Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-01-07
Report of the, Commissioners of the
General Land Office. .,,.9.

Inc annual report OF the Hon. j. But
terrified, Commissioner of the General
Land office, presents a very minute and
interesting view of the various operations
of this important branch of the govern
ment, but as many of the facts and statis-
tics which 1t sets forth have already been
given, in condensed form, in the Presi-
dents message, and the report of the Sec
rotary of the Interior, (already published
we must confine ourselves to the following
extracts:
The location by military bounty land
warrants during the fiscal year Oommenc
cing July LIST, 1880. cover an area OF
2,454, 900 acres, making an aggregate OF
cash sales. and locations by warrants, du-
ring that period, of4, 500, 847 45-1oo acres,
which at minimum price, would amount
to B. SIC, O59 $4,000 dollars, The sales,
i however, exceeded the minimum price
by &c, 388 O9-1OO dollars. The whole
number of land warrants issued to the LIST
November, 1851, under the Mexican
bounty land act, of 1th February, 1847,
is 8O,781. OF this number 66,618 have
been returned to the General Land Office
as located and of these located land war
rants, &c 300 have been patented. The
whole number of land warrants issued up
to the same period, under the general
/. bounty land law of 28th September, 1850,
is Sd, col. OF this number, 3,7O8 have
been returned to the General Land Office
ms located; and of the located land war
rants Of this class, 1850 have been paten-
ted,
Since my last annual report, there have
been issued and transmitted to their res
pective destinations, upwards of seventy
five thousand letters patent for public land
titles of all descriptions, and the labors
of the accountants and book-keepers
have been diligently prosecuted.
The quantity of public land proclaimed
for market, since the date of my last an
nual report, amounts to 7, 731 ,537 acres !;
and the estimated quantity available for
market during the coming year, will not
be less than 100000 acres.
Every precaution has been adopted, by
official regulation and system, to detect
aud arrest any attempts to impose upon
the office fraudulent assignments of war
rants under the Mexican Bounty Land
act of February II 1847, the warrants in
that class having been held to be assign
able. Measures have been adopted to
secure accuracy and neatness in the en-
crossing Of all the patents, and subjccting
them to proper test, by careful exam
nation of a Board and the business gen
orally, in its multifarious details, is salts
factorily progressing.
Some idea may be formed of the Off
cial operations of the General Land Office,
from the statement in the report, that the
archives of the office consist of 7, 1858 folio
manuscript volumes that about one mil
L,,,,Ir,l o,J ,tI-n tl,On.
sand patents, of different kinds, all duly
recorded, have been issued and that, as
preliminary to the preparation of these
patents, the examination of about two
million nine hundred and fifteen thousand
five hundred title papers were necessary,
all of which arc on file.
In the census department a further
sum of $l5 600 is required,
The excess in the estimate under the
head of " United States Courts" for the
next fiscal year, is caused by the demand
for California, New Mexico and Utah.
The dimunition of expenses apparent
in the estimate for the Pcnitentiary of the
District, for 1858, is attributed to the in
creased productivencss of the institution
arising from its better management.
The difference in the estimates relating
to the Mexican Boundary Survey is mere
" an apparent one, the expenditures for
the present fiscal car amounting to s: 80.
900, and leaving only $4,000 properly
chargcabc to the next,
On the business Of the pension Of
fee" the most interesting statements re-
fer TO the claims under the bounty land
law Of 28th September, 1850. Since the
passage of that law the number of appli-
Cants has reached 10000 on the list of
November, 1851.
BY great application, and perseverance,
Of this number, 10 900 had been e1amin-
ed, and 50 900 carried into warrant; &c.
900 have been rejected or suspended for
further consideration, The number of
warrants now issued daily exceeds 400
1t is alledged to have been the invariable
rule of the Office to act on the cases in the
in the order of their presentation. In all
cases in which complaint has been made
of departure from this rule, they have
proved TO originate in suspensions for
some defect or inCormality.
The following suggestions of amend
ments and notifications of existing laws
are made -
First, That the benefits of the pension
laws be confined to those who rendered
the military service, and to the widows
and minor children of such as are dead.
Second, That more efficient provisions
be adopted to prevent frauds under the
various pension laws, and more especial
ly under those relating to invalids.
Out of 23l applications for invalid PEN
sions from two Of the Western States, on
investigation only 81 were found to be
just; the residue were fraudulent.