CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



capturing forts, and other strongholds within the 

 jurisdiction of, and belonging to, the Confederate 

 States of America, and has detailed naval armaments 

 upon the coasts of the Confederate States of America, 

 and raised, organized, and equipped a large military 

 force to execute the purpose aforesaid, and has issued 

 his other proclamation, announcing his purpose to set 

 on foot a blockade of the ports of the Confederate 

 States ; and whereas, the State of Virginia has seceded 

 from the Federal Union, and entered into a conven- 

 tion of alliance, offensive and defensive, with the Con- 

 federate States, and has adopted the Provisional Con- 

 stitution of the said States, and the States of Maryland, 

 North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and 

 Missouri have refused, and it is believed that the State 

 of Delaware and the inhabitants of the Territories of 

 Arizona and New Mexico, and the Indian Territory 

 south of Kansas, will refuse to cooperate with the 

 Government of the United States in these acts of hos- 

 tilities and wanton aggression, which are plainly in- 

 tended to overawe, oppress, and finally subjugate the 

 people of the Confederate States ; and whereas, by 

 the acts and means aforesaid war exists between the 

 Confederate States and the Government of the United 

 States, and the States and Territories thereof, except- 

 ing the States of Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, and Delaware, and the 

 Territories of Arizona, and New Mexico, and the Indian 

 Territory south of Kansas : Therefore, 



SEC. 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of 

 America do enact, That tne President of the Confed- 

 erate States is hereby authorized to use the whole 

 land and naval force of the Confederate States to meet 

 the war thus commenced, and to issue to private armed 

 vessels, commissions, or letters of marque and general 

 reprisal, in such form as he shall think proper, under 

 the seal of the Confederate States, against the vessels, 

 goods, and effects of the Government of the United 

 States, and of the citizens or inhabitants of the States 

 and Territories thereof, except the States and Terri- 

 tories hereinbefore named. Provided, however, that 

 property of the enemy (unless it be contraband of war) 

 laden on board a neutral vessel, shall not be subject 

 to seizure under this Act ; and provided further, that 

 vessels of the citizens or inhabitants 01 the United 

 States now in the ports of the Confederate States, ex- 

 cept such as have been, since the 5th of April last, or 

 may hereafter be, in the service of the Government 

 of the United States, shall be allowed thirty days after 

 the publication of this Act to leave said ports and reach 

 their destination ; and such vessels and their cargoes, 

 excepting articles contraband of war, shall not be sub- 

 ject to capture under this Act, during said period, 

 unless they shall have previously reached the destina- 

 tion for which they were bound on leaving said porta. 



On the 7th, the ordinance of the Virginia 

 State Convention uniting the State to the Con- 

 federate States, and the treaty concluded by 

 Vice-President Stephens and the Commission- 

 ers of Virginia, were presented. Another ordi- 

 nance was adopted ratifying the action of these 

 Commissioners and recognizing Virginia as one 

 of the Confederate States. J. W. Brocken- 

 brough and Walter R. Staples, members elect 

 from Virginia, were sworn in and took their 

 seats as members of the Congress. The time of 

 the Convention was passed almost entirely in 

 secret session. George T. Ward, successor of 

 J. P. Anderson, of Florida, also appeared. 



On the 8th, Congress was in secret session, 

 and engaged in perfecting arrangements for a 

 vigorous prosecution of the war. It was esti- 

 mated that the Government had control of 

 sufficient arms, ordnance, and ammunition of 

 every description to put into the field one hun- 

 dred and fifty thousand men. 



On the 9th, an act was passed to authorize 

 the President to accept the services of volun- 

 teers without regard to the place of enlistment. 



On the llth, a bill was reported to establish 

 a patent-office. This was passed on the 17th. 



A Message was also received from President 

 Davis, recognizing T. J. Olingman as a commis- 

 sioner from North Carolina, and conveying the 

 assurance that the State would cooperate with 

 the Confederate States. Mr. Clingman was 

 then invited to take a seat in the public and 

 secret session of Congress, and to participate 

 in the discussions. Many appointments of 

 judges and marshals were then confirmed. 



On the 18th, a bill was passed authorizing 

 the issue of fifty millions of dollars in bonds, 

 payable in twenty years, with interest not ex- 

 ceeding eight per centum, or, in lieu of bonds, 

 the issue of twenty millions in Treasury notes 

 in small sums without interest. 



An act was passed abolishing the mints at New 

 Orleans and Dahlonega after the 1st of June. 



Arkansas was admitted as one of the Con- 

 federate States. 



On the same day another bill was passed 

 forbidding the people of the Confederate States 

 to pay any debts due from them to the citizens 

 of the Northern and Northwestern States. 

 The following is the act : 



SEC. 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of 

 America do enact, that all persons in any manner 

 indebted to individuals or corporations in the United 

 States of America, (except the States of Delaware, 

 Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, and the District 

 of Columbia,) be and are hereby prohibited from pay- 

 ing the same to their respective creditors, or the'ir 

 agents or assignees, pending the existing war waged 

 by that Government against the Confederate States, 

 or any of the slaveholding States before named. 



SEC. 2. Any person indebted as aforesaid shall be 

 and is hereby authorized to pay the amount of his 

 indebtedness into the Treasury of the Confederate 

 States in specie or Treasury notes, and shall receive 

 from the Treasurer a certificate, countersigned by the 

 Register, showing the amount paid and on what ac- 

 count, and the rate of interest which the same was 

 bearing. 



SEC. 3. Such certificate shall bear like interest with 

 the original contract, and shall be redeemable at the 

 close of the war and the restoration of peace, in specie 

 or its equivalent, on presentation of the original cer- 

 tificate. 



SEC. 4. All laws and parts of laws militating against 

 this act shall be and the same are hereby repealed. 



HO WELL COBB, President of the Congress. 

 Approved, May 21, 1861. 



JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



On the 22d, an adjournment was made to 

 meet at Richmond on the 20th July. The ob- 

 ject of this removal was to strengthen the Gov- 

 ernment by its influence in Virginia. 



The tariff bill was passed with some unimport- 

 ant amendments ; but such was the efficiency 

 of the blockade of the ports of these Confeder- 

 ate States, that at the close of the year it had 

 yielded no revenue to the Government. 



A committee, consisting of Messrs. Rives, 

 Hunter, and Memminger, was also appointed 

 to make arrangements to transfer the military 

 department to Richmond. 



