Calaveras chronicle., 1853-03-19

CALIFORNIA LAND CLA1Ms.--We take
the following interesting article from
the San Francisco Herald
The Land Commission commenced
its sessions in January, 1852, and the
first petition was filed on the 21st of that
month. The time allowed by the act
of Congress for presenting claims ex-
pired on the Sd Of March, 1853, to mid
night of which day the Secretary's
office was open for their reception.
Eight hundred and twelve have been
presented, of which two hundred were
putin after the 23d of February; but
Of these last the major portion are of
feref for parts of ranchos, by parties
bat have acquired their interest through
sdbveyances from the original claimant
Lyho generally mad previously fled his
ketition for the whole tract claimed by
him. The whole number Of claims
confirmed up to date are thirty-nine. 1t
is said that there are valid claims which
have not been presented, and the cause
assigned is supineness on the part OF
those who hold them.
We present to-day certain statistics
with relation 10 claims which have been
filed. and their accuracy is as near as
circumstances will permit. In almost
all of the counties there are located
claims, the bounds of which are not set
forth in the petitions with precision, but
which are described simply as contained
within natural boundaries. Their ex-
tent was, IN the words of the grants, to
beNascertaIhed Ny subsequent spSYey,
but as the Mexican law did not NNfhNr-
ize the donation of more than a certain
number of leagues, they can in no case
be assumed to exceed the quantity of
land thus limited. A fair estimate would
probably average about three square
leagues. We omit in our calculations
a small number of grants which called
for such minute parcels Of land as are
described as corrals, orchards, or town
lots-with the exception, however, OF
those located at the Mission Dolores.
or in the neighborhood Of San Jose
our reason being that elsewhere they
are of little comparative Importance.
Accompanying the petitions as filed
in the Office of the Commission, there
is usually a copy Of the original grant
under which the claimant derives title.
OF these, the earliest date that has come
s1s.,ie4 of.r notico 10 ITS, ffoM which
time to 1921 there are represented to
have been made about twenty only.
This was under the Spanish rule. 1t
was not until the Sth of April, 1872, that
Don Pablo Vicente Sola took the oath
of allegiance to the Regency of indie
pendent Mexico and in the years al
and '99 we find some eight or ten grants
which derive, Of course, their whole
force from the Spanish law. Subse-
quently, grants are made by Governors
or other persons who are invested with
authority from the Mexican Supreme
Government. 1t is also worthy Of re-
mark, that, with but few exceptions,
persons occupying territories under Ii
cense from Spanish Governors, have
been at the pains to procure rccognl-
ton Of their possession from the Mexi-
can authority which succeeded. The
greatest number of grants made during
the administration of any one Governor,
was while Micheltorano presided over
the province. In the latter part of 1S42
he arrived from Mexico, with a COM
mission as Governor, clothed, it is said,
with extraordinary powers by Santa
Anna, who was at that time absolute in
Mexico. Alvarado and Vallejo we're
then at the head of affairs in Califor-
MIA; and after some negotiations with
them, ne assumed the command in 184S
and held it until February 1914, when,
with his convict troops, he was expelled
from the country by the revolutionists.
About one hundred and eighty -four
grants are dated during this interval !.
Micheltorano is said to be the best Go
vernon California has ever had, and if
he could have restrained his soldiers,
would have been highly popular.
Here follows long list of grants, in
each county, from which we take those
claimed in Calaveras and Tnolumne.
The following recapitulation we take
from the .4He California:
CalarerGs County-Number of square
leagues claimed, IL; quantity in acres, Al ;.
| 74O; number Of claims, /; date Of grant
| 1846
TMolumne lumber Of square league:
claimed, "a quantity in acres, 103, 800
number of claims, 3; date Of grants, l645
REHABILITATION.
Butte Co., 3245O0 Santa Cruz 202, ,12e
Calaveras 47,740 San Diego 38l ,64(
Colusi 900, ,78O s. L. Obispo 243, ,04C
| Contra Costa 1926 $40 > Francisco l74,324
Los Angeles 299,755 San Joaquin 1870 ,96(
Marin 6O7 800 Ditto Valley 800, ,46t
Marir osa 9l,l40 Solano 81 ,14(
MeRdocino $40, 800 Sonoma 431 ,S3(
Monterey, 625, $3.50 Shasta 22,70(
| Mana 1n7 080 TnnlnmnA 103 Q6(