New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-12-04

proper TO extend the land system over thai Territory
and 10 establish one more laad Offices for the pur-
pose, j, is recommended TO allow those settlers
claiming under the act aforeEasd who naY desire II,
the privilege OF acquiring tite TO their claims oy
purchase al any time within the term Of fou! years
row required 10 obtain donation title. Some MOI
Ifest on NAV also De deemed ryoner in behalf 81
cultiyatcrs, whose residence in 10 ae1ars them
from oetsiniTg title unrer the provisions OF the
act and also some alteration n tbs prOsion wnca
ms SITS that the portion Of land acclng 70 tue vile
shall in all cases, acJoln that of the husband.
Without further modification Of that provision, "
Ist0 DC apDrehended tha. eases VIII arse where
married woman viii be declared from receiving any
portion whatever.
CALiFORNI.
The existing provisions Of Law regulating the sn'.
veymg operations in California are underlined, and
the practical operations, thus far ordered are re.
stTlcted 10 the main lines OF survey. | recommend
the inn ediate extension Of the land system over
Caort Ia, IN such details as best adapted to the
peculiar conolIlon OF the country and suggest ior
the consideration of Congress. whether II would not
be just and proper 10 make provision In a supple
mental law, for securing 10 actual settlers by pre-
empton or otherwise, their Improvements, Ia the
sn alast legal subdivisions that Will embrace them,
IN all cases where al the passage OF the act OF 50
March, 1871, for the al ustment OF California lana
claims, they were toaa tide settlers, on aledged
grants from the former Governments, allowing, at
tie time, 10 the claimants under such grants,
an equal quantity on other public lands j MS
measure may be regarded as being ANALOGOUS to me
principle recognized 10 the 18th section OF the act oil
Congress of the Goth of May, 1924 for the aludca-
ton Of claims by the courts, which act was re uvei,
and extended 10 several States, by the act of Con-
gress OF the Eth of June, ISL.
preliminary and most important step u me eX-
tension Of lind system over California. IS 10 Sc
cure the final adJustme nj, and afterward the sep,
aTatiOn from the public lands, OF all bona ffs land
claims deTye ed from the former scvereIgnhes OF thAI
country.
To this end Congress passed the act. approved 81
March, 1851. entitled An Act to ascertain and set
tie the private land claims in California" Pursuant
to that act, three Commissioners have been appoint
cd, as you are aware. by the President, who has
ordered that the first session OF the Board shall De
held at San Francisco. IN California, on ihe sth De-
cember, 1871. Instructions, which have received
your sanction, have been prepared, drawing the az
tention of the Board to the material subjects con-
templaed by the law. and giving such references
as II is believed, would and aud facilitate their
operations. AS IS understood that no Spanish or
Mexican plots OF survey are eXtant, for lands IN
California, no actual survey, so far as IS known to
this office, having ever been made during the sover-
eighty over the country Of either Spain or Mexico,
1t became important to devise some measures where
by the Board of Commissioners and the Courts would
be enabled 10 ascertain, with precision. the partcu
lar parcels of land claimed and such as were the
subject Of conflicting titles.
This OBJECT could only be properly effected by re,
curing intiatory surveysto be made and the Board
OF Commissioners have been directed TO require
claimants, in all cases to file duly authenticated
plot Of survey, exhibiting the tract claimed and
showing the nature and extent of interference.
Such surveys required to be executed at the eX-
peDse of the parties, also IN accordance with the
orders of the Board, and under the superintendent
OF the United States Surveyor General for that
State by whom the surveys and any interference
which may exist, are required TO be ex ahmed and
certified The Surveyor General has, also, been Ia
structed TO cooperate with the Commissioners, III
this particular and the result of the measure can
not fail to be OF signal advantage not only to lnd-
vidual claimants, but to the public at large. Inc
effect Will be 10 remove, at an early period, al
doubt 10 the particular parcels oi land claimed,
by making their locations, in the outset, speclhc
and certain thereby avoiding conflict hereafter, and
embarrassment to claimants and the material adj,
vantage to the public interest VIII be that instead OF
holding the public domain IN suspense. hrst IN the
surveys ard then H. the disposal OF them IN order
TO prevent collision Of title III future locations, the
public lands will be, az once and as etiectu3lly re-
leased from embarrassment in this particular as II
the claims had gone through the processes of adu-
dication by the Board and finally by the courts.
