# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/9th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 31

Chap. XXXI.—An Act authorizing patents to issue for lands located and surveyed by virtue of certain Virginia resolution warrants.
Act of May 18, 1796, ch. 29. Act of March 2, 1799, ch. 29. Act of Feb. 22, 1815, ch. 48. Act of April 11, 1818, ch. 43. Resolution warrants may be located within three years from March, 1808. Act of Feb. 9, 1821, ch. 10. Act of Feb. 21, 1823, ch. 10. Proviso, that no warrant can be obtained unless proof to the satisfaction of the Secretary of War that the warrant was given for services before the cession.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any officer or soldier of the Virginia line, on continental establishment, or his legal representatives, to whom a land warrant has issued, by virtue of any resolution of the legislature of Virginia, as a bounty for services, which by the laws of Virginia, passed prior to the cession of the North-western territory to the United States, entitled such officer or soldier to bounty lands, shall, if the said warrant has been or shall be located within three years from the twenty-third of March next, and a survey thereof has been or shall be, within five years from the said twenty-third of March next, returned to the office of the Secretary of War, obtain a patent for the same, in the same manner, and on the same conditions, as patents are obtained for lands located and surveyed on other warrants of the officers and soldiers of the Virginia line, on continental establishment: Provided, that no patent shall be obtained on such resolution warrant, unless there is produced to the Secretary of War, satisfactory evidence that such warrant was granted for services which, by the laws of Virginia, passed prior to the cession of the North-western territory, would have entitled such officer or soldier, his heirs or assigns, to bounty lands, and also a certificate of the register of the land-office of Virginia, that no other warrant has issued from the said land-office for the same services.
Patents not to issue for a greater quantity of land than the laws of Virginia entitled the person performing the service to. Surveys to be withdrawn where locations shall have been made in any other way, and re-surveys to be made, &c.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That no patent shall be issued by virtue of the preceding section, for a greater quantity of land, than the rank or term of service of the officer or soldier, to whom or to whose legal representatives such resolution warrant has been granted, would have entitled him to under the aforesaid laws of Virginia; and whenever it appears to the Secretary of War, that the survey or surveys, made by virtue of any resolution warrant, is for a greater quantity of land than the officer or soldier is entitled to for his services, the Secretary of War shall certify, on the said survey or surveys, the amount of such surplus quantity, and the officer or soldier, his heirs or assigns, shall have leave to withdraw his survey from the office of the Secretary of War, and re-survey his location, excluding such surplus quantity, in one body, from any part of his re-survey, and a patent shall issue upon such re-survey as in other cases.
Approved, March 3, 1807.