An Act ^A Bill^

Granting to the States of Illinois and Indiana, the right of way, and a donation of public Lands for making a Rail Road to connect the falls of the Ohio River opposite to Louisville in Kentucky, with the Mississippi River, by way of New Albany in Indiana, and Mount Carmel on the Wabash River, to Alton in Illinois.

Sec. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United State of America in Congress assembled,

That there be and is hereby granted to the States of Illinois ^ and Indiana ^ for the purpose of aiding said State of Illinois in completing the Mount Carmel and Alton Rail Road with a branch thereof to Shawneetown

And there be and is hereby granted to the State of Indiana for the purpose of aiding said State in completing the Mount Carmel and New Albany Rail Road, a quantity of Land equal to the alternate Sections oforo Six miles wide one both sides of said Rail Roads to be selected by an agent or agents to be appointed by the Governors of said States, subject to the approvals of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States; and the alternate sections which remain to the United States by the Grants in this act, shall not be sold for less than two Dollars and fifty cents per acre, at which price a pre-emption is hereby granted to the States of Illinois and Indiana for such portions thereof as are in each State respectively, for the term of five years from the passage of this act.

Sec. 2—And be if further enacted that the Lands hereby granted to the said States of Illinois and Indiana, shall be subject to the disposal of the Legislatures of said

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States, to be used for the purpose of aiding to construct said Rail Roads, and for no other whatever.

Sec. 3^rd And be it further enacted that the Lands hereby granted shall be disposed of by said States respectively, and only in the manner following to wit, that a quantity not exceeding Sixty Sections on each of said Roads, and [...?] included within a continuous Length of Ten Miles of each Road may be sold when the Governor of said State in which said Road is situate, shall certify to the Secretary of the ^Treasury of the^ United States, that ten miles of Road any of said Road are completed, then another like quantity may be sold on the Road, and so from time to time until said Roads are completed, and if said Roads are not completed finished within ten years, no farther sale shall be made, and the Lands unsold shall revert to the united States Government.

Sec—4—And be it further enacted that before it shall be competent for the States of Illinois or Indiana to dispose of any of the Land to be selected as aforesaid, a plat or plats of the courses, distances, and points of termination of said Rail Roads shall be furnished by the said State in which said Land is situate, to the commissioner of the General Land Office of the United States—

Sec—5. And be it further enacted, that the said States of Illinois and Indiana be, and are hereby authorized to survey and mark through the public Lands of the United States, the routes of said Rail Roads one hundred feet wide on both sides of the central lines of said Rail Roads ^thereof^ to be reserved from sale on the part of the U. States

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and the use thereof forever vested in Said States of Illinois or Indiana in which said Land may be situate, and for the expressed uses and purposes of aiding in the construction of said Rail Roads, and for none other whatever,

Sec 6—And be it futher enacted that no Lands reserved for Schools, or for military purposes, nor any to which the right of pre-emption has attached shall be selected by said states, for said purposes.

Sec: 7 And be it further enacted that the United States Mails, Troops, and munitions of War, shall be promptly carried on said Roads under the regulations of the ^General^ Post Office, and War departments ^of the United States^, at the minimum price paid for similar Services paid to other Rail Roads, and in case of disagreement between the ^said^ States and departments as to the price, then the matter in dispute shall be referred to the United States district Judge for said State.