The archives OF the former governments OF Call
forua have been delivered over 10 the Surveyor Gen
eral of the United States and this office has sane
toned proposition from that officer to employ
competent perSont TO arrange, classify and index tnen
so as to render the archives available IN the eXahl-
nation OF titles. IL has also been directed, pursuant
to the Surveyor Generals suggestion thai. for their
security. that the archives shall be kept IN TN boxes
or trunks. properly labelled, numbered, DC.
According TO instructions. the Surveyor General
has determined the point OF intersection OF base
and meridian line, on the summit OF Monte DIablo,
tory point Of operations he was actively engaged
III extending the meridian 10 the north and south
OF 1t, and establishing the base. These II IS ex-
the wet season, during which the surveying opera
tons will, inevitably, be retarded. The extension
OF the standard parallels VIII follow The foregoing
operations viii regulate the projection OF the town
ship SURVEYS throughout the central portion of the
State, under further appropriations by law, and
for which estimates are herewith submitted. To
regulate the surveys Of the lands drained by the
Colorado and those on the southern coast OF the
State another base line and meridian have been pre-
pared by the Surveyor General vs. th Their lntersec-
ion at Los Angeles, and this has been approved by
The Department For the northern surveys, II rs
probable, separate base and meridian will also be
found indispensable. From these several main
lines the township surveys Will be projected to en-
brace the agricultural portions OF the State. The
prelminares, thus arranged, will admit of the stimuli
tancous operations OF any amount oil ioTce, war
ranted by future operations, for the RAPID progress
and completion of the surveys. In tins connection,
beg leave TO refer to the accompanying letter from
the Surveyor General, dated 3Oth September last.
lie therein audes 10 peculiar dlihculues attending
the execution Of the public surveys, unkno M in the
Eastern States, by reason OF the extreme roughness
of the country beyond the plains, where IL is broken
up by steep hills and mountains, the DIVISION OF the
wear INTO the wet and dry seasons, want OF water,
ana freQuen, absence of timber suitable tor
boundaries all tending to increase the labor, and
add TO the cost of the work Ills remarks as respects
the survey of the mineral lands are arranged IN
der that head and invite attention 10 his sugges-
tons as the propriety OF departing rom the square
system OF surveying, IN respect 10 the agricultural
lands situated upon naygable waters, and perhaps
upon many Of the smaller streams, ana thai they
should be laid ont into suitable lots, wherein the
essential advantages OF WOOD ana wafer "ould De
equally distributed.
THE MINERAL LANDS.
In regard to the mineral lands In Cab ornia, adj
here 10 The views expressed In my last annual report
as to the mode proper 10 be pursued IN the eventual
disposal OF them.
The full development, however OF their chsrac-
ter, and determination Of Their extent, N older 10
their due separation from the agricultural lands VITA
the view TO their final disposal have. So far, proved
q source OF 10 little embarrassment Beyond all
that, time and circumstances, labor and capital,
have thus lar, developed, ever thing vet remains TO
be done in the way of rigid observation and eiaoor-
ate experiment before the arrival OF the period when
the mineral lands can be accurately Disseminated,
and undersiandingly detached from the great body
Of tie public land as 10 admit OF applying TO them
any specific provisions OF Law TO regulate their sur
,ey and subsequent disposal. Up 70 the present
time 70 satisfactory estimate has been formed OF the
time and expenditure of money requisite Tor accom-
a., In Of all the 2