# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 5/24th Congress/1st Session/Chapter 87

Chap. LXXXVII.—An Act to carry into effect a convention between the United States and Spain.
1837, ch. 37. A commissioner, secretary, and clerk to be appointed.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, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint one commissioner, whose duty it shall be to receive and examine all claims which may be presented to him under the convention for the settlement of claims between the United States of America, and her Catholic Majesty the Queen of Spain, concluded at Madrid on the seventeenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, which are provided for by the said convention, according to the ​provisions of the same, and the principles of justice, equity, and the law of nations. The said commissioner shall have a secretary, versed in the Spanish and French languages, and a clerk, both to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and the commissioner, secretary, and clerk, shall, before they enter on the duties of their offices, take oath well and faithfully to perform the duties thereof.
Commissioner to make rules and regulations.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioner shall be, and he is hereby, authorized to make all needful rules and regulations, not contravening the laws of the land, the provisions of this act, or the provisions of the said convention, for carrying his said commission into full and complete effect.
Commissioner to attend at the city of Washington.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the commissioner, so to be appointed, shall attend at the city of Washington, and his salary shall begin to be allowed within thirty days after his appointment; and within twelve months from the time of his attendance as aforesaid, he shall terminate his duties. And the Secretary of State is required, as soon as the said commissioner shall be appointed, to give notice of his attendance at Washington as aforesaid, to be published in two newspapers in the city of Washington, and in such other newspapers as he may think proper.
Records and documents to be delivered to him.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all records, documents, or other papers, which now are in, or hereafter, during the continuance of this commission, may come into the possession of the Department of State, in relation to such claim, shall be delivered to the commissioner aforesaid.
Compensation.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the compensation of the respective officers for whose appointment provision is made by this act, shall not exceed the following sums, namely: To the said commissioner, at the rate of three thousand five hundred dollars per annum; to the secretary, at the rate of two thousand dollars per annum; and to the clerk, at the rate of fifteen hundred dollars per annum. And the President of the United States shall be, and he is hereby, authorized to make such provision for the contingent expenses of the said commissioner as shall appear to him reasonable and proper; and the said salaries and expenses shall be paid out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
Duties of the Secretary of the Treasury.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the Treasury to cause the inscription or inscriptions which shall be issued by the Spanish Government, in pursuance of the aforesaid convention, to be deposited in the archives of the Legation of the United States, at Paris, until otherwise ordered by the President of the United States; and it shall also be lawful for the Secretary of the Treasury, and he is hereby authorized and required, to cause the moneys which may from time to time be paid in pursuance of the said convention, to be duly received and accounted for at Paris, and the same to be remitted, on the most advantageous terms, to the United States of America; and the said moneys, so received and remitted, shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States, and the same are hereby appropriated to be distributed and paid to those authorized to receive them, according [to] the provisions of this act.
Commissioner to report, &c.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the commissioner aforesaid shall report to the Secretary of State a list of all the several awards made by him, a certified copy of which shall be by the said Secretary of State transmitted to the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall thereupon distribute in ratable proportions, among the persons in whose favor the award shall have been made, such moneys as may have been received into the Treasury in virtue of this act, according to the proportions which their respective awards shall bear to the whole amount then ​received; first deducting such sums of money as may be due the United States from said persons in whose favor said awards shall be made; and shall cause certificates to be issued by the Secretary of the Treasury, in such form as he may prescribe, showing the proportion to which each may be entitled of the amount that may thereafter be received; and on the presentation of the said certificates at the Treasury, as the nett proceeds of the general instalments, payable by the Government of Spain, shall have been received, such proportions thereof shall be paid to the legal holders of the said certificates.
Communications free of postage.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That all communications to and from the secretary of the commissioner appointed under this act, on the business of the commission, shall pass by mail free of postage.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That, as soon as said commission shall be executed and completed, the records, documents, and all other papers in the possession of the commission or its officers, shall be deposited in the office of the Secretary of State.
Approved, June 7, 1836.