tion of land surveyed by virtue of any railroad certificate, nor upon any island, and not subject to the claims of actual occupants, and have the same surveyed and patented in accordance with existing laws; provided, that all such certificates and land claims shall be located, surveyed and returned to the General Land Office, by or before the first day of January, A. D. 1875, or be forever barred. SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect and be in force from its passage.

Passed May 16, 1871.

The foregoing act, received in- the office of the Secretary of State the twenty-third day of May, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, having been presented to the Governor of Texas for his approval, and not having been returned by him to the house in which it originated within the time prescribed by the Constitution, has become a law without his approval.

JAMES P. NEWCOMB.

Secretary of State..

CHAPTER XCVII.

AN ACT FURTHER DEFINING THE POWERS AND JURISDICTION OF THE CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT OF GALVESTON AND HARRIS COUNTIES.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the Criminal District Court of Galveston and Harris counties shall have, exercise and maintain criminal jurisdiction over and upon all cases heretofore pending and undisposed of before the former criminal courts of said counties of Galveston and Harris; and the clerks of said courts be and they are hereby authorized and directed to take charge of all records and papers of said courts, as the legal custodians of the records of said former criminal courts of said Galveston and Harris counties, and to transfer from the docket of said former criminal courts, all cases still pending there and undisposed of, and to re-number the said cases as original cases upon the docket of the said Criminal District Courts of said Galveston and Harris counties; and to re-file and re-number the papers all and singular heretofore filed in any such cases; and that said cases thus transferred from said former criminal courts shall stand for

trial or any other further action or order by the court in said Criminal District Courts of Galveston and Harris counties, to all intents and purposes as if the same had been originally filed and commenced in the said present criminal district courts of said counties; and the judge of said courts is hereby authorized and empowered to exercise full and complete jurisdiction in said cases, and to finally dispose of the same in conformity to law, to all intents and purposes as though the same were originally filed in said criminal district courts of said counties, as the same are now created and organized, and to that end said judge of said courts shall do and perform all and everything necessary to finish and complete all such cases, and to carry into execution all orders, decrees and sentences of said criminal courts heretofore existing; and shall generally do and perform all and singular, each, all and everything requisite and necessary to finally dispose of all cases yet remaining unfinished or undisposed of in said criminal courts, to all intents and purposes as though the said cases were originally instituted in the present Criminal District Courts of said Galveston and Harris counties.

SEC. 2. It shall be lawful for the judge of said criminal district courts to exchange or alternate with any district judge, as provided by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, in all criminal

matters.

SEC. 3. That the Judge of the Criminal District Court of Galveston and Harris counties shall have and exercise jurisdiction of and over all cases of appeal from the judgments of justices of the peace in all cases of misdemeanor in the said counties of Galveston and Harris, to the same extent and as fully to all intents and purposes, as is now provided by law for such appeals from justices of the peace to district courts, and the same laws shall apply as are provided for such appeals to said district courts of this State; and the justices of the peace in and for said counties of Galveston and Harris shall send up to the clerks of said criminal district courts all papers in the cases so appealed, in the same manner and form as is now provided by law in such cases to the district courts of the State. SEC. 4. That this act shall take effect from and after its passage. Approved May 18, 1871.

CHAPTER XCVIII.

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY COURT OF KERR COUNTY TO LEVY A SPECIAL TAX.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the County Court of Kerr county be, and the same is hereby authorized and empowered to levy a special ad valorem tax of fifteen cents per one hundred dollars, on all taxable property in the said county for the year A. D. 1871.

SEC. 2. That the money so collected, or as much thereof as may be necessary, shall be expended in the completion of the jail of said county of Kerr.

SEC. 3. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved May 18, 1871.

CHAPTER XCIX.

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE GOVERNOR TO COMMISSION SILAS M'CRARY AND JERRY WASHINGTON, WHO HAVE BEEN DULY ELECTED, AS JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR BOWIE COUNTY, AND TO VALIDATE THEIR OFFICIAL ACTS.

WHEREAS, It is satisfactorily shown that Silas McCrary and Jerry Washington were duly elected justices of the peace for Bowie county, the said Silas McCrary for precinct No. 4, and the said Jerry Washington for precinct No. 5, in the said county of Bowie; and that they severally qualified according to law, but the certificate of their qualification, though forwarded by mail, failed to reach the office of the Secretary of State; therefore,

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the Governor be and he is hereby authorized to issue commissions to the said Silas McCrary and Jerry Washington as justices of the peace for Bowie county, in pursuance of said elec

tion.

SEC. 2. That all official acts of said Silas McCrary and Jerry Washington heretofore performed by them as justices of the peace

aforesaid, if otherwise legal, be and the same are hereby declared to be valid and legal, as if the same had been performed under a commission regularly issued.

SEC. 3. That this act shall take effect from and after its passage. Approved May 18, 1971.

CHAPTER C.

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE CONTINGENT AND PRINTING EXPENSES OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE TWELFTH LEGISLATURE.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the sum of thirty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be required, be and the same is hereby appropriated out of any unappropriated funds in the Treasury, to defray the contingent and printing expenses of the Twelfth Legislature; said appropriation to be in proportion of twenty thousand dollars for the use of the House, and ten thousand dollars for the use of the Senate; and that the certificates of the secretary of the Senate and chief clerk of the House of Representatives to the correctness of, and approval of the chairmen of committees of Contingent and Printing Expenses of the Senate and House of Representatives, to the accounts against the two houses, shall be sufficient authority for the Comptroller to draw his warrants upon the Treasurer for the several amounts charged against said fund.

SEC. 2. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved May 18, 1871.

CHAPTER CI

AN ACT TO LEGALIZE CERTAIN ACTS OF THE COUNTY COURT OF BRAZOS COUNTY.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Teras, That the action of the County Court of Brazos county in

issuing thirty bonds of one huudred dollars each, dated February 28, 1871, for the purpose of building a county jail in Brazos county, be and is hereby legalized, and the bonds so issued are declared legal and valid.

SEC. 2. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Approved May 19, 1871.

CHAPTER CII.

AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT FOR DEFICIENCIES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR

ENDING AUGUST 31, 1871, AND FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1, 1871, AND ENDING AUGUST 31, 1872.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be and the same are hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the support of the State Government, for deficiencies incurred in the support of the State Government for the fiscal year ending August 31, 1871, and for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 871, and ending August 31, 1872: