The Federal mirror — Concord, N.H., 1796-08-23 00:00:00, page 1

An AEi providing for the sale of
the Lands in the United States,
• in tb^t^
tbe river Ohio, and above tbe
month of Kentucky river.
. 1 RE it enabled by the Senate
% ° °D and House of Reprefenta
Sites of tbe United States of America,
in Congress affcmbled, Thai a Survey
or General shall be appointed, whole
duty it shall be to engage a Efficient
number of fkifful surveyor, at his
deputies, whom he shall cause, with
out delay, to survey and mark the un
afeertained outlines of the lands lying
north-weft of the river Ohio, and a
bove the mouth of the river Ken
tucky, in which the titles of the In
dian tribe# have been extinguished,
and to divide the fame in the man
ner hereinafter directed ; he shall
have authority to frame regulations
and inftrudioni for the government
of hi, deputies ; to administer the
necessary oaths upon their appoint
ments ; and toremove them for neg
ligence or mifeondud in office.
Sec. 2. And be it further enabled,
That the part of the said lands, which
has not been already conveyed by let
ters patent, or divided in pursuance
Qian ordinance io Congress, passed
on ths twentieth of May, one thou
sand fata hundred and eighty five,
or which has not been heretofore,
and, during the prefeat session of
Congress, may not be appropriated
for famfying military land bounties,
aad for other purposes, (hall be divid
ed by north and fouth hues, run ac
cording to the true meridian, end by
others crossing them at right angles,
foas to form townships of fix miles
fqqare, unless where the line of thf
la<e Iridian parchafe, or of Ua&rffy
land heretofore surveyed or patented,
or ihe course of navigable fivers may
render it impra&cab^ ; and then tty
rue(hill be departed from, DO fur
ther than such particular circumdanc
ts m-y require. The corners of the
&).wn(hips shall be masked with pro
gressive numbers from the beginning ;
each ^iftance of a mile between the
said corners (hall be alio diftiodly
marked wiih marks different from
those of the corners. One half of the
said town(hip% taking them alter
nately, shall be Subdivided into lec
tions, containing, as nearly as miy be,
fix hundred and forty acres eich, by
running through the fame, each way,
parallel lines, at the end of every two
miles, and by marking a corner on
each of the said lines, at the eod of
every mile ; thefeaion shall be num
bered refpeairely, beginning with
the number one, in the norrheaft sec
tion, and pioceedTg weft and east al
ternately, through the township, with
progressive numbers, until the thirty
fixih be completed: And it shall be
the duty of the deputy furveyor;re
fpeaivtly, o cause to be marked, on
% tree near each corner made, as a
forekid, and within the ledion, the
number of such fedion, and over it,
the number of tbe tdefbip, wi:hin
Fourth CONGRESS— first session.
AT PHILADELPHIA.,
[volume IF.]
J
^o^ rfflUliUl &#UUVi r
LAW of the UNION.
ny cjatiguou? lesions as shall be e
qual to orie township, and every other
fait fprihg, which may be discovered,
together with the feflion of one mile
fqusre which includes it, and also four
factions at the centre of every towo
(bip, containing each ore mile fqoa e,
shall be referred forthe future dfpo
fal of the United States: But there
Shall be no refer vatiot^ except for
fa!t fprihgs, in fractional tovcfhips,
where the fraction is itfa than three
fourths cf a towr.fhip.
