EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 64. 1825.

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expenditures in the said department, to be adjusted and settled as otherpublic accounts. He shall also, superintend the business of the depart-ment, in all the duties that are, or may be, assigned to it: Provided , That,in case of the death, resignation, or removal from office, of the Postmas-ter General, all his duties shall be performed by his senior assistant, untila successor shall be appointed, and arrive at the general post-office, toperform the business.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General, and allother persons employed in the general post-office, or in the care, custody,or conveyance of the mail, shall, previous to entering upon the dutiesassigned to them,or [in] the execution of their trusts, and before they shallbe entitled to receive any emolument therefor, respectively take andsubscribe the following oath, or affirmation, before some magistrate, andcause a certificate thereof to be filed in the general post-office: “ I, A.B. do swear or affirm, (as the case may be,) that I will faithfully performall the duties required of me, and abstain from every thing forbidden bythe laws in relation to the establishment of the post-office and post-roadswithin the United States .” Every person, who shall be, in any manner,employed in the care, custody, conveyance, or management of the mail,shall be subject to all pains, penalties, and forfeitures, for violating theinjunctions, or neglecting the duties, required of him by the laws relatingto the establishment of the post-office and post-roads, whether suchperson shall have taken the oath or affirmation, above prescribed, ornot.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of thePostmaster General, upon the appointment of any postmaster, torequire, and take, of such postmaster, bond, with good and approvedsecurity, in such penalty as he may judge sufficient, conditioned lor thefaithful discharge of all the duties of such postmaster, required by law,or which may be required by any instruction, or general rule, for thegovernment of the department: Provided, however, That, if default shallbe made by the postmaster aforesaid, at any time, and the PostmasterGenera) shall fail to institute suit against such postmaster, and said sure-ties, for two years from and after such default shall be made, then, andin that case, the said sureties shall not be held liable to the United States ,nor shall suit be instituted against them.

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General shallcause a mail to be carried from the nearest post-office, on any establishedpost-road, to the courthouse of any county which is now, or may here-after be established, in any of the states or territories of the United States ,and which is without a mail; and the road, on which such mail shall betransported, shall become a post-road, andso continue,until the transporta-tion thereon shall cease. It shall also be lawful for the Postmaster Generalto enter into contracts, for a term not exceeding four years, for extendingthe line of posts, and to authorize the persons, so contracting, as a com-pensation for their expenses, to receive, during the continuance of suchcontracts, at rates not exceeding those for like distances, established bythis act, all the postage which shall arise on letters, newspapers, maga-zines, pamphlets, and packets, conveyed by any such posts; and theroads designated in such contracts, shall, during the continuance thereof,be deemed and considered as post-roads, within the provision of this act:and a duplicate of every such contract shall, within sixty days after theexecution thereof, be lodged in the office of the comptroller of the trea-sury of the United States .

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General beauthorized to have the mail carried in any steamboat, or other vessel,which shall be used as a packet, in any of the waters of the UnitedStates , on such terms and conditions as shall be considered expedi-ent : Provided, That he does not pay more than three cents for each

Proviso.

All personsemployed in thepost-office, andothers attachedto it in any wayto take an oathbefore enteringupon the dutiesof their office.

Oath.

The Postmas-ter General, onappointing anypostmaster, toreceive fromhim bond withgood security.

Proviso.

Authoritygiven the Post-master General.

The mail tobe carried inany steamboator other vesselused as a packet.

Proviso.