United States Statutes at Large/Volume 4/18th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 66
Chap. LXVI.—An Act further to amend the act authorizing payment for property lost, captured, or destroyed by the enemy, while in the military service of the United States, and for other purposes, passed ninety April, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen.
Act of April 9, 1816, ch. 40.
Act of March 3, 1817, ch. 110.
Course to be pursued by those having claims for buildings destroyed during the late war.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any person having a claim for a building destroyed by the enemy during the late war, under the ninth section of the act to which this is an amendment, and of the act to amend the same, passed the third of March, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen, which shall have been presented to the commissioner of claims, appointed under the act first aforesaid, at any time before the tenth of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, and which was not paid under said acts, nor finally rejected by said commissioner, may, within nine months, hereafter, present the same with the evidence to support it, to the third auditor of the treasury, for examination and adjustment, and if he shall be satisfied the building or buildings for which damages are claimed, was, at the time of its destruction, occupied by order of any agent or officer of the United States, as a place of deposit for military or naval stores, or as barracks for the military forces of the United States, he shall proceed to assess the damages, and certify the amount for payment, in the way pointed out in the act first above referred to, which shall be immediately paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated:Proviso. Provided, That if the auditor shall be satisfied the evidence before him is insufficient to enable him correctly to decide between the United States and the claimant, he may, on giving notice to the claimant, cause other evidence to be taken:Proviso. And provided, also, That no payment shall be made under the provisions of this act, where the property destroyed was occupied under a contract with the owner, and at the risk of such owner.
Amount paid for the use thereof, deducted.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the amount which shall appear to have been paid to the owners, as rent for the use or occupation of their property, shall be deducted from the amount directed to be paid to them under this act.
When the claimants to receive a rateable proportion.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That, in case the whole amount of claims presented and allowed, under this act, shall exceed the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, then, and in that case, the claimants shall, respectively, receive only their rateable proportion of the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to be liquidates by the said auditor, in the adjustment of the amount to be received by such claimants respectively.
Approved, March 3, 1825.