CONVEYANCE OF VESSELS. The transfer of the title to vessels.
The act of congress approved the 29th July, 1850, entitled an act to provide for recording the conveyances of vessels, and for other purposes, en acts that no bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or conveyance of any vessel, or part of any vessel, of the United States, shall be valid against any person other than the grantor or mortgagor, his heirs and devisees, and persons having actual notice thereof, unless such hill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or conveyance be recorded in the office of the collector of the customs where such vessel is registered or enrolled. Provided, that the lien by bottomry on any vessel created, during her voyage. by a loan of money or materials necessary to repair or enable such vessel to prosecute a voy age, shall not lose its priority or be in any way affected by the provisions of the act.
The second section enacts that the oollectors of the customs shall record all Such bills of sale, mort gages, hypothecations, or conveyances, and also all certificates for discharging and cancelling any such conveyances, in a book or books to be kept for that purpose, in the order of their reception,—notuig in said book or books, and also on the bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or conveyance, the time when the Millie was reosived ; and shall certify on the bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or con veyance, or certificate of discharge or cancellation, the number of the book and page where recorded ; and shall receive, for so recording such instrument of conveyance or certificate of discharge, fifty cents.
The third section enacts that the collectors of the customs shall keep an index of such records, insert ing alphabetically the names of the vendor or mort gagor, and of the vendee or mortgagee; and shall permit said index and books of records to be in spected during office-hours, under suoh reasonable regulations as they may establish ; and shall, when required, furnish to any person a certificate setting forth the names of the owners of any vessel regis tered or enrolled, the parts or proportions owned by each, if inserted in the register or enrolment, and also the material facts of any existing bill of sale, mortgage, hypothecation, or other incumbrance upon such vessel reoorded since the issuing of the last register or enrolment,—viz., the date, amount
of such incumbrance, and from and to whom or in whose favor made. The collector shall receive for each such certificate one dollar.
Thefourth section provides that the collectors of the customs shall furnish certified copies of such records, on the receipt of fifty cents for each .bill of sale, mortgage, or other conveyance.
The fifth section provides that the owner or agent of the owner of any vessel of the United States, ap plying to a collector of the customs for a register or enrolment of a vessel, shall, in addition to the oath now prescribed by law, set forth, in the oath of own ership, the part or proportion of such vessel belong ing to eaoh owner, and the same shall be inserted in the register of enrolment ; and that all hills of sale of vessels registered or enrolled shall set forth the part of the vessel owned by each person selling, and the part conveyed to each person purchasing.