# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 3/13th Congress/3rd Session/Chapter 56

Chap. LVI.—An Act to authorize the issuing of treasury notes for the service of the year one thousand eight hundred and fifteen.
An issue of treasury notes authorized.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury, with the approbation of the President of the United States, be, and he is hereby authorized to cause treasury notes for a sum not exceeding twenty-five millions of dollars, to be prepared, signed, and issued, at the treasury of the United States, in the manner hereinafter provided.
By whom to be signed. Their compensation for signing them.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the treasury notes shall be respectively signed in behalf of the United States, by persons to be appointed for that purpose by the President of the United States, two of whom shall sign each note; and they shall receive, as a compensation for that service, at the rate of seventy-five cents for every hundred notes thus signed by them respectively; and the said notes shall likewise be countersigned by the register of the treasury, or, in case of his sickness, or absence, by the treasurer of the United States.
Denominations of the notes.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the treasury notes shall be prepared of such denominations as the Secretary of the Treasury, with the approbation of the President of the United States, shall, from time to time, direct; and such of the said notes as shall be of a ​denomination less than one hundred dollars, shall be payable to bearer and be transferable by delivery alone, and shall bear no interest; and such of the said notes as shall be of the denomination of one hundred dollars, or upwards, may be made payable to order, and transferable by delivery and assignment, endorsed on the same, and bearing an interest from the day on which they shall be issued, at the rate of five and two-fifths per centum per annum; or they may be made payable to bearer, and transferable by delivery alone, and bearing no interest, as the Secretary of the Treasury, with the approbation of the President of the United States, shall direct.
How holders of the treasury notes bearing an interest, and not bearing an interest, may fund them.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the holders of the aforesaid treasury notes, not bearing an interest, and of the treasury notes bearing an interest at the rate of five and two-fifths per centum per annum, to present them at any time, in sums not less than one hundred dollars, to the treasury of the United States, or to any commissioner of loans; and the holders of the said treasury noted not bearing an interest, shall be entitled to receive therefor, the amount of the said notes, in a certificate or certificates of funded stock, bearing interest at seven per centum per annum, and the holders of the aforesaid treasury notes bearing an interest at the rate of five and two-fifths per centum, shall be entitled to receive therefor the amount of the said notes including the interest due on the same, in a like certificate or certificates of funded stock, bearing an interest of six per centum per annum, from the first day of the calendar month next ensuing that in which the said notes shall thus be respectively presented, and payable quarter-yearly, on the same days whereon the interest of the funded debt is now payable. And the stock thus to be issued shall be transferable in the same manner as the other funded stock of [the] United States; the interest on the same, and its eventual reimbursement, shall be effected out of such fund as has been or shall be established by law for the payment and reimbursement of the funded public debt contracted since the declaration of war against Great Britain.Faith of the United States pledged for the payment of the certificates, principal and interest. And the faith of the United States is hereby pledged to establish sufficient revenues and to appropriate them as an addition to the said fund, if the same shall, at any time hereafter, become inadequate for effecting the purpose aforesaid: Provided however, And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the United States to reimburse the stock thus created, at any time after the last day of December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.
Tresury notes howsoever redeemed may be re-issued.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the Secretary of the Treasury to cause the treasury notes which, in pursuance of the preceding section, shall be delivered up and exchanged for funded stock, and also the treasury notes which shall have been paid to the United States for taxes, duties, or demands, in the manner hereinafter provided, to be re-issued, and applied anew, to the same purposes, and in the same manner, as when originally issued.
Treasury notes made everywhere receivable for public duties.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the treasury notes authorized to be issued by this act, shall be every where received in all payments to the United States. On every such payment the note or notes shall be received for the amount of both the principal and the interest, which, on the day of such payment, may appear due on such of the notes as shall bear interest, thus given in payment; and the interest on the said notes bearing an interest, shall, on such payments, be computed at the rate of one cent and one half of a cent per day, on every hundred dollars of principal; and each month shall be computed as containing thirty days.
Interest to be included in officer’s receipts, up to the period of payment. Notes received by public officers.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That any person making payment to the United States in the said treasury notes, into the hands of any collector, receiver of public moneys, or other public officer or agent, shall, on books kept according to such forms as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, give duplicate certificates of the number and ​respective amount of each and every treasury note, and of the interest thereon, in case the same shall bear interest, thus paid by such person; and every collector, receiver of public moneys, or other public officer or agent, who shall thus receive in payment any of the said treasury notes bearing interest, shall, on payment of the same into the treasury, or into one of the banks where the public moneys are or may be deposited, receive credit both for the principal and for the interest computed as aforesaid, which, on the day of such last mentioned payment, shall appear due on the note or notes thus paid in: Provided always,Proviso. That in the settlement of his accounts he shall be charged for the interest accrued on such note or notes, from the day on which the same shall have been received by him in payment as aforesaid, to the day on which the same shall be paid by him as aforesaid: And provided also,Proviso. that no charge or deduction, on account of interest, shall be made in respect to any bank into which payments as aforesaid may be made to the United States, either by individuals, or by collectors, receivers, or other public officers, or agents, and given to the Treasurer of the United States for the amount thereof, including the interest accrued and due on such notes, from the day on which the same shall have been received by such bank, on account of the United States.
Notes not to be paid by the United States under their par value. Money may be borrowed on treasury notes.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby authorized, with the approbation of the President of the United States, to cause the said treasury notes to be issued at the par value thereof, in payment of services, of supplies, or of debts, for which the United States are or may be answerable by law, to such person and persons as shall be willing to accept the same in payment; and to deposit portions of the said notes in the loan offices, or in state banks, for the purpose of paying the same to the public creditors as aforesaid; and to borrow money on the credit of the said notes; or to sell the same, at a rate not under par; and it shall be a good execution of this provision, to pay such notes to such bank or banks as will receive the same at par, and give credit to the Treasurer of the United States for the amount thereof, on the day on which the said notes shall thus be issued and paid to such bank or banks respectively.
Holders of treasury notes received from the treasury, may convert them into funded stock.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the holder of any treasury notes issued, or authorized to be issued, under any laws heretofore passed, to convert the same into certificates of funded debt, upon the same terms, and in the same manner hereinbefore provided in relation to the treasury notes authorized by this act, bearing an interest of five and two-fifths per centum.
Appropriation for defraying expenses.Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That a sum of forty thousand dollars, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, be, and the same is hereby appropriated, for defraying the expense of preparing, printing, engraving, signing, and otherwise incident to the issuing of the treasury notes authorized by this act.
Penalties for forging, counterfeiting, &c.Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall falsely make, forge, or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be falsely made, forged or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist in falsely making, forging or counterfeiting any note, in imitation of, or purporting to be, a treasury note as aforesaid; or shall falsely alter, or cause or procure to be falsely altered, or willingly aid or assist in falsely altering any treasury note issued as aforesaid; or shall pass, utter, or publish, or attempt to pass, utter, or publish, as true, any false, forged, or counterfeited note, purporting to be a treasury note as aforesaid, knowing the same to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited: or shall pass, utter, or public, or attempt to pass, utter, or publish, as true, any falsely altered treasury note issued as aforesaid, knowing the same to be falsely altered, or shall be, directly or indirectly, knowingly concerned in any of the offences aforesaid, ​every such person shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of felony; and being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be sentenced to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour, for a period not less than three years, nor more than ten years, and be fined in a sum not exceeding five thousand dollars.
Approved, February 24, 1815.