OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable Eiascom Olles 

Comnlnnloner, Qeneral Lend Office 

Austin, Texas 

Dear Slrr oplnlon Ho. O-672 

addltlanal Saat 

of July 26, 194 

ur opieion request 

18, 1945, usd the 

d in your letter 

Hr. oerald u. naenna, 

en, Texam, filed im the 

8 applioatlon to pzwmpect 

ty, in aaaordanae ulth the 

"$IIEI~"~~ tL~ba.~Eatlon 

I lfmukl Protpw3t’Perrit H-+28867 on July 11, 1.945 

for a pe~lcd not to exceed bne y6ar be@nning 

on July 3, 1944. 

'On Harea 27, 1945. Mr. Ed L. Love of 

Sierra Blmca, Texea, filed ln tBa General Lend 

Ofl'ice his affidavit of ovnerahip 

"d 

requeet for 

retnetatement WI Section 2, Block 63 , Publto 

Sshool Lend, Eudrpeth County. Aacampanying the 

Aifldavit of Omecahlp and Request for Relnrtatemerit wau a ralttance to covw payment of all 
Hon. Eaecom Clllee - Pegs 2 

principal, interest, end penalties. Hr. Love 

alao requested that a patont be issued him on 

Section 2. 

"The male of eald Bsotlon 2 wne forfeited 

for non-payment of tnteroet on April 25, 1941, 

and nov stands iorfefted on the records of thle 

offlae. 

"At eight (8100) o'clock A.M., Julo 3, 

1945, Itr. wollm filed ia the Oeneral Laud Offioti 

the applieatlon of Southvest Mlnwele, Ino., P.O. 

aox 865, Barllngen, Texas, to proe*ct for wt*llla 

mlnerale an4 pneloue rtcnm8 on the north helf OT 

said Sectlutt 2. You vl1.l note the caafl.ictLag rlghte 

of Southvest Nlaerale, Ina. utd I&. Love," 

Your letter of July 26, 1945, reads ltt part: 

* ?oo your further %tt~mtlen, the 

l&tad uttde; ~u&el4eratlen Lo thle oplttlun mqueet 

v&e nold with a meervatlon of all telnerale to the 

8tatq.i " 

Your qtw8tion 181 

"I reepeotiull~ request that you give m 

your op~lonae to whether I ehoul4iemo l Prempeot 

Pomlt to Southmet Wetie, Iam., or minetat& the 

male of the land in favor of I&. Bed L. Love.* 

We itret aoneld6r vhother you ehould reinrhto the 

male of this land in IWOF ot NV. Love. 

Art. 5326, R. C. S., nov made, Ln M, em followet 

'Ii any portion of the %lmweSC on euy WI.0 

should not be pIi4 when &@a, ths land ehrll be L\lbjeot 

to forfelturs by ~the Coarlreloner elttm~rfng on the 

vrepper oont~lning the papme 'Lend Porfeited', or 

v~rde of eiriler is', rt, with the brte of much action 

a nd l lgn it offlcf ar ly, em4 therivupett the laad an4 

all payaente shall be forfeited to the Stat., end the 

lands esey be offered tar male on b eubeequent male date. 

In e.ny came where lan4e reny hmrrwfter be ior?elted to 

the Nate for non-payment OS fntereet, tha pttrahaeere, 
lion. &scram Oilee - Pege 3 

bc thelr vendees, heirs, or legal repreeentatlvee, 

emy have their alaIm relnetrted on their vrltten 

request, by paying Into the Treaeur)r the full 

uottqt of Intorest du6 on tich ul@m up to thn date 

of relnet8temeat, provided that +rIghte of third 

vweone ,WJ have lntervono4. Th right to reinstate shall be lImited to the last pumhaeer from 

the State or him vendee8 or tholr heirs or legcr3 

repreeent&ivee. BuchHghtmuetbe excrcieed 

within five (5) y0~s fxwm th0 date 0f th0 f0mmi~e, 

ur4 the right to reinstate any alak heretofore forfeited by the Caraieeiooer mtot be exercised within 

five (5) years from the effeatlve date of t&Is Act, 

but not thereaSter. . . .!' 

Mr. Love ham epryht to oomply with thfe artlole by 

makiag him request for md.netataaont vlthln five years from the 

date of th, forfeiture. PmVlde4 Br. Love is the laet pttrch4teer 

of the latel fma the Wats, or eueh lret purchaser's vendee, heir 

or legal mpmeeatatlve, an4 If he ham pal4 into the State Treasury 

the full amount of latemet due on euoh alair up to .the date of 

r*lne~atenent, be 18 clearly uitltlo6 to have hle alaim rolnetated, 

‘provided that no~rlghte of thlr4 pereons ma 

Art053268 9ex.m Jur~rprudence, Vol. 38, f 

have iakrve~d.* 

Pub ic Lands, page 190. 

It*s w rlghta of third parties intemmie4 *lnae 

much forfeiture? Your letter aentlone none that light poe8lblp 

be so ometme4, except the prorpeating per&t leeuul to l&r. 

IlaXe2nna end the appll6ation of Bouthreet J4Inenlr. IBC. for a 

met~lia mInera proepeatlng pemlt tbrt was filed In the 

Ogneral Land OffIae on July 3, 1945. 

Hr. WoKenna~e proepectl3tg W-It end the l pp2icatfon 

of SoutWeet Winerale, Inc. Were ma4e utt4.r urthorlty of House 

Bill 489, Ch. 301, Acts 40th Leglelatulre, Re 

5t 

beeeion, 1*3, 

. ‘phi8 eeotlon readist 

210, Sec. 12, R. C, S. 

