Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 13.djvu/64

36 THIRTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 40. 1864. Time fvr fiii¤g taken the initiatory steps required by existing laws in regard to actual g;“f;:§;,m,g"2Q,“,f settlement, and is called away from such settlement by being actually tain preémptors. engaged in the military or naval service of the United States, and by reason of such absence is unable to appear at the district land-office, to make, before the register or receiver, the afiidavits required by the thirteenth section of the preemption act of fourth September, eighteen hun- 1841,ch. 10, dred and forty-one, the time for tiling such affidavit and making final 91**- proof and entry or location, shall be extended six months after the v°l'v°P‘456’ expiration of his term of service, upon satisfactory proof by athdavit, or the testimony of witnesses, that the said preemptor is so in the service, being filed with the register of the land-office for the district in which his settlement is made. Addmomfm I Sec. 6. And be it enacted, That the registers and receivers and allowances in the state of California, in the state of Oregon, and in the territories of Qgrfgflnrgggfgz Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, and Arizona, shall m, be entitled to collect and receive, in addition to the fees and allowances provided by this act, fifty per centum of said fees and allowances as com- P¤‘0Vi¤¤· pensation for their services: Provided, That the salary and fees allowed any register or receiver shall not exceed in the aggregate the sum of three thousand dollars per annum. Approved, March 21, 1864. March 25, 1864. CHAP. XL.—An Act to provide jbr carrying the Mails from the United States to ····—·····*· jbreign Ports and jbr other Purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United _ Vessels_belcng- States of America in Congress assembled, That all steamers and sailing 5*1% gngggggéi vessels belonging to citizens of the United States, and bound from any ,0 c,,,.,,, the port in the United States to any foreign port, or from any foreign port mails. to any port in the United States, shall, before clearance, receive on board and securely convey all such mails as the post-oifice department of the United States, or any minister, consul, or commercial agent of the United States abroad shall offer, and promptly deliver the same to the proper authorities, on arriving- at the port of destination, and shall receive for such service such reasonable compensation as may be allowed by law. Master tomake Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That upon the entry of every glam “”d°" steamer or sailing vessel from any foreign port, the master or commander ' thereof shall make return, on oath or aflirmation, showing that he has promptly delivered at such foreign port or ports all mails placed on board of the steamer or vessel under his command before clearance from the fa;:;¤liy YM United States. And in case the master or commander shall fail to make ‘ oath or affirmation as aforesaid, showing that he has delivered the mails placed on board his steamer or vessel in good faith, the said steamer or vessel shall not be entitled to the privileges of a steamer or vessel of the United States. m?;‘;;’“‘;;5°‘ Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster-General be, matterby Pans- and is hereby, authorized to make contracts, to continue not exceeding m¤ °¤‘ N¤¤¤¤*€¤¤· four years, for the transportation of all mailable matter other than letters, and of such letters as may be so directed, by the Isthmus of Panama or Cost not to ex- the Nicaragua route, or both of them: .Provi&d, That the expenditure °°°‘l*&°· for the service shall not exceed one hundred and sixty thousand dollars If more than per annum. And in case more than one company is engaged in renderg‘;;s°€,';P;%i‘;'*‘ ing this service, the Postmaster-General shall determine the proportion ` which shall be paid to each. lfostage on Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all mailable matter which may l'Q,°;‘;,:"£§;al;* be conveyed by mail westward beyond the western boundary of Kansas, and California. and eastward from the eastern boundary of California shall be subject Proviso. to prepaid letter postage rates: Provided, however, That this section shall Past,pp.421,422. not be held to extend to the transmission by mail of newspapers from 8