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they shall establish a municipal government in conformity with the laws of the same State."

LAW.

April 24, 1835.

In relation to the decree of the Legislature of Coahuila and Texas, and the unoccupied lands of those states.

1. The decree of the Legislature of Coahuila and Texas, of the 14th of March of the present year, is contrary, in its first and second articles, to the law of the 18th of August 1824; consequently, the alienations of property made in pursuance of said decree, are void and of no effect.

2. In the exercise of the power which is reserved to the general congress in the 7th article of said law of the 18th of August 1824, the states on the frontiers and on the coast are prohibited from alienating their vacant lands for colonization, until the regulations proper to be observed therein shall be established.

3. If any one of those states desire to alienate any portion of their vacant lands, they cannot do so without the previous approbation of the general government, said government in every case shall be preferred, if they see fit to take it, and shall give to the state the corresponding indemnification.

4. The general government may, in accordance with the 3d and 4th articles of the law of the 6th of April 1830, purchase to that amount of the state of Coahuila and Texas the four hundred sitios which it says it is under the necessity of selling.

[Circulated by the secretary of relations on said 25th of April, and published by edict on the 2d of May following.]

The decree cited in Article 1 of the foregoing law is as follows: Supreme Government of the free states of Coahuila and Texas. The provisional governor of the state of Coahuila and Texas, in the exercise of supreme executive power, to all the inhabitants thereof. Know ye :

That the Congress of said state have decreed as follows:

The Constitutional Congress of the free, sovereign and independent state of Coahuila and Texas, have thought proper to decree :

1. The government may dispose to the extent of four hundred sitios of land, of the vacant lands of the state, in order to meet the urgent wants of the public, which are actually existing.

2. The colonization of said lands shall be regulated on the bases and conditions which may be considered expedient, without being subject to the provisions of the law of the 26th March of the last year.

3. The government will direct the measures necessary for the collection of the amounts due the state, whatever their source and origin.

The provisional constitutional governor will cause the same to be complied with, and to be printed, published and circulated.

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Providing for rendering effective the colonization of the lands which are, or should be the property of the Republic. All directions heretofore issued in relation to colonization, so far as they are contrary to this law, are repealed. See decree of the Supreme government of the 12th of the present month. The government with the consent of the Council, will proceed to give effect to the colonization of the lands which are, or should be the property of the Republic by means of sale, enfiteusis, or mortgage, applying the amount (which for the best lands should not be less than ten reals per acre) to the redemption of the national debt, contracted, or to be contracted, reserving always a sufficient amount in order to fulfil the promise to the troops who aided in achieving the independence, and for the rewards and grants decreed by Congress in favor of the native tribes or nations, and of those aiding in the restoration of Texas; not being hindered by the laws heretofore passed in relation to colonization, the provisions of which, so far as they are contrary to this law, are repealed, the prohibition of the 11th Article of the law of the 6th April, 1830 being renewed.

DECREE.

Mexico, 12th April, 1837.

Decree of the Supreme Government in virtue of the authority conferred by the Law of the 4th instant.

Creation of a national consolidated stock at an interest of 5 per cent. per annum, for the express purpose of converting the entire foreign debt and redeeming the same on the terms expressed.

1. A consolidated national stock with interest at five per cent. per annum, is hereby created for the sole and determinate object of converting the entire foreign debt if the existing creditors consent, and for the redemption of the same in the manner expressed in the following 'articles. For this purpose

Messrs. F. de Lizardy and Company are appointed as agents for the Republic in said transaction, and are authorized in the name of the Mexican nation to issue accordingly the bonds of said consolidated national stock in pounds sterling, payable in London on the 1st October, 1866 with coupons for interest in the margin payable every six months and running to the aforesaid date. These bonds shall also be viseéd by the minister plenipotentiary of the Republic at London or by the person acting in his stead.

2. The holders of the bonds of the foreign debt in circulation, the proceeds of the two loans negotiated in London at 5 and 6 per cent. interest, may convert the same together with the interest coupons over due, into bonds of the new consolidated stock on the following conditions. First: That the bonds of five per cent. interest shall be received in exchange, cent. per cent. Secondly: That those of six per cent. interest shall be at the rate of a hundred twelve and a half for a hundred. Third: That the over due coupons of interest of both loans shall be exchanged cent. per cent. Fourth: That they shall receive in payment of the sums which they desire to convert, one half of the amount in bonds of the consolidated stock at five per cent. interest, and the other half in public land scrip in the departments of Texas, Chihuahua, New Mexico, Sonora and the Californias, at the rate of four acres per pound sterling; and this scrip shall also bear interest at five per cent. to the day on which the owners are placed in possession of the lands, increasing thereby proportionally the amount of property acquired, and security shall be given by those interested that they will be present to take possession within the period designated in article 5th.

