these departments may be required by law to make, and which are of a character to be made by the depositaries hereby constituted, consistently with the other official duties imposed upon them.

[Sections 7 and 8 relate to the bonds to be given by certain officers.]

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That all collectors and receivers of public money, of every character and description, within the District of Columbia, shall, as frequently as they may be directed by the Secretary of the Treasury, or the PostmasterGeneral so to do, pay over to the treasurer of the United States, at the treasury, all public moneys collected by them, or in their hands; that all such collectors and receivers of public moneys within the cities of Philadelphia and New Orleans shall, upon the same direction, pay over to the treasurers of the mints in their respective cities, at the said mints, all public moneys collected by them, or in their hands; and that all such collectors and receivers of public moneys within the cities of New York, Boston, Charleston, and St. Louis, shall, upon the same direction, pay over to the assistant treasurers in their respective cities, at their offices, respectively, all the public moneys collected by them, or in their hands, to be safely kept by the said respective depositaries until otherwise disposed of according to law; and it shall be the duty of the said Secretary and Postmaster-General respectively to direct such payments by the said collectors and receivers at all the said places, at least as often as once in each week, and as much more frequently, in all cases, as they in their discretion may think proper.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the moneys in the hands of any depositary hereby constituted to the treasury of the United States, to be there safely kept, to the credit of the treasurer of the United States, according to the provisions of this act; and also to transfer moneys in the hands of any one depositary constituted by this act to any other depositary constituted by the same, at his discretion, and as the safety of the public moneys, and the convenience of the public service, shall seem to him to require; which authority to transfer the moneys belonging to the post-office department is also hereby conferred upon the Postmaster-General, so far as its exercise by him may be consistent with the provisions of existing laws; and every depositary constituted by this act shall

keep his account of the money paid to or deposited with him, belonging to the post-office department, separate and distinct from the account kept by him of other public moneys so paid or deposited. And for the purpose of payments on the public account, it shall be lawful for the treasurer of the United States to draw upon any of the said depositaries, as he may think most conducive to the public interest, or to the convenience of the public creditors, or both. And each depositary so drawn upon shall make returns to the treasury and post-office departments of all moneys received and paid by him, at such times and in such form as shall be directed by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Postmaster-General.

[Sections 11-13 provide for examinations of the books and accounts of depositaries, and for certain necessary expenses.]

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Treasury may, at his discretion, transfer the balances remaining with any of the present depositaries to any other of the present depositaries, as he may deem the safety of the public money or the public convenience may require: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer the balances remaining with any of the present depositaries to the depositaries constituted by this act before the first day of January next: And provided, That, for the purpose of payments on public account, out of balances remaining with the present depositaries, it shall be lawful for the treasurer of the United States to draw upon any of the said depositaries as he may think most conducive to the public interests, or to the convenience of the public creditors, or both.

SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That all marshals, district attorneys, and others having public money to pay to the United States, and all patentees wishing to make payment for patents to be issued, may pay all such moneys to the treasurer of the United States, to the treasurer of either of the mints in Philadelphia or New Orleans, to either of the other assistant treasurers, or to such other depositary constituted by this act as shall be designated by the Secretary of the Treasury in other parts of the United States to receive such payments, and give receipts or certificates of deposit therefor.

[Sec. 16 declares what shall constitute an embezzlement of the public moneys, and provides for the punishment thereof.]

SEC. 17. [The first paragraph of this section provides for temporary accommodations for the several depositaries.]

And whereas, by the thirtieth section of the act entitled "An Act to regulate the Collection of Duties imposed by Law on the Tonnage of Ships or Vessels, and on Goods, Wares, and Merchandises, imported into the United States," approved July thirty-one, seventeen hundred and eighty-nine, it was provided that all fees and dues collected by virtue of that act should be received in gold and silver coin only; and whereas, also, by the fifth section of the act approved May ten, eighteen hundred, entitled "An Act to amend the Act entitled 'An Act providing for the Sale of the Lands of the United States in the Territory North-west of the Ohio, and above the Mouth of Kentucky River,'" it was provided that payment for the said lands shall be made by all purchasers in specie, or in evidences of the public debt; and whereas, experience has proved that said provisions ought to be revived and enforced, according to the true and wise intent of the constitution of the United States.

SEC. 18. Be it further enacted, That on the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and thereafter, all duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money accruing or becoming due to the United States, and also all sums due for postages or otherwise, to the general post-office department, shall be paid in gold and silver coin only, or in treasury notes issued under the authority of the United States: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury shall publish, monthly, in two newspapers at the city of Washington, the amount of specie at the several places of deposit, the amount of treasury notes or drafts issued, and the amount outstanding on the last day of each month.

