A surveyor of the lands of the United States to he appointed for that part of the Mississippi territory described; his duties, compensation, &c.

Statute II. Chap. LXII.—%fl» Act to atUHorize the appointment of a surveyor for the lands in March 3, 1817. the northern part of the Mississippi territory, and the sale ofcertain lands therein ~ described.

Be, it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That a surveyor of the lands of the United States in the Mississippi territory, lying north of an east and west line, to be drawn from the river Mississippi, through fort Williams, to the western boundary line of the state of Georgia, shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to engage a sufficient number of skilful surveyors as his deputies, and to cause the lands above mentioned, which have not already been surveyed, and to which the Indian title has been extinguished, to be surveyed and divided in the manner provided by law for the surveying of the other' public lands of the United States in the Mississippi territory, to do and perform all such acts in relation to the said lands, to transmit plats of survey in the manner, and to fix the compensation of the deputy surveyor, chain-carriers, and axe-men, under the same restrictions and limitations of expense in surveying, as is by law directed and provided for the regulation of the powers and duties of the surveyor of the lands south of the state of Tennessee, in relation to the other public lands in the Mississippi territory. And the said surveyor, appointed in pursuance of this act, shall be entitled to receive, for his services, one thousand five hundred dollars, as an annual compensation.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That all the lands of the United States in the Mississippi territory, to which the Indian title has been extinguished, lying north of the aforesaid east and west line, and which has not heretofore been offered for sale, shall be attached to, and made a part of, the laud district of Madison, in the said territory.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the lands, by this act attached to the district of Madison, after having been surveyed according to law, shall, with the exception of the section No. 16, in each township, which shall be reserved for the support of schools therein, and with the further exception of such sections, not exceeding ten in number, as the President shall designate, for the purpose of laying out and establishing towns thereon, be offered for sale to the highest bidder, under the direction of the register of the land office, and the receiver of public moneys, at the place where the land office is kept, and on such day, or days, as shall, by proclamation of the President of the United States, be designated for that purpose; the sales shall remain open two weeks, and no longer. The lands shall not be sold for less than two dollars an acre, and shall in every other respect be sold in tracts of the same size, and on the same terms, and conditions, as have been, or may be, provided for lands sold in the same district. All the lands offered for sale, and remaining unsold at the close of the said public sales, may be disposed of at private sale by the register of the land office, in the same manner, for the same price, and on the same terms and conditions, as are,[or] may be, provided for the sale of other lands in the same district, and patents shall be granted in the same manner, and on the same terms, as for other lands in the said district .

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the register and receiver of public moneys shall each receive five dollars, for each day's attendance in directing the public sales, directed by this act .

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States be, and he hereby is, authorized to cause the sections, reserved as aforesaid, for establishing towns thereon, to be laid off into lots, under the direction of the surveyor appointed as aforesaid; and when the survey of the lots shall be completed, plats thereof shall be transmitted to the commissioner of the general land office, and the register 6f the land

Lands to be attached to Madison district.

Lands attached to Madison district,with the exception of section No. 16, to be offered for sale, &c.

Lands not to be sold for less than two dollars per acre.

Lands remaining unsold may be disposed of at private sale, &c.

Five dollars per day to the register and receiver.

The sections reserved to be laid off into lots, too.

Plats, &c.

To be sold on the same terms as other lands, except, &c.

Proviso; as to the price of each lot, &c.

Statute II. March 3, 1817.

Reporter to receive 1,000 dolls, per annum.

Proviso; decisions to be printed and published withm six months, &c.

Eighty copies to be delivered to the Secretary of State.

Distribution of the eighty copies, &c.

office, and the lots shall be offered, to the highest bidder, at public sale,
on such day or days as the President shall, by his proclamation, designate
for that purpose, and shall be sold on the same terms and conditions, in
every respect (except as to the quantity of land) as have or may be provided
for the sale of the other public lands in the said district; Provided, That
no lot shall be sold for a less price than at the rate of six dollars per
acre; nor shall there be reserved for the purpose aforesaid, more than'
one section in any one township.
Approved, March 3, 1817.

Copies distributed to be delivered up to successors, &c.

This act in force for three years.

Statute II. March 3, 1817.

