been killed, or died of wounds received or sickness incurred in the course of such service, or who shal have been discharged before the expiration of his term of service in consequence of wounds received or sickness incurred in the course of such service, shall be entitled to receive a certificate or warrant from the War Department for the quantity of one hundred and sixty acres, and which may be located by the warrantee, or his heirs at law, at any land office of the United States, in one body, and in conformity to the legal subdivisions of the public lands, upon any of the public lands in such district then subject to private entry; and upon the return of such certificate or warrant, with evidence of the location thereof having been legally made, to the General Land Office, a patent shall be issued therefor. That in the event of the death of any such non-commissioned officer, musician or private, during service, or after his discharge, and before the issuing of a certificate or warrant as aforesaid, the said certificate or warrant shall be issued in favor, and inure to the benefit of his family or relatives, according to the following rules: first, to the widow and to his children; second, his father; third, his mother. And in the event of his children being minors, then the legallyconstituted guardian of such minor children shall, in conjunction with such of the children, if any, as may be of full age, upon being duly authorized by the orphans' or other court having probate jurisdiction, have power to sell and dispose of such certificate or warrant for the benefit of those interested. And all sales, mortgages, powers, or other instruments of writing, going to affect the title or claim to any such

bounty right, made or executed prior to the issue of such warrant or certificate, shall be null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever, nor shall such claim to bounty right be in any wise affected by, or charged with, or subject to, the payment of any debt or claim incurred by the soldier prior to the issuing of such certificate or warrant: Provided, That no land warrant issued under the provisions of this act shall be laid upon any lands of he United States to which there shall be a pre-emption right, or upon which there shall be an actual settlement and cultivation: Provided, further, That every such non-commissioned officer, musician, and private, who may be entitled, under the provisions of this act, to receive a certificate or warrant for one hundred and sixty acres. of land, shall be allowed the option to receive such certificate or warrant, or a treasury scrip for one hundred dollars; and such scrip, whenever it is preferred, shall be issued by the Secretary of the Treasury to such person or persons as would be authorized to receive such certificates or warrants for lands; said scrip to bear an interest of six per cent. per annum, payable semi-annually, redeemable at the pleasure of the Government. And that each private, noncommissioned officer, and musician, who shall have been received into the service of the United States, since the commencement of the war with Mexico, for less than twelve months, and shall have served for such term or until honorably discharged, shall be entitled to receive a warrant for forty acres of land, which may be subject to private entry, or twenty-five dollars in scrip, if preferred: and in the event of the death of such volunteer during his term of service, or

after an honorable discharge, but before the passage of this act, then the warrant for such land or scrip shall issue to the wife, child, or children, if there be any, and, if none, then to the father, and, if there be no father, then to the mother of such deceased volunteer: Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall be construed to give bounty land to such volunteers as were accepted into service, and discharged without being marched to the seat of war.

APPROVED, SEPTEMBER 28, 1850.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That each of the surviving, or the widow or minor children of deceased commissioned and non-commissioned officers, musicians, or privates, whether of regulars, volunteers, rangers, or militia, who performed military service in any regiment, company, or detachment, in the service of the United States, in the war with Great Britain, declared by the United States on the eighteenth day of June, eighteen hundred and twelve, or in any of the Indian wars since seventeen hundred and ninety, and each of the commissioned officers who were engaged in the military service of the United States in the late war with Mexico, shall be entitled to lands, as follows: Those who engaged to serve twelve months or during the war, and actually served nine months, shall receive one hundred and sixty acres, and those who engaged to serve six months, and actually served four months, shall receive eighty acres, and those who engaged to serve for any or an indefinite period, and actually served one month, shall receiye forty

acres: Provided, That wherever any officer or soldier was honorably discharged in consequence of disability in the service, before the expiration of his period of service, he shall receive the amount to which he would have been entitled if he had served the full period for which he had engaged to serve: Provided, The person so having been in service shall not receive said land, or any part thereof, if it shall appear, by the muster rolls of his regiment or corps, that he deserted, or was dishonorably discharged from service, or if he has received, or is entitled to, any military land bounty under any act of Congress heretofore passed.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the period during which any officer or soldier may have remained in captivity with the enemy shall be estimated and added to the period of his actual service, and the person so detained in captivity shall receive land under the provisions of this act in the same manner that he would be entitled in case he had entered the service for the whole term made up by the addition of the time of his captivity, and had served during such time.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That each commissioned and non-commissioned officer, musician, or private, for whom provision is made by the first section hereof, shall receive a certificate or warrant from the Department of the Interior for the quantity of land to which he may be entitled, and which may be located by the warrantee or his heirs-at-law, at any land office of the United States, in one body and in conformity to the legal sub-divisions of the public lands, upon any of the public lands in such district

then subject to private entry; and upon the return of such certificate or warrant, with evidence of the location thereof having been legally made, to the General Land Office, a patent shall be issued therefor. In the event of the death of any commissioned or non-commissioned officer, musician, or private, prior or subsequent to the passage of this act, who shall have served as aforesaid, and who shall not have received bounty land for said services, a like certificate or warrant shall be issued in favor, and enure to the benefit of his widow, who shall receive one hundred and sixty acres of land in case her husband was killed in battle, but not to her heirs: Provided, She is unmarried at the date of her application: Provided, further, That no land warrant issued under the provisions of this act shall be laid upon any land of the United States to which there shall be a pre-emption right, or upon which there shall be an actual settlement and cultivation, except with the consent of such settler, to be satisfactorily proven to the proper land officer.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all sales, mortgages, letters of attorney, or other instruments of writing, going to affect the title or claim to any warrant or certificate issued, or to be issued, or any land granted, or to be granted, under the provisions of this act; made or executed prior to the issue, shall be null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever; nor shall such certificate or warrant, or the land obtained thereby, be in anywise affected by, or charged with, or subject to, the payment of any debt or claim incurred by such officer or soldier, prior to the issuing of the patent: Provided, That the benefits