until such inability is removed, or successor is duly elected and qualified. The city council shall also have power to appoint city policemen, fix their pay, prescribe their duties, and remove them at pleasure.

SEC. 16. The city council shall keep a record of all its proceedings, which shall be duly entered in a well bound book kept for that purpose, which shall be subject to inspection at any time, and kept as other records; and it shall be the duty of the mayor, marshal and treasurer, to make an annual report, on the first day of October in each year, of their official acts and condition of the various departments of the city government of which they have charge, which shall likewise be entered upon the minutes.

SEC. 17. That the city council shall have power to issue bonds of the city in amount not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars, the sale of which shall be appropriated to educational purposes, and none other; provided, that a majority of the registered voters of the city shall vote in favor of the same; that the city council shall fix the term of years the bonds shall run, the rate of interest, and that an election shall be held for this purpose, and conducted in the same manner as an election for city officers. And should said bonds be authorized, the council, by ordinance, before issuing said bonds, shall levy an ad valorem tax on all the taxable property of the city, sufficient to raise a fund to pay the annual interest on said bonds, and to create a sinking fund of two per cent. per annum on the principal of said bonds. The payment of the interest, sinking fund, and other matters incidental to the issuance and sale of said bonds, not herein provided for, shall be regulated by ordinance, and spread upon the minutes of said council.

SEC. 18. That the mayor shall have and exercise all the powers, and have jurisdiction both in civil and criminal cases as of a justice of the peace within the limits of the city, and shall receive the same fees and be governed by the same rules as are prescribed by law for justices of the peace; and for all violations of the city ordinances he shall receive such fees as the council may prescribe.

SEC. 19. That in case of vacancy in any of the elective offices of this city, by death, resignation or otherwise, the mayor shall immediately order an election to fill said vacancy, and shall give at least ten days' public notice of the same. He shall have power to punish a contempt of

his court by fine and imprisonment, or either, in the same manner as a justice of the peace. His salary shall be fixed by the board of aldermen, not to exceed twelve hundred dollars per annum. The compensation of aldermen shall be fixed by the council, not to exceed three dollars per day.

SEC. 20. That the city marshal shall be chief of police, and shall have the same power as a constable, and shall receive the same fees for similar services; and for all violations of the city ordinances he shall receive such fees as the council may prescribe, and in addition shall receive such salary as the city council shall prescribe, not exceeding eight hundred dollars per annum. He shall also execute a bond, with good and sufficient security, in a sum to be fixed by the city council and approved by the mayor, payable to the city of Corsicana, for the faithful performance of his duties, as specified in the statutes for the bonds of constables, with the same conditions, which said bonds shall be liable in an action upon the same by any one injured, in the same way as the constable's bond.

SEC. 21. That the city treasurer shall safely keep all moneys belonging to the corporation, upon the draft of the mayor ordered by the council, and perform all such other duties as may be assigned to him by the by-laws, rules and ordinances of said corporation. He shall receive for his services a commission not exceeding two and onehalf per cent. on all moneys received by him, and not more than two and one-half per cent. on all moneys paid out by him. He shall also give bond, with good and sufficient security, for the faithful performance of his duties, in a sum to be fixed by the city council.

SEC. 22. That all laws and parts of laws heretofore passed, in conflict with the provisions of this act, be and the same are hereby repealed; provided, that all ordinances, by-laws and regulations, heretofore passed by the city council of said corporation not in conflict with this act, be and the same shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 23. That the present mayor and other elective officers provided for herein shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and qualified under the provisions of this act.

SEC. 24. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Passed May 20th, 1873.

[NOTE.-The foregoing act was presented to the Governor of Texas for his approval on the twenty-sixth day of May, A. D. 1873, and was not signed by him, or returned to the house in which it originated, with his objections thereto, within the time prescribed by the Constitution, and thereupon became a law without his signature.JAMES P. NEWCOMB, Secretary of State.]

CHAPTER CLXXXIX.

