Proviso. All oaths be administered by the register or receiver. vided, That the oath of the person or persons interested shall, in no case be deemed sufficient, in the absence of other corroborating testimony, to authorize any such change of entry: And provided, also, That nothing herein contained shall affect the right of third persons. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That either the register or reunder this act to ceiver may administer all oaths to be made under the provisions of this act, and every person, knowingly, wilfully, and corruptly, swearing falsely, on any oath administered to him or her under the provisions of this act, shall, on indictment and conviction for such offence, before any court having competent jurisdiction to try the same, suffer the pains and penalties of wilful and corrupt perjury. The register and receiver to receive 25 cents for every hun SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That for every oath administered under the provisions of this act, the register and receiver shall be allowed the sum of twenty-five cents, and twenty-five cents for every hundred words of the evidence received and transmitted to the commissioner of the general land office, to be paid by the party making the application the land office. for a change of entry. dred words of the evidence transmitted to APPROVED, May 24, 1824. STATUTE I. May 24, 1824. CHAP. CXXXIX.-An Act to improve the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi The President authorized to rivers. (a) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the President of the (a) Appropriations to improve the Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi rivers: Toward improving the navigation of the Missouri and Ohio rivers, act of May 23, 1828, ch. 73. For continuing to improve the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, fifty thousand dollars, act of March 3, 1829, ch. 52. For improving the navigation of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, fifty thousand dollars, act of April 23, 1830, ch. 72. For improving the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to be expended under the existing laws, fifty thousand dollars, act of March 2, 1831, ch. 58. For improving the navigation of the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers, fifty thousand dollars, July 3, 1832, ch. 153. For improving the navigation of the March 2, 1833, ch. 69. For improving the navigation of the June 28, 1834, ch. 103. Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers, fifty thousand dollars, Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers, fifty thousand dollars, For improving the navigation of the Ohio river below the falls, and the Missouri, and Mississippi rivers, fifty thousand dollars, March 3, 1835, ch. 26. For improving the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers from Louisville to New Orleans, sixty thousand dollars, July 2, 1836, ch. 259. For improving the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, from Pittsburg to New Orleans, under the act of second of March, 1831, seventeen thousand eight hundred dollars and four cents, July 1836, ch. 259. For continuing the improvement of the Ohio river, between the falls and Pittsburg, sixty thousand dollars, March 3, 1837, ch. 44. For continuing the improvement of the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, from Louisville to New Orleans, March, 1837, ch. 44. For continuing the work for the removal of the obstructions to the navigation of the Mississippi river, at its mouth, two hundred and ten thousand dollars, March 3, 1837, ch. 44. For continuing the improvement of the Mississippi river, above the mouth of the Ohio, and of the Missouri river, forty thousand dollars, March 3, 1837, ch. 44. For improving the navigation of the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers, and to replace the steam snag-boat Archimedes, sunk in the Mississippi river, in November last, twenty-three thousand dollars, March 3, 1837, ch. 44. For improving the Ohio river between the falls and Pittsburg, fifty thousand dollars, July 7, 1838, ch. 171. For continuing the improvement of the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, from Louisville to New Orleans, seventy thousand dollars, July 7, 1838, ch. 171. For continuing the improvement of the Mississippi river, above the mouth of the Ohio and of the Missouri river, twenty thousand dollars, July 7, 1838, ch. 171. For the continuation of improvements on the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Arkansas rivers, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, act of March 1, 1843, ch. 52. For the improvement of the Ohio river, between Pittsburg and the Falls of Louisville, one hundred thousand dollars, June 11, 1844, ch. 44. For the improvement of the Ohio river, below the falls of Louisville, and of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Arkansas rivers, one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, June 11, 1844, ch. 44. United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to cause the navigation of the Ohio river to be improved over the following sand bars, or either of them, at his discretion, to wit: the sand bar which crosses said river, one mile and a quarter below Flint Island; the sand bar two miles above French Island; the bar just below Henderson; the bar below Straight Island; the bar below Willow Island, in the Mississippi bend; and the bar opposite to lower Smithland, below Cumberland Island; and, for the purpose of ascertaining and directing the best method of carrying the provisions of this act into effect, he may employ any of the engineers in the public service which he may deem proper: Provided, nevertheless, That two experiments shall first be made upon two of the said bars, and if in his judgment they shall be successful, then, and not otherwise, he is hereby authorized to cause improvements to be made upon the remaining bars. