dent, or passed over his veto, were sent to the Secretary of State, by whom they were printed in at least three newspapers, and copies sent to Senators and Representatives and the Executives of the several States, and the originals recorded and preserved. Applications from the newspapers for the printing were received and duly considered, and the contracts awarded. In 1795 (March 3) this method was abandoned, and the Secretary of State was directed "after the next session of Congress, [to] cause to be collated and printed, at the public expense, a complete edition of the laws of the United States, comprising the Constitution of the United States, the public acts then in force, and the treaties, together with an index of the same." Four thousand five hundred copies were to be divided among the several States and the Territory Northwest of the Ohio, through their respective Executives, according to the rule for apportioning Representatives in Congress, and five hundred copies were re

served for the future disposition of Congress. The Acts passed at each succeeding Congress were to be printed and distributed in the same way. Under this law began the volumes "Laws of U. States," printed, in the beginning, by Richard Folwell, 33 Carter's Alley.

By Act of March 3, 1797, Congress directed that the five hundred copies reserved for its future use should be distributed by the Secretary of State as follows: Two sets to George Washington, one for his personal use, the other for his official use; a set to the Vice-President and to each Senator and Member of Congress; six sets to the Secretary of the Senate and twelve sets to the Clerk of the House; a set for each of the Judges of the United States Supreme Court and the District Courts, and the Marshals and Attorneys; one set each for the Secretaries of State, of the Treasury, and of War, the Attorney-General, the Director of the Mint, the Comptroller of the Treasury, the

Commissioner of the Revenue, the Register, the Auditor, the Accountant of the War Department, the Postmaster-General, and the Purveyor of Public Supplies; one set to the Governor and one to the Secretary of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio, and to each of the judges of the Territory; also to each collector, naval officer, surveyor, supervisor, and inspector of the revenue. The volumes were, upon severance of an official from his office, to be left for his successor, except in the case of the President, Vice-President, Senators, Representatives, and Judges of the Supreme Court and District Courts, to whom they were to be personal property.

The publication of the laws in newspapers was revived by the Act of March 2, 1799, which provided that the Secretary of State should print them in at least one newspaper within each State; and, in case this was found to be insufficient promulgation, the publication could be made in not more than three newspa

pers in one. State. He was also required to print five thousand copies in addition to the usual number, to be delivered to the United States Judges, District Attorneys, and Marshals, the remainder to be distributed according to the rule for apportioning Representatives. This Act necessarily increased the business of the Department, and the correspondence with editors competing for publishing the laws became considerable.

March 27, 1804, another Act was approved, requiring the Secretary of State "to procure four hundred copies of the laws of the United States," one hundred copies to be distributed in the Territory of Orleans and three hundred copies to be reserved for the disposal of Congress. One thousand copies of the laws printed at the close of Congress were to be similarly reserved, and the distribution of the remainder extended to the Territory of Orleans and District of Louisiana and the other Territories. The Secretary of State was also re

quired to print the laws in a newspaper in each Territory where newspapers were printed. An appropriation of $2,000 was made for defraying the expenses. The payments for carrying out the provisions of the previous acts had come from the general fund.

The method of printing described above continued, and in 1814 (April 18) Bioren, Duane & Weightman were authorized, under the supervision of the Secretary of State, to publish an edition of the laws in four volumes.

This did not supersede the issues by the Department, but merely authorized a reprint.

November 21, 1814, the Secretary of State was authorized in his discretion to extend the promulgation of the laws in the Territories by printing them in two newspapers in each Territory.

The following year (March 3) the copies of the laws which had not been distributed were transferred from the Department of State to the Congressional Library.

April 20, 1818, another law was enacted au