Sec. & And ^ it further enabled,
That whenever seven ranges o: town
(hipi (hall have been fur, eyed below
the Great Mi,ma, or between the
Sciota river and the Ohio company's
purchrfe, or between the southern
boundary of the Connecticut claims
and the ranges already laid off, be
ginning upon the Ohio river and ex
tending weftwardly, and the plats
thereof made and transmitted jo con
formity to the provisions of this aft,
the laid feaions of fit hundred and
forty acres (excluding those hereby
reserved) shall be offered for sale, at
public vendue, voder the direaion of
the Governor, or Secretary of the
weftern territory, and the Surveyor
General ; foehof them as lie below
the Great Miami fhdl be fold at
Cincinnati ; those of them which lie
between the Sciota and the Ohio
company's pyrchate; atfittfburg'
and those between the Conneaicut
claim and the seven ranges, at Pius-
which, such fedion may be ; and the
said deputies fhali carefully note, in
their refpe&ive field books, the
names of the corner tree: marked,
and the numbers so made : The frac
tional parts of townships (half be di
vided into feaions, in manner afore,
said, and the fra3ioni of fe3ioos (hdl
be annexed to, and fold with, the ad
jacent entite Tedion; All lises (hall
be plainly marked upon trees, and
measured with chains containing two
perches of fixteea feet and one half
each, fubdiviced into twenty five e
qua! links, and the chain frill be sd
jafted to a standard to be kept for
that purpose. Every fu<veyor shill
note in his field book, the.toe fixa
tions of all mines, silt-lick,, falt
fprings and toill-feati, which fhi!l
come to his knowledge ; all water
courles, over which, the line he tuns
(hall pab; and allo the quality of
the lands : Thele field books fhsll be
returned to the Surveyor General,
who shall therefrom cause a dtferife
tion of the whole lands surveyed, to
be made ou.t and transmitted to the
officers who may fuperinteod the
tales : He (half also cause a lair plat
to be made of the townships, and
fractional pares of townfhipi, contain
ed in the said lands, describing the
fub-divifions* thereof, and the marks
of the corners.—This plat (hall be re
corded in books to be kept for that
putpofe ; a copy thereof shall be kept
open at the Surveyor General's office,
for public information ; and other
copies feat to the places of the sale,
and to the Secretary of the Treasury.
Sec. 3. And be it further enabled,
That a fait spring lying upon a creek
which empties into the. Sciota river,
on the east fide, together with as ma-
CO NCO R D, TUESDAY, August
BY RUSSELL and DAWS, CONCORD, NEWtLiMPSHIRE.
burg. And the to wnihip remaining
undivided shall be offered for sale, in
the fame manner, at the feat of gov
ernment of tbe United S:a:e?, under
the diredion of the Secretary of the
Treasury, in trads of one quarter of
a townflhip, lying st the corners there
of, excluding the four central fe&ions,
and the other reservations before
mentioned : Provided always, that no
part cf the directed by this a3
to be offered for sale, shall be fold for
less than two dollars per acre.
Sec. 5. And be it farther enabled.
That the Secretary of the Tredury,
after receiving ttie aforefaid ptan,
shall forthwith give notice, in one
newspaper in each of the United
States, and of the territories north
weft and fouth of the river Ohio, of
the times of sale ; which shall io no
case, be left than two months from
the date of the notice ; and the falei
at the different places shall not com
mence, within lefi than one month of
each other: And when the Gover
nor of the weftern territory, or Secre
tary of the Treasury, shall find it nec
essary to adjourn or suspend the filer
under their direction reipeaively, for
more than three days at any one
time, notice shall be given, in the
public newspapers, of such suspen
sion, and at what time, the files will
recommence.
Sec. 6. And be it further enabled,
That immediately after the passing of
this. a&, the Secretary, of the Treasu
ry shall, jo the manner herein before
directed, advertise for sale, the lands
remaining unfold in the seven ranges
of townships, which were surveyed,
in pursuance of an ordinance of Con
gress, puffed the twentieth of May,
one thousand seven hundred and eigh
ty five, including the lands drawn for
the army, by the late Secretary of
War, and also those heretofore fold;
but not paid for ; the township,
which by the laid ordinance, are di
reded to be fold entire, shall be offer
ed for fire, at public vendue, in Phila
delphia, under the direction of the
Secretary of the Tresfury, in quarter
town ships, refer ring the four centre
feaions, according to the direaioos oft
this aft. The townships, which, by
the fid ordinance, are dire,fled to be
fold in feaiots, shall be offered for
sale at public vendue, in Pit fburg,
under the direaico of the Governor
or Secretary of the weftern territory^
and such perfon,^ the President miy
fpeci^Hy appoint for that purpose, by
sections of one mi'e fqare each, re
ferring the four centre fedions, at a
fortfaid; and all fr^onaltpwoftiips
shall a so be fold in fedions, at Pitrf
burg, in the manner, and under the
regulations provided by this aft, for
the fete of fradional townships: Pr,
Tided always, That nothing in this
ad shall authorize the fate of those
loth which have been heretofore re
served io the towr,(hips already fold.
