The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-04

/ were pdlo curing the DTst TWO quarters OF tne
present year, the latest periods 10 which we
have reports. The number added to The rolls
during the year was 2,2S7, and the number Of
deaths reported 765. The whole amount ex
pended for pensions during the year ending 30tb
September, 1851, exclusive Of navy pensions.
is about 81 ,439,s48.
! OF bounty lands, the Secretary states that in
his last report the whole number of warrants
issued to soldiers of our last war with Great
Britain was stated to be g ,97s Since that
time | warrant has been issued for 80 acres
So have been issued for 100 acres aud SO for
40 acres each. There are still $50 claims sus
pended for further evidence.
There have been 90, l46 applications filed for
bounties under the act of It'll February, 1877,
granting lands or scrip to soldiers engaged in
the war with Mexico. In all 1885 claims
have been allowed, and warrants or scrip issued
to the parties entitled. The warrants and scrip
issued since the last annual report are as fol
lows, viz: 1920 warrants for $50 acres each
223 warrants for 40 acres each 80 certificates
for 500 each and 2 certificates for SIS each
and 6,I9I cases are suspended for further evi-
dence.
The Bounty Land law of 1850 donates lands
to probably not less than 5000 persons, after
making proper allowance for those who have
died leaving no representative entitled to claim.
Between the 28th of September and 9Th Of
November, 1880, 9,4lS applications were filed.
On the LIST of November, 1851, the w hole mum
Der received was about 81 600; and, as they
are still canning in rapidly, it will not fall far
below 10000 at the commencement of the
session of Congress.
The duty of acknowledging. registering. en-
dorsing, filing, investigating, deciding, and is
suing warrants for such vast number of claims,
involved great labor and responsibility, and the
Pension Office has been greatly straitened for
want of sufficient clerical force. But not
withstanding all these difficulties, of the Isl 600
claims which had been filed on the LIST of No
vember, 1851, 5000 had been examined and
81, 900 carried into warrant; % 900 have been
rejected or suspended for further consideration.
The number of warrants now issued daily ex-
ceeds 400, and by the meeting of Congress the
aggregate number of warrants issued will be
about 20, 600 e,ss
The Secretary AYERS that the invariable rule
of the office has been to act on cases in the
order of their presentation, and that no case has
been laid aside except for some defect or nfor-
maity.
I. The Secretary invites attention to valuable
suggestions by the Commissioner of Pensions,
viz: lst Confinement of the pension laws 10
those who rendered the military service, and
To the widows and minor children of such as
are dead I'd. The adoption Of more efficient
provisions TO prevent fraud-citlng that, of two
hundred and thirty-one recent applications for
invalid pensions from two the Western States,
only sixty-one were Just; 3d., To make the
warrants for bounty land under the act Of 2Slh
September, 1850, assignable; and, 4th, the
enactment of law making it felony to forge,
utter, or publish as genuine. any forged land
warrant or other evidence of claim against the
United States for land, or any endorsement or
assignment thereof.
The Secretary recommends, in view of the
great increase Of the business of the Pension
Office, the appointment of an Assistant Com
missioner of Pensions. He also recommends
} the graduation of the salaries Of the clerks ac
: cording to the nature and value of the services
, rendered by them respectively.
Of the public lands, the quantity sold during
the last fiscal year was ,S46,S47 40 100 acres.
for which the sum of $3.50, 947 40 was re-
ceived. The quantity sold during the first
quarter of the present fiscal year was E3,l40
IS 100 acres, producing $60l ,69l. The guam
tity sold during the corresponding quarter of the
last fiscal year was 266,S79 G6-l0O acres, the
proceeds of which amounted TO $349, $40 06;
thus showing considerable increase in the
sales of the present over those of the last fiscal
year. The quantity of land located during the
last fiscal year, with bounty land warrants,
was 2,454 900 acres, which, added to the
quantity sold for cash, makes aggregate of
4 ,300,S 47 49-l00 acres. Had the quantity
located with warrants during the last fiscal
year been disposed of for cash, at the minimum
price, the aggregate Of revenue from sales of
the public lands would have been So, 1885,
All 40 The whole number of warrants issued
up to the LIST of November instant, under the
Mexican war bounty land law Of lth Februa
nv, lS47, is 60,78l OF these 66,6l8 have
been located and returned to the General Land
Office; and of this latter number 66,200 have
been patented. The whole number of warrants
issued up to the same period, under the general
bounty land law of September %, 1850, is
"a pol; and of the 3,70S which have been To-
Gated and returned to the General Land Office.
l $50 had been patented on the Ist utiuU
The surveys of California and Oregon are
making commendable progress. The 'geodetc
method" has not been adopted, further than to
combine with the rectangular surveys system
of triangulations to prominent objects observable
from the legal stations on the main lines of the
survey between the Cascade mountains and
the coast.
1t is recommended that provision be made by
law for the prompt ascertainment and final ad
justment of all the claims coming within tho
purvew of the treaty between The United