The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-05

Pensions. The Commissioners Judicial duties
furnish him full occupation, aud render il abso
lutely impossible for him 60 authenticate and
transmit the large number Of warrants and eerhh-
Gates now issued from the office, and perform the
other duties OF ministerial character which he is
uow required by law to discharge.
alec recommend that the law regulating the
compensation of clerks be so modified as to enable
the Department to graduate their salaries accord
ing TO tho nature and value Of the services render
cd by them respectively. At present no temporary
clerk can receive more than So 335 per day. This
il insufficient To command the talents necessary for
some branches of the service, and 10 more than
enough Tor others. My proposition would involve
! no increase Of the aggregate compensation OF the
clerks, but only more equitable apportonment
oft.
Public Lands
The Report of the Commissioner of the General
Land Office will exhibit much activity in the ope-
raGons OF that bureau and the various branches OF
| the public service connected with It,
The quantity Of land sold during the last fiscal
year was $40 S47 49, 100 acres, for which the sum
! oi $3.50, 947 As was received. The quantity sold
during the frat quarter OF the present fiscal year
was 473 ll0 65. 100 acres producing S6O Sol. The
quantity sold during the corresponding quarter Of
| the last fiscal year ,S79 90 100 acres the
! proceeds of which amounted to $349,S76 10; thus
showing a considerable increase In the sales OF the
present those of the last fiscal year. The guam
uty Of land located during the last fiscal year. with
bounty land warrants, was 2464 900 acres, which,
added TO the quantity sold for cash, makes an ag-
! ,oU
| tity located with warrants during the last fiscal
! year been disposed OF for cash at the minimum
price, the aggregate OF revenue from sales oil the
| public lands would have been $5i43S,447 40. The
! whole number of warrants issued up TO the lat oil
| November instant, under the Mexican war bounty
| land law Of 18th February, lS47, ia o0,7Sl or
these, 90 6lS 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
| 81 ,20l; and OF the 3,70S which have been located
and returned to the General Land Office $50 had
| been patented on the LIST ultimo.
| Surveys AZ authorized by law, have been com
nenced in Oregon and California, but restricted "a
! yet to the establishment OF the principal base and
| meridian lines, from Which are subsequently to
| be projected the township and subdiyisional sur
! yey5
! The Surveyors General of Oregon and California
deserve great credit for the energy which has thus
far characterized their labors Plats have already
been received at the General Land Office showing
the base and meridian lines in Oregon, and COM
nendable progress in the establishment of those in
California
| In conducting these surveys the object has been
to profit by the suggesonsof past experience; and
| to this end manual of Instructions in detail, was
prepared for the government of the Surveyors
General and their deputies, calculated, it Is be-
ieyed, to facilitate their field operations.
| The law authorizing the extension of the surveys
into the Territory of Oregon provided for the intro
duction of what is known as the "geodetic me-
|
10 do so; but, for reasons assigned by the Commits
sioner, il not considered advisable to adopt it,
further than TO combine with the rectangular sur
veys system of tranguations to prominent OBJ
jecs observable from the legal stations on the main
lines of the survey between the Cascade mountains
and the coast. In the instructions to the Surveyor
General, his attention was specially drawn to the
provisions OF the treaty concluded on the 10th oil
June, 1916, between the United States and Great
Britain, respecting the rights of the Hudsons Bay
and Puget Sound Agricultural companies, and OF
other British subjects; and, as no steps had been
taken by the United States with view to the &C
QUESTION of the lands i'll the occupancy OF these COM
panics, as provided for by said treaty, and as no
means had been provided for ascertaining and de-
| fining the particular lands, the rights to which
were by the terms of the treaty to be respected, 1t
became necessary to require that the claimants
should present to the Surveyor General the evil
dence of the rights claimed by them; and the Sur
vcyor General directed to avoid, as far as prac
ticable any sectional or other minute subdivision
of the lands covered by such claims, and merely to
extend the township lines over them 80 as TO indi-
| cate their relative position and extent The Sur
veyor General is required 10 report his proceedings
in the prenises; and it is recommended that pro-
vision be made by law for the prompt ascertain
ment and final adjustment of all the claims coming
within the purview of the treaty.
Pursuant to the act of Congress approved Sd
March, 1851, "to ascertain and settle the private
land claims in California" commission has been
organized, and will convene at San Francisco on
the Sth day of December proximo With a view
to facilitate their operations they directed to
organize in this city the 10th of September last,
when instructions as 10 the material subjects con
tcmplated by the Law were given to them, which 1t
is believed will be advantageous to the claimants
and to the Government, by ascertaining in the
outset the particular parcels Of land claimed, and
thereby avoiding uncertainty and embarrassment
in disposing Of the public domain. The archives
of the former governments of California have been
delivered over to the Surveyor General, who is au-
thorized to employ competent person to arrange,
classify, and index them, 80 that they may be rem
ia tI,C afl
Il is recommended that our general land system
be extended over California. in such details as, in
the Weldon of Congress-, may be deemed best
adapted to the peculiar condition and character of
the country and that the actual settlers on the
agricultural lands may have such preference in
bect ming purchasers thereof is in accordance
with the general spirit of our pre- empton laws.
Mineral Lands in California.
In my last annual report stated my objections
to leasing the mineral lands, as recommended by
my predecessor then expressed the opinion that
they should be divided into small parcels or lots,
and cold at public auction. Subsequent informa-
ton and reflection, however, have led me to doubt
the propriety OF that recommendation. The public
sentiment OF California to be opposed to any
individual appropriation Of the gold bearing lands;
and the present system OF leaving them COM
mon, open the enterprise of all our Citizens and
subject only to such regulations the miners
themselves may adopt, and to the State laws for
the preservation of the peace seems to have worked
well in practive, l am inclined to think that the
cnt, but to wait until time and experience shall
have pointed out some less Objectionable mode of
disposing of them. The whole subject is embar
raised with difficulties, and it would seem 70 be
better to submit to the temporary nconveniencruf
an imperfect system than to incur the hazard
of adopting one founded in erroneous principles,
under which lights might be vested in individuals,
and the evils become irremediable by the legisla
tive power.
The report of the Commissioner contains many
valuable suggestions and recommendations with
regard to certain lands, the titles to which have
been adjudcated in suits against the United States,
as authorized by the act of June II, 1874; the
interference of sales and locations with old grants;
amendments OF the provision Of the pre- emption
portion of the act OF 9TH September lS4 the re-
vival and continuance of the powers conferred by
the act of Sd March, 1916, for the adjustment OF
suspended entrioe; as TO the mode OF disposng Of
abandoned military reservations and the unsod
portions Of the Chickasaw cession of 1892 and with
respect to the districts from which the jurisdiction
OF the Surveyors General has been withdrawn, their
Offices abolished, and the archives transferred to
the authorities of the States; the proprety Of al
lowing certain fees to the Registers and Receivers
for their serviccs in locating bounty land war.
rants, and the increase OF the compensation of the
Surveyors General Of Oregon and California; to