New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-12-05


sspi,4.ls4l. and approved
Missriiri.. 5O0adO0 4ig3l7.62 682 80
Alabama ~. e7469.l7 none g7,459.l7
kissssippi..... FtOfoo00 498s95.i3 l,l64.47
/ ruisiara,.,.....5 GHRi0.GG 355670.4t I4fl2g.5 So
Michigan 500 60 4g45l34 10 5426. 81
Afkarsgs ........5OoCc0c0 s998S9GS 1887
FST,da 4555ls5 a s +
Wisconsin .560,364.0l 265648.42 74,7l5.59
Aggregates. .i6G.eo877 S,C6lOl72g l,lo5,8sl. 48
Thus it will be perceived that the grants made
by this act have been nearly closed in several OF
the States, and special efforts are now making to
complete those in all the other States. In some,
particularly in Florida this consummetion mas
been prevented by the difficulty in completing the
location Of private claims, as it was impossible
in many portions of country in which selections
have been made by the State to distinguish public
from private lands, till those claims were located,
and OF course, until that time no definite action
could be had in the State selections A like
difficulty has been experienced IN bringing the
business connected with claims in Florida, under
the Armed Occupation Act to a termination
AS most of the private claims have been loca
ted as already mentioned the State selections"
and cases arising under the Armed Occupation
Act will be disposed Of as rapidly as possible
The several grants to the State of Indiana for
the construction of the W abash and Erie Canal,
amounting to about 100000 acres, have all been
selected the lands certified to the State and clos
ed upon the books of this Office.
The same may be said respecting the grant to
Wisconsin, for the improvement of the Wisconsin
ard Fox Rivers, and the connection OF those
streams by Canal, made by the Act of 9Th Au-
gust 1916 exceptthat portion west of Fox River,
within the recent session by the Menomlnies,
which has not yet been surveyed :.
An intricate and laborious branch OF our land
operations is that charged with the examination
aud preparation OF grants Tor claims to land rest
inc upon TITLES DERIVED FROM FOREIGN Gov
OF THE USITFD STATES, connected with which is
tie issuing OF Patents for INDIAN REGISTRATIONS.
In Legslstine from an early period OF our Ma
tional existence for the survey and sale OF the
"PUBl1c LANDS" OF the United States, Congress
anticipated the necessity and accordingly then
commenced making provision by law for the re-
cognition and adjustment OF titles which had been
derived from Foreign Governments.
1t was the policy of Great Britain, France and
Spain, in the management of their colonial affairs,
to exercise, upon a most extensive scale, tue
mower of granting away the Royal DOMAIN, IN
many instances in immense bodies, but generally
IN moderate quantities, to promote and advance
the settlement OF the country,
In this way millions upon millions OF acres, IN
the aggregate, had been conceded to individuals,
and to that extent the public lands were encum-
bered when the United States acquired title to
the same in virtue of different Treaties.
By the laws of Nations, and terms OF the Trea-
ties OF Cession, it became incumbent upon us to
recognize and respect all bona fde grants of this
character and in regard to them, to carry into full
effect and in liberal and just spirit, the lnten-
ton OF our predecessors in sovereignty
The various classes of titles of this description
which have been designated and are now known
as private land claims have been the subject OF
successive general and special legislative enact
ments, through long series OF years, reaching to
the last Session of Congress inclusive, and now OF
themselves constitute a complete system.
They have been adjudicated from time to time
through the fundamentally Of Boards OF Com
misioners Of the Recorders OF Land Titles, OF the
United States District and Territorial Courts, and
by the Supreme Court of the United States on APP
peal. In the investigation and adjustment OF
those titles thorough inquiry became necessary
into the provincial laws, usnges and customs OF
the British, French and Spanish Governments
into the nature and extent OF the power OF the
zgrantinc officers and their subordinates such as
Governors General Intendants General, Lieuten-
ant Governors or Sub Delegates, Military Com
1nandants and Surveyors, and in the examination
Of this class OF titles, numerous intricate and In
teresting questions have arisen before the Courts
ofthe United States, nd.have been iudicially de
cided, some Of grave moment involving high in
tercsts both national and individual
This system then rests upon the laws, usages,
and customs, in granting and surveying, OF the
Soyereienties alluded to,-upon numerous general
and special laws Of the United States,-upon de-
cisions of Boards of Commissioners and other
-
inferior judicial tribunasl, and osthe Supreme
Court of the United States.
in advancing and gradually extending our sur
views Of the Public Lands, in order to sell and dis
pose OF the same in conformity TO the will OF Con-
gress this private land claim system has neces-
sa1i.y been invoked, ard has co6perated IN sever
ing and setting apart from the National Domain,
and in perecting the evidence OF titles to private
individuals in cases which have been sanctioned
or confirmed.
Hence. wherever the ancient land marks can be
identified they are traced out and the old measure
mepts. or localities are ascertained and reestab-
fsbed and in their original irregular forms are IN
cornorated into the United States surveys in such
n manner as to show their various locations,
limits and precise positions on our Township
Plats in connection with the contiguous public
surveys.
preceded us, by which the granting power could
determine in advance, whether their concessions
Uould conflict with their previous grants, has leo
to numerous conflicts OF title and although the
terms of the original grants generally stipulated
that they were made on the condition that they
should not prejudice the rights OF Others, yet those
stpulatons have not relieved US from the dltfcul,
res and labor inseparabe from the adjustment OF
conflicting limits
To This branch ofthe service is assigned the du-
IL. of seeing that all Chcontcts are properly de-
trrmined so far as Executive action is concerned.
The settling of such cases is an Indispensable
preliminary to the issuing Of new grants, or titles
for confirmed claims in accordance with the laws
Of ourown Government-and in the preparation
Of Patents there is necessarily brought in review
the whole previous history of each claim from its
inception TO it's confirmation and survey and re-
ctaI or reference to all the material points IN its
history is made IN such patents
These embrace claims OF all denominations ana
extent, from town lots often OF great value, and
freGuentiy in conflict with each other to claims Of
immense area, as in the =" FoRBEs' PURCHASE,
N Florida, known as the case OF Colin Mitchell
snd others u.s. the United States. the record OF
rybich alone, as submitted to the Supreme Court,
Sore+s printed volume of seven hundred and
thirty six pages. bo.aoftar oocnr in