The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-12-31
Report of the Commissioner of the Gene
raj Land Office.

The report ofthe Commissioner of the Land
Office is one Of the offic ial documents accom-
panyng the Presidents Message. We CLEAN
from it the following interesting facts, respect
ing the public domain, and other interests in
that connection
The minimum price of the public land ison e
dollar and twenty FIVE cents per acre and while
the quantity offered is immense that it is
placed be yond the reach and power Of monopo-
ly, the price is at the same time small, tn at
every man of ordinary industry has the ability
TO provide himself with homestead; and 50
long as government offers hundreds ofmillions of
acres for sale, at the price Of about days
labor for each acre, every man able TO till the
ground will have it in his power to become
freeholder.
The sales of the public lands since Both June,
1885, and to 30th June 1851, amount to $40
s47 59-100 acres; and the purchase money to
So, ,947 As.
The amount of land sold during the first
quarter of the fiscal year, commencing July 1st,
1851, was 473, 40 65l00 acres, for which there
has been received the sum of S601 ,99l OIL
The amount Of land sold for the corresponding
quarter of the last fiscal year, was
266,s79 66-100 acres, for which the sum of
S349,S76 90 was received. The sales thus ap-
pear 20 be largely on the increse.
The locations by military bounty land warrants
during the fiscal year commencing July i, 1850,
cover an area Of 2,45l 900 making an
asgre gate of cash sales and locations by war
rants, during that period, of 4,300,S47 49-10O
acres which, at the minimum price, would
| amount to 1856 So The sales, however ex-
ceeded the minimum price by $62,3s5 90 The
| whole number Of land warrants issued to the LIST
November, 1851, under the Mexican BOUNTY
Land act of | It'll February, lS47, is so, Isl. OF
| this number 66,61S, have been returned to the
| General Land Office as located and of these
located land warrants GO, 200 have been patent
| ed The whole number Of land warrants issued
up to the same period, under the General Bounty
Land Law Of 23th September, 1850, is 54.20l
OF this number, 3,7t'S have been returned to
the General Lind Office as located; and of the
located land warrants Of this class 1859 have
been patented
Since my last annual report there have been
issued and transmitted TO their respective distin-
atoms, upwards of seventy five Thousand letters
patent for public land titles Of all descriptions
and the labors the accountants and book keep
| ers have been diligently prosecuted The quar-
terly accounts of the receivers of pu Tic money,
| and those of the Surveyors General including
California and Oregon, | am gratfied to be able
to state have all been adjusted at this office, to
the 30tn Of September past; and the accounts of
| Deputy Surveyors as far as received, are all
| adjusted to dates more recent, with the exception
of two suspended cases
The quantity of public land proclaimed f. r
market since the date ofmy last annual report,
amounts to 7.73l ,535 acres and the estimated
quantity Available tor market during the coming
year, will not be less than 100000 of acres,
as shown by the tables submitted
Lite in the spring the District Land Office
at Defiance. was destroyed by fire, and the
records all consumed. This Office promptly
supplied the Register and Receiver with lists Of
the lands yet remaining unsold in that district,
and tie duties OF that Office were shortly after
wards resumed.
Every prccaution has been adopted, by
official regulation and system, to detect and ar
rest any attempts to impose upon the Office
fraudulent assignment of warrants under the
Mexican Boundary Land act of February H.
1S47, the warrants in that class having been
held to be ASST. enable; Measures have been
adopted to secure accuracy and nea'ness in
the cngrossing of all the patents, and SUBJECT
ing them to proper test, by careful examina-
ton of Board; and the business generally in
its muhfarious details, is satisfactorily prog.
rcssiny.