Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 2.djvu/660



of the said company shall be answerable for any loss, deficiencies or failure of the capital stock of said bank, for any more or larger sum or sums of money whatsoever, than the amount of the stock, stocks or shares, which shall appear by the books of the said company to belong to him at the time or times when such loss or losses shall be sustained, except as is hereafter excepted, that is to say: if the total amount of debts, which the said company shall at any time owe, whether by bond, bill, note or other contract, shall exceed double the amount of capital stock of the said bank actually paid in, over and above the monies actually deposited in the bank for safe keeping, then in case of such excess, the directors under whose administration it shall happen, shall be liable for such excess, in their natural and private capacities; and an action or actions of debt may be brought against them, or any of them, their heirs, executors or administrators, in any court of record within the United States by any creditor or creditors of the said company, and may be prosecuted to judgment and execution, any condition, covenant or agreement to the contrary notwithstanding; but this shall not be construed to exempt the said body politic or the lands, tenements, goods and chattels of the same, from being liable for, and chargeable with the said excess. Such of the directors who may have been absent when the said excess was contracted or created, or who may have dissented from the resolution or act, whereby the same was so contracted or created, may respectively exonerate themselves from being so liable, by forthwith giving notice of the fact, and of his absence or dissent, to the mayor of the town of Alexandria, for the time being, and to the stockholders, at a general meeting which he or they shall have power to call for that purpose. And in case the directors, by whose act such excess shall be occasioned, shall not have property sufficient to pay the amount of such excess, then and every stockholder shall be liable in their private capacities for the deficiency, in proportion to their respective shares in the said bank.

. And be it further enacted, That the president and directors shall not issue any note for a smaller sum than five dollars; and the president and directors shall, once in every year, lay before the Secretary of the Treasury an account, truly stating the situation of the bank, and its funds, if required.

. And be it further enacted, That no director shall be entitled to any emolument, unless the same shall have been allowed by a majority of the stockholders at a general meeting. The directors shall make such compensation to the president, for his extraordinary services and attendance at the bank as shall appear to them reasonable.

. And be it further enacted, That none but a stockholder, being a resident of the district of Columbia, shall be eligible as a president or director.

. And be it further enacted, That every cashier or treasurer, before he enters upon the duties of his office, shall give bond with two or more securities to the satisfaction of the directors, for his good behaviour in office.

. And be it further enacted, That in case it shall at any time happen, that an election of directors shall not be made on any day when, pursuant to this act, it ought to be made, it shall and may be lawful on any other day to hold and make an election of directors, in such manner as shall have been regulated by the laws and ordinances of the said president and directors.

. And be it further enacted, That process of law, served on the president for the time being, shall be deemed sufficient service, and shall avail in like manner, as if it had been served on all the directors, to the intent and purpose of making the said corporate company responsible.