Sec. 7. And be it further enabled,
That the highest bidder for in, trad
of land, fold by virtue of this a^,
shall depofic, at the time of sale, one
twentieth part of the amount of the
purchase money ;.to be forfeited, if
a moiety of the sum bid, including
the bid twentieth part, is not paid
23, t 796.
within thirty days to the Tre^fcuer
of the United Scares or to such per
foo at shall be appointed by the Pres
ident of the United States, to attend
the places of sale for that purpe'e ;
and upon payment of a moevy o,< } ^ ^
pu r chafe money, wi bin thirty dir.
the perchakr fhdi have 0^ years
credit for the n(i.'ue ; and fh^ re
ceive from the Secretary of the Trea
sury, or the Governor cf the Webern
territory, @the case may be) a cer
tificate defending the l.tf,d told, the
turn paid on account, the bahoce re
maining due, the time when forth bal
ance becomes payable ; and that the
whole land fold wil) be forfeited, if
the fail balance is not then paid; but
that if i< fh%il be duly difeharged, the
purcbafer, or hit affanee, or other le
gal representative, fhdl be entitled to
a patent for the bid la o ds I And on
payment of the said balance to the
Treasury, within the fpecified time,
and producing to the Secretary of
State a receipt for the fim; upon the
aforefiid certificate, the Ptfidert of
the United States is hereby authoriz
ed to grant a patent for the ia,nds to
the said purchaser, bis heirs or affignsf
And all patent! shall be counteifign
ed by the Secretary of State, and re- .
corded in bis cffice< But if there
should be a failure in any payment,
the sale shall be void, all the money
theretofore paid on account of the.
purchase, shall be forfeited to the U
nited States, and the lands thus felcT
(hall be again disposed of, in the
fame manner as it a file had never
been made : Provided neveribele/s,
That should any putchafer m^ke pay
ment of the whole purchase money,
at the time when the payment of the
firft moiety is directed to be made,
he shall be entitled to a dedudion of
ten per centum on the par, fcr which,
a credit is hereby directed to be giv
en ; and his patent shall be immedi
ately issued.
Sec. 8, And be it further enabled,
That the Secretary of the Treasury,
and the Governor, of the territory
norih.weft of the river Ohio, fh%ll,
refpeaively, cause bocks to be kept, ,
io which shall be regularly entered,
an account of the dates of all the fsles
made, the fi nation and numbers of
the lots f^'d, the price at which, each
was ftreck cff, the money deposited
at the time of sale, and the dates of
the certificates granted co the differ^
ent purGhafeft. The Governor, or
Secretary of the said territory shall,
at every fufperfion or adjournment,
for more than three day; of the fale#
under their direction, trar ftoit co the
Secretary of the Treasury, a copy of
the said book; certified to have been
duly examined and competed with
the original. And all traas fold un
der this aft shall be noted upon the
general plat, after the certificate ha#
been granted to the porchafer.
Sec. 9. And be it further enabled.
That all navigable rivers, within the
territory to be disposed of by virtue
of tbit aft, shall be deemed to be, and
remain public highways : And that
in all cif-a, where the eppofre banks ;
of any stream, not navigable, foil
belong to different performs, the ft re£{ "
and the bed thereof shall become
common to
[number 200.]