ACTS AND RESOLVES PASSED AT THE SECOND SESSION OF THE General Court IN 1861: TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS. The General Court of 1861, in virtue of a Proclamation of His Excellency the Governor, assembled in the State House on Tuesday, the 14th day of May, to deliberate upon the condition of Public Affairs in the United States, and was prorogued on Thursday, the 23d day of said month. ACTS, SECOND SESSION, 1861. AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR A SINKING FUND. Chap. 209 port issue of Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: SECTION 1. The treasurer and receiver-general shall, on Treasurer to rethe first day of January, in the year eighteen hundred and scrip, and U. S. sixty-three, make a report to the legislature of the Common- scrip received. wealth, of all scrip or certificates of debts issued pursuant to an act entitled "An Act to provide for the maintenance of the Union and the Constitution," and the act in addition thereto, passed at the present session of the legislature: he shall at the same time report the amount of all scrip or certificates of debt of the United States which shall have been received by this Commonwealth, from the United States, under the provisions of said acts or of either of them, and of the actual market value of said scrip or certificates of debt at the date of such report. All scrip or certificates of debt scrip and use of received under the provisions of said acts respectively, shall defined. be pledged and held as a part of the sinking fund hereby created; and the principal of the same shall be applied for the redemption and payment of the scrip or certificates of debt issued under the act in pursuance of the provisions of which the same was received. of SECTION 2. There shall be raised by taxation, in each Taxation for reyear, commencing with the year eighteen hundred and serip, how detersixty-three, a sum equal to one-tenth part of the difference mined. found by the report of the treasurer as above provided, to exist, between the amount of scrip or certificates of debt issued under said acts, and the actual market value of the amount of scrip or certificates of debt in the treasury of the Commonwealth, or stated in such report; and the sum so raised from year to year shall be pledged and held as a sinking fund, to be invested as the legislature shall direct, and applied for the redemption and payment of the scrip or Chap. 210 AN ACT IN RELATION TO THE POLICE COURT OF THE CITY OF BOSTON. Special justices, appoint ment, powers and compensation. Be it enacted, &c., as follows: SECTION 1. The governor may, with the advice and consent of the council, appoint and commission two special justices of the police court of the city of Boston. Either of said special justices may, upon the request of the justice of the police court whose duty it may be in rotation to hold any term of said court, or in case of the sickness or absence of such justice, or a vacancy, then upon the request of the other justices of such court, hold any term thereof: such special justices shall receive no compensation from the Commonwealth, but shall receive from the justice whose duty they perform a proportionate part of his salary for each day's service. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. Chap. 211 AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TEN AND CHAPTER Tax in North portioned. ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY, OF THE ACTS OF THE YEAR ONE THOU- Be it enacted, &c., as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter one hundred and ten of the acts Reading, how ap- of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, is hereby so amended that the amount apportioned according to the provisions of said act, of a tax of one thousand dollars upon the town of North Reading, in the county of Middlesex, shall be sixty-six cents. State tax for 1861. SECTION 2. Chapter one hundred and ninety of the acts of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, is hereby so amended that the tax assessed upon said town of North Reading, as its portion of the state tax for one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, shall be one hundred and ninety-eight dollars. SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage. Chap. 212 AN ACT TO REPEAL CHAPTER FORTY-THREE OF THE ACTS OF THE U. S. notes, act for indorsement repealed. YEAR EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE. Be it enacted, &c., as follows: The act entitled An Act to authorize the treasurer and receiver-general to indorse notes of the United States, being chapter forty-three of the acts of the year eighteen hundred and sixty-one, is hereby repealed. Approved May 21, 1861. AN ACT TO ENABLE BANKS TO PURCHASE GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. Chap. Be it enacted, &c., as follows: SECTION 1. Loans directly made by any bank to the Commonwealth or to the United States, and notes or scrip of the Commonwealth or United States, held by any bank and directly purchased by such bank from the Commonwealth or United States, shall not be deemed debts due. within the meaning of the twenty-fifth section of the fiftyseventh chapter of the General Statutes. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. AN ACT IN RELATION TO THE CASE OF LEVI BAKER versus HENRY A. WISE, GOVERNOR. Be it enacted, &c., as follows: "Debts 213 due," certain securities excepted from. Chap. 214 S. J. C. of U. S. SECTION 1. The governor, with the advice of the coun- Executive may cil, is hereby authorized to take such measures as in his cause appeal to judgment may be necessary, to cause an appeal to be taken from the judgment of the court of appeals of the State of Virginia, in the case of Levi Baker versus Henry A. Wise, governor of Virginia, and such measures as he may deem necessary to insure the prosecution of such appeal, before the supreme court of the United States. SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION THIRD OF THE ACT TO SECURE A UNI- Be it enacted, &c., as follows: Chap. 215 The third section of the one hundred sixty-seventh chap- Table of aggreter of the acts of eighteen hundred sixty-one, is hereby gates. amended so as to require that the assessors shall fill up the table of aggregates, by inserting under the third head, the total value of personal estate; and under the fourth head, the total value of real estate. Approved May 21, 1861. AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE UNION AND THE Be it enacted, &c., as follows: CONSTITUTION. Chap. 216 in furnishing SECTION 1. The contracts, obligations and agreements Acts of governor heretofore made by the governor or the executive council, troops, ratified. or any officer or person, with his or their sanction and authority, and all expenditures, payments and disbursements made by the governor or the council, or under his or their authority and direction, for the furnishing of troops for the defence of the United States, or for arming, equip |