Office to ascer [No. 24.]—A RESOLUTION relative to errors and defective returns in certain surveys, plats, and field notes. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commissioner United States of America in Congress assembled, That the of General Land Commissioner of the General Land office be, and he is hereby, tain damages authorized to employ some suitable person to ascertain and resustained by purchasers of port to the said Commissioner of the General Land Office the certain land in amount of damages sustained by the respective purchasers of Michigan. tled. public lands in township one south, range seven east, in the State of Michigan, (or by their respective assignces and legal representatives,) by, or in consequence of, the erroneous or fraudulent surveys of said township, or of the imperfect or false returns thereof; and it shall be the duty of such person so employed, to proceed to such township, and, upon view of the premises, and upon hearing the proofs of the parties in interest, to estimate and ascertain said damages, and to report his opinion and decision thereon, specifying in his said report each individual case, and the facts and reasons upon which his opinion may be founded. Approved, August 10, 1846. [No. 25.]-A RESOLUTION declaratory of the act passed twenty third August, eighteen hundred and forty two, entitled "An act for the relief of Charles F. Sibbald." Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of His claim to be the United States of America in Congress assembled, That audited and set-in carrying into effect the act entitled "an act for the relief of Charles F. Sibbald," passed twenty-third August, eighteen hundred and forty two, the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized and required to audit and liquidate the claims and demands of said Sibbald upon principles of law and equity, and in such manner as to secure to said Sibbald an indemnification for the injuries and damages sustained by him, occasioned by the interference of the agents of the government with his property and rights, and on such proofs as are usually received in similar cases by the ac counting officers of the government. Approved, August 10, 1846. TREATIES. CONVENTION WITH THE GRAND DUCHY OF HESSE CASSEL FOR CONCLUDED MARCH 26, 1844. By the President of the United States of America: A PROCLAMATION. Convention Duchy of Hesse Whereas a Convention between the United States of America and His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse was con- with the Grand cluded and signed by their Plenipotentiaries, at Berlin, on March 26, 1844. the twenty-sixth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and forty-four, which Convention, being in the French and English languages, is, word for word, as follows: Convention pour l'abolition mutuelle du droit d'aubaine et des taxes sur l'émigration entre les Etats-Unis d'Amerique et le Grand Duché de Hesse. Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique, d'une part, et Son Altesse Royale le Grand Duc de Hesse, de l'autre part, désirant également d'écarter les restrictions qui existent actuellement dans leurs territoires sur l'acquisitions et l'aliénation des biens, par leurs citoyens et sujets respectifs, sont convenu dans ce but d'entrer, en négociation. Pour atteindre ce but désirable, le Président des EtatsUnis d'Amérique a muni de Convention for the mutual abolition of the droit d'au- The United States of Amer- Preamble. ica on the one part, and His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse, on the other part, being equally desirous of removing the restrictions which exist in their territories upon the acquisition and transfer of property by their respective citizens and subjects, have agreed to enter into negotiation for this purpose. For the attainment of this Negotiations: desirable object, the President of the United States of Amer Droit d'aubaine abolished. Heirs of real property allow ceeds. pleins pouvoirs le Sieur Henry Wheaton, leur Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiare près la Cour de Sa Majesté le Roi de Prusse, et Son Altesse Royale le Grand Duc de Hesse a muni de pleins pouvoirs Monsieur le Baron de Shaeffer Bernstein, son Chambellan, Colonel, et Aide-deCamp, et Son Ministre Résident près Sa Majesté le Roi de Prusse, lesquels, après avoir échangé leurs pleins pouvoirs, trouvés en bonne et due forme, ont airêté les articles suivans: ARTICLE I. Toute espèce de droit d'aubaine, droit de retraite, et droit de détraction, ou impôt d'émigration, est et demeurera aboli, entre les deux parties contractantes, leurs Etats, citoyens et sujets respectifs. ARTICLE II. Si par la mort de quelque ed to sell the personne possédant des imsame and with- meubles ou bien-fonds sur le draw the pro- territoire de l'une des parties contractantes, ces immeubles ou bien-fonds venaient à passer, selon les lois du pays, á un citoyen ou sujet de l'autre partie, celui-ci, si par sa qualité d'étranger il est inhabile à les posséder, obtiendra un délai de deux ans, qui, d'après les circonstances, pourra être convenablement prolongé, pour les vendre, et pour en retirer le produit, sans obstacle et exempt de tout droit de retenue de la part du Gouvernement des Etats respectifs. ica has conferred full powers on Henry Wheaton, their Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of His Majesty the King of Prussia, and his Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse upon Baron Shaeffer Bernstein