The true Democrat., 1855-06-12


 sentatives of the United States of America in Con gross assembled, That the following sums be, and the same are hereby appropriated out of any money Ill the treasury not otherwise appropriated for the payment of pensions for the year ending the 3Oth of June, 1S56:-
 For invalid pensions, under various acts, $514 600
 For pensions to widows and orphans, under acts of the 4th Of July, 1886, and 2st of July lS4 SIS l50
 For pensions under special acts of Congress- $9750;
 For pensions to widows, under acts of the 17th of June: ls44 2d of February and 2Sth of July, ls4S, $33S ,000
 For pensions and half-pay to widows and orphans, under act of the Sd of February, 1853, S456,000 7. And be it further enacted, That any moneys appropriated by the act of 3st May, 1S54 to supply deficiencies for the fiscal year ending 30th of June 1854, applicable the payment of pensions of inva- lids who wounded on board of private armed vessels during the last with Great Britain notre Quired under the provisions thereof, may be applied to the same purpose for the year ending the 30th of June, 1855.
 8. And be it further enacted, That the widows of the officers, non commissioned officers marines or mariners who served in the navy of the United States during the revolutionary war: and who married since the lst day of January 1900, shall be entitled to pensions in the same manner and to the same cx- tent the widows of the officers and soldiers of the army of the Revolution, under the second section of the act of February Sd, 1853.
 Approved February 2S, 1855.
 AN ACT to promote the Efficiency of the Navy. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
 
 gress assembled That praticabe after the passage of this act the President of the United States shall cause board of naval officers to be assembled to consist of five captains, five commanders and five lleutenants which board under such regulations ;s the Secretary of the Navy may prescribe shall make
 careful examination into the efficiency of the officers of the grades hereinafter mentioned and shall report to the Secretary of the Navy the and rank of all officers of the said grades who in the judgment of said board shall be incapable of performing promptly and efficiently all their duty both ashore and afoat and whenever said board shall believe that said in competency has arisen from any cause implying stuff cient blame on the part of the officer to justify it, they shall recommend that his name be stricken al together from the rolls Vacancies occurring in said board shall be filled by the Secretary of the Navy who shall preserve the number and grades of it's officers, aforesaid P,ormed, That no officers upon said board shall examine into or report upon the efficiency of officers of grade above them.
 7. And be further enacted, That all officers who shall be found by the said board incapable of per forming the duties of their respective offices ranks or grades, shall. if such finding Dc approved by the Pre- sldcnt be dropped from the rolls, or placed in the order of their rank and seniority at the time, upon list in tle Navy Register, to be entitled the reserved list and those so aced on the reserved list shall ccve the leave of absence pay, the furloug pay to which they may be entitled when placed according t. the report Of the board and approval of the PreSi dent. and shall be ineligible to further promoton but shall be subject to the orders of the Navy Department at all times for duty; and vacancies created in the active service list by placing officers the
 
 order of rank seniority, And officers who may be promoted to fill the vacancies created by the reserved list shall, while unempoyed receive only the " leave ot absence or = waiting orders pay to which they would have been entitled if such promotion had not been made; but when employed ut other duty they shall receive, in addition such leave of absence or waiting orders" pay the difference be- tween the waiting orders' " leave of ab8ence pay and the lowest service pay of the grade which they may be So promoted: Provided, That this scru- tiny and reservation of officers shall extend only to the grades of captain. commander. lieutenant, mas ters. and passed mldshlpmen: And provided. further That all vacancies occurring in the grade of masters shall be filled by the promotion of the senior passed midshipmen, to be entitled in the line of pro- notion who when promoted shall receive the pay al lowed by law to masters that the number of masters in the line of promotion shall not exceed sixty and that nothing in this act contained shall be held or construed to authorize any increase of the aggregate pay ot the said grades of the naval service allowed by law.
 3. And be it further enacted That nothing ill this act contained shall be construed 10 restrict, apply to. or impair the regular promotion of officers ill tho service list of the navy who may be at any time en- titled to promotion-consequen upon deaths, dismiss salS, resignaons in the naval servce,-n0r in any manner to abrdge impair the ght of the Secreta y ot the Navy to place any officers urlough.
 $ 4. And oe it further enacted, That nothing in this act shall be construed to increase the agre gate number of officers and that all laws clauses of laws so far they conflict with the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed.
 hPPAO'coi, repi uaIy 70, 4ooo AN ACT making an Appropriation for Military De- 1
 fences at Proctor's Landing, in Louisiana.
 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatlves of the United States of America in Con gross assembled, That the of $l25 0OO be, and the same is hereby appropriated of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated be expend ed under the direction of the Secretary of War in tine purchase of site and the erection and compe- ton of such military detences as may be deemed ex- leIent. at ProctOrs Landing at the terminus of the Mexican Gulf railway in the State of Louisiana.
 Approved, February 20, 1855.
 AN ACT to provide for the Payment of such Crodi
 tors of the late Republic of Texas as are compre-
 hended in the Act of Congress ot Sepembcr9, 1850.
 Be 1t enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- scntatives of the United States of America in Con gross assembled, That in lieu of the sum of S50Oo o0o payable to the State of Texas, in five per cent stock of the United States by the act entitled an act proposing to the State of Texas the establishment her northern and western boundaries the reinquish- ment by the said State of all territory claimed by her exterior to said boundaries and of all her claims upon the United States, and to establish territorial go- vcrnment for New Mexico" passed September 9th, | lS50 the issuing of which stock restricted by the first proviso, to the fifth proposition contained in the first section of said act the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he hereby authorized and directed to pay to the creditors of the late Republic of Texas who hold such bonds, other evidences of debt for which the revenues of that republic were pledged, were reported to be within the provisions of the said act of September the 9h lS5O by the report of the late Se cretary of the Treasury to the President of the Unit ed States, and approved by him on the 18th day of September, 1851, which within the provisions of said act according to the opinion upon the Texas compact of the present Attorney General of the Unit ed States addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury under date of September 26th 1853, the of ST. 750ooO to be apportoned among the said holders pro rata: Provided That the interest on the debt, em- braced in this act shall be determined by the existing laws of the State of Texas.
 s ?. And be it further enacted, That in all cases where the State of Texas may have paid any portion of the debt described in this act the said secretary shall refund to the proper officer of said State the amount actually so paid by the State, upon the pre- sentation at the Treasury Department of the evidcn ces of said debt, which the said State may have made such payment: Provided, The said sum shall not exceed the proportion which would have been al- lowed to the creditor creditors if such payment on said evidences of debt had been made by the State of Texas; and where the said sum that may be re- funded to the State of Texas by the provisions of this section is less than the proportion which would have been allowed under this act to the holders of such evidences of debt, had such payment not been made them, such holders shall be entitled to receive the diff ference between said and the proportion they would have received under this if no ayment had