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The executive power now vested in the Governor of the Indiana Territory, shall extend to, and be exercised in the said District of Louisiana. The Governor and Judges of the Indiana territory shall have power to establish, in said District of Louisiana, Inferior Courts, and prescribe the jurisdiction and duties, and to make all laws which they may deem conducive to the good government of the inhabitants thereof: Provided however, That no law shall be valid which is inconsistent with the Constitution and Laws of the United States, or which shall lay any person under restraint or disability on account of his religious opinions, profession, or worship; in all of which he shall be free to maintain his own, and not burthened for those of another: And provided also, That in all criminal prosecutions, the trial shall be by a jury of 12 good and lawful men of the vicinage, and in all civil cases of the value of 100 dollars, the trial shall be by jury, if either of the parties require it. The Judges of the Indiana territory, or any two of them, shall hold annually two Courts within the said District, at such place as will be most convenient to the inhabitants thereof in general, shall possess the same jurisdiction they now possess in the Indiana Territory, and shall continue in session until all the business depending before them shall be disposed of.It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Indiana Territory to record and preserve all the papers and proceedings of the Governor, of an executive nature, relative to the District of Louisiana, and transmit authentic copies thereof, every six months, to thePresident of the United States. The Governor shall publish throughout the said district, all the laws which may be made as aforesaid, and shall, from time to time, report the same to the President of the United States, to be laid before Congress, which, if disapproved of by Congress, shall thenceforth cease, and be of no effect.

The said District of Louisiana shall be divided into districts by the Governor, under the direction of the President, as the convenience of the settlements shall require, subject to such alterations hereafter as experi

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ence may prove more convenient. The inhabitants of each district, between the ages of 18 and 45 shall be formed into a militia, with proper officers, according to their numbers, to be appointed by the Governor, except the commanding officer, who shall be appointed by the President, and who, whether a Captain, a Major, or a Colonel, shall be the commanding officer of the district, and as such shall, under the Governor, have command of the regular officers and troops in his district, as well as of the militia, for which he shall have a brevet commission, giving him such command, and the pay and emoluments of an officer of the same grade in the regular army; he shall be specially charg ed with the employment of the military and militia of his district, in cases of sudden invasion or insurrection, and until the orders of the Governor can be received, and at all times with the duty of ordering a military patrole, aided by militia, if necessary, to arrest unauthorized settlers in any part of his district, and to commit such offenders to jail to be dealt with according to law.

SECT. 13. The laws in force in the said District of Louisiana, at the commencement of this Act, and not inconsistent with any provisions thereof, shall continue in force until altered, modified, or repealed by the Governor and Judges of the Indiana Territory, as aforesaid.

SECT. 14. And be it further enacted, That all grants for lands within the territory, ceded by the French Republic to the United States by the treaty of the 30th of April 1803, the title whereof was, at the date of the treaty of St. Ildefonso, in the crown, government, or nation of Spain, and every act and proceeding subsequent thereto, of whatsoever nature, towards the obtaining any grant, title, or claim to such lands, and under whatsoever authority transacted, or pretended, be, and the same are hereby declared to be, and have been from the beginning, null, void, and of no effect in law or equity: Provided nevertheless, that any thing in this Section con

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tained, shall not be construed to make null and void any bona fide grant made agreeably to the laws, usages, and customs of the Spanish Government to an actual settler on the lands so granted, for himself, and for his wife and family, or to make null and void any bona fide act or proceeding done by an actual settler, agreeably to the laws usages, and customs of the Spanish Government, to obtain a grant for lands actually settled on by the person or persons claiming title thereto, if such settlement in either case was actually made prior to the 20th day of December 1803: And provided further, That such grant shall not secure to the grantee, or his assigns, more than one mile square of land, together with such other and further quantity as heretofore hath been allowed for the wife and family of such actual settler, agreeably to the laws, usages, and customs of the Spanish Government. And, that if any Citizen of the United States, or other person, shall make a settlement on any lands belonging to the United States, within the limits of Louisiana, or shall survey, or attempt to survey, such lands, or to designate boundaries by marking trees, or otherwise, such offender shall, on conviction thereof, in any Court of Record of the United States, &c. forfeit a sum not exceeding 1000 dollars, and suffer imprisonment not exceeding twelve months; and it shall, moreover, be lawful for the President of the United States to employ such military force as he may judge necessary, to remove from lands belonging to the United States any such citizen, or other person, who shall attempt a settlement

thereon.

SECT. 15. The President of the United States is hereby authorized to stipulate with any Indian tribes, owning lands on the east side of the Mississippi, and residing thereon, for an exchange of lands, the property of the United States, on the west side of the Mississippi, in case the said tribes shall remove and settle thereon; but in such stipulation, the said tribes shall acknowledge themselves to be under the protection of the United States, and shall agree that they will not

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hold any treaty with any foreign Power, individual State, or with the individuals of any State or Power; and that they will not sell or dispose of the said lands, or any part thereof, to any sovereign power, except the U.States, nor to the subjects of any other power, nor to the citizens of the U. States. And in order to maintain peace and tranquility with the Indian tribes who reside within the limits of Louisiana, as ceded by France to the United States, the Act of Congress, passed on the 30th day of March, 1802, entitled "An Act to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes, and to preserve peace on the frontiers," is hereby extended to the territories erected and established by this Act. And the sum of 15,000 dollars of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated by law, is hereby appropriated to enable the President of the United States to effect the object expressed in this Section.

SECT. 16. The Act, passed on the 31st day of October 1803, entitled "An Act to enable the President of the United States to take possession of the territories ceded by France to the United States, by the treaty concluded at Paris, on the 30th day of April last, and for the temporary government thereof," shall continue in force until the 1st day of October next, any thing therein to the contrary notwithstanding; on which said 1st day of October, this Act shall commence, and have full force; and shall continue in force for and during the term of one year, and to the end of the next session of Congress, which may happen thereafter.

[Approved 26th March 1804.]

P. S.-By an A&t dated the 27th of March, a number of copies of the Laws of the United States are ordered to be printed and distributed in the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana,

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