SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the directors shall make an annual report of the condition of the asylum to the War Department, which shall be communicated to Congress on the first Monday of every January after the passage of this act, and it shall be the duty of the said directors to examine and audit the accounts of the treasurer of this asylum quarterly, and to visit and inspect them at least six times a year.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That all inmates of the asylum shall be, and they are hereby, made subject to the rules and articles of war, and will be governed thereby in the same manner as if they were in the army or navy of the United States.

SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That Congress may, at any timè hereafter, alter, amend, or repeal this act.

Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT to incorporate the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Peter Cooper, William C. Bryant, A. A. Low, S. B. Chittenden, Charles H. Marshall, William A. Booth, Gerritt Smith, William A. Hall, William Allen, John Jay, Abraham Baldwin, A. S. Barnes, Hiram Barney, Seth B. Hunt, Samuel Holmes, Charles Collins, R. R. Graves, Walter S. Griffith, A. H. Wallis, D. S. Gregory, J. W. Alvord, George Whipple, A. S. Hatch, Walter T. Hatch, E. A. Lambert, W. G. Lambert, Roe Lockwood, R. H. Manning, R. W. Ropes, Abert Woodruff, and Thomas Dewey, of New York; John M. Forbes, William Claflin, S. G. Howe, George L. Stearns, Edward Atkinson, A. A. Lawrence, and John M. S. Williams, of Massachusetts; Edward Harris and Thomas Davis, of Rhode Island; Stephen Colwell, J. Wheaton Smith, Francis E. Cope, Thomas Webster, B. S. Hunt, and Henry Samuel, of Pennsylvania; Edward Harwood, Adam Poe, Levi Coffin, J. M. Waldon, of Ohio, and their successors, are constituted a body corporate, in the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, by the name of The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company," and by that name may sue and be sued in any court of the United States.

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SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the persons named in the first section of this act shall be the first trustees of the corporation, and all vacancies by death, resignation, or otherwise, in the office of trustee, shall be filled by the board by ballot, without unnecessary delay, and at least ten votes shall be necessary for the election of any trustee. The trustees shall hold a regular meeting at least once in each month, to receive reports of their officers on the affairs of the corporation, and to transact such business as may be necessary; and any trustee omitting to attend the regular meetings of the board for six months in succession may thereupon be considered as having vacated his place, and a successor may be elected to fill the same.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the business of the corporation shall be managed and directed by the board of trustees, who shall elect from their number a president and two vice-presidents, and may appoint such other officers as they may see fit; nine of the trustees, of whom the president or one of the vice-presidents shall be one, shall form a quorum for the transaction of business at any regular or adjourned meeting of the board of trustees; and the affirmative vote of at least seven members of the board shall be requisite in making any order for or authorizing the investment of any moneys, or the sale or transfer of any stock or securities belonging to the corporation, or the appointment of any officer receiving any salary therefrom.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the board of trustees of the corpora

tion shall have power from time to time to make and establish such by laws and regulations as they shall judge proper with regard to the elections of officers and their respective functions, and generally for the management of the affairs of the corporation, provided such by-laws and regulations are not repugnant to this act or to the Constitution or laws of the United States.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the general business and object of the corporation hereby created shall be to receive on deposit such sums of money as may be from time to time offered therefor, by or on behalf of persons heretofore held in slavery in the United States, or their descendants, and investing the same in the stocks, bonds, treasury notes, or other securities of the United States.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the trustees of the corporation to invest, as soon as practicable, in the securities named in the next preceding section, all sums received by them beyond an available fund, not exceeding one-third of the total amount of deposits with the corporation, at the discretion of the trustees, which available funds may be kept by the trustees to meet current payments of the corporation, and may by them be left on deposit at interest or otherwise, or in such available form as the trustees may direct.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the corporation may, under such regulations as the board of trustees shall from time to time prescribe, receive any deposit hereby authorized to be received, upon such trusts and for such purposes, not contrary to the laws of the United States, as may be indicated in writing by the depositor, such writing to be subscribed by the depositor and acknowledged or proved before any officer in the civil or military service of the United States, the certificate of which acknowledgment or proof shall be indorsed on the writing; and the writing so acknowledged or proved shall accompany such deposit and be filed among the papers of the corporation, and be carefully preserved therein, and may be read in evidence in any court or before any judicial officer of the United States, without further proof; and the certificate of acknowledgment or proof shall be prima facie evidence only of the due execution of such writing.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That all sums received on deposit shall be repaid to such depositor when required, at such time, with such interest not exceeding seven per centum per annum, and under such regulations as the board of trustees shall from time to time prescribe, which regulations shall be posted up in some conspicuous place in the room where the business of the corporation shall be transacted, but shall not be altered so as to affect any deposit previously made.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That all trusts upon which, and all purposes for which any deposits shall be made, and which shall be indicated in the writing to accompany such deposit, shall be faithfully performed by the corporation, unless the performing of the same is rendered impossible.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That when any depositor shall die, the funds remaining on deposit with the corporation to his credit, and all accumulations thereof, shall belong and be paid to the personal representatives of such depositor, in case he shall have left a last will and testament; and in default of a last will and testament, or of any person qualifying under a last will and testament competent to act as executor, the corporation shall be entitled, in respect to the funds so remaining on deposit to the credit of any such depositor, to administration thereon in preference to all other persons, and letters of administration shall be granted to the corporation accordingly, in the manner prescribed by law in respect to the granting of letters of administration, with the will annexed, and in cases of intestacy.

SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That in the case of the death of any depositor, whose deposit shall not be held upon any trust created pursuant to the

provisions hereinbefore contained, or where it may prove impossible to execute such trust, it shall be the duty of the corporation to make diligent efforts to ascertain and discover whether such deceased depositor has left a husband, wife, or children surviving, and the corporation shall keep a record of the efforts so made, and of the results thereof, and in case no person lawfully entitled thereto shall be discovered, or shall appear, or claim the funds remaining to the credit of such depositor, before the expiration of two years from the death of such depositor, it shall be lawful for the corporation to hold and invest such funds as a separate trust fund, to be applied, with the accumulations thereof, to the education and improvement of persons heretofore held in slavery, or their descendants, being inhabitants of the United States, in such manner and through such agencies as the board of trustees shall deem best calculated to effect that object: Provided, That if any depositor be not heard from within five years from the date of his last deposit, the trustees shall advertise the same in some paper of general circulation in the State where the principal office of the company is established, and also in the State where the principal office of the company is established, and also in the State where the depositor was last heard from; and if within two years thereafter such depositor shall not appear, nor a husband, wife, or child of such depositor, to claim his deposits, they shall be used by the board of trustees as herein before provided for in this section.

SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That no president, vice-president, trustee, officer, or servant of the corporation shall, directly or indirectly, borrow the funds of the corporation, or its deposits, or in any manner use the same, or any part thereof, except to pay necessary expenses, under the direction of the board of trustees. All certificates [or] other evidences of deposit made by the proper officers shall be as binding on the corporation as if they were made under their common seal. It shall be the duty of the trustees to regulate the rate of interest allowed to the depositors, so that they shall receive as nearly as may be a rateable proportion of all the profits of such corporation after deducting all necessary expenses: Provided, however, That the trustees may allow to depositors, to the amount of five hundred dollars or upwards, one per centum less than the amount allowed others: And provided, also, Whenever it shall appear that, after the payment of the usual interest to depositors, there is in the possession of the corporation an excess of profits over the liabilities amounting to ten per centum upon the deposits, such excess shall be invested for the security of the depositors in the corporation; and thereafter, at each annual examination of the affairs of the corporation, any surplus over and above such ten per centum shall, in addition to the usual interest, be divided rateably among the depositors, in such manner as the board of trustees shall direct.

SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That whenever any deposit shall be made by any minor, the trustees of the corporation may, at their discretion, pay to such depositor such sums as may be due him, although no guardian shall have been appointed for such minor, or the guardian of such minor shall not have authorized the drawing of the same; and the check, receipt, or acquittance of such minor shall be as valid as if the same were executed by a guardian of such minor, or the minor were of full age, if such deposit was made personally by such minor. And whenever any deposits shall have been made by married women, the trustees may repay the same on their own receipts.

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That the trustees shall not, directly or indirectly, receive any payment or emolument for their services as such, except the president and vice-president.

SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That the president and vice-president, the subordinate officers and agents of the corporation shall respectively give such security for their fidelity and good conduct as the board of trustees may from time to time require, and the board shall fix the salaries of such officers and agents.

SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That the books of the corporation shall, at all times during the hours of business, be open for inspection and examination to such persons as Congress shall designate or appoint.

Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT for the better organization of the subsistence department.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, during the continuance of the present rebellion, the Secretary of War may, when in his judgment it is necessary, assign to each geographical military division, to each separate army in the field consisting of more than one army corps, to each military department, and to each principal subsistence depot, not exceeding ten in number, an officer of the subsistence department to act as chief commissary of such military division, army, military department, or depot, and also an officer of the subsistence department as assistant in the office of the Commissary General of Subsistence, each of whom, while so assigned and acting, shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments of a colonel of the subsistence department; and, in like manner, may assign, for purposes of inspection or other special duty in the subsistence department, commissaries of subsistence, not exceeding six in number, each of whom, while so assigned and acting, shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments of a lieutenant colonel of the subsistence department; and to each army corps an officer of the subsistence department to be chief commissary of the corps, with the like rank of lieutenant colonel; and, in like manner, may assign to each division of two or more brigades a commissary, who, while so assigned and acting, shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments of a major of the subsistence department: Provided, That, when any one of said officers is relieved from such duty, his increased rank, pay, and emoluments, allowed because of such assignment, shall cease, and he shall return to his commissioned rank in the subsistence department: And provided further, That the officers authorized to be assigned by this act shall be selected for each grade from the commissaries of subsistence who hold commissions or rank in the volunteer service and in the regular subsistence department in proportion to the number of each of said classes respectively in service at the date of the passage of this act.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all laws and parts of laws inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.

Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT to provide for two assistant local inspectors of steamboats in the city of New York, and for two local inspectors at Galena, Illinois, and to re-establish the board of local inspectors at Wheeling; and also to amend the act, approved June eighth, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, entitled "An act to create an additional inspector of steamboats and two local inspectors of steamboats for collection districts of Memphis and Oregon, and for other purposes."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be designated and appointed, in the mode prescribed by law, two assistant local inspectors of steamboats in the city of New York, and two local inspectors at the city of Galena, Illinois, with an annual compensation of twelve hundred dollars for the said assistant local inspectors in the city of New York, and eight hundred dollars for the two local inspectors at the city of Galena, Illinois, as in case of other like inspectors; and said inspectors shall perform the duties and be subject to

the provisions of the steamboat act of August thirtieth, eighteen hundred and fifty-two. And the local board of inspectors at Wheeling is hereby re-established. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, in lieu of the fees for inspection prescribed by the sixth section of the act entitled "An act to create an additional supervising inspector of steamboats and two local inspectors of steamboats for the collection district of Memphis, Tennessee, and two local inspectors for the collection district of Oregon, and for other purposes," approved June eighth, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, there shall be levied and paid, for each steam vessel of one hundred tons or under, twenty five dollars, and in addition thereto, for each and every ton in excess of one hundred tons, five cents.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.

Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT to provide for the publication of the opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Attorney General be, and' he is hereby, authorized to contract, on behalf of the United States, with a suitable book publisher for the printing and publishing of the unpublished opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States, delivered since the fourth of March, eighteen hundred and fifty-seven, on the terms following, to wit: The said opinions to be published in as many volumes as may be necessary, which shall be, as to the quality of paper, printing, and binding, of uniform style and appearance with the eighth volume of said opinions published by Robert Farnham in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-eight, and, as nearly as possible, of uniform size with said eighth volume, and which shall be numbered in regular order after the said eighth volume; the copyright thereof to be taken out by, and be for the use of, the publisher, who shall deliver to the Attorney General, for the use of the United States, within one month after the publication thereof, three hundred sets of said volumes, at the price of three dollars per volume, payable after they are so delivered. And the Attorney General is hereby authorized to employ a competent person to edit and prepare the said opinions for publication, as aforesaid, with proper head-notes, and a full and complete index, and to supervise the said publication. When the said three hundred sets shall have been delivered for the use of the United States, the Attorney General shall cause them to be distributed as follows: For the President of the United States, two sets; for the Department of State, ten sets; for the Department of the Treasury and the heads of the bureaus thereof, twenty-five sets; for the Department of War and the heads of the bureaus thereof, twentyfive sets; for the Department of the Navy and the heads of the bureaus thereof, fifteen sets; for the Department of the Interior and the heads of bureaus thereof, twenty sets; for the Department of the Post Office, ten sets; for the Attorney General's office, ten sets; for the judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, one set each; for the library of said court, three sets; for the judges of the Court of Claims, the solicitor and assistant and deputy solicitors of said court, one set each; for the Library of Congress, fifty sets, for the use of both' houses of Congress; the residue of the said three hundred sets to remain in charge of the Librarian of Congress, at the future disposal of Congress. And the sum of seven thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to pay for the editing of the said opinions and the price of the said three hundred volumes, which money shall be disbursed on vouchers approved by the Attorney General.

Approved March 3, 1865.