# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 3/13th Congress/1st Session/Chapter 10

Chap. Ⅹ.—An Act to relinquish the claims of the United States to certain goods, wares, and merchandise, captured by private armed vessels.
Claim of the United States to British goods relinquished in cases where they have been condemned for the benefit of the captors, &c. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all right and claim which may have accrued to the United States, under an act, entitled “An act to prohibit the commercial intercourse between the United States and Great Britain and France and their dependencies, and for other purposes,” and an act, entitled “An act concerning the commercial intercourse between the United States and Great Britain and France, and their dependencies, and for other purposes,” and an act supplementary to the last mentioned act, to goods, wares, and merchandise, being the property of British subjects, and shipped from the ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, since the declaration of war by the United States against that ​Kingdom, which have been captured by private armed vessels of the United States, on the high and open seas, and without the territorial limits and jurisdiction of the United States, and have been libelled and claimed, by or in behalf of the owners and other persons interested in the said private armed vessels, in some court of the United States having competent jurisdiction thereof, be, and the same are hereby relinquished in all cases where such goods, wares, and merchandise, being the property of British subjects, and captured as aforesaid, shall have been of shall be condemned as prize of war, for the benefit of the captors, by the final judgment of any court of the United States, having jurisdiction as aforesaid; Suits on behalf of the United States to be discontinued. all suits, libels, or prosecutions instituted or commenced in behalf of the United States, for the recovery of any forfeiture or penalty, accrued by reason of an infraction of any of the three acts first above mentioned, affecting any goods, wares, or merchandise, the property of British subjects, and which have been captured as aforesaid, and libelled in behalf of the captors, shall be discontinued on payment of the costs accrued on such suits of libels, by or on behalf of the said owner or owners. Where not condemned for the benefit of the captors, the rights of the United States remain. But in all cases where goods, wares, and merchandise thus libelled, shall not be condemned as aforesaid for the benefit of the captors, the right and claim of the United States to the forfeiture of such good, wares, and merchandise, shall, notwithstanding the discontinuance of the suits and libels in behalf of the said states, remain unimpaired, and such forfeitures may, after a final decision against the captors, be recovered or remitted in conformity with the provisions of the several laws now in force, in the same manner as if such suits or libels had not been discontinued; Provided, That nothing herein contained shall extend to or embrace any capture made by such private armed vessels in violation of the additional instructions of the President of the United States to the public and private armed vessels thereof, or by any such private armed vessel which was in any port of the United States subsequent to the said proclamation, and prior to such capture.
Decision of Secretary of Treasury not to affect claims of captors, &c.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That no decision which may hereafter be made by the Secretary of the Treasury, under the act, entitled “An act directing the Secretary of the Treasury to remit fines, forfeitures, and penalties in certain cases,” shall be held as affecting the claim of any person or persons claiming as captors Act of Jan. 2, 1813, chap. 7. any goods, wares, or merchandise, the forfeiture of which to the United States shall have been remitted by such decision.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all goods, wares, and merchandise, captured and libelled as aforesaid, shall pay the same duties,Act of June 26, 1812, chap. 107. to be secured and collected in the same manner as is provided by the act “concerning letters of marque, prizes and prize goods,” with respect to the like goods, wares, and merchandise, when captured from the enemy, and made prize of war.
Approved, July 13, 1813.
* ↑ Act of March 1, 1809, chap. 24.
* ↑ Act of May 1, 1810, chap. 39.
* ↑ Act of March 2, 1811, chap. 29.