Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-11

States, shall be allowed thirty days after the publ
cation of this act to leave said ports and reach
their destination; and such vessels and their car
goes excepting articles of war; shall not be subject
60 capture under this act during sadsperiod unless
they shall have previously reached the destination
for which they were bound on leaving said ports.
Sec 2. That the President of the Confederate
States shall be and he is hereby authorized and en-
powered to revoke and nnul, at pleasure, all let
ters of marque and reprisal which he may at any
time grant pcrsuant to this act.
SEC. 3. That all persons applying for letters OF
marque and reprisal pursuant to this act, shall
state in writing the name. and suitable description
of the tonnage and force of the vessel and the name
and place of residence of each owner concerned
therein and the intended number of the crew. which
statement shall be signed by the person or persons
making such application. and filed with the Secre-
tary of State shall be delivered to any other of
fcer or person who shall be employed to deliver
out such commissions, to be by him transmitted to
the Secretary OF State.
SEC 4. That before any commission OF letters
of marque and reprisal shall be ISSUED as afore
said the owner or owners of the ship vessel for
which the same shall be requested, and the COM
mander thereof for the time being shall give bond
to the Confederate States with at least two respon
siblc sureties not interested in such vessel in the
penal sum of five thousand dollars; or if such yes
sci be provided with more than one hundred and
fifty men, then in the penal sum of ten thousand
dol ars; with condition that the owners officers and
crew. who shall be employed on board such COM
mssioned vessel, shall and will observe the laws of
the Confederate States, and the instructions which
shall be given them according to law for the regu-
lation of their conduct and will satisfy all damages
and injuries which shall be done committed CON
trary to the tenor thereof. by such vessel during
her commission, and to deliver up the same when
revoked by the President of the Confederate States
SEC. 5. That all captures and prizes of vessels
and property shall be forfeited and shall
accrue TO the owners, officers and crews of
the vessels by whom such captures and
prizes shall be made; and due condemnation had,
shall be distributed according to any written agree
ment which shall be made between them and if
there be no such written agreement, then one
moiety to the owners, and the other moety
to the officers and crew, as nearly may be ac-
cordng to the rules prescribed for the distribution
of prize money, by the laws of the Confederate
States.
SEC 6. That all vessels, goods and effects, the
property of any citizen of the Confederate states,
or of persons resident within aud under the protec
ton of the Confederate States. of persons perma
nenty within the territories, and under the prOtec
ion Of any foreign prince, government, or state IN
amity with the Confederate States which shall have
been captured by the United States and which shall
be rec .ptured by vessels commissioned as afore-
said shall be restored to the lawful owners, upon
payment by them of just and reasonable salvage
| to be determined by the mutual agreement of the
| parties concerned, or by the decree of any coIrt
having jurisdiction according to the nature of each
agreeably to the provisions established by law
| And such salvage shall be distributed among the
owners officers and crews of the vessels commits
stoned as aforesaid, and making such captures,
cording to any written agreement which shall be
| made between them and in case of no such agree
ment, then in the same manner and upon the prln-
| ciples hereinbefoTe provided in case of capture
SEC. Z. That before breaking bulk of any vessel
which shall be captured as aforesaid, other dis
posal or conversion thereof of any articles which
| shall be found on board the same, such captured
vessels, goods effects shall be brought into some
port of the Confederate States, or OF nation or
state in amiIy with the Confederate States, and shall
be proceeded against before competent tribunal ;
and after condemnation and forfeiture thereof shall
belong to the owners, officers and crew OF the YES
sci capturing the same and be distributed as before
provded; and in the of all captured vessels,
goods and effects which shall be brought within the
jurisdiction of the Confederate States the District
Courts of the Confederate States shall have excu-
sive original cognZance thereof as IN civil causesIO
admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; and the said
courts, or the courts, being courts OF the Contede-
rate States into which such causes shall be remov-
ed and in which they shall be finally decided, shall
| and may decree restitution, in whole or IN part,
| when the capture shall havebeen made without just
cause. And if made without probable cause, may
order and decree damages and costs to the party IN
jured, for which the owners and commanders OF the
vessels making such captures, and also the vessels,
shall be liable.
