of Maflachusetts, fourteen; within the ftate of Vermont, two; within the ftate of RhodeIland, two; within the ftate of Connecticut, feven; within the ftate of New-York, ten; within the state of New-Jerfey, five; within the state of Pennsylvania, thirteen; within the ftate of Delaware, one; within the ftate of Maryland, eight; within the ftate of Virginia, nineteen; within the ftate of Kentucky, two; within the ftate of North-Carolina, ten; within the ftate of South-Carolina, fix; and within the ftate of Georgia, two members.

JONATHAN TRUMBULL, Speaker of the House of Reprefentatives.

JOHN ADAMS, Vice-Prefident of the United States, and Prefident of the Senate.

APPROVED, April fourteenth, 1792:

GEORGE WASHINGTON,

Prefident of the United States.

An Act concerning Confuls and Vice-Confuls.

OR carrying into full effect the convention

between the King of the French, and the United States of America, entered into for the purpose of defining and establishing the functions and privileges of their refpective Confuls and Vice-Confuls;

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives of the United States of America in Congress affembled, That where in the

feventh article of the faid convention, it is Duty of agreed that when there fhall be no conful or confuls and Gift. judges vice-conful of the King of the French, to at- concerning tend to the faving of the wreck of any French wrecks. veffels ftranded on the coafts of the United States, or that the refidence of the faid conful, or vice-conful (he not being at the place of the wreck) fhall be more diftant from the faid place than that of the competent judge of the country, the latter fhall immediately proceed to perform the office there... prescribed; the diftrict judge of the United States of the dif trict in which the wreck fhall happen, fhall proceed therein, according to the tenor of the faid article. And in fuch cafes it fhall be the duty of the officers of the customs within whofe diftricts fuch wrecks fhall happen, to give notice thereof, as foon as may be, to the faid judge, and to aid and affist him to perform the duties hereby affigned to him. The district judges of the United States fhall also, within their respective diftricts, be the competent judges, for the purpofes expreffed in the ninth article of the faid convention, and it fhall be incumbent on them to give aid to the confuls and vice-confuls of the King of the French, in arresting and fecuring deferters from vetfels of the French nation according to the tenor of the faid article.

And where by any article of the faid Con- Dury of vention, the confuls and vice confuls of the maribals. King of the French, are entitled to the aid of the competent executive officers of the country, in the execution of any precept, the marfhals of the United States, and their deputies, fhall, within their refpective districts, be the competent officers, and fhall give their aid according to the tenor of the ftipulations.

Where

ments hall be made.

Right of

vice-con

Fulsy

And whenever commitments to the jails of commit- the country fhall become neceffary in purfuance of any ftipulation of the faid Convention, they fhall be to fuch jails within the respective diftricts as other commitments under the authority of the United States are by law made. And for the direction of the confuls and vice confuls of the United States in certain cafes. Sec. 2. Be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, confuls and That they fhall have right in the ports or places to which they are or may be severally appointed of receiving the protefts or declarations, which fuch captains, mafters, crews, pasfengers and merchants, as are citizens of the United States may refpectively chufe to make there; and alfo fuch as any foreigner may chufe to make before them relative to the perfonal interest of any citizens of the United States; and the copies of the said acts duly authenticated by the faid confuls or vice confuls, under the feal of their confulates, refpectively, fhall receive faith in law, equally as their originals would in all courts in the United States. It fhall be their duty where the laws of the country permit, to take poffeffion of the perfonal eftate left by any citizen of the United States, other than feamen belonging to any fhip or veffel who fhall die within their confulate; leaving there no legal reprefentative, partner in trade or truftee by him appointed to take care of his effects, they fhall inventory the fame with the affiftance of two merchants of the United States, or for want of them, of any to the trea- others at their choice; fhall collect the debts fury of the U. S. if not due to the deceafed in the country where he died, and pay the debts due from his eftate which he fhall have there contracted; fhall fell at auction after reasonable public notice fuch

to take

charge of eftates of

perfonal

deceafed perfons,&c.

To collect

debts, &c. mit balance

and tranf

called for by legal reprefentarive.

1

part of the eftate as fhall be of a perishable nature and fuch further part, if any, as fhall be neceffary for the payment of his debts, and at the expiration of one year from his decease, the refidue; and the balance of the estate they fhall tranfmit to the treasury of the United States, to be holden in truft for the legal claimants. But if at any time before fuch tranfmiffion, the legal reprefentative of the deceased fhall appear and demand his effects in their hands, they fhall deliver them up, being paid their fees, and fhall ceafe their proceedings.

Conful to

gazette

the con

fulate.

For the information of the representative of the deceased, it fhall be the duty of the conful notify the or vice conful authorized to proceed as afore- death in a faid in the settlement of his eftate, immediate- published ly to notify his death in one of the gazettes published in the confulate, and alfo to the Secretary of State, that the fame may be notified in the state to which the deceased shall belong ; and he shall also, as foon as may be, transmit to the Secretary of State, an inventory of the effects of the deceased taken as before directed.

veffels,

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Duty as to faid confuls and vice confuls, in cafes where ftranded fhips or veffels of the United States fhall be ftranded on the coafts of their confulates re-. spectively, shall, as far as the laws of the country will permit, take proper measures, as well for the purpose of faving the faid ships or veffels, their cargoes and appurtenances, as for ftoring and fecuring the effects and merchandize faved, and for taking an inventory or inventories thereof; and the merchandize and effects faved with the inventory or inventories thereof taken as aforefaid, fhall, after deduc

1

Fees.

Confuls to

ting therefrom the expenfe, be delivered to the owner or owners. Provided, That no conful or vice conful fhall have authority to take poffeffion of any fuch goods, warcs, merchandize or other property, when the mafter, owner or confignee thereof is prefent or capable of taking poffeffion of the fame.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful for every conful and vice conful of the United States, to take and receive the following fees of office for the fervices which he fhall have performed.

For authenticating under the consular feal, every proteft, declaration, depofition, or other act, which fuch captains, mafters, mariners, feamen, paffengers, merchants or others as are citizens of the United States may refpectively chufe to make, the fum of two dollars.

For the taking into poffeffion, inventorying, felling and finally fettling and paying, or tranf mitting as aforefaid, the balance due on the perfonal eftate left by any citizen of the United States who fhall die within the limits of his confulate five per centum on the grofs amount of fuch estate.

For taking into poffeffion and otherwife proceeding on any fuch eftate which fhall be delivered over to the legal reprefentative before a final fettlement of the fame, as is herein before directed two and an half per centum on fuch part delivered over as fhall not be in money, and five per centum on the grofs amount of the refidue.

And it fhall be the duty of the confuls and ceipt for vice-confuls of the United States, to give receipts for all fees which they fhall receive by