Chap. LXIII.—An Act to provide for reports of the decisions of the Supreme

Court. (a)

Se it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the reporter who shall, from time to time, be appointed by the Supreme Court of the United States, to report its decisions, shall be entitled to receive, from the treasury of the United States, as an annual compensation for his services, the sum of one thousand dollars: Provided, nevertheless, The said compensation shall not be paid unless the said reporter shall print and publish, or cause to be printed and published, the decisions of said court, made during the time he shall act as such reporter, within six months after such decisions shall be made, and shall deliver eighty copies of the decisions, so printed and published, to the Secretary of State, without any expense to the United States, and which copies shall be distributed as follows, to wit: to the President of the United States, the judges of the Supreme Court, and the judges of the district courts, the attorney general of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the comptroller of the treasury, the Postmaster General, the commissioner of the revenue, the commissioner of the general land office, the judges of the several territories of the United States, the secretary of the Senate, the clerk of the House of Representatives, the auditor of the treasury, the register of the treasury, the treasurer of the United States, the paymaster general, the accountants of the War and Navy Departments, and to the commissioners of the navy, one copy each: and the residue of said copies shall be deposited in, and become part of, the library of Congress.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That, in case of the death, resignation, or dismission from office, of either of the officers before mentioned, the said copies of the decisions, delivered to them as aforesaid, shall belong to, and be delivered up to, their respective successors, in the said offices.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That this act shall be, and continue in force for three years, and no longer.

Approved, March 3, 1817.

Chap. LXV.—An Act to fix the. pence establishment of the marine corps. Beit enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the peace establishment of the marine corps shall consist of the following officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians and privates, viz: one lieutenant colonel commandant, nine captains, twenty-four first lieutenants, sixteen second lieutenants, one adjutant and inspector, one paymaster and one quarter'master, to be taken from the said captains and lieutenants, seventy-three corporals, forty-two drums and fifes, and seven hundred and fifty privates.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States cause the provisions of this act to be carried into effect on the first day of April next, or as soon thereafter as circumstances will admit,and cause any supernumerary officers to be discharged from the service of the United States; and to all persons so discharged, there shall be paid three months.' additional pay.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States may, in the recess of the Senate, appoint any of the officers authorized by this act, which appointments shall be submitted to the Senate at their next session, for their advice and consent .

Approved, March 3, 1817.

Act of April 16,1814,ch.58.

Supernumerary officers to be discharged, &c.

The President may appoint any of the officers in the recess.

Statute II.

Chap. LXVII.—An Act making an appropriation for opening and cutting out a March 3, 1817. road therein described.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the sum of four thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated, and payable out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of opening and cutting out a road from Reynoldsburgh, on Tennessee river, in the state of Tennessee, through the Chickasaw nation, to intersect the Natchez road near the south end of the Chickasaw old town, agreeable to the survey and marked lines heretofore made by Messrs. Johnson and Dickson, commissioners, appointed by the President of the United States; and that the opening of said road shall be under the direction of the Secretary of War.

Approved, March 3, 1817.

[Obsolete.

4,000 dolls, appropriated for cutting out a road agreeably to the survey, &c. of Johnson and Dickson.

Under direction of the Secretary of War.

Chap. LXIX.—An Act to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to cause repayments to be made of certain alien duties.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby directed to cause to be repaid, or remitted, all alien or discriminating duties, either upon tonnage or merchandise imported, in respect to all British vessels which have been entered in ports of the United States at any time between the seventeenth of August, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, and the twenty-second of December in the same year, excepting only such duties as may have been paid or secured on the tonnage of ships, or upon the merchandise imported therein, which ships have been entered in the United States from a colony or district, into or with which vessels of the United States are not ordinarily permitted to enter and trade.

Approved, March 3, 1817.

Statute II. March 3,1817.

[Obsolete.] Discriminating duties paid on British vessels, from the 17th Aug. to 22d Dec. 1815, to be repaid, &c.

Exception.

Statute II.

Chap. LXXXV.—An Act to repeal so much of any acts now in force as author- March 3, 1817.

ize a loan of money, or an issue of Treasury notes. [Obsolete.]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United iz££fos°TMth<££

States of America, in Congress assembled, That so much of any act, or repealed.' Vol. III.—48 2 i 2

Proviso; as to securities for money heretofore borrowed.

Acts authorizing treasury notes to be issued, repealed.

Proviso ; as to right of holders, to.

So much of the act mentioned, as authorizes a reissue of the treasury notes, repealed.

Feb. 24,1815, ch. 56.

Treasury notes now, or which may bocome, the property of the United States, to be cancelled.

acts of Congress as authorizes the President of the United States to borrow money on the credit of the United States, and to cause certificates of stock to be issued for [money] so borrowed, be, and the same is hereby repealed; Provided, always, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to invalidate, or in any way affect, any securities or claims for money heretofore borrowed under the said acts.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That so much of any act, or acts, of Congress as authorizes the President of the United States to cause treasury notes to be prepared, signed and issued, be, and the same is hereby repealed; Provided, always, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to affect the rights of any persons who may be the holders of treasury notes already issued.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That so much of the act, entitled "An act to authorize the issuing of treasury notes for the service of the year one thousand eight hundred and fifteen," as makes it lawful for the Secretary of the Treasury to cause the treasury notes, [in] cases therein mentioned, to be re-issued and applied anew to the same purposes, and in the same manner, as when originally issued, be, and the same is hereby repealed.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all treasury notes which are now, or shall hereafter become, the property of the United States, (from reimbursement, purchase, exchange, or receipts, on account of taxes, duties, and demands,) shall be cancelled or destroyed at such times, and under such regulations and securities, as the commissioners of the sinking fund, with the approbation of the President, shall establish and determine.