SEC. 19. And be it further enacted, That on the first day of April, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and thereafter, every officer or agent engaged in making disbursements on account of the United States, or of the general post-office, shall make all payments in gold and silver coin, or in treasury notes, if the creditor agree to receive said notes in payment; and any receiving or disbursing officer or agent who shall neglect, evade, or violate, the provisions of this and the last preceding section of this act, shall, by the Secretary of the Treasury, be immediately reported to the President of the United States, with the facts of such neg

lect, evasion, or violation; and also to Congress, if in session; and if not in session, at the commencement of its session next after the violation takes place.

SEC. 20. And be it further enacted, That no exchange of funds shall be made by any disbursing officers or agents of the government, of any grade or denomination whatsoever, or connected with any branch of the public service, other than an exchange for gold and silver; and every such disbursing officer, when the means for his disbursements are furnished to him in gold and silver, shall make his payments in the money so furnished; or when those means are furnished to him in drafts, shall cause those drafts to be presented at their place of payment, and properly paid according to the law, and shall make his payments in the money so received for the drafts furnished, unless, in either case, he can exchange the means in his hands for gold and silver at par. And it shall be and is hereby made the duty of the head of the proper department immediately to suspend from duty any disbursing officer who shall violate the provisions of this section, and forthwith to report the name of the officer or agent to the President, with the fact of the violation, and all the circumstances accompanying the same, and within the knowledge of the said Secretary, to the end that such officer or agent may be promptly removed from office, or restored to his trust and the performance of his duties, as to the President may seem just and proper: Provided, however, That those disbursing officers having at present credits in the banks shall, until the first day of January next, be allowed to check on the same, allowing the public creditors to receive their pay from the banks either in specie or bank notes.

SEC. 21. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to issue and publish regulations to enforce the speedy presentation of all government drafts for payment at the place where payable, and to prescribe the time, according to the different distances of the depositaries from the seat of government, within which all drafts upon them, respectively, shall be presented for payment; and, in default of such presentation, to direct any other mode and place of payment which he may deem proper; but, in all these regulations and directions, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to guard, as far as may be, against those drafts being used or thrown into circulation as a paper currency or medium of exchange. And no officer

of the United States shall, either directly or indirectly, sell or distpose to any person or persons, or corporations, whatsoever, for a premium, any treasury note, draft, warrant, or other public secusrity, not his private property, or sell or dispose of the avails or proceeds of such note, draft, warrant, or security, in his hands for disbursement, without making return of such premium, and accounting therefor by charging the same in his accounts to the credit of the United States; and any officer violating this section shall be forthwith dismissed from office.

[Sections 22 and 23 provide for salaries and certain expenses, and forbid any official charging or receiving any commission or pay for his services under the act.]

SEC. 24. And be it further enacted, That all acts, or parts of acts, which come in conflict with the provisions of this act be, and the same are hereby, repealed.

THE treaty which closed the Mexican war was negotiated on the part of the United States by N. P. Trist, who, previous to his appointment as commissioner and confidential agent, had been chief clerk of the Department of State. He was instructed "to demand the cession of New Mexico and California in satisfaction of claims against Mexico." He left Washington April 16, 1847, and arrived at Vera Cruz, the headquarters of the United States army, May 6. November 16 he received a letter of recall, but disregarded it, and Feb. 2, 1848, concluded with Mexico the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Trist remained in Mexico until April 8, when an order for his arrest compelled him to leave. The treaty was sent to the Senate Feb. 23, and ratified by that body, with amendments, March 10, by a vote of 38 to 14. The suggested amendments were accepted by Mexico, and May 30 ratifications were exchanged. An act of July 29, 1848, provided for the payment of liquidated claims against Mexico. The survey of the boundary line was provided for by an act of Aug. 12, and acts of Feb. 26 and March 3, 1849, and March 3, 1851, made further provision for the settlement of Mexican claims.

REFERENCES. Text in Revised Statutes relating to District of Columbia, etc. (ed. 1875), 492-501. The papers accompanying the treaty, and the proceedings of the Senate, are in Senate Exec. Doc. 52, 30th Cong., Ist Sess.; other papers are in House Exec. Doc. 40, 56, 60, 69, and 70. On the negotiation of the treaty, see House Exec. Doc. 50, 30th Cong., 2d Sess.; on the part played by Trist, Senate Rep. 261, 41st Cong., 2d Sess. The discussions in Congress may be followed in Cong. Globe, 30th Cong., 1st Sess., and appen