Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 4.djvu/266



of their commission, and the Secretary of State shall be, and he is hereby, authorized and required, forthwith, after the passing of this act, to give a notice of the said intended meeting, to be published in one or more public gazettes in the city of Washington, and in the states from which the property of claimants who have heretofore registered their claims, shall have been taken.

. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall proceed immediately after their meeting in the city of Washington, with all convenient despatch, to arrange and docket the several claims, and to consider the evidence which shall have been, or which may be, offered by the respective claimants, allowing such further time for the production of such further evidence as they may require, as they shall think reasonable and just; and they shall thereupon proceed to determine the said claims, and to award distribution of the said fund among the several claimants, according to their respective rights.

. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall be, and they are hereby, authorized and empowered to make all needful rules and regulations not contravening the laws of the land, the provisions of this act, or the provisions of the said treaty and convention, for carrying their said commission into full and complete effect.

. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall be entitled to, and allowed the sum of, three thousand dollars per annum, each; and the clerk of the said commission shall be entitled to, and allowed the sum of, one thousand five hundred dollars per annum during the continuance of the said commission; and the President of the United States shall be, and he is hereby, authorized to make such provision for the incidental expenses of the said commission as shall appear to him reasonable and proper; and the said salaries and expenses shall be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners and clerk, shall severally take an oath for the faithful performance of the duties of their respective offices.

. And be it further enacted, That the commission hereby created shall not continue after the end of the next session of Congress.

. And be it further enacted, That the payment of such claims as may be admitted and adjusted by the said commissioners, or the major part of them, to an amount not exceeding twelve hundred and four thousand nine hundred and sixty dollars, shall be made out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated; that is to say: so soon, and as often as any of the said claims shall be adjudged to be valid, and the principal amount shall be ascertained, there shall be paid on such claims, respectively, a sum equal to seventy-five per centum of the principal sums thereof, so ascertained; and at the termination of the time hereby fixed for the dissolution of the board, or such earlier dissolution thereof as may be determined upon by the board itself, after it shall have examined and decided upon all the claims aforesaid, the balance of all such sums as shall be adjudged to the claimants, shall be paid: Provided, the whole sum adjudged or awarded to them, collectively, shall not exceed the aforesaid sum of twelve hundred and four thousand nine hundred and sixty dollars; and if the whole sum adjudged or awarded shall exceed that amount, the claimants shall, respectively, receive in proportion to the sums awarded to them, respectively, a part of the balance thereof remaining for distribution.

. And be it further enacted, That all moneys already received, and all which shall herafter be received, under the convention aforesaid, signed at London on the thirteenth of November, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, shall be paid into the treasury of the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That as soon as the said