Washington sentinel., 1853-12-22

Further legislation, however, will be required
to facilitate the final adjustment Of this grant,
and will be recommended under Its appropriate
head.
The arrangement of the swamp selections
has also materially interfered with the adjust
ment of the recent railroad grants; for the rea-
son that all lands Of the class first mentioned,
being embraced in law of previous date to
the other, had to be ascertained before selec-
tons could be made understandingly for the
railroads
Mississippi and Alabama has been closed, and
considerable progress has been made in the
adjustment of those in Missouri. In Arkansas,
the lands along the supposed route of the road,
for which grant was made by the act Of Feb
ruary 8, 1850, were withdrawn from market for
six months, but no progress has yet been made
in the adjustment of the grant, for the reason
that the route of that road has not yet been
determined. Application was made by the
governor of Arkansas to continue this reserva-
| ton to December, 1854, when the legislature
would meet, under whose direction the survey
OF the route of that road was placed by the act
OF Congress above mentioned This, however
it was thought, could not be done with due re.
gard to the settlement of the lands and the in.
terests of the government; but to afford an
opportunity for the action of Congress on the
subject, and at the same time to facilitate set
Elements, a further reservation was made till
March next with the condition that it should
not interfere with the rights of actual settlers.
The difficulties anticipated in my last report,
in the examination and satisfaction of Virginia
revolutionary land warrants, have been more
than realized. The act of August 81, 1852,
directing that the Secretary Of the Interior
L hall ha GaI hya sc al r.
or by additional testimony" that any warrant
surrendered was fairly and Justly issued in
pursuance of the laws of said commonwealth, !,
has been construed as requiring a re-examina.
| ton of the evidence on which such claims were
originally allowed, and the warrants issued, to
ascertain whether the same had been done "in
accordance with the laws of that common.
wealth.
1 The rolls and other records Of such services
are very imperfect and there are but few per-
now living who can testify to facts occurring at
that early day from their own personal know.
edge. The services for which these claims arc
made must have been performed between 1775
and 1888. To be cognizant Of such service,
the witness should have been at least ten years
old at the first of those dates. This, added to
the time that has since elapsed, would make
such witness now about eighty-three years old.
very lew can be found, at this time, of that
advanced age; and those can know compare.
lively but little Of such services, as they were
performed in many different sections of the
country, on land and water. Entire reliance.
moreover, cannot be placed upon the memory
of witnesses of such advanced age, even where
they we're engaged in the service or personally
interested in the transaction, as the events OF
early life are apt to be blended in the memory
with the transactions of subsequent years.
Hence, where the proof is defective upon which
claims of this character were originally allow.
ed, there is little probability at the present time
Of supplying the deficiency. For such laches
the government is not responsible, and hence
there is other course under the law but to reject
cases Of this class, unless Congress shall direct
that all these warrants shall be satisfied with
scrip, except where they were obtained by
! fraud. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the