Washington sentinel., 1853-12-22

lot, which city, Iown, or village existed on the
7th day Of July, 1916; but the claim for the
same shall be presented by the corporate au-
thorities Of the said town; or where the land
on which the said city, town, or village was
originally granted to an individual the claim
shall be presented by or in the name of such
individual, and the fact of the existence of the
said city, town, or village, on the said 7th Of
July, eighteen hundred and fortysix, being duly
| proved, shall be prima tacie evidence of grant
| to such corporation, or to the individual under
whom the said lotholders claim; and where
any city, town, or village shall be in existence
at the time Of passing this act, the claim for the
land embraced within the limits of the same
may be made by the corporate authority of the
said city, town, or village"
Under this provision, eleven claims have
been filed, to wit:
No. 237, Sonora; No. 2s0, San Francisco; !;
No. 286, San Jose; No. 422, Los Angeles; No.
DAB, Santa Barbara No. $50, San Diego; No.
633, Sacramento No. 639, Sonora; No. TIA,
Monterey No. 738, San Luis Obispo; No.
! 1913, Sacramento.
This last report does not furnish data by
which to ascertain the aggregate area of land
covered by the claims confirmed and the re-
| jected.
In view of the great amount of business be-
! fore these commissioners, and the mass Of
clerical labor required to bring the records
down to the lst July last, and to keep pace
| with the future disposition of the cases, those
commissioners, with your appreciation, were
| authorized to employ the necessary extra tenn
| porary force for that purpose, the work to be
| done on the most economical terms, either by
| the piece or otherwise.
The surveys have been prosecuted in this
State as rapidly as the condition Of the private
land claims, DC, would permit as will appear
from the able and lucid report of the surveyor
| general. That officer suggests the propriety
OF having those claims located as fast as they
| are approved by the commissioners, that the
land claimedas private property may be severed
from the public domain, and the latter be sur
yeyed and prepared for market. This course
heretofore determined upon, is most iudicious,
because IT any of the claims thus located shall
hereafter be declared invalid, the cost Of extend
ing the lines of the public surveys through them
will be trifing, while the contrary policy would
have q tendency to induce expense, litigation,
and delay.
The Office Of the surveyor general Of Califor.
MIA has been fully organized, under the act Of
80 March last-all the necessary instructions,
with the seal Of office, having been prepared
and transmitted. Someincongruities were found
| to exist between the provisions of this act and
the general appropriation law Of the same date
IN relation to the price per mile for certain sur
yeys. These were reconciled as far as possible,
the two laws on this subject being regarded as
M pdsa nadterid, and SO construed. Those rates
are all considered by the surveyor general as
too low, in view of the high price Of living, and
the difficulties in executing the work on ac-
count Of the peculiar typographical features Of
the country, and the delay and uncertainty Incl
dent to the location of the Spanish and Mexi-
can titles.
Under the fifth section of the above-men-
toned act, authorizing the division of the State
into two or three land districts, it was deemed
indispensably necessary to establish two, at
least, In view of the extent of the settlements
from north to south, and that was done the
boundary between them being the nearest sur.
veyed parallel to the 36th degree Of north lati-
tude. The Office for the northern district was
located at Benicia, and that for the southern OF
Los Angeles; and in view of the fact that the
usual allowances Of fees, &C.. to those officers,
were prohibited by that law, except.in pre-emp-
ton cases, and that the rents of their offices
would absorb about the whole amount of their
compensation, it was found indispensably ne
cessary to allow them the sum they should
actually pay for Office rent, in addition to their
salaries, upon the production Of evidence that
such amount was reasonable, and in accordance
with the ordinary charges for rents in the towns
in which their offices are located. The allowance
thus made in these cases from necessity. should.
however, in my opinion, be extended to all the
district land officers, and they should be re-
quired to hold their Offices In safe and secure
buildings, that the valuable archives belonging
thereto may be preserved against all risk.
The report Of the surveyor general of Ore
gon and Washington Territories has not been
received, but is expected IN time to be commu-
nicated at, or shortly after, the commencement
of the session of Congress Nearly two mil.
lions of acres in these Territories have been
surveyed, and the plats returned to this Office,
and it is believed that all the means at the dis.
posal of the surveyor general have been Judi
ciously applied to the surveys in that district.
A seal was provided and sent to that officer as
required by the act of 81 March last; and full
Instructions under the ast of l4th February last
were also transmitted. The notifications made
by this act of the provisions of the law Of 9th
September, 1850, cannot fail to have bene.
fetal effect in the settlement of that Territory.
The extension of time Il lst December, 1856, |
in which persons emigratng to and settling in
those Territories shall bt entitled to donation.
Will III aOuUS AhuuCC hftiy w ScCh uOmeS In /
that region, especially in view of the glowing
accounts we have of the richness of the soil |
the salubrity and mildnes of the climate, and |
the valuable timber and minerals found there. |
No sales have yet been reported as having been |
made in that region; owing, most probably, to |
the fact that the former surveyor general did |
not enter into bond as eceiver till shortly be-
fore his successor was bpointed. The law, as |
you are aware, limits tl sales to actual settlers.
who wish to secure ie simple title to their
homes before the competion Of the four years
continued occupancy rAuired to entitle them
to the land settled upA as donation. This
provision is judicious, d in virtue oft all set
Element claims viii beIadjusted, or in process
Of adjustment before ths lands are thrown open
to general entry, and c&aicts will be avoided.
Further legislation void seem to be required
in relation to the secdrd proviso to the first
section Of the act pf 18TH August, ls48, ito
establish the territorial government Of Ore
gon.' That proviso Directs "that the title to |
the land, not exceedingfix hundred and forty
acrea NOW nccun;nd 4 Yn.co;ona -, ;,4.....s