Secretary of state and Secretary of the treasury, to

make oath before

admission to an entry.

of such protest, to be by him sent immediately after his arrival within the United States, to the secretary of state, together with information, to whom the original protest was transmitted: and in case such protest shall be made within the United States, or in any foreign country, in which no consul, agent or minister of the United States resides, the same shall, as soon thereafter as practicable, be transmitted by such master, by post or otherwise, to the Secretary of State.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That a copy of transmit this act. this law be transmitted by the Secretary of State, to each of the ministers and consuls of the United States, resident in foreign countries, and by the Secretary of the treasury, to the several Collectors of the districts of the United States, whose duty it is hereby declared to be, from time to time, to make known the provisions of this law, to all masters of ships and vessels of the United States entering, or clearing at their several Master of ship to offices. And the master of every such ship or vessel shall, before he is admitted to an entry, by any such collector, be required to declare on oath, whether any of the crew of the ship or vessel under his command have been impressed or detained, in the course of his voyage, and how far he has complied with the directions of this act: and every such master, as shall wilfully neglect or refuse to make the declarations herein required, or to perform the duties enjoined by this act, Penalty on master shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars. of ships violating this act. And it is hereby declared to be the duty of every such Collector, to prosecute for any forfeiture that may be incurred under this act.

Collectors to send

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the collector secretary of state of every port of entry in the United States shall send

a list, &c. to the

every three

months.

a list of the seamen registered under this act, once every three months, to the Secretary of State, together with an account of such impressments or detentions,

*

as shall appear, by the protest of the masters, to have taken place.

parts of the aet.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the first, Limitations of second and third sections of this act shall be in force for one year, and from thence to the end of the next session of congress thereafter, and no longer.

Approved 28th May, 1796, 1st ses. 4th Con.

An act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen.

month to be de

wages of seamen

reign voyage in a

States.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate, and House of Re- Twenty cents per presentatives of the United States of America, in Con- ducted from the gress assembled, That from and after the first day of Sep-coming from a fo tember next, the master or owner of every ship or vessel of the U. vessel of the United States, arriving from a foreign port into any port of the United States, shall, before such ship or vessel shall be admitted to an entry, render to the collector a true account of the number of seamen, that shall have been employed on board such vessel since she was last entered at any port in the United States, and shall pay to the said collector, at the rate of twenty cents per month for every seaman so employed; which sum he is hereby authorized to retain out of the wages of such seamen.

The same with

coasting trade.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That from and after the first day of September next, no collector respect to the shall grant to any ship or vessel whose enrolment or license for carrying on the coasting trade has expired, a new enrolment or license before the master of such ship or vessel shall first render a true account to the collector, of the number of seamen, and the time they have severally been employed on board such ship

The above tax is to be collected from masters of vessels, mariners, and free mulattoes and Negroes; but not from slaves or apprentices.

or vessel, during the continuance of the license which has so expired, and pay to such collector twenty cents per month for every month such seamen have been severally employed, as aforesaid; which sum the said master is hereby authorized to retain out of the wages Penalty on the of such seamen. And if any such master shall render a false account of the number of men, and the length of time they have severally been employed, as is herein required, he shall forfeit and pay one hundred dollars.

master rendering

a false account of the same.

Collectors to

make returns of

which shall be ex

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the sums received, the duty of the several Collectors to make a quarterly pended in reliev return of the sums collected by them, respectively, by ing sick and disabled seamen. virtue of this act, to the Secretary of the Treasury; and the President of the United States is hereby authorized, out of the same, to provide for the temporary relief and maintenance of sick or disabled seamen, in the hospitals or other proper institutions now established in the several ports of the United States, or, in ports where no such institutions exist, then in such other manner as he shall direct: Provided, That the monies collected in any one district, shall be expended within the same.

Monies unexpend

ed, and donations

stock.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That if any to be invested in surplus shall remain of the monies to be collected by virtue of this act, after defraying the expense of such temporary relief and support, that the same, together with such private denations as may be made for that purpose (which the President is hereby authorized to receive) shall be invested in the stock of the United States, under the direction of the President; and when, in his opinion, a sufficient fund shall be accumulated, he is hereby authorized to purchase or receive cessions or donations of ground or buildings, in the name of the United States, and to cause buildings, when necessary, to be erected as hospitals for the accommodation of sick and disabled seamen.

Provision for building marine hospitals.

SEAMEN.

marine hospitals

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the President Directors of the of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized to to be appointed. nominate and appoint, in such ports of the United States, as he may think proper, one or more persons, to be called directors of the marine hospital of the United States, whose duty it shall be to direct the expenditure of the fund assigned for their respective ports, according to the third section of this act; to provide Their duties for the accommodation of sick and disabled seamen, under such general instructions as shall be given by the President of the United States, for that purpose, and also subject to the like general instructions, to direct and govern such hospitals as the President may direct to be built in the respective ports: and that the said directors shall hold their offices during the pleasure of the President, who is authorized to fill up all vacancies that may be occasioned by the death or removal of any of the persons so to be appointed. And the said directors shall render an account of the monies received and expended by them, once in every quarter of a year, to the Secretary of the Treasury, or such other person as the President shall direct; but no other allowance or compensation shall be made to the said directors, except the payment of such expenses as they may incur in the actual discharge of the duties required by this act.

Approved 16th July, 1798, 2d ses, 5th Con..

Manner of expending monies col

lected.

Secretary of the

Navy to deduct a certain sum from the pay of the Davy.

Officers, seamen and marines of

to the benefits of the act.

An act in addition to an act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States shall be and he hereby is authorized to direct the expenditure of any monies which have been or shall be collected by virtue of an act, entitled "An act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen," to be made within the state wherein the same shall have been collected, or within the state next adjoining thereto, excepting what may be collected in the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut; any thing in the said act contained to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Navy shall be, and he hereby is authorized and directed to deduct, after the first day of September next, from the pay thereafter to become due, of the officers, seamen and marines of the navy of the United States, at the rate of twenty cents per month, for every such officer, seaman and marine, and to pay the same quarter annually to the Secretary of the Treasury, to be applied to the same purposes as the money collected by virtue of the abovementioned act is appropriated.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the officers, the navy entitled seamen and marines of the navy of the United States, shall be entitled to receive the same benefits and advantages as by the act abovementioned are provided for the relief of the sick and disabled seamen of the merchant vessels of the United States.

2d March, 1799, 3d ses. 5th Con,