From Milwaukie, via West Bend, in Washington county, to Fond-du-Lac, in Fond-du-Lac county. From Green Bay to Menomonie city, in Brown county. From Oak Grove, in Dodge county, via Burnett and From Potosi to Lancaster, in Grant county. From Dubuque, Iowa, via Wild's Ferry and Potosi, to Platteville. From Green Bay, via Thompson's Mills, to Plover Portage. From Fort Winnebago, via the county seat of Winnebago county, to Neenah. From Summit, via Ocanemawac and Hustis Rapids, to the county seat of Dodge county. From Prairieville, via Pewankie, Lisbon, Warren, Erie, Wright, to Addision, Washington county. From Janesville, via Fulton and Cooksville, to Rutland, in Dade county. From Big Foot, via Solon, Antioch, Angola, and Franklin, to Little Fort, Illinois. From Oak Grove, via Laurel and Elhah, in Dodge county, to Columbus, in Columbia county. OREGON. From Oregon City, via Fort Vancouver and Fort Nesqually, to the mouth of Admiralty inlet. From Oregon city, up the Willamette valley, to the Kalamet river, in the direction of San Frisco. Oregon. said SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the above routes When shall go into operation on the first day of July, eighteen routes shall go into operation. hundred and forty-seven, or sooner, should the funds of the department justify the same: Provided, That as soon as a Proviso. responsible contractor shall offer to transport the mails over any portion of the routes included in this bill, for the revenues arising therefrom respectively, the Postmaster General shall have the power forthwith to put them under contract. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster Mails from New General be, and he hereby is, authorized and directed to cause a mail to be transported once a week, and oftener, if' he shall think the public interest requires it, from New Or leans, via Galveston, Passo Callo, Brasos de St. Iago, to Tampico, with return mails, the service to be performed by contract, or by the use of the public steamers now in the ser Orleans to l'am pico. free. vice of the War Department in the Gulf of Mexico, with the consent of the head of that Department; and for this service the sum of thirty thousand dollars is hereby appropriated. Letters, &c., to SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That all letters, newspersons belong papers, and other packets, not exceeding in weight one ing to the army in Mexico to be ounce, directed to any officer, musician, or private of the army of the United States in Mexico, or at any post or place on the frontier of the United States, bordering on Mexico, shall be conveyed in the mail free of postage: Provided, That all letters or other packets directed to any person in the army shall contain, as a part of their direction, the words, "belonging to the army. Provise. The two preSEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the two preceding ceding sections sections shall continue in force during the present war, and force during the for three months after the same may be terminated, and no to continue in present war. Mail from Astoria. longer. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster Charleston to General be, and he is hereby, authorized to contract for Chagres, and from Panama to transporting a mail from Charleston, South Carolina, to Chagres, touching at St. Augustine and Key West, and also at Havana, in the Island of Cuba, if deemed expedient, and across the isthmus to Panama, and from thence to Astoria, or the mouth of the Columbia river, touching at Monterey, St. Francisco, and such other places on the coast as the Postmaster General may direct; the mail to be conveyed from Charleston to Chagres, and from Panama to Astoria, in steamships, and to be transported each way once every two months, or oftener, as the public interest may require: Provided, That the expenditure for said service shall not exceed one hundred thousand dollars per annum. Proviso. established Astoria, SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General be, and he is hereby, authorized to establish a post Post Office to be office and appoint a deputy postmaster at Astoria, and such at other places on the coast of the Pacific, within the territory of the United States, as the public interest may require: that all letters conveyed to or from Chagres shall be charged Rate of postage, with twenty cents postage; and all letters conveyed to or from Havana shall be subject to twelve and a half cents postage; and letters carried to or from Panama shall pay a postage of thirty cents, and letters to or from Astoria, or any other place on the Pacific coast, within the territory of the United States, shall pay forty cents postage. Contracts to urchase of the SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That any contract provide for the made in pursuance of this act shall provide for the pursteamships em- chase, by the United States, of the steamships to be employployed in con- ed in conveying the mail, at its option, agreeably to the veying mails. provisions of an act, entitled "An act to provide for the transportation of the mail between the United States and foreign countries, and for other purposes," approved the third day of March, one thousand eight hundred and forty- SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the sum of thirty $30,000 approthousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated priated. for the service herein provided for, to be paid from the gen eral appropriation for mail transportation. SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General be authorized and directed, when in his judgment the public interest or convenience may require it, to estab lish one or more branch post offices, to facilitate the opera- Branch post of tion of the post office in any city or place which, in the fices. opinion of the Postmaster General, may require such additional accommodation for the convenience of the inhabitants; and it shall be the duty of the Postmaster General to prescribe the rules and regulations for the branch post offices which may be established by virtue of this act; and no additional postage shall be charged for the receipt or delivery of any letter or packet at such branch post office. SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That to facilitate the transportation of letters in the mail, the Postmaster General be authorized to prepare postage stamps, which, when at- Postage stamps. tached to any letter or packet, shall be evidence of the payment of the postage chargeable on such letter, which said stamps the Postmaster General may deliver to any deputy postmaster who may apply for the same, the deputy postmaster paying, or becoming accountable for the amount of the stamps so received by him; and if any of said stamps shall not be used, but be returned to the General Post Office, the amount so returned shall be credited to