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of improving the navigation of the Mississippi river, from the mouth of the Missouri to New Orleans, and of the Ohio river from Pittsburg to its junction with the Mississippi, the President of the United States is hereby authorized to take prompt and effectual measures for the removal of all trees which may be fixed in the bed of said river; and, for this purpose, he is authorized to procure and provide, in that way which in his discretion may be most eligible, the requisite water craft, machinery, implements, and force, to raise all such trees, commonly called " planters, sawyers, or snags," as may be found in the current of the said rivers at the lowest stage of water, and to saw or cut them off, as near as practicable to the bottom of the stream; and where trees are found upon sand bars, upon the points of islands, or near the bank of the river, which may, at the lowest stage of the water, endanger the safety of navigating said rivers, they shall in like manner be cut, removed, or sawed off; and all roots or limbs, belonging to those parts of said trees, which are fastened in the earth, shall be carefully cut away. 75,000 dollars SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions of this act, the sum of seventy-five thousand appropriated. dollars be, and is hereby, appropriated. And the President of the United States is hereby authorized to draw, from time to time, on the treasury, for such parts, or at any one time for the whole, of said sum, as he shall judge the service requires; which said sum shall be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. The President to lay before Congress at the commence SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the President be, and he is hereby, requested to cause to be laid before Congress, as soon as convenience will permit after the commencement of each session, a statement of the proceedings under this act, that Congress may be enabled ment of each to adopt such further measures as may, from time to time, be necessary under existing circumstances. APPROVED, May 24, 1824. session a statement of the proceedings. CHAP. CXL.-An Act to authorize the creation of a stock to an amount not exceeding five millions of dollars, to provide for the awards of the commissioners under the treaty with Spain, of the twenty-second of February, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That, for the purpose of providing funds to discharge the awards of the commissioners under the treaty with Spain, of the twenty-second day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized, with the approbation of the President of the United States, to cause to be issued and sold to the Bank VOL. IV.-5 STATUTE I. May 24, 1824. [Obsolete. The Secrcta ry of the Trea sury authorized to create a stock to an amount not exceeding 5,000,000 dollars, &c. Moneys received from the sale of certificates of said stock, to be applied to the pay ment of the awards under the treaty with Spain. Proviso. Interest accruing on said of the United States, or others, at a sum not less than the par value thereof, certificates of stock of the United States, to any amount not exceeding the sum of five millions of dollars, and bearing an interest of not exceeding four and one half per centum per annum, from the period of the sale thereof; which stock, so created, shall be redeemable at the pleasure of the United States, at any time after the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two. And, upon the sale of such stock, in manner aforesaid, credit or credits to the proprietors thereof, shall thereupon be entered and given on the books of the treasury, in like manner as for the present funded debt; which said credits or stock shall thereafter be transferable as other public stock of the United States. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the moneys which may be received from the issuing and sale of the aforesaid certificates of stock, shall [be,] and the same are hereby, directed to be applied to the payment and discharge of the awards of the commissioners under the treaty with Spain, of the twenty-second day of February, in the year eighteen hundred and nineteen. Provided, also, That in all cases where the person or persons, in whose name, or for whose benefit and interest, the aforesaid awards shall be made, shall be in debt and in arrears to the United States, the Secretary of the Treasury shall retain the same out of the amount of the aforesaid awards, in the first instance, and a warrant or certificate, as the case may be, shall only issue for the balance. (a) SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That a sum, equal to what will be necessary to pay the interest which may accrue on the said stock, to stock to be paid the end of the present year, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated for that purpose, to be paid out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. out of the trea sury. STATUTE I. May 24, 1824. Course to be veying lands. APPROVED, May 24, 1824. CHAP. CXLI.—An Act changing the mode of surveying the public lands, on any river, lake, bayou, or water-course. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United pursued in sur States of America, in Congress assembled, That, whenever, in the opinion of the President of the United States, a departure from the ordinary mode of surveying land on any river, lake, bayou, or water-course, would promote the public interest, he may direct the surveyor general, in whose district such land is situated, and where the change is intended to be made, under such rules and regulations as the President may prescribe, to cause the lands thus situated, to be surveyed in tracts of two acres in width, fronting on any river, bayou, lake, or water-course, and running back the depth of forty acres; which tracts of land, so surveyed, shall be offered for sale entire, instead of in half-quarter sections, and in the usual manner, and on the same terms, in all respects, as the other public lands of the United States. STATUTE I. APPROVED, May 24, 1824. May 25, 1824. CHAP. CXLV.-An Act to alter the times of holding the circuit and district courts of the United States for the district of South Carolina. (b) The times for holding the cir Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That instead of the times now (a) If, under the act of May 24, 1824, ch. 140, sec. 2, the Secretary of the Treasury omit to retain the amount of debt due to the United States from a person entitled by an award under the Spanish treaty, from money provided for the payment of such award, it does not prejudice the United States to proceed for payment of such debts against the general assignee, who has received the money from the treasury. The United States v. William Hunter, 5 Mason, C. C. R. 62. (b) Circuit and district courts in South Carolina. Act of September 24, 1789, (obsolete,) ch. 20, sec. 3. An act to alter the times for holding the circuit courts of the United States, in the district of South established by law, the circuit court for the district of South Carolina, shall, annually, be holden as follows, to wit: at Charleston on the second Tuesday of April, and at Columbia on the third Tuesday of November. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all suits, actions, writs, processes, and other proceedings, which now are pending in said circuit court, or which now are, or may hereafter be, commenced for, or returnable to the said circuit court, at the times and places heretofore established, shall be returnable to, heard, tried, and determined, in the said circuit court, at the times and places hereby respectively established for the holding thereof. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the passing of this act, the times of holding the district court of the United States at Laurens Courthouse, South Carolina, shall be so altered that the said court shall hereafter convene on the Tuesday next ensuing, after the adjournment of the circuit court of the United States at Columbia. APPROVED, May 25, 1824. CHAP. CXLVI.