ACTS AND RKS(1HJTI0NS OF CONGRESS. XXXV 



persons, namely : The Secretary of the Interior, the president of the 

 board of Commissioners of the District of Cohirabia, and the Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, which shall be known and designated 

 as the commission for the establishment of a zoological park. 



That the said commission is hereby iintliorized and directed to make 

 an inspection of the country along- Rock Creek, between Massachusetts 

 avenue extended and where said creek is crossed by the road leading 

 west from Brightwood crosses said creek, and to select from that district 

 of country such a tract of land, of not less than one hundred acres, 

 which shall include a section of the creek, as said commission shall deem 

 to be suitable and appro})riate for a zoological park. 



That the said commission shall cause to be made a careful map of 

 said zoological park, showing the location, quantity, and character of 

 each parcel of private property to be taken for such purpose, with the 

 names of the respective owners inscribed thereon, and the said ma^) 

 shall be tiled and recorded in the public records of the District of Co- 

 lumbia; and from and after that date the several tracts and parcels of 

 land embraced in such zoological i)ark shall be held as condemned for 

 l)ubiic uses, subject to the payment of just compensation, to be deter- 

 mined by the said commission and approved by the President of the 

 United States, provided that such compensation be accepted by the 

 owner or owners of the several parcels of land. 



That if the said commission shall be unable to purchase any portion 

 of the land so selected and condemned within thirty days after such 

 condemnation, by agreement with the respective owners, at the price ap- 

 proved by the President of the United States, it shall, at the expiration 

 of such period of thirty days, make application to the supreme court 

 of the District of Columbia, by petition, at a general or special term, 

 for an assessment of the value of such land, and said petition shall con- 

 tain a particular description of the property selected and condemned, 

 with the name of the owner or owners thereof, and his, her, or their 

 residences, as far as the same may be ascertained, together with a copy 

 of the recorded map of the park ; and the said (tourt is hereby author- 

 ized and required, upon such application, without delay, to notify the 

 owners and occupants of the land and to ascertain and assess the value 

 of the land so selected and condemned by api)ointing three commis- 

 sioners to appraise the value or values thereof, and to return the ap- 

 praisement to the court ; and when the values of such land are thus 

 ascertained, and the President shall deem the same reasonable, said 

 values shall be paid to the owner or owners, and the United States shall 

 be deemed to have a valid title to said lauds. 



That the said commission is hereby authorized to call upon the Super- 

 intendent of the ('oast and Geodetic Survey, or the Director of the 

 Geological Survey to make such surveys as may be necessary to carry 

 into effect the provisions of tliis section ; and the said otticers are 

 hereby authorized and required to make such surveys under the direc- 

 tion of said commission. 



(Approi)riation act to provide for expenses of the government of the 

 District of Columbia, etc. Approved March 2, 1889. Statutes xxv, 

 p. 808.) 



AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. 



Chap. '20. — AN ACT to incorporate the American ITistorical AH8ociation. 



Be it enacted hy the Senate and Eome of Reprcsentativefi of the Uiiited 



States of America in Couf/ress afisembkd, That Andrew I). White;, (►f 



Ithaca, in the State of New York; George Bancroft, of Washington, 



