of the Post Office Department in the Pacific States and Territories, his regular salary of two thousand five hundred dollars per annum, under the act of March two, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, with an allowance, in addition thereto, of a sum not exceeding five dollars per diem, to provide for his actual travelling and incidental expenses while actively employed in the service. And the Postmaster General is hereby authorized to appoint an additional special agent for the Pacific States and Territories, and two additional special agents to superintend postal matters connected with the railway mail service of the United States, who shall receive the same salary and per diem allowance for travelling and incidental expenses, to be paid out of the appropriation for mail transportation.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That hereafter special agents of the Post Office Department, other than those appointed for the Pacific States and Territories, or those appointed under the authority of the preceding section of this act to superintend postal matters connected with the railway service of the United States, shall be allowed for their necessary travelling and incidental expenses, while actively employed in the servive, a sum not exceeding five dollars per diem.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized to pay, out of the appropriation for miscellaneous expenses, the sum of ten thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be required, for defraying the necessary expense of preparing and publishing a set of post route maps, arranged by States and groups of States, and showing all the permanent mail routes, distances, and post offices thereon in the United States, with other statistical information.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That, for the purpose of assorting and distributing letters and other mail matter in railway post offices, the Postmaster General may, from time to time, appoint clerks, who shall be paid out of the appropriation for mail transportation: Provided, That the salary of each head clerk so appointed and employed shall not exceed fourteen hundred dollars per annum, and that the salary of other clerks shall not exceed twelve hundred dollars, each, per annum.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the provisions of the fourth section of the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post Office Department during the fiscal year ending the thirtieth of June, eighteen hundred and sixty-one," approved June fifteen, eighteen hundred and sixty, be, and the same are hereby, modified so as to authorize the Postmaster General to cause the mails to be transported between the United States and any foreign port or ports, or between ports of the United States, touching at a foreign port, by steamship, allowing and paying therefor, if by an American vessel, any sum not exceeding the sea and United States inland postage, and if by a foreign vessel, any sum not exceeding the sea postage on the mails so conveyed.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That no steamship or other vessel departing from the United States for a foreign port or ports shall be permitted to receive on board or convey any letters or letter packets originating in the United States which have not been regularly posted at and received from the post office at the port of departure; and it shall be the duty of the collector or other officer of the port empowered to grant clearances of vessels to require, as a condition of clearance, from the master or commander of such steamship or vessel, an oath or affirmation that he has not received on board his ship or vessel, and has not under his care or within his control, and will not receive and convey any letters or letter packets addressed to a foreign country, except as hereinafter accepted, which hire have not been delivered to him from the post office at the port of departure: Provided, however, That the provisions of this section shall not apply to any letters or letter packets which relate to the cargo, and are addressed to the owner or consignee of such steamship or other vessel, or to any letters or packets which are enclosed in a United States stamped en

velope of a denomination sufficient in amount to cover the United States postage legally chargeable thereon, if such letters or packets had been posted and transmitted by the regular mail.

SEC. 11. And 'e it further enacted, That nothing contained in the act entitled "An act to establish a postal money-order system," approved May seventeen, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, or in any other act, shall be so construed as to prevent deputy postmasters at money-order or other offices from depositing in the national banks designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as public depositories, to their own credit as deputy postmasters, money-order or other funds in their charge, under the direction of the Postmaster General, nor to prevent their negotiating drafts, orders, or other evidences of debt through these banks, as they may be instructed and required by the Postmaster General.

SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That the balance which may remain unexpended of the appropriation of one hundred thousand dollars to meet any deficiencies in the proceeds of the money-order system during the present fiscal year, under the thirteenth section of the act approved May seventeen, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, may be used, as far as may be necessary, to supply deficiencies in the proceeds of the aforesaid system during the fiscal year commencing July first, eighteen hundred and sixty-five.

SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall wilfully and maliciously injure, tear down, or destroy any letter-box, pillar box, or other receiving boxes established by authority of the Postmaster General of the United States for the safe deposit of matter for the mails and for delivery, or shall wilfully aid and assist in injuring, tearing down, or destroying any such box or boxes, every such offender, being thereof duly convicted, shall, for every such offence, be fined not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned not less than one year nor more than three years, or both, according to the circumstances and aggravations of the offence. And if any clerk or other person employed in any of the departments of the Post Office establishment shall wilfully and unlawfully remove from any letter posted at or received in any post office or branch post office, established by authority of the Postmaster General of the United States, any postage stamp or stamps affixed thereto in payment of postage, every such offender, being thereof duly convicted,. shall, for every such offence, be fined not more than one hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months, according to the circumstances and aggravations of the offence.

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That the yearly advertisement for proposals to carry the mails of the United States shall be published hereafter, for a period of six weeks, in one or more, but not to exceed five, newspapers printed in the State or Territory where the mail service is to be performed, one of which shall be printed at the seat of government of such State or Territory.

SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That nothing contained in the act entitled "An act to amend the laws relating to the Post Office Department," approved March third, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, shall be so construed as to repeal or modify the second section of the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post Office Department during the fiscal year ending the thirtieth of June, eighteen hundred and sixty-one," for the delivery of letters and other mail matter from post offices where the system of free delivery by carriers has not been established: Provided, nevertheless, and it is hereby further enacted, That the system of free delivery shall be established in every place containing a population of fifty thousand within the delivery of the office thereof, and at such other places as the Postmaster General in his judgment shall direct: And provided, further, That the prepayment postage on drop letters in all places where free delivery is not established shall be one cent only. SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That no obscene book, pamphlet, picture, print, or other publication of a vulgar and indecent character, shall be ad

mitted into the mails of the United States; any person or persons who shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, in any post office or branch post office of the United States, for mailing or for delivery, an obscene book, pamphlet, picture, print, or other publication, knowing the same to be of a vulgar and indecent character, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, being duly convicted thereof, shall, for every such offence, be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both, according to the circumstances and aggravations of the offence.

Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT to establish a bureau for the relief of freedmen and refugees.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby established in the War Department, to continue during the present war of rebellion, and for one year thereafter, a bureau of refugees, freedmen, and abandoned lands, to which shall be committed, as hereinafter provided, the supervision and management of all abandoned lands, and the control of all subjects relating to refugees and freedmen from rebel States, or from any district of country within the territory embraced in the operations of the army, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the head of the bureau and approved by the President. The said bureau shall be under the management and control of a Commissioner to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, whose compensation shall be three thousand dollars per annum, and such number of clerks as may be assigned to him by the Secretary of War, not exceeding one chief clerk, two of the fourth class, two of the third class, and five of the first class. And the Commissioner, and all persons appointed under this act, shall, before entering upon their duties, take the oath of office prescribed in an act entitled "An act to prescribe an oath of office, and for other purposes," approved July second, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, and the Commissioner and the chief clerk shall, before entering upon their duties, give bonds to the Treasurer of the United States, the former in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, and the latter in the sum of ten thousand dollars, conditioned for the faithful discharge of their duties, respectively, with securities to be approved as sufficient by the Attorney General, which bonds shall be filed in the office of the First Comptroller of the Treasury, to be by him put in suit, for the benefit of any injured party, upon any breach of the conditions thereof.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of War may direct such issues of provisions, clothing, and fuel as he may deem needful for the immediate and temporary shelter and supply of destitute and suffering refugees and freedmen, and their wives and children, under such rules and regulations as he may direct.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President may, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint an Assistant Commissioner for each of the States declared to be in insurrection, not exceeding ten in number, who shall, under the direction of the Commissioner, aid in the execution of the provisions of this act; and he shall give a bond to the Treasurer of the United States, in the sum of twenty thousand dollars, in the form and manner prescribed in the first section of this act. Each of said commissioners shall receive an annual salary of two thousand five hundred dollars in full compensation for all his services. And any military officer may be detailed and assigned to duty under this act without increase of pay or allowances. The Commissioner shall, before the commencement of each regular session of Congress, make full report of his

proceedings, with exhibits of the state of his accounts, to the President, who shall communicate the same to Congress, and shall also make special reports whenever required to do so by the President or either house of Congress; and the Assistant Commissioners shall make quarterly reports of their proceedings to the Commissioner, and also such other special reports as from time to time may be required.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Commissioner, under the direction of the President, shall have authority to set apart, for the use of loyal refugees and freedmen, such tracts of land, within the insurrectionary States, as shall have been abandoned, or to which the United States shall have acquired title by confiscation, or sale, or otherwise, and to every male citizen, whether refugee or freedman, as aforesaid, there shall be assigned not more than forty acres of such land, and the person to whom it was so assigned shall be protected in the use and enjoyment of the land for the term of three years, at an annual rent not exceeding six per centum upon the value of such land, as it was appraised by the State authorities in the year eighteen hundred and sixty, for the purpose of taxation, and in case no such appraisal can be found, then the rental shall be based upon the estimated value of the land in said year, to be ascertained in such manner as the Commissioner may by regulation prescribe. At the end of said term, or at any time during said term, the occupants of any parcels so assigned may purchase the land and receive such title thereto as the United States can convey, upon paying therefor the value of the land, as ascertained and fixed for the purpose of determining the annual rent aforesaid.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. Approved March 3, 1865.

