THE STAR OF THE NORTH. 1. W. Itm, FraprloUr.] VOLUME 9. THE STAR OF THE NORTH I* MSLISHVI) EVERT WEDNESDAY MORNIKU BY K. W. WEAVER, OFFICE—-Up stairs, in Ike new brick foiiftl ing, on Ike south side oj Main Street, third square below Market. X ER 91 S:—Two Dollars per annum, if paid within six months from the time of sub scribing ; two dollars and fifty cents if not paid within the year. No subscription re ceived for a less period than six months; no discontinuance permitted until all arrearages are paid, unless at the option of the editor. ADVERTISEMENTS not exceeding one square Will be inserted three limes for One Dollar, and twenty-five cents for each additional in reition. A liberal discount will be made to those who advertise by the year. THE RELIEF BILL. An Act providing for the. Resumption of Specie Puyments by the Ranks, and for the Relief of Debtors. SicnoN 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and llouse of Representatives of the Common wealth of Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met, and is hereby enacted by the authority of theiame, That the provisions of every Act of Assembly, or of incorporation or re-incur poration, heretofore passed, declaring or au thorizing the forfeiture of the charter of any Bank, Saving, Trust and Insurance Company or Corporation having banking privileges, or inflicting any penalties, or authorizing any rompuisory assignment, for or by reason of the non-payment of any of its liabilities, or the issuing or paying out the notes of other Banks incorporated under the laws of this Commonwealth, though no! specie-paying, or its loaning or discounting without the req uisite amount of specie or specie funds, since the first day of September, Anr.o Domini one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, be end the same are hereby suspended until the second Monday of April, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, and all forfeitures and penalties, or liability there to, heretofore incurred, or that may be here after incurred, or that may be hereafter in curred, before the said 2d Monday of April, under such acts ol Assembly or of incorpo ration or re-incorporation, for or by reason of the causes aforesaid, or any of them, are hereby remitted, and so much thereof as pro hibits any Bank from making loans and dis counts, issuing its own notes, or the notes of other Banks incorporated under the laws of this Commonwealth, though not specie-pay ing, or declaring dividends during the sus pension ol specie payments, ur rrom loaning or discounting, without the requisite amount of specie or specie funds as aforesaid, be and the Bame is hereby suspended until the day and year aforesaid, and any such Bank, during such suspension of specie payments, may declare dividends to an amount not ex ceeding six per cent, per annum on capital; and this act shall extend also to all Banks, Saving, Trust and Insurance Companies and Corporations with banking privileges, char tered ot re-chartered under any law, for peri ods hereafter to commence, and to Hie pay ment of stock to all Banks incrporated by the Legislature at its last session. SEC. 2. That, in addition to all statements and returns now required by law. each and every Bank in the cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Allegheny shall, on the first discount day in January next, and weekly thereafter,and every other Bank in this Com monwealth, on the day, and monthly thereafter, make up a statement to be veri fied by the oalb or affirmation ol the Presi dent or Cashier thereof, showing—first, the amount of its loans and discounts ; second, the amount of specie in possession of and oavned by such Bank, and the balance due from other Banks, in distinct items ; third, the amount of its notes outstanding; fourth, the amount of its deposits, including individ ual deposits and the balances due to other Banks; which statement shall be published in the next succeeding issue of a newspaper of the county in which the Bank is located, or if there be no newspaper in snch county, then a newspaper in some neighboring coun ty ; and any violation of this law, or failure to comply with its provisions by any Presi dent or any Cashier ol any Bank, shall be a misdemeanor, and each of the said officers •hall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, at the diicretion of the Court —one-half to be given to the prosecutor, and one-half to the county in which such Bank is located. SEC. 3. The said Banks are hereby requir ed, until the second Monday of April afote- Mid, to receive at par in payment of all debts due, or to become due to them, respectively, the notes of all the solvent Banks of the Com monwealth which paid specie for all their li abilities on and immediately prior to the first day of September last, and which shall con tinue solvent; and the said Banks are also hereby authorized to pay out, in alt their bu siness transactions and discounts, the said notes so long as the Banks issuing the same shall remain solvent; but in case any Presi dent, and a majority of the Board of Direct ors of any of the said Banks shall certify to the Governor, under oath or affirmation of the President, his apprehension and belief that any Bank in said certificate named is in an unsafe condition, the Governorshall there upon appoint three judicious