Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-11-14

nave accompanied the circular OF Gov. Wright, which
appeared in issue of the I'd instant:
WASHINGTON, October "a, 1885,
HIS Ercelleney, J. a. Wright
GorernOr Of Indiana:
DEAR SIR received, on the day before yesterday,
your letter OF the 18th instant in which you request me
to furnish such information obtain, in relation
TO the act Of Congress by which all the unsod
lands in Indiana, 'cet und unfit for cultiraion are
given TO the State. have with very great pleasure
complied with your wishes far as is in my power at
presents and hasten to send you the result The De-
has vet completed the necessary instruc
tons nor sufficiently matured such plan of operations
as will be likely TO full justice both the State
and the General Government according the true snr-
It and meaning of the law. These however, are in
progress, and will, am informed he completed by the
first of November-when you will be furnished with all
the details.
In the case Of the former rant Of this character To
the State OF Louisiana, the examination of the lands to
ascertain whether they unfit for cultivation was
made by agents appointed y the State under the gene
raj superintendent of of the Surveyor General ike
course cannot he pursued in State there is now
no Surveyor General who has jurisdiction over it, II
WILL therefore, become the duty of the Secretary of the
Interior to substitute for this equally efficient plan
of operations That gentleman is now absent from the
city, hut will return in day two, when shall en-
deavor to have him act Immediately. / have to-day had
interview with the acting Commissioner of the Gen.
era Land Office, and he has indicated of pro-
ceeding, which think will prove to be better than
that adopted in Louisiana He will submit it to the
Secretary Tor ratification, and there is sup
pose Dc auOpteu, tnere Oii1cer
of the Government whose opinions more respected
By this plan it is proposed charge the Registers
and Receivers in the several land districts with the du
which, in Louisiana devolved upon the Surveyor
General They will he instructed receive such testi-
mony by deposition otherwise, may he furnished
by the authorities of the State to show what lands are
''icet and unfit for curation" These instructions will
apply, think all lands not entered, whether subject
to private claim ofpre empton notfor the grant
in the law is PRESENT. the title all unsold lands Of
the character mentioned passes Immediately to the
State The language of the act is-the nhOle of the
swamp and overfowed lands, made thereby unfit for
cultivation, which shall remain unsold at the passage of
the act" &c.
BY this construction of the law and plan Of opera
tons will be limited in way, hy the reports
heretofore made to the General Land Office, OF the
quantity of and untllabe land in the State. Wher
ever any lands can he shown he "wet and unfit for
cultivation they will be conveyed 70 the State without
regard to the description of them the plat books
field notes of the Office This mode of selection is much
more favorable to the State, than if the Government
fhad restricted it to such lands only had been report
ed by the Surveyors unit for cultivation. A great
deal of the land have been SURVEYED in dru redfh
when, from its appearance, the Surveyor would have
been justified in reporting il suitable for agricultural
purposes. DO not doubt. but that large portion of
what has been thus surveyed in the neghbohood of the
water courses will be found to be of the kind
plated by this act The testimony Of persons residing
in the neghborhood Of these lands and who have known
them at all Of The year, will he necessary
show their real character IT, when subjected this
test they found be unfit for cultivation the State
will be entitled to them.
The act requires that accurate list and pats OF
the lands, :" shall he made out and forwarded to YOU
This is in progress and will he completed in few
days They will also be furnished to the Registers and
Receivers, that they may he enabled to report with
accuracy the description Of the land by its legal
subdivisions
The Government has in its possession any other
evidence of the quantity of and untable lands in
the State. than that which is furnished by the field
and plat books reported by the Surveyor General By
reference these find the tins reported he
9S1 $50 which, am very confident, may
gard the minimum quantity TO which the State viii he
entitled When first received Your letter, it occurred
to me that the better plan for the State woud be- to de-
mand patent in fee simple, once, for the quantity
thus reported Upon examination, however, / found
insurmounahle mpedimen to this course, in the fact
that the lands not reported by their legal subdvs
ions but by only general estimate of the quantity of
acres in the several townships with description, by
metes and bounds otherwise, of their particular local
ity. But Independent of this difficulty, do think
the mode of ascertanng the quantity, either fair
liberal the State the proposed by the
ing Commissioner of the General Land Office The
Surveyor General made his estimate upon the following
principle that the whole number Of acres in any
entire township considered to he inst four
the number of chains contained in the boundary line of
all the sections composing IT, the estimate OF the quant
y of swamp lands in each township was made by mul
tplynG by four, the number OF chains of swamp land
found by the township plats on the east and south
boundary lines of each section. This you will read-
y see does not give the true amount OF swamp lands
veyor General and the Government showing the ag-
gregate quantity in each land district within about
tenth of per cent OF the actual amount that would
be obtained by actual survey. have, therefore, very
strong confidence that by the mode of proof we shall
be permitted make the amount to which the State
will be entitled will he increased considerably beyond
the 9S1 $50 acre. already reported.
The total Of the offered and unofered lands in lndi
ana which remained unsod the LIST Of January, 1s49
271 SO acres, have not had time to examine
how many acres have been since sold, nor have any
means of making any accurate calculation of what por-
ton OF these actually swamp and overliowed lands
But feel altogether justified in saying that shall
much greater number than have been reported
the Government. An actual examination in the State
of Louisiana has shown that rather than hum
dred per cent. the quantity reported "wet
and unfit for cultivation" We may safely assume, |
think that like increase of the quantity may be made
in State, and if it shall so turn OUT it will give us
9I3 1854 acres My present belief that the increase
will be greater than in Louisiana suppose that many
of the surveys made during the dry of the
year In this case the Of the lands the neigh
borhood of the water courses which subject to
ow and especially those upon the Kankakee and other
northern prairie streams have been reported by the sur
yeyors suitable for agricultural purposes, when, IN
fact, they will be found be OF the character contem
As il is toerable certain that our amended Constu-
ton will provide for biennial sessions of the Legislature
it important that these lands should be in possession
Of the State for disposition, by the Legislature at the
approaching session. To secure this, Will pardon
for suggesting in anticipation of the instruction to
the Registers and Receivers speedy plan oil operations
1t is that you Immediately address circular to each of
the countless recommending that the county surveyors
or some other competent persons make examinations at
once of the lands in their respective countless and that
they embody their statements in the form OF dispositions,
setting forth the legal subdivisions of such lands as are
wet and unfit for cultivation" These can be lad be-
fore the Registers and Receivers in few weeks, and
their decisions be reported here and confirmed In
time to have the necessary patent issue before the close
Jo the month Of December.
Doc of,oblo hat ore
the Importance Of immediate and speedy action
and that you may adopt the plan have suggested,