The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1852-12-16
Che lOeehlg Gnzette.
I or LANCASTER:
monday Eveming. Dcc. I3, 1882

The PUBLIC LANDS The Report of the
contains much Information in regard to the
public domain. The lands surveyed the
past year amount to 9,522,053 acres. The
lands advertised for sale to S,O32, 4S3 acres.
Lands sold for cash to I,553,O7l acres
Located with the Bounty Land Warrants,
3,20l,Sl4 acres. Located with other certifi-
Gates, 1869 acres. Making a total 4,s7o,-
07S acres located during the year. In adj
dition there were reported as Swamp Land
Grants, &C., S,245,lo acres, making the
grand aggregate of l3,II5,l75 acres dis
posed of during the year, an excess Of 81
343 1872 acres over the previous year.
A few figures show the magnitude Of the
Land Office business. The accounts adj
justed and reported to the Comptroller for
settlement, were l.49l. Letters received
during the year 81, 900. Certificate Of Land
sales issued, 2l,503. Bounty Land War
rant locations registered, 9,226. Delclara-
tory statements entered, 9,3IS. Swamp
Land, Internal Improvement and other Sc
l~ections recorded, $4,000. Cash, Bounty
Land. and other Patents recorded and trans
mittcd, 10000 No less than 1864 I9 acres
Swamp Land and other selections were
certified to the respective States, and up
wards of 20, 1000 pages OF letters and accounts
were recorded.
The report of DR.. Owen on the North
West Territory, including Nebraska, viii
soon be out. He recommends a geological
survey of Oregon, and the Commissions
concurs in the expedicncy OF it.
The total number Of land warrants is
sued from 1877 to 1859, inclusive, arc 223,
007, embracing 2 ,42S, 400; the number o
warrants located l21 ,O26, covering l4,S02,
Gao acres; leaving outstanding lOl 1881 war.
rants, which call for 1926, $50 acres There
have been issued under the Act of 80, gran.
ting Bounty Land to the officers of the wal
of'l2, and the Mexican war, 73S,6 9S war,
rants, covering 1924, 800 acres of landj o.
which have. been located, 46,5O6, leaving
outstanding, 81, 1872 warrants.
The Commissioner recommend the pas
sage Of an act granting a quarter section O
land 10 every soldier OF the war of ~ VIII
has not already received bounty land, wheth
er regular or volunteer, who served for an,
length of time, however short. As the nun
Der of warrants issued under the Act of'52
supplementary to that of 1850, is only lI7l
tits not probable that the proposed exten.
sion Of the Bounty Law will require the ap.
preparation of any large quantity of the pub.
lie lands.
The commissioner recommends the cree
ton of Land Offices in California, Oregon
and the Territory OF Nebraska, Utah and
New Mexico, to collect evidence Of claims
and make other necessary preparations for
the sale OF the Public Lands therein.
The number o. claims pending before the
Board Of California Land Commissioners
was 29S, and testimony had been taken in
IFS cases.
On the subject Of Railroad Grant Lands
the COMMISSIONS err states that tho roscrvct
sections of the grants TO railroads along their
routes have sold readily at the minimum pri'
ces fixed by the laws, and the Commissioner
thinks these grants have enhanced the val.
ne of the Public Lands. lie states the av'
eragc cost of railroads in The Land States, al
$4,000 per mile and thinks that the gran,
OF 3,S40 acres per mile in aid Of railroads il
those States will be beneficial alike To then
and the General Government.
The grant of six sections, or 3,S40 acres
per mile, the Commissioner states wOul'
not quite realize 800 Mt the double min
imum. The balance OF over $4,000 pc
mile, would have to be furnished by tn
the construction OF the road might be Ell
trusted. He regards the act passed at tn
last session Of Congress, granting the rigf
of way and the privilege Of taking the ne
cessary materials for the construction of a
such roads from the public lands, as n fai
introduction to this policy, and the Commits
sioner says:
With these views, | respectfully recon-
mend that grants of this character be mad
to the several States for every work of tn
kind they may undertake.; and especially
to the States west Of the Mississippi, for tn,
construction Of railroads from that river
along the fertile vallies wntrrcd by tn,
streams that descend from the Hockey noun
tains to the foot Of those mountains, AM
that like grants be made 10 the State Of Cal
%iiorniu, and Territories Of Oregon, Utah an,
Of Mexico, for routes leading from the Pa
cific to the west side of those mountains
leaving the transit Of the mountains to in
dividual enterprise, or The enlarged libcrality
of Congress, in view Of the immense facll
tiles and advantages that would ensuc To
the commercial interests ofthe country from
such communications.
The protection that would thus he ey.
tended to citizens residing on the frontiers
the inducements TO settle on those lands, ant
the facilities that would be furnished III,
government for transporting unnuities an,
goods for the Indians, a nd men and militar'
stores Tor the frontier posts, would fully ju,
ti(y such grants, aside from the pecuniar
profit growing out Of them.
Or, if the States of Iowa and Missouri
should combine TO construct such a rOa
from some point on the Missouri river, we,
of the western boundary OF those States, {