-An Act to enable the President to hold treaties with certain May 25, 1824. Indian tribes, 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 sum of ten thousand dollars be, and the same hereby is, appropriated, to defray the expenses of making treaties of trade and friendship with the Indian tribes beyond the Mississippi: and that the said sum shall be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of negotiating said treaties, on the part of the United States, the President shall be, and he hereby is, authorized to appoint suitable persons for commissioners, and to fix their compensation, so as not to exceed what has been heretofore allowed for like services. Appropriation for making trea ties with the Indians beyond the Mississippi. Commission ers to be appointed. Two subagents to be SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President shall be, and hereby is, authorized to appoint two sub-agents to be employed among employed. the Indian tribes, on the waters of the Upper Missouri, whose annual salary shall be eight hundred dollars each, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of Indian agents to designate, from time to time, certain convenient and suitable places for carrying on trade with the different Indian tribes, and to require all traders to trade at the places thus designated, and at no other place or places. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, and his successors in office, shall possess all the pow Indian agents to designate convenient places for carrying on trade, The power vested in the superintendent Carolina, and Georgia, and providing that the district court of Pennsylvania shall, in future, be held at the city of Philadelphia, (obsolete,) August 11, 1790, ch. 42. An act concerning the circuit courts of the United States, March 3, 1797, ch. 27. An act to amend the judicial system of the United States, April 29, 1802, ch. 31. An act for the more convenient arrangement of the times and places of holding the circuit courts of the United States, for the districts ofSouth Carolina and Georgia, April 24, 1816, ch. 74. An act to divide the state of South Carolina into two judicial districts, Feb. 21, 1823, ch. 11. An act to alter the times of holding the circuit and district courts of the United States, for the district of South Carolina, May 25, 1824, ch. 145. An act to amend an act, entitled "An act to alter the times of holding the circuit and district courts for the district of South Carolina," March 3, 1825, ch. 78. An act for altering the time of holding the session of the Supreme Court of the United States, and of the sessions of the circuit court of the United States, for the districts of South Carolina and Georgia, May 4, 1826, ch. 37. An act to alter the times for holding the sixth circuit court of the United States, for the district of South Carolina, Feb. 5, 1829, ch. 19. An act to change the times of holding the federal courts in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, March 1, 1845, ch. 39. at St. Louis. of Indian affairs ers, and be subject to all the duties of governors of territories, when exercising the office of superintendents of Indian affairs, and shall exercise a general supervision of the official conduct and accounts of Indian agents within his superintendency. 10,000 dollars appropriated for a military es cort. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the sum of ten thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to enable the President of the United States to furnish a competent military escort to the commissioners authorized to be appointed by this act, if, in his opinion, the same shall be necessary. APPROVED, May 25, 1824. STATUTE I. May 26, 1824. [Obsolete.] Further appropriations for the military ser vice. 1802, ch. 13. CHAP. CXLIX.—An Act making further appropriations for the military service of the United States, for the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, 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 following sums be, and the same are hereby, appropriated, to wit: For pay of a superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, and the several Indian agents, as allowed by law, twenty-six thousand five hundred dollars: For pay of the sub-agents, as allowed by law, thirteen thousand one hundred dollars: For presents to Indians, as authorized by act of one thousand eight hundred and two, ten thousand dollars: For contingent expenses, ninety-five thousand dollars: For making the surveys, compensation to the commissioners, and other March 3, 1823, incidental expenses, under the act "for establishing a national armory on the western waters," in addition to the sum heretofore appropriated by the said act, four thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars: ch. 71. Compensation to two clerks in the second auditor's office. 1818, ch. 87. 20,525 dollars and 70 cents ap- To be paid out of the trea sury. Proviso. Proviso. For the quartermaster's department, fuel, stationery, and contingencies of the military academy, eleven thousand five hundred dollars: For the salaries of two clerks in the second auditor's office, as authorized by the act of the twentieth April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, and not included in the letter of the Secretary of the Treasury, of the ninth of January, transmitting the annual estimates of appropriations for the present year, two thousand eight hundred dollars: SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the sum of twenty thousand five hundred and twenty-five dollars and seventy cents, in addition to the unexpended balance of the appropriation of the act of the seventh of May, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, of twenty-nine thousand four hundred and twenty-four dollars and thirty cents, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to enable the President of the United States to take the necessary measures for the extinguishment of the title of the Creek Indians to the land now occupied by them, lying within the limits of the state of Georgia. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the several sums hereby appropriated, shall be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated: Provided, however, That no money, appropriated by this act, shall be paid to any person for his compensation, who is in arrears to the United States, until such person shall have accounted for, and paid into the treasury, all sums for which he may be liable: Provided, further, That nothing in this section contained shall extend to balances arising solely from the depreciation of treasury notes, received by such person to be expended in the public service; but in all cases where the pay or salary of any person is withheld, in pursuance with this act, it shall be the |