Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 1.djvu/178

 length three fifths of the breadth, multiply the remainder by the breadth, and the product by the depth, dividing the product of the whole by ninety-five, the quotient shall be deemed the true contents or tonnage of such ship or vessel. To ascertain the tonnage of every single decked vessel, he shall take the length and breadth, as is directed to be taken for double decked vessels, and deduct three fifths in like manner, and the depth from the under side of the deck plank to the ceiling in the hold, and shall multiply and divide as aforesaid, and the quotient shall be deemed the true contents or tonnage of such single decked vessel.

.And be it further enacted, That the port to which any such ship or vessel shall be deemed to belong, agreeably to the intent and meaning of this act, shall be the port at or near which the husband or acting and managing owner or owners of such ship or vessel usually resides or reside; and the name of such ship or vessel, and of the place to which she belongs shall be painted on her stern, on a black ground with white letters of not less than three inches in length.

.And be it further enacted, That no ship or vessel owned in whole or in part by any citizen of the United States, usually residing in any foreign country, shall, during the time he shall continue so to reside, be deemed a vessel of the United States, entitled to be registered by virtue of this act, unless he be an agent for, and partner in, some house or co-partnership, consisting of citizens of the United States, actually carrying on trade in the said States.

.And be it further enacted, That no registry shall be made or certificate granted, until the following oath or affirmation be taken and subscribed, before the officer herein before authorized to make such registry and grant such certificate, (which oath or affirmation such officer is hereby empowered to administer) by the owner of such ship or vessel, if owned by one person only, or in case there shall be two or more owners, then by any one of such owners; namely,

“I,, of [place of residence and occupation] do swear or affirm, that the ship or vessel of [take the description from the certificate of the surveyor or other person authorized by this act] was built at  in the year  or was the entire property of  on the sixteenth day of May, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine, and hath continued to be the property of a citizen or citizens of the United States, that , the present muster, is a citizen of the United States, and that I,  and [the other owners’ names, occupation, and where they respectively reside, viz: town, place, county and state, or if resident in a foreign country, being an agent for, and partner in, any house or co-partnership] am or are sole owner or owners of the said ship or vessel, and that no other person whatever hath any property therein, and that I, the said , [and the said owners, if any] am or are truly a citizen or citizens of the United States, and that no foreigner, directly or indirectly, hath any part or interest in the said ship or vessel.”

.Provided always, and be it further enacted, That whenever the owner or owners of such ship or vessel, usually resides or reside out of the district within which such ship or vessel may be at the time of granting the certificate of registry, that such owner, or where there are two or more owners, any one of them may take and subscribe the said oath or affirmation, before the collector of the district within which he usually resides, omitting in the said oath or affirmation the description of such ship or vessel, as expressed in the certificate of the surveyor, and inserting in lieu thereof, the name of the port and district within which such ship or vessel may then be; and the collector before whom such oath or affirmation may he taken and subscribed, shall transmit the same to the collector of the district where such ship or vessel may be,