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An ACT to amend an Act, entitled "An Act to es tablish a Quarter Master's Department, and for other Purposes."

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That neither the quarter master general, the commissary general, nor any or either of their deputies or assistant deputies, shall be concerned, directly or indirectly, in the purchase or sale, for commercial purposes, of any article intended for making a part of, or appertaining to, their respective departments, except for and on account of the United States; nor shall they or either of them, take or apply to his or their own use any gain or emolument for negociating or transacting any business in their respective departments, other than what is or may be allowed by law.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the quarter master general be, and he is hereby empowered to appoint one principal barrack master, and as many deputy barrack masters, as may from time to time be necessary, not exceeding one to each separate barrack or cantonment: which said principal barrack master shall be entitled to receive the same pay, rations and emoluments, as the principal forage master; and each of his deputies, the same pay, rations and emoluments as is by law allowed to a deputy forage

master.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That in addition to the allowance made to the quarter master general and commissary general respectively, in and by the act hereby amended, it shall and may be lawful for the secretary for the department of war, for the time being, to allow to them respectively such sums as in his opinion shall have been actually and necessarily expended in their several departments for office rent, fuel, candles and extra clerk hire.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the quar ter master general, the deputy quarter masters, and

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the assistant deputy quarter masters, shall, before they or either of them enter upon the duties of their appointment, respectively enter into bond, with sufficient security, to be approved of by the secretary of war, conditioned for the faithful expenditure of all public monies, and accounting for all public property which may come to their hands, respectively; and the quarter master general shall not be liable for any money or property that may come into the hands of the subordinate officers of his department.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the sixth section of the act hereby amended be, and the same is, hereby repealed.

H. CLAY,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
WM. H. CRAWFORD,
President of the Senate pro tempore.

May 22, 1812.

APPROVED,

JAMES MADISON.

An ACT for the more perfect Organization of the Army of the United States.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the infantry of the army of the United States shall consist of twenty-five regiments, and that a regiment shall consist of one colonel, one lieutenant colonel, one major, one adjutant, one pay master, one quarter master, one surgeon, two surgeon's mates, one sergeant, two principal musicians, and ten companies.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That each company shall consist of one captain, one lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one ensign, four sergeants, six corporals, two musicians, and ninety privates.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That to the regiment of cavalry, authorized by the act passed January eleventh, one thousand eight hundred and I

twelve, entitled "An act to raise an additional military force," there shall be added one riding master: and to the regiment of light dragoons, authorized by the act passed, April twelfth, one thousand eight hundred and eight, entitled "An act to raise, for a limited time an additional military force," one surgeon's mate.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That each troop of cavalry or light dragoons shall consist of one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one cornet, four sergeants, six corporals, two musicians, one master of the sword, one saddler, one farrier, one blacksmith and sixty-four privates, and the pay and emolument of a master of the sword, shall be the same as those of a riding master, and the pay and emolument of a blacksmith shall be the same as those of a farrier.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the military establishment authorized by the law previous to the twelfth day of April one thousand eight hundred and eight, and the additional military force raised by virtue of the act of the twelfth of April one thousand eight hundred and eight, be and the same are hereby incorporated, and that from and after the passing of this act the promotions shall be made through the lines of artillerists, light artillery, dragoons, riflemen and infantry respectively, according to established rules.

H. CLAY,

ntatir

Speaker of the House of Representatives.
WM. H. CRAWFORD,
President of the Senate pro tempore.

June 26, 1812.

APPROVED,

JAMES MADISON.

An ACT to provide for designating, surveying and granting the Military Bounty Lands.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the President of the United

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States be, and he is hereby authorized to cause to be surveyed a quantity of the public lands of the United States, fit for cultivation, not otherwise appropriated, and to which the Indian title is extinguished, not exceeding in the whole six millions of acres, two millions to be surveyed in the territory of Michigan, two millions in the Illinois territory, north of the Illinois river, two millions in the territory of Louisiana, between the river St. Francis, and the river Arkansas; the said lands to be divided into townships, and subdivided into sections and quarter sections, (each quarter section to contain, as near as possible, one hundred and sixty acres) in the manner prescribed by law for surveying and subdividing the other public lands of the United States; the same price to be allowed for surveying as is fixed for surveying the other public lands in the same territory. And the lands thus surveyed, with the exception of the salt springs and lead mines therein, and of the quantities of land adjacent thereto, as may be reserved for the use of the same by the President of the United States, and the section number sixteen in every township to be granted to the inhabitants of such township for the use of public schools, shall be set apart and reserved for the purpose of satisfying the bounties of one hundred and sixty acres, promised to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the United States, their heirs and legal representatives, by the act, entitled "An act for completing the existing military establishment," approved the twenty-fourth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and eleven, and by the act, entitled "An act to raise an additional military force," approved the eleventh day of January, one thousand eight hundred and twelve.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the secrè tary for the department of war, for the time being, shall, from time to time, issue warrants for the military land bounties to the persons entitled thereto by the two last mentioned acts, or either of them: Pro

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vided always, That such warrants shall be issued only in the names of the persons thus entitled, and be by them or their representatives applied for within five years after the said persons shall have become entitled thereto; and the said warrants shall not be assignable or transferable in any manner whatever.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That every person in whose favor such warrants shall have been issued, shall, on delivery of the same at the office of the secretary of the treasury, or of such other officer as may at the time have, by law, the superintendence of the general land office of the United States at the seat of government, be entitled to draw by lot in such manner as the officer, at the head of the land office, under the direction of the President of the United States, may prescribe, one of the quarter sections surveyed by virtue of the first section of this act, in either of the said territories which the person in whose favor such warrant has issued may designate. And a patent shall thereupon be granted to such person, for such quarter section, without requiring any fee therefor.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That no claim for the military land bounties aforesaid shall be assignable or transferable in any manner whatever, until after a patent shall have been granted in the manner aforesaid. All sales, mortgages, contracts or agreements, of any nature whatever, made prior thereto, for the purpose, or with intent of alienating, pledging or mortgaging any such claim, are hereby declared and shall be held null and void; nor shall any tract of land, granted as aforesaid, be liable to be taken in execution or sold on account of any such sale, mortgage, contract or agreement, or on account of any debt contracted prior to the date of the patent, either by the person originally entitled to the land or by his heirs or legal representatives, or by virtue of any process, or suit at law, or judgment of court

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