SEC. 8 That all persons found on board any cap
| tured vessels or board any recaptured vessel,
shall be reported to the collector of the port in.the
Confederate States in which they shall first arrive,
and shall be delivered into the custody of the mar
shall of the District, some court or military OH
Ger of the Confederate States of any State in
near such port who shall take charge of their safe
keeping and support at the expense of the Contede-
rate States.
SEC 9. That the President of the Confederate
States is hereby authorized to establish and order
suitable instructions for the better governing and
| directing the conduct of the vessels commission
| 1I,osn Of hlnh chs
be delivered by the collector of the customs to the
| commanders, when they shall give bond as before
provided.
SEC. 10. That bounty shall be paid by the Con-
federate States of $50 for each person board any
armed ship vessel belonging to the United States,
at the commencement of an engagement, which shall
| be burnt sunk or destroyed by any vessel commits
stoned as aforesaid, which shall be of an equal or
inferior force the same to be divided as IN other
| cases of prize moneJ-and bounty of SIS shall
| be paid to the owners, officers and crews of the
private armed vessel, commissioned as aforesaid,
for each and every prisoner by them captured and
brought into port and dlivered to an agent authoriz
ed to receive them, in any port of the Confederate
States; and the secretary of the Treasury is hereby
| authorized to pay or cause TO be paid to owners.
| officers and crews of such private armed vessels,
commissioned aforesaid, their agent, the bOun-
ties herein provided.
SEC II. That the commanding officer of every
vessel having commission letters of marQue and
| reprlSal during pT6SeHI DGLWceH the
Confederate States and the United States, shall keep
a regular journal, containing true and exact ac-
! count of his daily proceedings and transactions
with such vessel and the crew thereof; the ports
and places he shall put into, or cast anchor IN the
time of his there, and the cause thereof: the
prizes he shall take and the nature and probable
| value thereof the times and places, when and
| where taken, and in what manner he shall dispose
| of the same the ships vessels he shall fall IN
| with the times and places, when and where, he
leI,o nd and
| marks thereon also, of whatever else shall occur
to him. or any of his officers marines, or be dis
covered by examination or conference with any ma
rnes or passengers Of in any othes ships OF YES
| sels or by any other means, touching the fleets,
vessels and forces of the United States their posts
and places of station and destination strength. num-
| bers, intents and designs and such commanding
officer shall Immediately on his arrival IN any port
of the Confederate States from OF during the con-
tinuance of any voyage cruise, produce his COM
mission for such vessel, = and deliver up such
journal so kept as aforesaid signed with his proper
name and hand to the collector or other Chief
officer of the customs at or nearest TO sHch port
the truth of which journal shall be verified by the
| oath of the commanding officer for the time being,
and such collector or other chief officer Of the Gus
toms shall Immediately on the arrival of such YES
sell order the proper officers OF the customs TO go
| on board and take an account of the officers and
men, the number and nature OF the guns, and what
ever else shall occur to him on examination, mate
rial to be known; and no such vessel shall be per-
mitted to sail out of port again until such journal
shall have been delivered up, and certificate OBJ
| tanned under the hand of such collector or other
chief officer OF the customs, that she IS manned and
armed according to her commission; and upon de-
livery of such certificate, any former ceruhcate OF
| n like nature which shall have been obtained by
the commander of such vessel shall be delivered
up.
| SEC. H. That the commanders Of vessels having
letters of marque and reprisal foresaid neglect
ing to keep journal as aforesaid or willfully ma
king fraudulent entries therein or ooliterating the
record of any material transactions therein, where
the interest of the Confederate States is concerned
! or refusing to produce and deliver such Journal
commission certificate, pursuant to the preceding
section to this act, then and in such case the COM
missions or letters of marque and reprisal of such
vessels shall be liable to be revoked and such com
manders respectively, shall forfeit every such of
fence the sum of $1,000 moiety thereof to the
use of the Confederate States and the etker to the
| infOrmer.
| SEC Is. That the owners or commanders of YES
sells having letters of marque and reprisal afore-
said who shall violate any of the acts of Congress