money hereafter collected by virtue of Secretaries of the act, entitled "An act in addition to Navy, Trea'An act for the relief of sick and disa- War, made a sury, and bled seamen," shall be paid to the Se-board of comcretary of the Navy, the Secretary of the missioners. Treasury, and the Secretary of War, for the time being, who are hereby appointed a board of commissioners, by the name and style of Commissioners of Navy Hospitals, which, together with the sum of fifty thousand dollars hereby appropriated, out of the unexpended balance of the marine hospital fund, to be paid to the commissioners aforesaid, shall constitute a fund for navy hospitals. SECT. 2. All fines imposed on navy of Art. 245. ficers, seamen, and marines, shall be paid Fines to be to the commissioners of navy hospitals. paid to them. sites, at suita SECT. 3. The commissioners of navy Art. 246. hospitals are hereby authorized and re- Commissioners quired to procure, at a suitable place or to procure places, proper sites for navy hospitals; ble places, for and if the necessary buildings are not navy hosprocured with the site, to cause such to pitals. be erected, having due regard to economy, and giving preference to such plans as, with most convenience and least cost, will admit of subsequent additions, as the funds will permit and circumstances require; and the commissioners are required, at one of the establishments, to provide a permanent asylum for disabled and decrepid navy officers, seamen, and marines. prepare rules Art. 247. SECT. 4. The Secretary of the Navy Secretary of is authorized and required to prepare the the Navy to necessary rules and regulations for the for the govern-government of the institution, and report ment of the the same to the next session of Congress. institution. SECT. 5. When any navy officer, seaArt. 248. man, or marine, shall be admitted into a navy hospital, the institution shall be allowed one ration per day during his conand pensions tinuance therein, to be deducted from the account of the United States with commissioners. such officer, seaman, or marine; and in Allowance of rations, of invalids to be paid to like manner when any officer, seaman, or marine, entitled to a pension, shall be admitted into a navy hospital, such pension, during his continuance therein, shall be paid to the commissioners of the navy hospitals, and deducted from the account of such pensioner, [Approved, 26 February, 1811. 139 CRIME OF PIRACY. An ACT to protect the commerce of the United [Vol. 6, page 412.] Art. 249. The President SECT. 1. Be it enacted, &c. That the President of the United States be, and authorized to hereby is, authorized and requested to employ the public armed employ so many of the public armed ves- vessels to prosels, as, in his judgment, the service may tect merchant require, with suitable instructions to the vessels and commanders thereof, in protecting the their crews from piratical merchant vessels of the United States aggressions. and their crews from piratical aggressions and depredations. Art. 250. The President SECT. 2. That the President of the United States be, and hereby is, autho- authorized to rized to instruct the commanders of the instruct compublic armed vessels of the United States manders of public armed to subdue, seize, take, and send into vessels to take any port of the United States, any and send into armed vessel or boat, or any vessel port armed or boat the crew whereof shall be arm which have ate vessels, &c. ed, and which shall have attempted tempted or or committed any piratical aggression, committed piratical aggres search, restraint, depredation, or seizure, sion, &e. upon upon any vessel of the United States, any vessel, and or of the citizens thereof, or upon any to retake vesother vessel; and also to retake any vessels of the U. sel of the United States, or its citizens, S. unlawfully captured. which may have been unlawfully captured upon the high seas. S.owned whol by any armed vessel other Art. 251. SECT. 3. That the commander and Merchant ves- crew of any merchant vessel of the sels of the U. United States, owned wholly, or in part, ly or in part by by a citizen thereof, may oppose and dea citizen, may fend against any aggressions, search, redefend against straint, depredation, or seizure, which shall aggression, &c. be attempted upon such vessel, or upon any other vessel owned as aforesaid, by the than a public commander or crew of any armed vessel armed vessel whatsoever, not being a public armed in amity; vessel of some nation in amity with the may capture United States; and may subdue and capthe offending ture the same; and may also retake any take vessels of vessel, owned as aforesaid, which may have been captured by the commander or crew of any such armed vessel, and send the same into any port of the United States. of a nation vessel, and re the United States, &c. Art. 252. Vessels or cal aggression, taken and SECT. 4. That whenever any vessel or boat, from which any piratical aggresboats, from sion, search, restraint, depredation, or which pirati seizure, shall have been first attempted &c. has been or made, shall be captured and brought first attempted into any port of the United States, the or made, when same shall and may be adjudged and condemned to their use and that of the brought into port, may be captors, after due process and trial, in condemned to any court having admiralty jurisdiction, the use of the and which shall be holden for the district captors, &c. into which such captured vessel shall be Sale and dis-brought; and the same court shall thereupon order a sale and distribution thereof accordingly, and at their discretion. SECT. 5. That if any person or persons . U. S. and the tribution. Art. 253. U. S. to be whatsoever, shall, on the high seas, com- Persons commit the crime of piracy, as defined by mitting the crime of piracy the law of nations, and such offender or on the high offenders shall afterwards be brought into, seas, if brought or found in, the United States, every or found in the such offender or offenders shall, upon punished with Conviction thereof. before the circuit death. court of the United States for the district into which he or they may be brought, or in which he or they shall be found, be punished with death. SECT. 6. That this act shall be in force until the end of the next session of Con gress. [Continued. See post.] [Approved, 3 March, 1819. An ACT to continue in force "An act to protect the Commerce of the United States and punish the erime of Piracy," and also to make further provision for punishing the crime of Piracy. [Vol. 6, page 529.] Art. 254. This act in force until the end of the next session of Congress. SECT. 1. Be it enacted, &c. That the Art. 255. first, second, third, and fourth, sections of 1st, 2d, 3d, an Act, entitled "An act to protect commerce of the United States and ish the crime of piracy," passed on the and 4th sec pun tions of Act of 3d March, the 1819, continthird day of March, one thousand eight ued for 2 hundred and nineteen, be, and the same years, &c. are hereby, continued in force, from the passing of this act, for the term of two years, and from thence to the end of the next session of Congress, and no longer. * SECT. 2. That the fifth section of the Art. 256. said act be, and the same is hereby, con- 5th section of * Made perpetual. See post. |