“Any parson or corpontlon deeirlng to 

prospect a treet of land beloagw to t&w 8trto Sor 

gold, eilveP, pl@Anum, cionrbrr, and other metal110 

ore8 and prccioue~etonee m8x file an appltcation 

rlth the ComleeSon4w of the Oeneral Lan4 OSfIce 

4eelgnating the area to be vroepeGto4, whioh aget 

be crcoompenie4 br a rental payment of Ten (10) 

Cente per aore, an4 much appltoeat shall love a 

period of one year fFoa 4&o of filing euah avplloation within vhIch to prospect the area 4WQpxated. 
BOB. Baeooa Ollee - Page 4 

WithIn the period of ma&d year he nay file an 

l ppllcatlon to lease the area deeIgr;uted Sor the 

purpose of mlnIng gold, silver, platinm, aInaabar end other metallla ores end pmoloue stones 

au4 remit Vlftg (50) Cents an aow am first annual 

payaetat of rental on the lease en4 continue to 

We euah 

(5 

ymente 

of five r 

from year to yur for a period 

years, unleee eoae of the ninerale 

aemtloned herein shell be 4lecovered moonor in 

paying quentltlee. On 4lecave~‘of any much 

altterale, the payaente of euch reutal ehell ceaee. 

On the @@thday of erahmonth the ownerofthe 

rine ormlnee shell pny the Wyalt -the Nate 

vhioh shall be one-eirteenth (l/la! of the value if 

the ainor8ls eold or moved bff tbs pxwe.Saee. &ah 

peymente shall be realtte4 to the 3omieeloner of 

the Cieneral Lend Office en4 credited to the aaoount 

of the Porwnant Bahoollknd. 'Pb~learee l lmllbu 

drwn and the sines operated ln aaaordanoe with 

reguUtion8 pnecrrlbed by the Qovemor, Attorney 

Qeneral, and Oamleeloner of the 6eneral Len4 Offlae." 

Your letter lmllaatre tht the lend h4re involved, 

inaluding the mlnerale, heerpen 4edicate4 to the publia fxwe 

eIshoo]. futd and that the y Me val rold wLth r mii,ne~&L me* 

vatleq. 

Therefore, at all tlaee meter1e.l to your inquiry, 

mettilio mhenle aud p r ea io ue l to no e b thxe lend belonged to 

the 8tete. The owner rraqulred ma Interest there- under the 

Relinqule&uent Ad (Bee A&lale 5368) which pertaina only to 

011 a?&4 gae. We find no statute giving the eurfaae ovnep any 

Intorest in metalllu mlne-8 end pxwaloue stones thew%n. 

It rollowe that the btate, its agents, grenW8, 

or llcexuwee, is owner of euehmetelliaminerale rrrdpxwhue 

*tone*, ut4 ham atalltime8 ha4 thelO&l rlghtte enteron 

the l ux+face for the pwpoae of Cupr~rlng and developIn$ the 

maid metallla mIner?rle an4 piealoue etonee. covan, etal v. 

Harcleaut, ot al, 26 Tex. 2171 Esept~e Qae & Fuel Co., et al v. 

state, 121 Tax. 138, 150, 47 8. w. (2) 2658 bW8~, et 81 V. 

prgeril:;l Tax. 502, 511; Cox v. Robleon, 105 Tex. 426, 150 

. . . 

Consequently, Love an4 hle pm4eoseeoce owned 

much land from the beglnnlng, eubjoct to the right of the f&ate 

or its agents, grmteee OP llaeneeee, to 40 the things ~thmee 

mineral prospecting permits rutboMee. Us see no 0onflloQ 'Wmteoever between the rights of Love QP hle pxw4eoeeeore to 

surface of this land, p~lor to the folrldture, en4 thau 0 T 

reolplente of Wneral proepeotlng peFmite under Seatlat 12 

of Article 5k21a. 
Hon. B8ecoet Ollee - Pegs 5 

ftwIe our opinion that no right of e third pnrty 

&&%?%kie alai& provlied, of course, he 18 ot~rvlee 

Coneequently we believe you should reellg~ble therefor. 

We mm aonelder vhether the ewtollio alnerdl 

end precious stone pzwepeatlng pemltehouldbegrentedto 

Southwest Nlnerale, Inc. 

In Texas, mInerale in place ere "land". State 

v. Hatcher, 281 9. W. 115 Tex. 3321 Lone Acre 011 

Co. v. Bvapte, 78 8. W. 

Wmtle~, 104 S. W. (2) 

Eollovayel Unknown Relre 0. 

131 8. W. (2) 89, 133 Tax. 

608, 123 A. L. R. 843. These metalllo mlnerde and pFealou8 

stones em %nd" and, am ham been sham before, the lend 

involve4 bme has been dedlcrted to the Pub110 Rse School 

Fund. 

It follows tht euah aetalllc mIneral end preciooe stones an "lend" eubjeat to the provleIone of Apt. 54210, 

860. 12. Therefore, lf Southwest MInerelm, Ina. bee made its 

eppllaatlon for pzwspectlng peraitthereon Inproper Tom end 

In uhordenae vith the plain provisions of the statutes an4 

ham fll.ed the neoeeea~ fees, etc., it is our opinion that the 

perm%tehould be granted. 

Yours v4ry truly 

ATSORNBYQERXRAL OFT'EXAS