Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 15.djvu/2

 ADVERTISEMENT.

IN publishing the following Laws, the same plan has been adopted that was prescribed in the Joint Resolution of Congress of March 3, 1845 (Vol. V., p. 798), authorizing a subscription to the edition of all the Laws of the United States published by us. A close examination of this volume will disclose some apparent errors in the Laws as here printed; but as we procure a careful collation with the records at Washington by an experienced reader of the Department of State, and scrupulously follow the original, any seeming errors must be attributed to the Rolls, and not to us. Where anything absolutely necessary to the sense is omitted in the Rolls, it is inserted in the text, enclosed in brackets.

We intend to publish annually, and as soon after the close of each Session of Congress as is possible, the Acts of that Session, in a similar form and with a similar arrangement.

It will be seen by the following extracts from the Act of Congress, August 8, 1846 (Vol. IX., p. 76), and the Joint Resolutions of September 26, 1850 (Vol. IX., p. 564), and March 31, 1866 (Vol. XIV., p. 352), that our edition has been sanctioned by Congress, and is the OFFICIAL EDITION.

“And whereas said edition of the said Laws and Treaties of the United States has been carefully collated and compared with the original rolls in the archives of the Government, under the inspection and supervision of the Attorney—General of the United States, as duly certified by that officer : therefore, Be it further enacted, that said edition of the Laws and Treaties of the United States, published by Little & Brown, is hereby declared to be competent evidence of the several public and private acts of Congress, and of the several treaties therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and maritime jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the United States and of the several States, without any further proof or authentication thereof” — APPROVED, August 8, 1846.

“Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of State be authorized and directed to contract with Little and Brown to furnish their annual Statutes at Large, printed in conformity with the plan adopted by Congress in eighteen hundred and forty-five, instead of the edition usually issued by his order, under the act of Congress of April twentieth, eighteen hundred and eighteen, and which conforms to an edition of the laws now out of use.” — APPROVED, September 26, 1850.

“Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of State be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to renew the contract of October thirty-first, eighteen hundred and fifty, between the Department of State and Little, Brown, and Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, for the annual publication of the Statutes at Large of the United States until otherwise ordered by Congress, in conformity with the joint resolutions approved respectively march third, eighteen hundred and forty-five, and September thirtieth [twenty-sixth], eighteen hundred and fifty.” — APPROVED March 31, 1866.

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. BOSTON, July, 1869.

[N. B. The references in the margin of this volume to Volume XVI. are to the Pamphlet of the Session Laws of the First Session of the Forty-first Congress, which will make a part of Volume XVI. of the Statutes at Large.]

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY,

in the Clerk's OFfice of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

UNIVERSITY PRESS : WELCH, BIGELOW, & CO.,

CAMBRIDGE.