3. The interest on the bonds of the national consolidated stock, shall be payable in London, at intervals of six months, on the first days of April and October of each year, commencing on the first of October of the present year, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven. In the meantime and until arrangements are made for remitting periodically the funds destined to this object, the holders of the interest coupons which become due shall have the right to present them to the agents of the republic in London, on the day of their maturity, and to require of them in exchange for such coupons, a certificate of their value, viseéd in like manner by the minister of the republic at said court; and these shall be received on presentation as ready money in payment of a sixth part of the duties collected at the maritime. custom houses of Vera Cruz and Santa Anna de Tamaulipas. The agents of the republic in London shall not, consequently be at liberty to refuse to give such certificates when thereto requested by the holders of the unpaid coupons. In such case the value of each pound sterling shall be computed at the rate of five dollars, and the amount of each certificate shall be increas ed six per cent. in full compensation for difference of exchange and all expenses, including in such six per cent. one per cent., which the persons interested shall pay on receiving the certificates, to the agents, one fourth part

of which they shall relinquish in favor of the minister plenipotentiary of the Republic.

4. The public land scrip shall, in like manner be issued in the name of the Mexican nation by the agents aforesaid, and shall be viseéd by the diplomatic agent accredited at London, the tenor of which shall be as follows: "To all to whom these presents shall come,-Know Ye: That the Mexican nation acknowledges that (the name,) or his representative, is the proprietor of (the number) of acres of land in the department of (the place) of which he shall be placed in immediate and full possession by competent authority, with the aid of the public surveyor and on the delivery of this scrip. Dated at London (the day of the year.)" No scrip shall be issued for less than four hundred acres nor for more than ten thousand. Those interested shall pay to the agents on receiving their scrip at the rate of twelve reals for every hundred acres, and of these, three reals shall belong to the minister his visa.

5. The property of the land scrip may pass from person to person by endorsement, but after taking possession of the land of which the scrip gives the right, and receiving a new title, the same cannot be transferred to another person except in virtue of a public instrument of sale.

6. It is necessary that the scrip should be presented when the same is to be redeemed by the delivery of lands at the office of the secretary of the several departmental governments, in order that he may make a list of them as presented (obtaining a book for that purpose) with the view of giving to those interested a preference in the selection of land according to the order of presentation. For the same purpose, shall be delivered to them a certificate, in which shall appear the number and place entered in the scrip, in order that it may be presented to the local authorities, and this with the aid of the surveyor of the department, will give to them possession of the land which they select, taking care, without fail, to observe the 11th article of the law of the 6th April 1830, which declares :-" in the exercise of the authority reserved to the general Congress in the 7th article of the law of the 18th August, 1824, the colonization of foreigners of adjacent countries is prohibited in those states and territories which adjoin such foreign nations; consequently, contracts which are opposed to this law shall be suspended."

7. For the greater security of the payment of the principal and interest. of the consolidated stock, the Mexican government, in the name of the nation, specially pledges one hundred millions of acres of public land in the departments of the Californias, Chihuahua, New Mexico, Sonora and Texas, as a special guarantee of said stock until the total extinction of said debts; but if any sale shall be made of said lands so pledged, it shall be at least at the rate of four acres to the pound, and the proceeds shall be paid by the purchaser to the government agents in London, from whom alone can he receive the corresponding scrip, and they shall use the product of the sale in

the redemption of the bonds of the new consolidated stock, which also may be received in payment for said lands at the price said bonds bear in market.

8. The proper period for the making the application for the change of securities treated of in article 2nd of this decree, will be from the day on which the appropriate notice is published in London by the agents of the republic till the corresponding day of the following year; when this period shall have passed no further opportunity shall be afforded for such change. 9. During said period and until the thirty-first day of December 1839, the holders of the bonds of the consolidated stock shall have the right either on receiving them from the agents or at any other time, for the purpose of extinguishing the same to take in exchange public land scrip for the amount with ten per cent. premium added to the same, at the rate as aforesaid, of four acres to the pound sterling; but if this be not done before the first of January 1840, although the same right will be at all times recog nized of extinguishing these bonds by receiving scrip in like manner with ten per cent. premium, there shall not be granted to them more than three acres to the pound sterling.

10. Finally, those foreigners who in virtue of the scrip which they hold, come to the Republic and establish themselves in their new estates, shall acquire from that moment, the title of colonists, and they and their families shall enjoy all the rights and advantages which are or may be granted by law to other naturalized foreigners and on the same conditions: but it shall not be allowed that there be held by a single person or the owner, more than a league square of five thousand varas of regadio, four of superficie temporal, and six leagues of superficie de abrevadero; and the usufruct of the mines which are found in said lands, shall be subject to the provisions of the general mining ordinances. (Circulated on the same day by the department of the Treasury, and published by edict on the 17th May fol lowing.)

"Diario Del Gobierno.”—(Vol. II. No. 113.)

Mexico, November 27th, 1846. Department of Interior and Foreign Relations. His excellency the general charged with the Supreme executive power, has been pleased to send me the following decree.

"Jose Mariano de Salas, general, charged with the executive power of the Mexican United States, to the inhabitants of the Republic, Know ye:

That being authorized by the plan proclaimed in the citadel on the 4th of August last, to dictate all the measures which the security of the Republic may demand, and considering that one of the most necessary and urgent is that of promoting foreign immigration in order to people our immense lands which are at this time, the object of foreign cupidity; that for this purpose

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