his Chamberlain, Colonel, Aidde camp, and Minister Resi dent near His Majesty the King of Prussia, who, after having exchanged their said full powers, found in due and proper form, have agreed to the following articles: ARTICLE I. Every kind of droit d'au baine, droit de retraite, and droit de détraction, or tax on emigration, is, hereby, and shall remain abolished, between the two contracting parties, their States, citizens, and subjects, respectively. ARTICLE II. to Where, on the death of any person holding real property within the territories of one party, such real property, would, by the laws of the land, descend on a subject or citizens of the other, were he not disqualified by alienage, such citizen or subject shall be allowed a term of two years sell the same--which term may be reasonably prolonged according to circumstances and to withdraw the proceeds thereof, without molestation, and exempt from all duties of detraction on the part of the Government of the respective States. ARTICLE III. Les citoyens ou sujets de chacune des parties contractantes auront, dans les Etats do l'autre, la liberté de disposer de leurs biens mobiliers, soit par testament, donation, ou autrement; et leurs héritiers, étant citoyens ou sujets de l'autre partie contractante, succéderont à leurs biens, soit en vertu d'un testament ou ab intestato, et ils pourront en prendre possession, soit en personne, soit par d'autres agissant en leur place, et en disposeront á leur volonté, en ne payant d'autres droits que ceux auxquels les habitans du pays où se trouvent les dits biens sont assujettis en pareille occasion. ARTICLE IV. En cas d'absence des heritiers, on prendra provisoirement des dits biens mobiliers ou immobiliers les mêmes soins qu'on aurait pris, en parielle occasion, des biens des natifs du pays, jusqu'à ce que le propriétaire légitime, ou la personne qui a le droit de les vendre, d'après l'article deux, ait agréé des arrangemens pour recueiller l'héritage ou en disposer. ARTICLE V. S'il s'élève des contestations entre différens préten dans, ayant droit à la succession, elles serront décidées, en dernier ressort, selon les lois et par les juges du pays où la succession est vacante. 13 ARTICLE III. inhabitants. The citizens or subjects of Duties on disposal of personeach of the contracting parties al property the shall have power to dispose of same as paid by their personal property within the States of the other, by testament, donation or otherwise; and their heirs, being citizens or subjects of the other contracting party, shall succeed to their said personal property, whether by testament or ab intestato, and may take possession thereof, either by themselves or by others acting for them, and dispose of the same at their pleasure, paying such duties only as the inhabitants of the country where the said property lies shall be liable to pay in like cases. ARTICLE VI. Convention Cette Convention sera ratisubject to ratification, &c. fiée par le Président des EtatsUnis d'Amérique, par et avec l'avis et le consentment de leur Sénat, et par Son Altesse Royale le Grande Duc de Hesse, et les ratifications en serront échangées à Berlin, dans l'espace de six mois, à dater de ce jour, ou plutôt si fair se epeut. En foi de quoi, les Plénipotentiaries respectifs ont signé les articles ci-dessus, tant en Français qu'en Anglaise, et y ont apposé leurs sceaux, déclarant toutefois que la signature dans ces deux langues ne doit pas, par la suite, être citée comme exemple, ne en aucune manière porter préjudice aux parties contractantes. Fait par quadruplicata, en Signed March la ville de Berlin, le vingt-six 26, 1844. du mois de Mars, l'an de Grâce mille huit cent quarante-quatre, et le soixante-huitième de l'Indépendance des Etats-Unis d'Amérique. ARTICLE VI. This Convention shall be ratified by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of their Senate, and by His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Berlin, within the term of six months from the date of the signature hereof, or sooner if possible. In faith of which, the res pective Plenipotentiaries have signed the above articles, both in French and English, and have thereto affixed their seals; declaring, nevertheless, that the signing in both languages shall not hereafter be cited as a precedent, nor in any way operate to the prejudice of the contracting parties. Done in quadruplicata, in the city of Berlin, on the twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fortyfour, and the sixty-eighth of the Independence of the United States of America. HENRY WHEATON, [L. 8.] BARON DE SCHAEFFER-BERN- And whereas the said Convention has been duly ratified on Ratifications ex- both parts, and the respective ratifications of the same having changed Oct. been exchanged, to wit: at Berlin, on the sixteenth day of 16, 1844. Convention October, one thousand eight hundred and forty four, by Theodore S. Fay, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the United States, and Baron de Schaeffer-Bernstein, Chamberlain, Colonel, Aid-de-Camp, and Minister Resident of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Hesse near the Court of his Majesty the King of Prussia, on the part of their respective Governments: Now, THEREFORE, BE IT KNOWN, that I, JAMES K. proclaimed 8th POLK, President of the United States of America, have caused May, 1845. the said Convention to be made public, to the end that the same, and every clause and article thereof may be observed and |