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EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch.65. 1825.

Of a person,on the high seas&c. using a dan-gerous weaponwith an intentto kill, &c.

Of any personguilty of con-spiracy, &c.

Of any personemployed by themint, who shalldebase, &c. anygold or silvercoin struck bysaid mint, forthe purpose ofgain.

All acts, See.inconsistentwith this, re-pealed.

Proviso.

Act of AprilSO, 1790, ch. 9.

Nothing inthis act to be

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 , andout of the jurisdiction of any particular state, on board any vessel belong-ing in whole or in part to the United States , or any citizen or citizensthereof, shall, with a dangerous weapon, or with intent to kill, rob,steal, orto commit a mayhem, or rape, or to perpetrate any other felony, commitan assault on another, such person shall, on conviction thereof, be pun-ished by fine, not exceeding three thousand dollars, and by imprisonmentand confinement to hard labour, not exceeding three years, according tothe aggravation of the offence.(a)

Sec. 23. And be it further enacted, That, if any person or personsshall, on the high seas, or within the United States , wilfully and corruptlyconspire, combine, and confederate, with any other person or persons,such other person or persons being either within or without the UnitedStates , to cast away, burn, or otherwise destroy, any ship or vessel, or toprocure the same to be done, with intent to injure any person, or bodypolitic, that hath underwritten, or shall thereafterwards underwrite, anypolicy of insurance thereon, or on goods on board thereof, or with intentto injure any person, or body politic, that hath lent or advanced, or there-after shall lend or advance, any money on such vessel, on bottomry orrespondentia, or shall, within the United States , build or fit out, or aidin building or fitting out, any ship or vessel, with intent that the sameshall be cast away, burnt, or destroyed, for the purpose or with the designaforesaid, every person, so offending, shall, on conviction thereof, bedeemed guilty of felony, and shall be punished by fine, not exceeding tenthousand dollars, and by imprisonment, and confinement to hard labour,not exceeding ten years.

Sec. 24. And be it further enacted, That, if any of the gold or silvercoins 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 finesilver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the sameought to be, pursuant to the several acts relative thereto, through the de-fault or with the connivance of any of the officers or persons who shallbe employed at the said mint, for the purpose of profit or gain, or other-wise, with a fraudulent intent, and if any of the said officers or personsshall embezzle any of the metals which shall, at any time, be committedto their charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins whichshall be struck or coined at the said mint, every such officer, or personwho shall commit any, or either, of the said offences, shall be deemedguilty of felony, and shall be sentenced to imprisonment and hard labourfor a term not less than one year, nor more than ten years, and shall befined in a sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars.

Sec. 25. And be it further enacted, That all acts and parts of actsinconsistent with the provisions of this act, shall be, and the same arehereby, repealed: Provided, nevertheless, That all such acts, and parts ofacts, shall be, and remain in full force for the punishment of all offencescommitted before the passing of this act.

Sec. 26. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained

(a) Under the words “ high seas,’ 5 in the crimes act of 1825, sec. 22, the words (( high seas” meanthe unenclosed waters of the ocean outside of the fauces terrse. The United States v. Thomas Grush, 5Mason’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 suchcases 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 oneshore 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 jurisdic-tion. Ibid.

The county of Suffolk, in which the city of Boston is included, extends to all waters between thecircumjacent islands, down to the Great Brewster and Point Allerton. Ibid .