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disclosed, &c.

An agent to

act in behalf

facts may not which this is an amendment, the said commissioner shall be aube sufficiently thorized, in all cases where he shall adjudge the facts not to be sufficiently disclosed to allow a just decision between the claimants and the United States, to award a new commission as aforesaid; and, also, in all cases in which the said commissioner shall deem it proper, to appoint an agent to act in behalf of the United States, in executing said commissions; and it shall be the duty of the commissioner, or commissioners, taking evidence in any case, to make inquiry whether any evidence may be had which may be favorable to the interest of the United States, and to take such evidence, and transmit the same to the said commissioner in like manner.

of the U. States, if per, &c.

deemed pro

for horses, mules, wagons, &c.

Compensation § 3. That any person in the late war aforesaid, who has sustained damage by the loss of any horse, mule, ox, wagon, cart, boat, sleigh, or harness, while such property was in the military service of the United States, either by impressment or contract, except in cases where the risk to which the property would be exposed was agreed to be incurred by the owner, if it shall appear that such loss was without any fault or negligence on the part of the owner, shall be allowed and paid the value thereof.

Provisions of this and former acts ex

$4. That the provisions of this act, and the act to which it is an amendment, shall be, and are hereby, extended to cases of tended to pro- property lost, captured, or destroyed, in the wars with the Indian perty lost, &c. tribes, subsequent to the eighteenth day of February, and prior Indian tribes, to the first day of September, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, in the same manner as if lost, captured, or destroyed, in the late war with Great Britain.

in war with

&c.

Claims to be

secretary of war, &c. Manner of paying the claims, &c.

5. That all claims allowed by said commissioner, of two revised by the hundred dollars or upwards, shall be, revised by the secretary of war, on a statement of the facts made to him by the aforesaid commissioner, and may be confirmed or rejected: and the amount of all claims allowed by the aforesaid commissioner, less than two hundred dollars, and those of two hundred dollars and upwards, if confirmed by the secretary of war, shall be paid in the manner prescribed in the tenth and fourteenth sections of the act to which this is an amendment. [Approved, March 3, 1817.]

Vol. i. p. 506. CHAP. 287. An act supplementary to " An act for the relief of persons imprisoned for debts due to the United States."

Any person imprisoned on execution for debt to the

United States,

and unable to pay it, &c.

may apply to

the president,

&c.

§ 1. Be it enacted, &c. That any person imprisoned upon execution for a debt due to the United States, which he shall be unable to pay, if his case shall be such as does not authorize his discharge by the secretary of the treasury, under the powers given him by the act, entitled "An act providing for the relief of persons imprisoned for debts due to the United States," make application to the president of the United States, and upon proof being made to his satisfaction that such debtor is unable to pay the debt, and upon a compliance by the debtor with such terms and conditions as the president shall deem proper, he may order the discharge of such debtor from his imprisonment, and he shall be accordingly discharged, and shall not be liable to be remain good, imprisoned again for the same debt; but the judgment shall re

Judgment to

&c.

main good and sufficient in law, and may be satisfied out of any estate which may then, or at any time afterwards, belong to the debtor. [Approved, March 3, 1817.]

RESOLUTION.

Resolution for admitting the state of Indiana into the Union.

The people of

Indiana have

formed a con

stitution and state govern

Whereas, in pursuance of an act of congress, passed on the nineteenth day of April, on thousand eight hundred and sixteen, entitled "An act to enable the people of the Indiana territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission ment. of that state into the Union," the people of the said territory did, on the twenty-ninth day of June, in the present year, by a convention called for that purpose, form for themselves a constitution and state government, which constitution and state government, so formed, is republican, and in conformity with the principles of the articles of compact between the original states and the people and states in the territory northwest of the river Ohio, passed on the thirteenth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven.

clared to be one of the

Resolved, That the state of Indiana shall be one, and is here- Indiana deby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, United States, in all respects whatever. [Approved, December 11, 1816.]

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and admitted

into the Union

on an equal

footing.

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ACTS OF THE FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

OF

THE UNITED STATES:

Passed at the first session, which was begun and held at the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia, on Monday, the 1st day of December, 1817, and ended on the 20th of April, 1818.

JAMES MONROE, President. DANIEL D. TOMPKINS, Vice president, and President of the Senate. HENRY CLAY, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

[Note. John Gaillard signed the Acts as President of the Senate pro tempore, from the 1st of December to the 9th of March; and from the 3d to the 20th of April.]

Obsolete.

Duties abol

ished after the

ber, 1817.

CHAP. 1. An act to abolish the internal duties.

1. Be it enacted, &c. That, from and after the thirty-first 31st Decem- day of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, the internal duties on licenses to distillers; on refined sugars; licenses to retailers; sales at auction; carriages for the conveyance of persons; and stamped vellum, parchment, and paper, shall be discontinued; and all acts, and parts of acts, relative thereto, shall, from and after the said thirty-first day of DecemProviso; acts ber, be repealed: Provided, That, for the collection, recovery, to remain in remission, and receipt, of such duties as shall have accrued, and collection, &c. on the day aforesaid remain outstanding, and for the payment of of duties ac- drawbacks or allowances on the exportation of any of the said spirits or sugars legally entitled thereto, provided the exportation be effected previous to the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, and for the recovery and distribution of fines, penalties, and forfeitures, and the remission thereof, which shall have been incurred before and on the said thirty-first day of December, the provisions of the aforesaid acts shall remain in full force and virtue.

force for the

crued, &c.

