claimant shall be confirmed in a quantity not exceeding ten acres: Provided, Nothing in this act contained shall be so construed as to affect the right, if any such there be, of any other person or persons to the said lots, or any part of them derived from the United States, or any other source whatever, or as a pledge on the part of the United [States,] to make good any deficiency occasioned by any other interfering claim or claims. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the surveyor of the public lands of the United States for that district, to cause a survey to be made of the several lots, and to designate on a plat thereof the lot confirmed and set apart to each claimant, and forward the same to the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall cause patents to be issued in favour of such claimants, as in other cases. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. Proviso. The several lots to be sur veyed. CHAP. LXIX.-An Act concerning the lands to be granted to the state of STATUTE II. March 3, 1823. Certain lands the state of Missouri for Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That, in all cases in which to be granted to section number sixteen, in any township within the state of Missouri, has been sold, or otherwise disposed of, it shall be the duty of the register schools. and receiver of the respective land office in whose district such land may lie, so soon after the passage of this act as may be, to select the like quantity of other lands equivalent thereto, from any of the unappropriated lands of the United States in that state, including the residue of such section, where only a part of it has been disposed of, and the value of the residue is not materially diminished by such disposition, and is nearly contiguous to such sixteenth section as may be; and a descriptive entry of such selected lands shall be made on the books of the register, specifying as well the township in which, as that for the use of which, the selection shall have been made; and the lands thus selected and located, are hereby granted to the said state for the use of the inhabitants of the respective townships, for the use of schools, instead of such sixteenth sections so sold or otherwise disposed of. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, in all cases in which the general assembly of the state of Missouri has selected, or shall hereafter select, a salt spring, for the use of the state, according to the provisions of an act of Congress of the sixth of March, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, and the six sections of unappropriated lands cannot be found adjoining to such spring, agreeably to the provisions of said act, the deficiency shall be supplied by the selection of other sections equivalent thereto, and not farther distant than six miles therefrom, of unappropriated lands of the United States in that state, and as nearly adjoining to such spring as may be, shall be subject to the selection of the legislature of the state for the use thereof; and such sections, when so selected and located, are hereby granted according to the provisions of said act: and authenticated copies of the selections made by the register and receiver, under the provisions of this act, shall be furnished the state, and returns transmitted to the Secretary of the Treasury, of the selections now made, and of those to be made, immediately after such selections shall have been made, either by the register and receiver, or by the legis lature of the State. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. Certain lands granted to salt springs. Act of March 6, 1820, ch. 22. STATUTE II. March 3, 1823. CHAP. LXX.-An Act supplementary to "An act relating to the ransom of American captives of the late war. March 1, 1817, ch. 29. the act of March 1, 1817, respecting the ransom of American captives, extended. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the act, entitled "An Provisions of act relating to the ransom of American captives of the late war," passed the first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, be so construed as to embrace within its provisions all officers, soldiers, and persons, attached to, and followers of, the army of the United States, who were captured and made prisoners by the enemy, and who were ransomed during the late war with Great Britain; and that the proper accounting officer of the War Department be, and he is hereby, authorized and required to adjust and settle the accounts of any person, his assigns or his legal representatives, who may have purchased and ransomed from captivity any citizen, officer, soldier, or other person aforesaid, upon equitable principles: Provided, The evidence produced in support of such accounts shall be the best in the power of the claimant, and sufficient to satisfy the accounting officer of the justice of the claim; Provided also, That in no case shall a greater sum than one hundred and fifty dollars be allowed for the ransom of any one person. Proviso. Proviso. Accounting officer authorized to adjust and settle accounts for clothing fur nished. Proviso. Sums to be SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of such accounting officer, and he is hereby authorized and required, to adjust and settle the accounts of any person, his assigns, or his legal representatives, who shall have furnished proper and necessary articles of clothing to, and for the use of, any citizen, officer, soldier, or other person, purchased and ransomed from captivity during the late war with Great Britain, aforesaid: Provided, It shall be satisfactorily proved, and made to appear, to such accounting officer, that the apparel and clothing so furnished were necessary, at the time, to the safety, support, and comfort, of the person ransomed; and that the articles charged were applied to the clothing of such prisoners, and to no other purpose whatever. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all sums of money to be paid out of the audited and allowed under this act, and the act to which this is an amendTreasury. ment, shall be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. STATUTE II. March 3, 1823. President au thorized to employ an engineer to examine a site for a national armory on the western waters. Appropriation. CHAP. LXXI.-An Act to establish a national armory on the western waters. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized to employ a skilful engineer or officer of the ordnance department, with such other person or persons as he may judge proper, to examine the most suitable site for a national armory on the western waters; and that the said engineer, and such other person or persons be requested to report the result of their examinations to Congress at the commencement of its next session, particularly designating the sites by them examined, with the comparative advantages of each, and an estimate showing the amount necessary for purchasing each, and erecting all necessary buildings thereon. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the sum of five thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, to effect the object of this act. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. CHAP. LXXII.-An Act respecting the punishment of piracy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That, from and after the passage of this act, the district courts of the United States, in districts where no circuit courts are holden, shall have cognisance of all cases arising under an act of Congress, approved May fifteenth, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, entitled "An act to continue in force an act to protect the commerce of the United States, and punish the crime of piracy; and, also, to make further provisions for punishing the crime of piracy," and shall have the same power and jurisdiction therein, as the circuit courts of the United States, under the same act. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. STATUTE II. March 3, 1823. May 15, 1820. ch. 113. District courts to take cogni sance of piracy. RESOLUTIONS. I. RESOLUTION requiring from the secretary of the Senate and clerk of the House March 1, 1823. of Representatives, an annual statement of the expenditures from the contingent fund of the two Houses. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of Representatives be, and they are hereby, required to lay before the two Houses, respectively, at the commencement of each session of Congress, a table or statement showing the names and compensation of the clerks employed in their respective offices, and the names and compensation of the messengers of the respective Houses; together with the detailed statement of the items of expenditure of the contingent fund of the respective Houses for the next immediately preceding year; in which statement the disbursements shall be arranged under the following heads, to wit: first, printing; second stationery, and distinguishing under this head the articles furnished for the use of the members, from those furnished for the offices of the secretary and clerk, and specifying the number of reams of each kind of paper; third, book-binding; fourth, fuel; fifth, newspapers, specifying under this head the amount of orders given at the preceding session, as well as the payments made; sixth, the post-offices; seventh, the repairs and preservation of the furniture; eighth, services of messengers and horses; ninth, miscellaneous items not included under the preceding heads. Which statements shall exhibit, also, the several sums drawn by the said secretary and clerk, respectively, from the treasury, and the balances, if any, remaining in their hands. APPROVED, March 1, 1823. Secretary of the Senate and clerk of the House of Rep nish a detailed quired to furstatement of their expendi tures under different heads. II. RESOLUTION to direct the withholding of the compensation of certain prize March 3, 1823. agents. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That from and after the first day of July, next ensuing, no prize agent who has not accounted for the prize moneys with which he has heretofore been intrusted for the benefit of the officers and crews of any public armed vessel or vessels of the United States, shall receive from the treasury of the United States any salary or compensation to which he may be entitled, until he shall have accounted for, or repaid into the treasury, all sums so intrusted to him for disbursement. APPROVED, March 3, 1823. Compensation to be withheld prize agents. from certain Notes of the acts relative to Alabama, 564 American Captives of the late War. Apportionment of Representatives in Congress. An act making appropriations for furnishing 81 An act making partial appropriations for the . 105 106 Appropriations for the support of government |