Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 5.djvu/42



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the collector of the port of New York, be and he is hereby, authorized, as he may deem best calculated to secure the interest of the United States, to cause to be extended (with the assent of the sureties thereon) to all persons who have suffered loss of property by the conflagration at that place, on the sixteenth day of December last, by the burning of their buildings or merchandise, the time of payment of all bonds heretofore given by them for duties, to periods not exceeding three, four, and five years in equal instalments from and after the day of payment specified in bonds; or to allow the said bonds to be cancelled, upon giving to the said collector new bonds with one or more sureties to the satisfaction of the said collector, for the sums of the former bonds, respectively, payable in equal instalments in three, four, and five years, from and after the day of payment specified in the bonds to be taken up or cancelled as aforesaid; and the said collector is hereby authorized and directed to give up, or cancel all such bonds upon the receipt of others described in this section; which last mentioned bonds shall be proceeded with, in all respects, like other bonds which are taken by collectors for duties to the United States, and shall have the same force and validity: Provided, That those who are within the provision of this section, but who may have paid their bonds subsequent to the late fire, shall also be entitled to the benefit of this section, and that the said bonds shall be renewed from the day when the same were paid, and said payments refunded, if not previously put into bank to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States. And provided also, That the benefits of this section shall not be extended to any person whose loss shall not be proved to the satisfaction of the collector, to have exceeded the sum of one thousand dollars.

. And be it further enacted, That the collector of the port of New York, is hereby authorized and directed to extend the payments in the manner prescribed in the first section of this act, of all other bonds given for duties at the port of New York prior to the late fire, and not provided for in the first section as aforesaid, for six, nine, and twelve months, from and after the date of payment specified in the bonds; which bonds when executed agreeably to the provisions of this section, shall be payable with interest, at the rate of five per centum per annum, which interest, shall be computed from the times the respective bonds would have fallen due, if this act had not passed; Provided however, That nothing contained in this act, shall extend to bonds which had fallen due before the 17th day of December last: Provided also, That if in the opinion of the collector aforesaid, any of the bonds which may be given under this act or the payment of which may be postponed, shall at any time be insecure, it shall be the duty of the said collector to require such additional security as shall be satisfactory to him, and on the failure of such additional security being furnished, the payment of such bond shall be enforced forthwith.

, March 19, 1836.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War