Of a person, on the high seas, &c. using a dangerous weapon with an intent to kill, &c.upon the high seas, or in any arm of the sea, or in any river, haven, creek, basin, or bay, within the admiralty jurisdiction of the United States, and out of the jurisdiction of any particular state, on board any vessel belonging in whole or in part to the United States, or any citizen or citizens thereof, shall, with a dangerous weapon, or with intent to kill, rob, steal, or commit a mayhem, or rape, or to perpetrate any other felony, commit an assault on another, such person shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by fine, not exceeding three thousand dollars, and by imprisonment and confinement to hard labour, not exceeding three years, according to the aggravation of the offence.[1]
Of any person guilty of conspiracy, &c.Sec. 23. And be it further enacted, That, if any person or persons shall, on the high seas, or within the United States, wilfully and corruptly conspire, combine, and confederate, with any other person or persons, such other person or persons being either within or without the United States, to cast away, burn, or otherwise destroy, any ship or vessel, or to procure the same to be done, with intent to injure any person, or body politic, that hath underwritten, or shall thereafterwards underwrite, any policy of insurance thereon, or on goods on board thereof, or with intent to injure any person, or body politic, that hath lent or advanced, or thereafter shall lend or advance, any money on such vessel, on bottomry or respondentia, or shall, within the United States, build or fit out, or aid in building or fitting out, any ship or vessel, with intent that the same shall be cast away, burnt, or destroyed, for the purpose or with the design aforesaid, every person, so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, be deemed guilty of felony, and shall be punished by fine, not exceeding ten thousand dollars, and by imprisonment, and confinement to hard labour, not exceeding ten years.
Of any person employed by the mint, who shall debase, &c. any gold or silver coin struck by said mint, for the purpose of gain.Sec. 24. And be it further enacted, That, if any of the gold or silver coins which shall be struck or coined at the mint of the United States, shall be debased, or made worse, as to the proportion of fine gold or fine silver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the same ought to be, pursuant to the several acts relative thereto, through the default or with the connivance of any of the officers or persons who shall be employed at the said mint, for the purpose of profit or gain, or otherwise, with a fraudulent intent, and if any of the said officers or persons shall embezzle any of the metals which shall, at any time, be committed to their charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins which shall be struck or coined at the said mint, every such officer, or person who shall commit any, or either, of the said offences, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment and hard labour for a term not less than one year, nor more than ten years, and shall be fined in a sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars.
All acts, &c. inconsistent with this, repealed.
Proviso.
Act of April 30, 1790, ch. 9.Sec. 25. And be it further enacted, That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act, shall be, and the same are hereby, repealed: Provided, nevertheless, That all such acts, and parts of acts, shall be, and remain in full force for the punishment of all offences committed before the passing of this act.
- ↑ Under the words “high seas,” in the crimes act of 1825, sec. 22, the words “high seas” mean the unenclosed waters of the ocean outside of the fauces terræ. The United States v. Thomas Gush, 5 Mason’s C. C. R. 290.The state courts have jurisdiction of offences committed on arms of the sea, havens, basins or bays, within the ebb and flow of the tide, when these places are within the body of the county; and in such cases the circuit court of the United States has no jurisdiction. Ibid.where an arm of the sea or creeks, haven, basin or bay, is so narrow that a person standing on one shore can reasonably discern, and distinctly see by the naked eye, what is doing on the opposite shore, the waters are within the body of a county. Ibid.In such waters, it seems, that the admiralty and common law courts have concurrent jurisdiction. Ibid.The county of Suffolk, in which the city of Boston is included, extends to all waters between the circumjacent islands, down to the Great Brewster and Point Allerton. Ibid.
