Public Accounts of this State, to proceed to the City of Washington, District of Columbia, and receive from the Secretary of the Treasury, or other proper authority of the Government of the United States, the five millions of dollars of stock to which the State of Texas became unconditionally entitled, by her acceptance of the proposition from the United States as contained in the act of Congress, entitled "an act proposing to the State of Texas the establishment of her northern and western boundaries," etc., approved September 9th, 1850; to sign and deliver proper receipts for the same, and when received, to deposite them in the Treasury of the State of Texas, to be disposed of as may be provided by law; provided, that no bond issued as aforesaid, as a portion of the said five millions of stock, payable to bearer, shall be available in the hands of any holder until the same shall have been endorsed in the City of Austin by the Governor of the State of Texas.

Sec. 2. That said Comptroller is hereby authorized to receive and receipt for, in behalf of the State of Texas, all the interest which will remain due and unpaid on the said five millions of dollars of bonds on the first day of January, eighteen hundred and fifty-two, and deposite the same in like manner as provided in the first section of this act.

Sec. 3. That the sum of one thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be and the same is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to pay the expenses necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this act; and that this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved, December 16, 1851.

CHAPTER XVI.

An Act to enable the State of Texas to obtain the money advanced the Government of the United States for the Subsistence and Forage of two Companies of Rangers in the service of the United States, Commanded by Captains Blackwell and Johnson.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the Comptroller of Public Accounts is hereby re

quired to take the necessary steps to obtain from the Government of the United States the funds advanced by this State for the forage and subsistence of two companies of Rangers, in the service of the United States, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-nine, commanded by Captains Charles M. Blackwell and Isaac W. Johnson, under the provisions of two several acts of the Legislature, approved December 26th, 1849, and February 5th, 1850, and for that purpose he is hereby authorized to deliver such evidences of said advances on file in his office, to the proper officers of the United States, as will secure the refunding to this State of the amount in question.

Sec. 2. Shat the Treasurer of this State is hereby authorized and required to deliver to the Comptroller any receipts or vouchers in his charge, connected with said advances, which may be necessary to enable said Comptroller to carry out the object and intent of this act.

Sec. 3. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved, December 16, 1851.

CHAPTER XVII.

An Act changing the name of the County Seat of Bell County.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the name of Nolandville, given to the County Seat of Bell county, be, and is hereby changed to that of Belton, and that Belton be hereafter the name of said County Seat.

Sec. 2. That this act shall take effect from and after its passage.

Approved, December 16, 1851.

CHAPTER XVIII

An Act to amend the Estray Law, approved February 8, 1850.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the third section of the act regulating estrays, approved February 8, 1850, be, and the same is hereby so amended as to read as follows, to wit:

It shall be the duty of the clerk of the county court to record the papers transmitted to him as provided in the second section of said act, in a separate book, to be kept in his office for that purpose, and for which he shall be entitled to demand and receive the same fees that are allowed by law for similar services, to be paid in all cases by the taker up: provided, that when two or more animals are taken up at the same time and by the same person, they shall be included in the same entry, and the justice of the peace and clerk shall receive no more fees than for one such animal; and each county clerk shall cause a statement of the appraisement and the description of the animal or animals so estrayed to be advertised, at least three times, in some newspaper published in the county where such animal or animals were estrayed, if there be one, and if there be no newspaper published in the county, then the clerk shall cause the same to be advertised in the newspaper published nearest the county, and also by posting up notices at three public places in the county, one of which shall be at the courthouse door thereof; and the printer of such notice shall furnish a copy of the paper containing the same to said clerk, whose duty it shall be to file and preserve the same in his office, for the inspection of all persons who may be interested; and for such publication the printer shall be entitled to receive, from the party estraying, the sum of two dollars, to be collected by the county clerk and paid to the order of the printer.

Sec. 2. That the fifth section of said act be so amended as to read as follows, to wit:

The property of every stray horse, mare, colt, mule, jack, jennet or work-ox, taken up as aforesaid, and not proven away by the owner, within twelve months after such appraisement, shall be deemed vested in the county wherein such estray or estrays may have been posted; and the taker up shall immediately thereafter proceed to sell the same, for cash, to the highest bidder, at the courthouse door of the county, giving notice of the same, as required in the case of sheriffs' or constables' sales:

and, within ten days after such sale, he shall pay into the county treasury of the county one-half of the proceeds of the same, and retain the other half for his own use or benefit: provided, that each and every return of sale shall be made to, and filed by the county clerk of the county, and sworn to by the taker up: provided, that the owners of property so estrayed may, at any time within six months after such sale, apply to the county treasurer, and, upon proof of such ownership, shall be entitled to have and receive the amount so deposited, after paying such costs as may be necessary to establish his right thereto.

Sec. 3. That the eighth section of said act be so amended as to read as follows, to wit:

That any citizen taking up any stray cattle other than workoxen, hogs, sheep or goats, shall proceed in the same manner as required in the case of horses, &c., except advertising in a newspaper, and any person estraying the same at the expiration of six months from the date of appraisement, shall proceed to give notice as required in cases of sheriffs' or constables' sales, and to sell such estrays where they were taken up, if not less than three bidders attend such sales: provided, that no animal of the kind enumerated in this section, except work-oxen, shall be subject to be estrayed, unless the same shall have been on the plantation or land of the taker up at least twelve months previous to the time of estraying the same: and further provided, that the counties of El Paso and Presidio be exempt from the provisions of the first section of this act, so far as it relates to the advertisement of estrays in newspapers.

Approved, December 17, 1851.

CHAPTER XIX.

An Act to require the Commissioners of the Town of Paris, in Lamar County, to turn over to the County Court of said County, ali Moneys, Notes, Deeds and other Documents in their possession.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the commissioners appointed by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, entitled "an act supplementary

to an act to designate the southern boundary of Lamar county," approved January 3, 1844, be and they are hereby required to deliver to the county court of Lamar county all moneys, notes, deeds and other papers which may be in their hands, arising from sales of lots in the town of Paris.

Sec. 2. That the county court of Lamar county is hereby authorised to appoint a commissioner to sell the unsold lots, and to make deeds to lots heretofore sold in said town of Paris, sue for and collect all moneys due for lots sold, and to do and perform all acts and deeds which the said commissioners were authorized to do and perform by authority of the act of the third day of January, A. D. 1844; and that this act be in force and take effect from its passage.

Approved, December 17, 1851.

CHAPTER XX.

An Act concerning Estates of Deceased Soldiers.

Whereas, doubts have arisen, whether the several acts of the Congress of the Republic of Texas relating to the estates of deceased soldiers, were repealed by the act to organize Probate Courts, approved May 11, 1846, and unauthorized persons have administered upon many of such estates, and sold the lands intended to be granted to the heirs of such soldiers, contrary to the intent of such acts: therefore,

Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That "an act to provide for the settlement of deceased soldiers, estate," approved May 18, 1838, and "an act to amend said act," approved December 24, 1838, be, and the same are hereby repealed; and that the "act to protect the rights of the heirs and next of kin to the members of the Georgia Batallion, and other volunteers from foreign countries, who have fallen in the battles of the Republic, or otherwise died in the limits of the same," approved January 14. 1841, be, and is declared to be in full force and effect.

Sec. 2. No administration shall be granted on the estate of any person who served as a volunteer, from another State or country, who may have fallen in the battles of the Republic,