Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-10-06
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RICHMOND, OCTOBER 8.
PUHLIC LAMBS.

mere Is no government IN lDc WORTH
which possesses suck a copious resource
at revenue AS the United States lave in
their western lands. Calculate the ian.
nlense extent OF unappropriated territory
which lies TO the northwest OF the Ohiu,
in the states of Ohio, Indiana and ili-
uois, the territory al Michsan, aud the
vas, district which stretches ,iItu he north
wes,ernnost angle OF the Uaiicd States
add the unoccupied lands, which lie ia
Georgia. the Mississippi stale, and Ala
bama Territory then cross the MISsiS-
Sippi and carry your view over those iin-
niense tracts o! unappropriated soil, which
lie IN The Louisiana State and Missouri
Territory, stretching back. certainly 10
the Sabine River, probably Ia Tie Rio
Gran,ie, possibly 10 the Rocky Mountains.
and even 10 The Pacific Ocean:
The extensive cessions which have been
already made by the Indian tribes, the
facility aud the moderate terms on which
further cessions may al all times be made:
then calculate the rapidity with which This
western country is filling up, the strides
which approaching civilization annually
makes upon The r,liring desert; the daily
emigration of foreigners 10 the u. 5. and
The tide population " hich is constantly
setting in from the sea hoard 10 the iute-
Tor; the Immense fertility uf the public
Lands, almesi every inch Of y lch is fresh
from lie laEds Of nature, and covered
with HE vegetable nlGum oil severa! ages;
CONSIDER the vast crops Of The most vaIu-
a''!c staples which spring as il were, from
the hot bed Of this natural n,anurc; the
| number a.! towns which shoot up, like
mushrooms; and What tlrtinable limit is
there 10 The prJtiuciive powers oil this
branch of the public revenue?
Formerly land was sold by our auces-
'nrS, u few dollars Ia The hundred acres.
Mr. Galatians biol, on lie Laad-iaws
states, that prior 10 The adoption of il'.
present farm ui government" but three
tracts had been sold: one 10 The Stale of
Pennsylvania OF 102, l97 acres, Il second
Ia The Ohn Company, of O64, 2S5 acres,
tiirt. 10 JOHN Cloves Sy nimes IL Co. o!
| one million OF acres; all, al The !ae OF
,wo-ihirtls OF a dollar per acre, payable
III evidences of tie public debt Prior 10
The Act of 10Th May, 1900, no more than
i2i $40 acres had thus been sold. Mr.
Galatn deserves some credit for the inn
provemcn,s he Introduced into the mode
of selling The public lands. The Act o.
Congress OF May 1900, organized The sys-
TEN. which remains, with some subse-
quent qualifications. The public lands
are nov pu up To p"bHc safe, but cam I
be sold for less than tVo doiiars AN acre.
a proposition, recently made, OF ilNmS
The minimum 10 five ,suIIars, has failei...
"t'lle lands not purchased at public sale
may, at ANY lime after, be purchased IN
quarter sections Cot 100 acreS) at private
SALE but al not less than Two dollars,
End without paying any fees whatever.
The purchase money, Whether the land
be bought al public or al private sale, is
payable IN four equal instruments, the
first within 40 days, and the three others
within Two gears, three years, and four
wears after The date ul the purchase No
intere>; is charged if The payments he
punctualIy made. bui il must be pad from
the date Of the purchase, at The ralc Of
per cent. year, OF each ins;ainieni aoi
paid On the dav on which il is due. 4
discount at tsic rate of 8 per cent Il wear
is allowed Tor prompt pay 0ient: which.
ii the whole purchase money be paid al
! The iimc OF purchasing Inc Land, reduces
| ITS price 10 81 Oh per acre. Tracts not
completely paid for within five years after
| the date of purchase, are offered for sale,
at public sale, for price NOT less than
| the arrears of principal ant: interest due
thereon A defect in the law, which
made it The interest of siy purchase. Ia
! become delinquent, forfeit the land, and
! IN the next br. aih fake il up as waste land,
has been detected by experience, and al
tempted 10 be cured-wth what success
" the dep0nent saith not"
He provisions of TINS system are III
| tended 10 secure tie government d good
| pncr, by pnliic competition among The
| Purchasers, and 10 invite ihcai by conve-
nicsri credits end discounts, 10 make pur-
/ c!iases. Land has generally solo at these
auctions beyond the minimum oil two
| do!lars-ih some cases, considerably be-
! yonh liza the Alabama country, even as
| high as 5 100, III some favored siiuaii ions.
On Friday, we gave statement of The lasi
| sales eiiecied ~ Tie Alabama ih, whole
amount not stated but the average acre
was 5 22,SS; and some tracts went off DIS
high a. ) 26I--illese sections too, being
oi ii qualify interior 10 many which had
| been previously sold, or which viii be
pui up durin. this or The next month.
IL is most probable, indeed, That The rage
Tor speculation hss pushed The price of
| tGese lands TOO high; let The cotton be
| ever so rIcii crop, lei it even nest as
| much as or 800 dollars the hand,
| sill The price Ii mach bcy omd The rate, aS
| we have understood ii, Of prime lands in
other qnarlcrs-ol those Oh The Mis-
| slssippI, OF tie Opelousas, and in Tie Red
river country WHICH last yields cotton
Of longer staple and better price, Than "a
| ny other except tie Sea Island COTTON
| What is the sum of the lands actually
sold III the Alabama, we have 10 means
of ascertalnDg some millions
OF dollars. We have before ms, Tie first
sales of public lands in the Missouri Ter.
rtory. The ST. LOUIS Enquirer states
Tive sales al about $4,000 acres, al al a.
Vcragc price Of three dollars an acre, or
iew cents less" Tie ST. Louis paper.