Approved, March 3, 1817.

Statute II. March 3, 1S17.

[Obsolete.] Additional appropriation for defraying the expenses of the military establishment, and those incurred by calling oul the militia.

15,000 dolls, for ascertaining Indian boundary line, &c.

Chap. LXXXVI.—An Act making additional appropriations to defray the expenses of the army and militia during the late war with Great Britain.

Beit enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That, for defraying the expenses of the military establishment, and those incurred by calling out the militia during the late war with Great Britain, in addition to the sums heretofore appropriated by law for these objects, the following sums be, and the same are hereby appropriated, viz:

For pay of the army and militia, including the sum of three hundred thousand dollars, exclusive of interest, advanced by the state of Pennsylvania for defraying the expenses of the militia of said state, during the late war, seven hundred and thirty thousand dollars.

For subsistence, two hundred thousand dollars.

For the quarter [master's] department, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

For the ordnance department, one hundred and forty-four thousand dollars.

For the payment of balances due to certain states, on account of disbursements for militia employed in the service of the United States, during the late war, seven hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.

For paying the expenses incurred in ascertaining and surveying the boundary lines established by the treaty lately made with the Creek Indians, fifteen thousand dollars.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the several sums, hereby appropriated, be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved, March 3, 1817.

Chap. LXXXVII.—An Ml to provide for the redemption of the public debt.

Be it enacted by the JSenate and House of Representatives of the United

States of America, in Congress assembled, That so much of any act or

acts of Congress, as makes appropriations for the purchase or reimburse

Wnent of the principal, or for the payment of the interest, of the funded

debt of the United States be, and the same is hereby repealed.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That* from the proceeds of the duties on merchandise imported, and on the tonnage of vessels, and from the proceeds of the internal duties, and of the sales of western lands, now belonging, or which may hereafter belong, to the United States, the annual sum of ten millions of dollars be, and the same is yearly, appropriated to the sinking fund; and the said sum is hereby declared to be vested in the commissioners of the sinking fund, in the same manner as the moneys heretofore appropriated to the said fund, to be applied by the said commissioners to the payment of interest and charges, and to the reimbursement or purchase of the principal of the public debt; and it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury annually to cause to be paid to the commissioners of the sinking fund, the said sum of ten millions of dollars, in such payments, and at such times in each year, as the situation of the treasury will best admit: Provided, That all such payments as may be necessary to enable the said commissioners to discharge or reimburse any demands against the United States, on account of the principal or interest of the debt which shall be actually due in conformity to the engagements of the said United States, shall [and] may be made at such times in each year as will enable the said commissioners faithfully and punctually to comply with such engagement: Provided also, That any money which may have been paid, before the passage of this act, to the commissioners of the sinking fund for the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, as a part of the annual appropriation heretofore made by law to that fund, shall be held to be a payment for the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, on account of the appropriation of ten millions hereinbefore directed.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That in addition to the sum of ten millions of dollars, hereinbefore annually appropriated to the sinking fund, there shall be appropriated for the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, to the sinking fund, the further sum of nine millions of dollars, to be paid out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, at such time within the year as the Secretary of the Treasury shall deem most conducive to the public interest, to be applied by the commissioners of the sinking fund to the purchase or redemption of the public debt: and it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the Trea* sury, at any time during the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, if he shall deem it expedient to do so, to cause to be paid to the commissioners of the sinking fund a further sum, not exceeding four millions of dollars, which shall be considered as an advance to that amount, on the appropriation of ten millions, payable in the next year, and the said amount shall also be applied by the said commissioners to the purchase or redemption of the public debt, and the commissioners aforesaid are authorized and directed to apply the sums by this act appropriated to the purchase and redemption of the public debt, holden by the Bank of the United States, if not otherwise to be obtained on the terms stated in this act .

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That after the year one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, whenever there shall be, at any time after an adjournment of Congress, in any year, a surplus of money in the treasury, above the sums appropriated for the service of such year, the payment of which to the commissioners of the sinking fund, will yet leave in the treasury, at the end of the year, a balance equal to two millions of dol