An Act to continue in force the act intituled "An act to authorize the defence of the merchant vessels of the United States against French depredations."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act passed on the twenty-fifth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, intituled "An act to authorize the defence of the merchant vessels of the United States against French depredations," excepting such parts of the said act as relate to salvage in cases of recapture, shall continue and be in force for and during the term of one year, and from thence to the end of the next session of Congress thereafter, and no longer.

APPROVED, April 22, 1800.

An act to provide for the ascertainment of claims of American citizens for spoliations committed by the French prior to the thirty-first day of July, eighteen hundred and one.2

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That such citizens of the United States, or their legal representatives, as had valid claims to indemnity upon the French Government arising out of illegal captures, detentions, seizures, condemnations, and confiscations prior to the ratification of the convention between the United States and the French Republic concluded on the thirtieth day of September, eighteen hundred, the ratifications of which were exchanged on the thirty-first day of July following, may apply by petition to the Court of Claims, within two years from the passage of this act, as hereinafter provided: Provided, That the provisions of this act shall not extend to such claims as were embraced in the convention between the United States and the French Republic concluded on the thirtieth day of April, eighteen hundred and three; nor to such claims growing out of the acts of France as were allowed and paid, in whole or in part, under the provisions of the treaty between the United States and Spain con

1 Statutes at Large, vol. II, p. 39.

2 Statutes at Large, vol. XXIII, p. 283.

cluded on the twenty-second day of February, eighteen hundred and nineteen; nor to such claims as were allowed, in whole or in part, under the provisions of the treaty between the United States and France concluded on the fourth day of July, eighteen hundred and thirty-one.

SEC. 2. That the court is hereby authorized to make all needful rules and regulations, not contravening the laws of the land or the provisions of this act, for executing the provisions hereof.

SEC. 3. That the court shall examine and determine the validity and amount of all the claims included within the description above mentioned, together with their present ownership, and, if by assignee, the date of the assignment, with the consideration paid therefor: Provided, That in the course of their proceedings they shall receive all suitable testimony on oath or affirmation, and all other proper evidence, historical and documentary, concerning the same; and they shall decide upon the validity of said claims according to the rules of law, municipal and international, and the treaties of the United States applicable to the same, and shall report all such conclusions of fact and law as in their judgment may affect the liability of the United States therefor. SEC. 4. That the court shall cause notice of all petitions presented under this act to be served on the Attorney-General of the United States, who shall be authorized, by himself or his assistant, to examine witnesses, to cause testimony to be taken, to have access to all testimony taken under this act, and to be heard by the court. He shall resist all claims presented under this act by all proper legal defenses.

SEC. 5. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure, as soon as possible after the passage of this act, through the American minister at Paris or otherwise, all such evidence and documents relating to the claims above mentioned as can be obtained from abroad; which, together with the like evidence and documents on file in the Department of State, or which may be filed in the Department, may be used before the court by the claimants interested therein, or by the United States, but the same shall not be removed from the files of the court; and after the hearings are closed the record of the proceedings of the court and the documents produced before them shall be deposited in the Department of State.

SEC. 6. That on the first Monday of December in each year the court shall report to Congress, for final action, the facts found by it, and its conclusions in all cases which it has disposed of and not pre

viously reported. Such finding and report of the court shall be taken to be merely advisory as to the law and facts found, and shall not conclude either the claimant or Congress; and all claims not finally presented to said court within the period of two years limited by this act shall be forever barred; and nothing in this act shall be construed as committing the United States to the payment of any such claims. APPROVED, January 20th, 1885.

Proclamations

Proclamation of June 26, 17991

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Whereas by an act of the Congress of the United States passed the 9th day of February last, entitled "An act further to suspend the commercial intercourse between the United States and France and the dependencies thereof," it is provided that at any time after the passing of this act it shall be lawful for the President of the United States, if he shall deem it expedient and consistent with the interests of the United States, by his order to remit and discontinue for the time being the restraints and prohibitions by the said act imposed, either with respect to the French Republic or to any island, port, or place belonging to the said Republic with which a commercial intercourse may safely be renewed, and also to revoke such order whenever, in his opinion, the interest of the United States shall require; and he is authorized to make proclamation thereof accordingly; and

Whereas the arrangements which have been made at St. Domingo for the safety of the commerce of the United States and for the admission of American vessels into certain ports of that island do, in my opinion, render it expedient and for the interest of the United States to renew a commercial intercourse with such ports:

Therefore I, John Adams, President of the United States, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the above-recited act, do hereby remit and discontinue the restraints and prohibitions therein contained within the limits and under the regulations here following, to wit:

1. It shall be lawful for vessels which have departed or may depart from the United States to enter the ports of Cape François and Port Republicain, formerly called Port-au-Prince, in the said island of St. Domingo, on and after the 1st day of August next.

2. No vessel shall be cleared for any other port in St. Domingo than Cape François and Port Republicain.

1 Richardson, Messages, vol. I, p. 288.

3. It shall be lawful for vessels which shall enter the said ports of Cape François and Port Republicain after the 31st day of July next to depart from thence to any other port in said island between Monte Christi on the north and Petit Goave on the west; provided it be done with the consent of the Government of St. Domingo and pursuant to certificates or passports expressing such consent, signed by the consulgeneral of the United States or consul residing at the port of departure. 4. All vessels sailing in contravention of these regulations will be out of the protection of the United States and be, moreover, liable to capture, seizure, and confiscation.

Given under my hand and the seal of the United States, at Philadelphia, the 26th day of June, A. D. 1799, and of the Independence of the said States the twenty-third.

Whereas by an act of Congress of the United States passed the 27th day of February last, entitled “An act further to suspend the commercial intercourse betwen the United States and France and the dependencies thereof," it is enacted that at any time after the passing of the said act it shall be lawful for the President of the United States, by his order, to remit and discontinue for the time being, whenever he shall deem it expedient and for the interest of the United States, all or any of the restraints and prohibitions imposed by the said act in respect to the territories of the French Republic, or to any island, port, or place belonging to the said Republic with which, in his opinion, a commercial intercourse may be safely renewed, and to make proclamation thereof accordingly; and it is also thereby further enacted that the whole of the island of Hispaniola shall, for the purposes of the said act, be considered as a dependence of the French Republic; and

1Richardson, Messages, vol. I, p. 302.