An Act for the relief of Lycurgus E. Griffith.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the Commissioner of the General Land Office be and he is hereby authorized to issue a patent for one league and one labor of land to Lycurgus E. Griffith, assignee of Sarah Ussery, in lieu of a certain patent No. 238, vol. 12, issued, by mistake of name in the act authorizing the same, to Sarah Ursey instead of to Sarah Ussery, by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, and dated August 25th, 1855; provided, that before the issuance of said patent to assignee, said patent No. 238, vol. 12, be returned to and corrected by the Commissioner of the General Land Office.

SEC. 2. That this act take effect and be in force from from and after its passage.

Passed May 20th, 1873.

[NOTE. The foregoing act was presented to the Governor of Texas for his approval on the twenty-first day of May, A. D. 1873, and was not signed by him, or returned to the house in which it originated, with his objections thereto, within the time prescribed by the Constitution, and thereupon became a law without his signature.--JAMES P. NEWCOMB, Secretary of State.]

CHAPTER CXC.

An Act granting Land to the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company, in aid of the improvement of the navigation from Bolivar Channel, near the Gulf of Mexico, to the City of Houston.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That there shall be granted to the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company, upon the completion of a channel of navigation through Morgan's Point and Buffalo Bayou to the city of Houston, not less than sixty feet wide at the surface of the water, with a slope of one and a half to one toward the bottom, and not less than six feet deep at average tide, six sections of land, of six hundred and forty acres each, per mile, for each mile of navigation opened up by said improvement, from the Gulf of Mexico, at Bolivar Channel, to the city of Houston; providing, also, that there shall then be existing a channel of the same width and depth from the Bolivar Channel through Red Fish Bar; and provided, also, that should the navigation from the Bolivar Channel through Red Fish Bar be opened up by the government of the United States, then the said company shall only be entitled to receive the said lands upon the distance of navigation opened up from the terminus of the United States government work at Red Fish Bar, to the city of Houston; and provided, also, that the said channel shall be completed within two years from the passage of this act.

SEC. 2. That upon the completion of a channel of navigation through Morgan's Point and Buffalo Bayou to the city of Houston, not less than ninety feet wide at the surface of the water, with a slope of one and a half to one toward the bottom, and eight feet deep at ordinary tide, there shall be granted to the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company five sections of land, of six hundred and forty acres each, per mile, in addition to that granted in section one of this act, for each mile of navigation opened up by said improvement from the Gulf of Mexico. at Bolivar Channel, to the city of Houston; provided, also, that there shall then be existing a channel of the same width and depth from Bolivar Channel, at the Gulf of Mexico, to Red Fish Bar; and provided, also, that should the navigation from Bolivar Channel through Red

Fish Bar be opened up by the government of the United States, then the said company shall only be entitled to receive the said lands upon the distance of navigation opened up from the termínus of the government work at Red Fish Bar to the city of Houston; and provided, also, that the said channel shall be completed within three years from the passage of this act.

SEC. 3. That upon the completion of a channel of navigation through Morgan's Point and Buffalo Bayou to the city of Houston, not less than one hundred and twenty feet wide at the surface of the water, with a slope of one and a half to one toward the bottom, and nine feet deep at average tide, there shall be granted to the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company five sections of land, of six hundred and forty acres each, per mile, in addition to that granted in sections one and two of this act, for each mile of navigation opened up by said improvement from the Gulf of Mexico at Bolivar Channel to the city of Houston; providing also, that there shall then be existing a channel of the same width and depth from Bolivar Channel through Red Fish Bar; provided, however, that should the navigation from the Bolivar Channel through Red Fish Bar be opened up by the government of the United States, then the said company shall only be entitled to receive the said lands upon the distance of navigation opened up from the terminus of the United States government work at Red Fish Bar to the city of Houston; and provided also, that said channel shall be completed within four years from the passage of this act.

SEC. 4. Upon the application of the president of said company, or any duly authorized agent thereof, stating that either of the channels of navigation provided for in this act have been completed and opened up as is provided for in this act, it shall be the duty of the Governor to require the State engineer, or to appoint an engineer, to examine the said work and the line of navigation opened up at the expense of said company; and upon his certifi cate under oath that said channel of navigation has been completed as is provided in this act, and is ready for use, the Governor shall give information of that fact to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, whose duty it shall be to issue to said company the number of land certificates authorized by this act to be issued for the number of miles of navigation opened up and completed and