AN ACT to incorporate a national military and naval asylum for the relief of the totally disabled officers and men of the volunteer forces of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Ulysses S. Grant, David G. Farragut, Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson, Salmon P. Chase, Edwin M. Stanton, Gideon Welles, John A. Dix, George Bancroft, William T. Sherman, John A. Andrew, Andrew G. Curtin, Oliver P. Morton, Benjamin F. Butler, George G. Meade, John Brough, Nathaniel P. Banks, Joseph Hooker, Samuel R. Curtis, Richard J. Oglesby, David Tod, Henry Ward Beecher, Ambrose E. Burnside, John A. Logan, Daniel S. Dickinson, William A. Buckingham, Carl Schurz, Oliver O. Howard, Hamilton Fish, Frank Sigel, Francis Wayland, Austin Blair, Thomas C. Fletcher, Robert Breckinridge, Lovell H. Rousseau, Horace Greeley, George H. Stuart, Joseph Henry, John G. Barnard, Henry J. Raymond, William B. Astor, James Gordon Bennett, H. W. Halleck, William E. Dodge, William M. Evarts, James T. Brady, Gerritt Smith, Reuben E. Fenton, Bellamy Storer, George P. McIlvaine, Galusha A. Grow, Henry W. Bellows, J. S. Č. Abbott, Jay Cooke, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Israel Washburn, jr., Ichabod Goodwin, Frederick Smyth, John Z. Goodrich, Charles Henry Davis, William Claflin, J. Wiley Edmonds, Amos A. Lawrence, Edward S. Tobey, Thomas Russell, Charles G. Loring, George B. Upton, Charles G. Greene, J. M. S. Williams, George G. Stannard, Henry M. Rice, Grenville M. Dodge, Morton McMichael, Thomas Webster, James M. Scovel, Nathaniel B. Baker, Richard J. Field, Henry C. Carey, John W. Forney, Bishop M. Simpson, G. S. Griffith, William Henry Channing, James E. Yeatman, Dwight Durkee, A. T. Stewart, Barnabas Hobbs, Montgomery Blair, Joseph R. Barnes, E. B. Ward, Henry Benham, Frank Moore, Alfred Lee, Edward Solomon,

Thomas C. Bryan, B. B. French, Samuel J. Crawford, James T. Pratt, Alfred H. Terry, Edward Tompkins, Moses F. Odell, and their successors, duly chosen, are hereby constituted and created a body corporate in the District of Columbia.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said corporation hereby constituted shall consist of one hundred members. They shall have power to fill all vacancies created by death, resignation, or otherwise, and to make by-laws, rules, and regulations: Provided, That such by-laws, rules, and regulations are not repugnant to the Constitution or laws of the United States.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the business of said corporation shall be managed by a board of twelve directors, who shall elect from their number a president, two vice-presidents, and a secretary; and seven of the directors, of whom the president or one of the vice-presidents shall be one, shall form a quorum for the transaction of business at any special meeting of the board of directors.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the board of directors shall have authority to procure for early use, at a suitable place, a site for a military asylum for officers and men of the volunteer forces of the United States who have been or may hereafter be totally disabled by wounds received or sickness contracted while in the line of their duty during the present rebellion; and to have the necessary buildings erected, having due regard to the health of the location, facility of access, and competency to accommodate the persons provided for in this act.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That, for the establishment and support of this asylum, there shall be appropriated all stoppages or fines adjudged against volunteer officers, soldiers, or seamen by sentence of courts-martial or military commission, over and above the amounts necessary for the reimbursement of the government or of individuals, all forfeitures on account of desertion from the volunteer service, and all moneys due deceased volunteer officers, soldiers, or seamen which now are, or may be, unclaimed for three years after the death of such officers, soldiers, or seamen, to be repaid upon the demand of the heirs or legal representatives of such deceased officers, soldiers, or seamen. the said directors are hereby authorized to receive all donations of money or property, made by any person or persons, for the benefit of the asylum, and to hold or dispose of the same for its sole and exclusive use.

And

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the selection of the site for the said asylum, and the plan of the buildings, and the rules and regulations for the general and internal direction of the asylum, shall be made by the directors, and they may do all other acts necessary for the government and interests of the same as hereby authorized: Provided, however, That no selection of a site for said asylum or adoption of any plan of buildings shall be agreed upon until after the sum of half a million of dollars shall have been first subscribed or donated and paid into the treasury of said corporation.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the officers of the asylum shall consist of a governor, a deputy governor, a secretary, and a treasurer, and such officers shall be appointed from the pensioned officers of the volunteer service, and they may be appointed and removed from time to time, as the interests of the institution may require, by the board of directors.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the following persons only shall be entitled to the benefits of the asylum, and may be admitted thereto upon the recommendation of the board of directors, namely: all volunteer officers, soldiers, and seamen who have served during the present war, who have been or who may be totally disabled by wounds received or sickness contracted in the line of their duty, and such persons on becoming inmates of this asylum shall assign thereto their pensions during the time they shall remain therein and receive its benefits.