was dismounted, and ordered to do duty at a station detached from his horse; or because, for lack of forage, the officer ordered the horse to be turned out to graze in woods, prairies, or commons, and he was thereby lost, - shall be paid for the same, or for the loss of necessary equipage, in consequence of the loss of his horse, the value thereof, not exceeding $200. But if payment has been made for use and risk of the horse, or for forage after his loss, it shall be deducted, unless the owner satisfy the paymaster that he was remounted, in which case the deduction shall be only for the time that he was on foot. A deduction shall also be made when the owner has been paid for clothing to which he was not entitled by law. Any person losing, without fault or negligence, a horse, mule, ox, wagon, cart, boat, sleigh, or harness, while such property was in the military service of the United States, and in actual employ, either by impressment or contract, (unless by the contract the owner was to take the risk,) either by capture or destruction by the enemy, by abandonment or destruction by the order of a competent officer, or by the failure of the United States to supply the animal with forage, or by unavoidable accident, shall be paid its value at the time he entered the service.

These claims shall be adjusted by the third auditor, under rules to be prescribed by the Secretary of War, with the assent of the President; and all adjudications, whether favorable or adverse, of the auditor shall be entered in a book, a copy of any entry wherein, if in favor of the claimant, certified by the auditor, shall entitle the claimant to payment at the Treasury. Any minor engaged in the United States service, and provided with a horse, equipments, or military accoutrements by his parent or guardian, and dying without paying for this property, and which shall be lost as stated above, shall be allowed pay therefor, on making satisfactory proof. And like payment shall be made to any person who, at his own risk, has furnished any person, other than a minor, engaged in the military service, with a horse, equipments, or with military accoutrements, and they have been lost as above. When horses have been condemned by a board of officers as unfit for the service, because the government has failed to supply forage, whenever it can be proved by legal and satisfactory evidence that such horse and equipage was turned over to the quartermaster, whether a receipt be produced or not, they shall be paid for. March 3, 1849.

X. PUBLIC RESOLUTIONS.

No. 1. A Resolution for the appointment of Regents in the Smithsonian Institution. Reappointing Hon. Rufus Choate, of Massachusetts, and Hon. Gideon Hawley, of New York. Dec. 19, 1848.

No. 2. A Resolution relating to the compensation of persons appointed to deliver the votes for President and Vice-President of the United States to the President of the Senate. The clause in the Civil and Diplomatic Appropriation Bill of 1848-49, providing for the payment of the messengers to convey the votes, &c., is repealed. Jan. 6, 1849. No. 3. A Resolution to defray the expenses of certain Chippewa Indians and their interpreter. See page 136. Feb. 22, 1849.

No. 4. Joint Resolution for the distribution of the Official Register, or Blue Book, among the several States. A full set, of one for each year, so far as is practicable, is to be furnished to every State library, and, where there is no State library, is to be deposited with the Secretary of State. March 2, 1849.

No. 5. Joint Resolution directing that the government of Russia be supplied with certain volumes of the Narrative of the Exploring Expedition, in lieu of those which were lost at sea, and for other purposes. March 2, 1849.

No. 6. A Resolution authorizing the Secretary of War to furnish arms and ammunition to persons emigrating to the Territories of Oregon, California, and New Mexico. The actual cost to the government shall first be paid, and the Secretary satisfied that the arms are to be used for the purpose specified. March 2, 1849.

No. 7. Joint Resolution relative to evidence in applications for pensions by widows of deceased soldiers, under the Act of July twenty-first, eighteen hundred and forty-eight. The returns (or the rolls) of the disease of which the soldier died, and the official opinion of the Surgeon-General, founded thereon, that from the nature of the disease it was contracted while the soldier was in the line of his duty, shall be considered satisfactory evidence thereof, without the proof now required at the pension-office; and it shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Pensions, in all applications under said act, to apply to the proper officers for said evidence, without requiring the applicant to furnish it. March 3, 1849.

No. 8. Joint Resolution granting to the Secretary of the Treasury further time to make the report concerning the sale and entry of certain lands in Cincinnati. The time named in the resolution of March 3, 1847, is extended until the next session of Congress. March 3, 1849.

No. 9. Joint Resolution authorizing the Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives to subscribe for a thousand copies of a further publication of the debates and proceedings of Congress, and for other purposes. March 3, 1849.

No. 10. Joint Resolution for the relief of pursers in the navy, as to expenditures made in pursuance of orders during the war with Mexico, and for other purposes. Pursers are to be credited with payments made by them for carrying on hostilities against Mexico during the late war, whether the expenditures were made on land or water: Provided, that the payment were made by order of the naval officer in command, and approved by the Secretary of the Navy, and that satisfactory vouchers are produced.

Every disbursement of public moneys, or disposal of public stores, made by order of a commanding officer of the navy, shall be charged to him, if objected to by the accounting officers of the Treasury, and shall be allowed to the disbursing officer, satisfactory evidence of the order and payment being produced. March 3, 1849.

No. 11. A Resolution to fix the meaning of the second section of an Act for changing the location of the land-office in the Chippewa land district, and establishing an additional land district in the State of Wisconsin. The word "Territory," in Sec. 2, Act No. 25, of this session, is construed to mean State. March 3, 1849.

No. 12. Joint Resolution for the purchase of copies of the General Navy Register and Laws. One copy is to be given to every commissioned officer now in the naval service, at a cost of not more than $3 per copy. March 3, 1849.

No. 13. A Resolution relative to the public printing. The Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, are empowered to pass upon all accounts for printing, and to make a pro rata reduction in compensation, or to refuse the work, if it be inferior to the standard, and to have the powers conferred upon the Joint Committee on Printing by the joint resolution of Aug. 3, 1846, said authority to cease at the beginning of the next session of Congress. March 3, 1849.

XI. POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT.

1. Post-Office Statistics for the Year ending June 30, 1848. Number of contractors,

Agents and messengers on railroad and steamboat mail-service,
Increase in aggregate length of routes, since July 1, 1847,

4,017

248

9,390

Number of post-offices supplied,

16,159

Increase of inland mail transportation since July 1, 1847, in miles, 2,124,680