Offices of col

lection is com

2. That the offices of the collectors of the internal duties lectors to con- and direct tax shall continue in each collection district, respectinue until col- tively, until the collection of the duties above mentioned, and of pleted, unless, the direct tax, shall have been completed in such district, and President em- no longer, unless sooner discontinued by the president of the powered to United States, who shall be, and hereby is, empowered, whencollectors, ever the collection of the said duties and tax shall have been so unite collec- far completed in any district as to render, in his opinion, that

&c.

discontinue

tion districts,

&c.

additional al

the revenue to

measure expedient, to discontinue any of the said collectors, and to unite, into one collection district, any two or more collection districts, lying and being in the same state; in which case, the collectors thereafter employed in the collection of the said duties and tax in such state or district, shall be appointed and removeable by the president alone; and for the promoting of the collection of any of the above mentioned duties or tax, which may be outstanding after the said thirty-first day of December, the president of the United States shall be, and he hereby is, empowered, at any time thereafter, to make such allowance as he may think proper, in addition to the commissions now allowed by law, to any of the collectors of the said duties and tax, and the same, from time to time, to vary: Provided, That the Proviso; as to whole of such additional allowances shall not, in the aggregate, lowances to exceed five per centum of the amount of the duties and tax paid collectors. into the treasury after that day; and that the extraordinary allowances authorized by the second and fourth sections of the . act, passed March third, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, entitled "An act to fix the compensation, and increase the responsibility, of the collectors of the direct tax and internal duties, and for other purposes connected with the collection thereof," shall, after the said thirty-first day of December, cease; and Office of comthe office of commissioner of the revenue shall cease, and be dis- missioner of continued, whenever the collection of the duties and tax above cease whenmentioned shall be completed, unless sooner discontinued by the ever, &c. president of the United States, who shall be, and hereby is, empowered, whenever the collection of the said duties and tax shall have been so far completed as, in his opinion, to render that. measure expedient, to discontinue the said office; in which case, the immediate superintendence of the collection of such parts of the said duties and taxes as may then remain outstanding, shall be placed in such officer of the treasury department as the secretary, for the time being, may designate: Provided, however, Proviso; as to That all bonds, notes, or other instruments, which have been the endorsing charged with the payment of a duty, and which shall, at any bonds, notes, time prior to the said thirty-first day of December, have been written or printed upon vellum, parchment, or paper, not stamped or marked according to law, or upon vellum, parchment, or paper, stamped or marked at a lower rate of duty than is by law required for such bond, note, or other instrument, may be presented to any collector of the internal revenue, or collector of the customs within the state, and, where there [is] no such collector, to the marshal of the district, whose duty it shall be, upon the payment of the duty with which such instrument was chargeable, together with the additional sum of ten dollars; for which duty and additional sum the said collector or marshal shall be accountable to the treasury of the United States; to endorse upon some part of such instrument his receipt for the same; and thereupon the said bond, note, or other instrument, shall be, to all intents and purposes, as valid and available to the person holding the same, as if it had been or were stamped, or marked, as by law required; any thing in any act to the contrary notwithstanding.

unstamped

&c.

Proportionate deduction of duties for un

&c.

3. That all persons who shall obtain, or who shall have obtained, licenses for stills or boilers, or for selling by retail, or expired terms, certificates for carriages, extending beyond the said thirty-first of December, shall be allowed a deduction from the duties paid or secured by them, proportionate to the part of their term which may remain unexpired on the said thirty-first of December; and the several banks or bankers which may have agreed to make the annual composition of one and a half per centum on their dividends, in lieu of the stamp duty on the notes issued by them, shall pay only at the rate of one and a half per centum per annum on such dividends, for the portion of a year that shall remain from the time of the last annual payment to the said thirtyfirst of December, to be estimated upon the dividend or dividends that have, been or shall be declared and made by such bank or bankers, respectively, within a year from the time of such last annual payment; and in all cases in which payments shall have been made, or duties secured, for a term extending beyond the said thirty-first of December, on account of any certificates for the use of a carriage, or license to distil or retail, so much of the sums so, paid or secured, as shall be proportioned to the part of the term which may remain unexpired, shall be Proviso; as to refunded or remitted: Provided, That all duties on sales at aucat auction, and tion effected, and on refined sugar removed, previously to the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, shall be paid in the same manner as if this act had not been passed.

duties on sales

on sugar removed.

Value of stamps on

§ 4. That all persons who shall, on or after the said thirtyhand to be re- first day of December, have any blank vellum, parchment, or pafunded, &c. per, which has been stamped, and on which a duty has been paid to the use of government, shall be entitled to receive, from the collector of the district to whom it may be delivered, or from such other revenue officer in the respective states or districts as may be designated for that purpose by the secretary of the treasury, the value of the said stamps, after deducting, in all cases, seven and a half per centum; and the said officers are hereby If presented authorized to pay the same: Provided, The said blank vellum, parchment, or paper, be presented within four months after the said thirty-first of December.

within four months.

6 per cent. to collectors, on

ed.

5. That on all sums that may be refunded in virtue of this sums refund- act, as well as all sums received after the thirty-first day of December aforesaid, and before notice of this act, the collectors shall be allowed a commission of six per centum, to be charged by them in settling their accounts with the treasury department. Collectors not 6. That in case a collector shall not have in his hands a sufhaving sufficient sums in ficient sum out of which to refund the sums authorized to be retheir hands to funded by this act, or to defray the expenses incident to the colthe money to lection of the outstanding duties and direct tax, such repayments be paid out of and expenses shall be made and defrayed out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

refund, &c.

the treasury.

Adjustment of balances on collectors' accounts.

7. That if, on the settlement of the accounts of collectany or relative to the direct tax and internal duties, balances shall be found due to and from him on the different accounts, they may be adjusted, so as to ascertain the final balances; and if this

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