The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-01-04
decree declare otherwise and confine the confrma
ton by express terms to quantitu."

decree declare otherwise, and confne the confirma
ton by express terms to quantity"
The other class, in which there is embarra sslpent
is more formidable, and requires the interpostion
OF Congress. IL consists of cases in which there il
such vagueness and uncertainty of description,
that II Is extremely difficult, If not impossible, to
make location with any degree Of certainty as to
/ correctness.
renew the recommendation heretore made, that
| the Department be empowered by law summarily
to locate all claims of this class, according TO tie
lines Of the public surveys in legal divisions, sub
divisions, having due regard to ancient and pres
/ ent improvements, where they exist, giving the
owners year from the date of certifying the oca-
ton, within which to show cause, if any, why diff
ferent location should be made; in default Of which,
or of application for hearing within the time men
toned the location to be forever binding both upon
| the claimants and the United States. Such mea-
sure will enable the Department to close up cases
Of this class which otherwise would remain unset
tied and hanging in suspense over the State for
indefinite period, operating alike detrimental to
the public and to private interests.
i By the act approved August A. 1642, Congress, in
view Of Indian difficulties, made provision g for the
armed occupation and settlement of the unsettled
part of the peninsula of East Florida" by declaring
j that any person, being the head of family, or
single man over eighteen years of age, able to bear
arms, who had made, or should, within year
from and after the passage of this act, make
tual settlement within certain part of the penin
| sula, should be entitled to quarter section of
land, under certain conditions and stipulations in
which it was required that the settlers should OBJ
/ tain permit, and the amount subject to donation
was limited to 200, 900 acres, sc.
By an amendatory act of the 18th June, 1874, it
declared that settlers might erect their dwell
ngs and reside upon other than the quarter section
described in their permit, provided the lands upon
which they erected their habitation should be en-
| tered and paid for; and authority given to
tain settlers to perfect their title to the quarter
tions described in their permits by paying for the
same; and by an act approved lst July, lS4S, all
persons to whom permits were granted, and who
made settlement without having voluntarily relin-
quished and aba ndoned the same, but continued to
reside south of the line specified in the act of 1s42,
were declared entitled to grant and patent for the
land so occupied settled by him, the same as if
all the conditions and stipulations of said acts, &c.
| had been fully and strictly complied with"
This act also provided for agent to take testi
mony, and required him, within five months from
| the commencement of his duties, to transmit all
for decision. Accordingly, Hugh Archer, esq.,, of
Florida, was appointed agent on the 18th August,
lS4s, and three volumes were prepared for him at
this office, exhibiting the numbers Of permits that
had been granted description of the tracts claimed
and the names of the claimants, with appropriate
places for an abstract of testimony and opinion Of
agent.
rils duties, which have been ABLY and faithfully
discharged, commenced on the 18th October, ls45,
and terminated the 18th March, 1849 By a
clause in the general appropriation act of Sd March,
649 the provisions Of the act OF lst July l64S
| extended until the lst October, lS49; and the
18th of March last the agent reappointed, and
has reported upon all the cases that came before
him.
Before entering upon his duties he gave notice.
in public prints in Florida and by handblls of the
times and places at which he would attend for TAX
ing testimony; and the result that only three
hundred and ffty-two settlers appeared before him
for the purpose of Offering testimony as to the
| The whole proceedings under the armed occupa.
ton act and its supplement may be summed up as
| follows:
| Number of permits approved Acres
| and patented. .............. 290 area 43,634 90
Number approved and not pa
| Number approved and
i pended for want of surveys
| and other causes ........ LOG 16,s47.l9
| Number perfected. ........... s53 l29,l42.57
Whole number issued ....1,32I 100000 90
In consequence of many claimants having To-
Gated upon land reserved for military purposes,
upon confirmed private claims, and upon lands
previously disposed Of the management OF this bust
ness has been attended with much embarrassment,
ants and officers in charge Of the investigations Of
1 the claims.
The attention Of Congress is invited TO class Of
unsettled, unconhrmed claims in the village of
Sault St. Marie, on the extreme northern frontier
| Of Michigan and Of the Union, requiring legisla-
ton; and recommend that measures be directed
by law In order TO their adjustment upon n liberal
basis, and with due regard 10 the reservations Of
land which may be necessary for public uses.
The Chickasaw Indian cession, embracing por-
tons of the States Of Mississippi and Alabama was
ceded TO the United States by the treaties Of 1882
and 1884 with that tribe. Under the provisions Of
said treaties, the lands TO be surveyed and
after the selection Of reservations for Indians the
residue was TO be sold for the benefit Of the tribe
The surveys we're completed in 1870,
and the cession found 10 contain. 67ls, $50 acres
| To wit: In Mississippi 6,2s3 997 acres.
| In Alabama. 434 $50
| There have been selected for reserva.
For heads Of families
and others. ....... s. .55s, ,77s acres.
/ For orphans. .......s 66,g79 "
4 Total area Of reserva-
tons. s.......................... .242i 1853
leaving subject to sale Of public
| lands a.......sts...4s..s...... q ,2o6 ,S2S a.
There have been sold Of public lands
| in the cession--
/ At Choctaw land Of
| hces, previous 10
1 the ecstablishmentof
the boundary line. s,l93scres.
| AZ Pontotoc, In the
cession up 70 30th
4 Sept, lS49. ...... 4, ,9s0.736
Total sales Of public
lands. 4, 3,oss, go
Leaving unsold. old............. sO7 .ses
OF the lands reserved for Chic kasaw orphans there
have been sold BY the land officers at Pontotoc
30 .005 acres. The residue, with the exception Of
about $500 acres, has been sold by the reserves
themselves. under The provisions Of The sth article
treaty 1884.
All the public lands in the cession have been
brought into market, except the section reserved
for the use Of the district land oce: and under the
operation Of the graduation system, the unsold
lands are now subject % entry at l2l cents per
acre, with the exception Of about 900 acres offered
in August, ls4s, now subject TO entry at 8 per
acre.
There have been issued for public lands in
tnls cesslon ...s.....s. 2,lOO
Patents, and for Indian reservations ...... 1900
Patents, IN an...... ................A - 800
All recorded here in substantial volumes These
patents embrace the sales up to the end Of lS45,
and nearly all the reservations. To enable the In
dian Office 70 furnish the Chickasaws from time to
time with proper information in regard 10 sales,
&c, in compliance with treaty stpulations, semi
annual reports have been regularly made 10 that
Office, with statement Of the sales up 10 the differ.
ent periods.
The great decrease Of business at the land Office
/ of