persons, not in terested in said Bank, as Commissioners to investigate the conditition of such Bank ; and the said Commissioners shall, after taking an oath or affirmation to perform the duties of their appointment with fidelity, forthwith pro ceed to make the said investigation, and re port the result thereof within ten days to the Governor} and if the offictrs of the said Bank shall refuse to permit the said Commissioners 0 to make such investigation, or to produce any book* or documents necessary for that pur- BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1857. pose, or if the said Commissioners!, or a ma jority of them, shall report that the said Bank if in a solvent condition, or conducting its affairs in violation of law, the Governor shall thereupon issue hie proclamation declaring the charter of the said Bank to he forfeited, and the said Bank shall be deprived of all the benefits of this Act, and the Direclors thereof shall forthwith make an assignment in the manner provided by the Act entitled "An Act regulating Banks," approved the 16th day of April, Anno Domini eighieen hundred and fifty, and the expenses of such commis sion, including the compensation of the Com missioners at eight dollars per day each, shall be paid by the Bank against which it is issu ed, unless the report shall be lavorable to its condition, in which case they shall be paid by the applicants ; Provided, That r.o Bank shall be required to recetve the notes of any Bank against which a certificate may be made as aforesaid, at any time after the delivery of the same to the Governor, until the Commis sioners shall roport in lavor of 6UCh a Bank, after which the lions ol eucb Bank shall again be received as required by the provisions of this section. SEC. 4. That tbe several collectors of taxes, tolls and other revenues of the Common, wealth, ond also County Treasurers, are here by authorized lo receive, for Stale purposes, the notes of the solvent Banks of this Com monwealth, though not specie-paying Bunks, in payment of the said taxes, tolls, and reve nues, and the State Treasurer is hereby au thorized to receive and receipt for the same in the same manner as though the said Banks were specie-paying. SEC. 5. That the deposits by the State Treasurer, or to the credit of the Common wealth, in the several Banks and other corpo rations, ai'd all Bank notes which are now or may hereafter be ih the Treasury during the period of suspension aforesaid, shall from lime to time, on demand of the said Treasur er, be paid by the said Banks or other corpo rations respectively, in specie, in such a mounts as may be required by tho said Treasurer to enable him to pay Ihe interest accruing on the public loans of the Common wealth. SEC. 6. That upon all judgments heretofore entered in suits commenced by writ or oth erwise, or which may be entered during the period hereinbefore mentioned, in actions in stituted by writ or otherwise, in any court in tbin Oommorav".lil rr Ffra ony l.lurmon or justice of the peace, on judgment obtained before said officers, if the defendant shall be possessed of any estate in fee simple, within the tespective county, worth, in the opinion of the court, alderman or justice, the amount of the said judgment over and above all in cumbrances, and the amount exempted from levy and sale on execution, he shall be enti tled to a stay of execution thereon, on judg ment now obtained, or lo be obtained on suits now brought, for the term of one year from the date of the passage of this act, and on all others for one year, to be computed from the first day of the term to which the action was commenced ; ami every defendant in such judgment may have the same stay of of execution thereon, if within thirty days from the passage of litis Act, or within thirty days from the rendition of any future judg ment, he shall give security to be approved of by the courl or by a judge thereof, or by such alderman or justice of the peace before whom such judgment was obtained, for the sum recovered, together with the interest and costs: Piovided, That this section shall not apply to the wages of labor nor lo debts upon which slay of execution is expressly waived by the debtors, nor to judgments upon which a stay ol" execution has already been taken under existing laws : And Provided, That Ihe provisions of this section shall extend to judg ments entered or lo be entered, as well upon bond and warrant of attorney as upon mort gages to secure the same, and to any subse quent grantee or owner ol the premises so bound, as well as to the original obligor or mortgager: Provided further, Thai said stay of execution shall not apply lo judgments or mortgages, or on bonds secured by mortgage, unless the interest thereon shall be paid with in sixty days after Ihe accruing of the same, in such funds as the banks are authorized by this act to use. SEC. 7. This act shall take effect immedi ately, except the third section, which shall not go into operation until the provisions of this act are accepted as herein provided, but no Bank or other corporaliari shall be em braced within ita provisions more than thirty days after the passage hereof, or alter any Bank shall have suspended specie payments upon its notes and obligations unless the stockholders of such Banker other corpora tion shall, before the ex,>