such deputy postmaster; and such deputy postmaster may sell or dispose of any stamps so received by him, to any person who may wish to use the same; but it shall not be lawful for any deputy postmaster to prepare, use, or dispose of any postage stamps not authorized by and received from the Postmaster General; and any person who shall falsely and fraudulently make, ut Penalty for ter, or forge any postage stamp, with the intent to defraud forging such the Post Office Department, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and on conviction shall be subject to the same punishment as is provided in the twenty-first section of the act approved the third day of March, eighteen hundred and twenty-five, entitled "An act to reduce into one the several acts establishing and regulating the Post Office Department.” stamps. SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That so much of the Repeal of so sixth section of the act to which this is supplementary as much of the 6th requires the Postmaster General to cause accounts of the Mar. 1845 as re sec. of act 2d quires accounts postage that would be chargeable by the rates prescribed to be kept of the in said act upon all matter passing free through the mail, postages of the pub. Depts. &c. and that the same shall be paid to the Post Office DepartSee vol. 10, p. ment from the contingent funds of the two Houses of Con 684. gress, and of the other departments of the government for which such mail service may have been performed, be, and the same is hereby, repealed; and that in lieu of such pay$200,000 ap- ment, and in compensation for such mail services as may be propriated in performed for the several departments of the government, there shall be paid to the Post Office Department, from the Treasury, for each year's service, the sum of two hundred thousand dollars, which is hereby appropriated for that purpose, out of any unappropriated money in the treasury. lieu thereof. P. O. two ог more letters to Proviso. ceptions, hand age. Penalty for de- SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That it shall not be positing in any lawful to deposite in any post office, to be conveyed in the mail, two or more letters directed to different persons endifferent per- closed in the same envelope or packet; and every person so sons under the offending shall forfeit the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered same envelope. by action qui tam, one half for the use of the informer, and the other half for the use of the Post Office Department: Provided, That this prohibition shall not apply to any letter or packet directed to any foreign country; and all newspaAll newspapers, pers conveyed in the mail shall be subject to postage, except with certain ex those sent by way of exchange between the publishers of bills, &c. to be newspapers, and except those franked by persons enjoying subject to post- the franking privilege, and newspapers not sent from the office of publication; and all handbills or circulars, printed or lithographed, not exceeding one sheet, shall be subject to three cents postage each, to be paid when deposited in any Contractors or post office to be conveyed in the mail; and it shall be lawful carriers for any contractor or mail carrier to transport newspapers may transport out of the mail for sale or distribution to subscribers, and the mails, &c. the Postmaster General shall have authority to pay or cause to be paid a sum not exceeding two cents each, for all letters or packets conveyed in any vessel or steamboat not employed in carrying the mail from one post or place to any other post or place in the United States, subject to such regulations as the Postmaster General may prescribe; and such What publica publications or books as have been or may be published, tions shall be procured, or purchased by order of either House of Congress, pub. doc's. and or a joint resolution of the two Houses, shall be considered may be franked as public documents, and entitled to be franked as such; and papers out of considered as as such. it shall not be lawful to make any allowance or compensation to deputy postmasters in addition to their commissions as authorized by law, excepting the receipts from boxes, of which all beyond two thousand dollars shall be applied in defraying the expenses of their offices, and to be accounted for in the same manner as they are required to account for their commissions, and excepting the special allowance made 1847. by law to the postmasters at Washington city and New Orleans. of May 3, 1845, as is inconsis SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That so much of the Repeal of so act approved the third day of March, A. D. eighteen hun- much of the act dred and forty-five, entitled "An act to reduce the rates of postage, to limit the use and correct the abuse of the frank- tent herewith. ing privilege, and for the prevention of frauds on the Post Office Department," and of all other acts relating to the See vol. 10, p. Post Office Department, or the service of that department, 632. as is inconsistent with this act, be, and the same are hereby, repealed. Approved, March 3, 1847. CHAP, 64.-AN ACT to amend an an act entitled "An act to amend ‘An' act to carry into effect in the States of Alabama and Mississippi the existing compacts with those States with regard to the five per cent. fund and the school reservations." " 26, 1845, exten [SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of "An act to amend Provisions of an act entitled 'An act to carry into effect in the States the act of Feb. of Alabama and Mississippi the existing compacts with ded so as to enthose States with regard to the five per cent. fund and ble the State of the school reservations,' 2 22 approved February twenty-six, Alabama to loeighteen hundred and forty-five, be, and the same are here- quantity of land by, extended so as to enable the State of Alabama to locate See vol. 10, p. a quantity of land in any of the States or Territories equal 673. to the quantity now due to the inhabitants of the township cate a certain within the Chickasaw cession within said State: Provided, Proviso. CHAP. 65.-AN ACT to authorize the constituted authorities of the city of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, to enter certain islands between the landings of said city and the main channel of the Mississippi river. [SEC. 1.] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the constituted authorities of the city of Du- Authorities of buque, in the State of Iowa, be, and they are hereby, au- the city of Dutorized to enter the islands in the Mississippi river, oppo- ed to enter corbuque authorizsite the said city, which are fractions within sections nine-tain islands in teen and thirty, in township eighty-nine north, in range three the Mississippi. east, and in section twenty-five, township eighty-nine north, |