The business of Congress.
Although Congress deliberates in secret, its acts are made public as soon as approved by the
President.
Yesterday the
President returned several acts with his signature attached, among which was the following in relation to the appointment of additional field officers to volunteer battalions, and the appointment of assistant Adjutants General for the Provisional forces:
Sec. 1.
Be it enacted by the Congress of the Confederate States of America, That the eighth section of the act of 6th March, 1861, ‘"to provide for the public defence,"’ be and the same is hereby so far amended that whatever battalions of volunteers in the service of the
Confederate States shall consist of not less than six companies, there may be allowed in the discretion of the
President to each battalion so constituted two field-officers, one with the rank of
Lieutenant-Colonel and the other with the rank of
Major.
Sec. 2. That the
President be and he is hereby authorized to appoint for the volunteer forces in the
Confederate service as many assistant Adjutants General as the service may require, whose rank shall correspond with the rank of the
Assistant Adjutants General in the regular army, and who shall receive the same pay and allowances, according to their respective grades.
The President also approved the following bill in relation to the care of sick and wounded soldiers:
‘
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the
Secretary of War shall forthwith appoint a clerk to the Office of the
Surgeon General, to take charge of all hospital supplies and other articles which may be contributed for the use of the sick and wounded, and the same to dispose of according to the wishes of the contributors, under the Medical Department of the Army — the salary of the said clerk not to exceed $1,000; and the said clerk shall be authorized, under the direction of the
Surgeon General, to procure and fit up a proper place for the sale-keeping and proper disposal of the said articles.
An act was also approved authorizing the distribution of the proceeds of the sale of the ship
A. B. Thompson, condemned by the Court of Admiralty, of Charleston District, S. C., as a prize.
This ship was captured off
Savannah sometime since by the steamer
Lady Davis,
Lieut. Petot, commanding, and brought into
Beaufort.
The Lady Davis belongs to the Coast Guard of
South Carolina.
The case was brought before His Honor.
Judge Magrath, who after a careful hearing of all the facts; condemned the vessel as a lawful prize.
Also, an act to establish the
Judicial Courts of the
Confederate States of America.
’
