The New York herald., 1850-12-06

graduation system, have reached he minimum price
liked by treaty Of l2a Gents per acre, except few
tracts which are noN subject 10 entry at % cents
Ter acre.
There have been issued for public lands
I'm IN this es,son. SasS a patents
Total. .....-,.. 80. Aooo w.
All Of which have been duly recorded in this Office,
ana the accounts O The Receiver have been adjusted
up To the Goth September, 1850.
IL may afford some idea II The amount of labor
which has bee u required and performed IN conduct
irg thus Tar the iano operations OF the Chickasaw
CtssIon. by reporting the tact that the records IN
this office, III connection With this particular busi-
ness, comprlf. niney. three iol'o volumes.
The pre-empion business has been progressing in
a very satisfactory manner Nearly all the claims
under the acts Tror 10 Io4l have been finally dis
poseO OF, many OF which were very important from
the value of The properly at issue, and the con-
plexity OF questions involved.
The act OF 4lh September, 1S4l, prospective in
its character, has been beneficial IN Its operation,
securing II does TO every settler who desires II,
the night to enter without compention the land I'M
proved and settled on ana generally enabling him,
by ordinary industry, To realize from the soil suff
cient means 10 pay for the same, before he Is re.
quired "a do 20 by law
The county land and scrip business under the
war of the revolution, and that Of lSl2, Is being
wound up az rapidly as possible, pursuant to the
legislation Of Congress.
Under tht act passed Dt COngre So on the Iotn
September, 1850, "to enable the State OF Arkan-
sas, and other States, To reclaim the swamp lands
within their limits, II Was decided, with your ap
probation, 10 charge the surveyors General OF the
several > ates which their Offices existed, IN the
first place with making out lists of the lands grant
ed To those States by that law, and where those
offices were abolished, TO devove that duty on the
land Offices OF The Itspec ective districts.
Full Instructions have been made out, and trans
mitted for this purpose; aud, by those Instructions
the act of Congress will be carried Out--the right
10 all the swamp and ov.rfOwed lands unfit tor
cultivation, secured to the States, and the Interests
Of The gove rDment protected.
The State Of Louisiana having made the neces-
saIy arrange mis- to deray the expense OF select
ing the swsmp lands therein, under the act OF "a
March, 1919, the necessary Instructions for that
purpose Were Issued; and, at the instance of the
delegation from that State, special agent was or
dered there 10 arrange and dete rmine the prInci-
pies on which that grant should be adjusted, who
discharged the duty entrusted him, and made his
report, which was laid before Congress. In ac-
oordsnee with the instructions thus issued, and the
principles established, the State proceeded TO make
the selections, and has made considerable progress
therein.
The law recently passed embraces Louisiana, and
increases the grant made by the act of 1919.
Instructions have also been prepared tor all the
district land officers, under the act OF 18th Sept
1850, "granung bounty land to certain officers
and soldiers no have been engaged IN the military
service OF the United States"
In order that The liberal views OF Congress, IN
passing this law, should be fully carried out, and
all possible expense saved 10 the brave and patri
otlc citizens for whose benefit il was enacted, 10
locating their lands, and at the same time TO pro-
tect the Improvements of the hardy aud industrious
pioneer settlers, ii has been determined, with your
approval 10 waive the affidavit heretofore required,
that there is no improvement on the land proposed
10 be located, but TO publish notices for all the set.
tiers upon the public lands to come forward and
notify The land officers of their Improvements; and
TO require that the warrants shall remain forty days
in the local Offices, after they have been located
theirsettlements andmprovements, as now required
This will give the ttlers full time TO lle notices OF
by law. During the time warrant Is thus retained
in the hands of the land officers, ift is found that il
las beef heated upon the improvement OF settler,
that location will be annulled, and new one made
for the werrantee. Arrangements have also been
made for locating all warrants that may be sent to
this Office for that purpose.
The instructions for the Surveyor General OF
Oregon required combination of the geodetic,
with the rectangular system, as explained in the
preceding part OF this report and required by the
act of 2Th September, 1850, establishing the office
Of Surveyor General of that territory.
The geological surveys Of the northern parts OF
Michigan, Wisconsin and lswa, authorized by the
acts OF LIST and I'D March, 1871, have been brought
TO close, and II is expected that the hnai reports
Of the gtOlogsts will be received IN time to be LAID
before Congress at early period OF the Session,
.fnot to accompany this report
Immediately after the passage Of the act of Goth
September last, "grantlng the right OF way, and
making grant OF land 10 the States OF lllinois,
Mississippi and Alabama, in aid ofthe construction
Of a railroad from CHI 90 TO Mobile" instructions
were sent the land officers of the districts through
which that road will pass, dire citing them TO reserve
from sale or entry of any kind all the lands within
suitable distance each side of that road until the
grant in adjusted.
This measure was adopted to prevent the lands
aorp the route from being located by SPECTATORS,
thus ecurng to the States the benefits contempla
ted by the law, and preserving for future disposal
by the government, the lands in the alternate sec
tions alorg the road, the minimum price of which
was doubled by that law.
Under the act of 26,h September, 1850, "ro re.
duce the minimum price OF The mineral lands IN
the Lake Superior dstrict in Michigan, and IN the
Chppcw wa district in Wisconsin, the whole of the
tial lands in those districts which have been
survey ed will be brought into market az early as
practicable next sfason, at the reduced minimum,
aTrau gemchts having been made for that purpose.
The appropriations Tor surveying and marking
the northern boundary OF Iowa, and the eastern
boundary OF Minnesota, were made too late IN the
season for the service TO be performed the past
fall. An the necessary instructions have been
prepared, and the work will be completed early
next season.
The manner Of dsposing Of the public lands in
California, New Mexico aad Utah, has attracted
much attention, and various plans have been sug-
gesied the most judiciOus for this purpose, es.
peoislly in reference 10 the valuable mineral lands
in those regions. IL view Of the peculiar topogra-
phcal FEATURES Of the country, and the value of the
mineral lands in California, It has been supposed
by many that the leasing system would conduce
most 10 the interests of the government and the
people, far as those mineral lands concerned,
and hill to establish such system In that State
has been introduced IN the Senate.
II is not a matter Of surprise that these opinions
should be entertained by all who have not realized
the results Of this system. The same views were
held fuccessNeiy, Of the lead mines of Missouri
and Illinois, aud Of the lead and copper mines Of
Arkansas, Northern Michigan, aud Wisconsin
As AN additional reason, however, for the adoption
OF this 81 stem IN California, II is alleged that the
soil M many ef the pllcers Is utterly valueless, ex
cept tor The mineral found therein, and that, when
that mineral H. exhausted he land is worth nothing
When the history Oi The past with rtfe renee 20 this
question: is considered, Il viii ~ Quad that there
are iew, II bny, points Of dlherc~ce-that like
ius,- have prod1cfd like effects IN all these
States, aud that the came results viii probably be
experienced on the PaCilc, ii the leasing system is
Introduced there.
.--.-- .--.-. \. ~ In .-.-.