EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 186. 1824.

69

known as water lots, as are situated between the channel of the riverand the front of the lots, known, under the Spanish government, aswater lots, in [the] said city of Mobile , whereon improvements havebeen made, be, and the same are hereby, vested in the several pro-prietors and occupants of each of the lots heretofore fronting on theriver Mobile , except in cases where such proprietor or occupant hasalienated his right to any such lot, now designated as a water lot, orthe Spanish government has made a new grant, or order of survey, forthe same, during the time at which they had the power to grant thesame; in which case, the right and claim of the United States shall be,and is hereby, vested in the person to whom such alienation, grant,or order of survey, was made, or in his legal representative; Provided,That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to affect the claimor claims, if any such there be, of any individual or individuals, or ofany body politic or corporate, (a)

Approved, May 26, 1824.

Chap. CLXXXVI. —Jin Jlct in further addition to 11 An act to establish anuniform, rule of Naturalization , and to repeal the acts heretofore passed on thatsubject.” (b)

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the UnitedStates of America, in Congress assembled, That any alien, being a freewhite person and a minor, under the age of twenty-one years, whoshall have resided in the United States three years next preceding hisarriving at the age of twenty-one years, and who shall have continued toreside therein to the time he may make application to be admitted acitizen thereof, may, after he arrives at the age of twenty-one years, andafter he shall have resided five years within the United States , includingthe three years of his minority, be admitted a citizen of the UnitedStates , without having made the declaration required in the first condi-tion of the first section of the act to which this is in addition, threeyears previous to his admission : Provided, Such alien shall make the de-claration required therein at the time of his or her admission ; and shallfurther declare, on oath, and prove to the satisfaction of the court, that,for three years next preceding, it has been the bona fide intention ofsuch alien to become a citi-zen of the United States ; and shall, inall other respects, comply with the laws in regard to naturalization.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That no certificates of citizenship,or naturalization, heretofore obtained from any court of record within theUnited States , shall be deemed invalid, in consequence of an omission tocomply with the requisition of the first section of the act, entitled “Anact relative to evidence in cases of naturalization,” passed the twenty-second day of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the declaration required bythe first condition specified in the first section of the act, to which thisis in addition, shall, if the same has been bona fide made before theclerks of either of the courts in the said condition named, be as valid asif it had been made before the said courts, respectively.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That a declaration by any alien,being a free white person, of his intended application to be admitted acitizen of the United States , made in the manner and form prescribedin the first condition specified in the first section of the act to which thisis in addition, two years before his admission, shall be a sufficient com-pliance with said condition ; any thing in the said act, or in any subse-quent act, to the contrary notwithstanding.

Approved, May 26, 1824.

(a) This act has been declared by the Supreme Court to be <( a private act;” but itscc The Public Laws” has been considered proper, as the decisions of the court upon itsin cases which have arisen under its provisions, are of general and public importance.0) See notes of the acts relating to naturalization, vol. i. 103.

said city, vest-ed in the per-son to whomsuch alienation,grant, or orderof survey wasmade.

Proviso.

Statute I.May 26, 1824.

Act of March26, 1790, ch. 3.

Conditions onwhich an alien,being a freewhite personand a minor,may become acitizen of theUnited States .

Proviso.

No certificateof citizenship ornaturalizationheretofore ob-tained from anycourt to bedeemed invalid.1816, ch. 32.

Declarationrequired by thefirst sectionof the formeract to be validon certain con-ditions.

A declarationof intentionmade two yearsbefore his ad-mission shall besufficient.

insertion amongconstruction, and