Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Commissioner of Public Buildings in the city of Washington be, and he is hereby, authorized to sell to the vestry of Washington parish such portion of the public reservation of land in the city of Washington, numbered thirteen, called the Hospital Square, as the said vestry may desire to purchase, for the purpose of enlarging the Washington parish burial-ground, not exceeding six acres: Provided, The Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy shall be of opinion that the said land can be sold without injury to the public service; and, upon payment being made to the said Commissioner for the said land, at the same price per acre which the United States received for the adjoining square of ground, numbered eleven hundred and fifteen, he shall execute a conveyance therefor to the said vestry, in the same manner as he now conveys public lands when sold.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the vestry of Washington parish shall have authority to enclose, possess, and occupy so much of Nineteenth Street east as passes between square numbered eleven hundred and fifteen, in the city of Washington, (the present burial-ground,) and the land proposed by the first section of this act to be sold; and also, with the consent of the corporate authority of the city of Washington, the said vestry may enclose, possess, and occupy so much of any street or streets as may pass between the said square numbered eleven hundred and fifteen, and any other whole square of ground of which it may become the possessor, for the sole purpose of enlarging the said burial-ground.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the vestry of Washington parish shall have power to hold and enjoy forever any land which it may purchase or possess for the extension of the Washington parish burial-ground: Provided, The whole quantity shall not exceed thirty acres, any thing in any former act to the contrary notwithstanding;

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and the said vestry may, from time to time, sell or otherwise dispose of the said ground for the purposes of burial.

Sec. 4. And be it further provided, That the government of the United States shall be entitled to purchase from the said vestry, and to occupy as a burial-ground, for members of Congress and such other members of the United States government as the President shall deem it expedient and proper to allow, a portion of the land hereinbefore authorized to be sold, not exceeding one fourth part thereof, and which portion shall be laid out in some compact form, and at such place as the Secretaries aforesaid shall select: Provided, That the ground so authorized to be purchased and used by the government shall be paid for from time to time, as it is actually used, at the price demanded by the vestry, for grave-sites in other parts of the same ground: And provided, also, That this reservation of the right to purchase to the extent aforesaid shall not be held to subject the United States to any part of the expense of putting up or keeping up the enclosures of the said burying-ground, or other expense incident thereto.

Approved, July 25, 1848.