Kansas weekly herald., 1854-11-10
APPROVED, July IL, 1854.

CHAP. LXXXIV.-An Act to amend the Act
approved September twenty-seven, eighteen
hundred and fifty, to create the office OF Sur
veyor-General of the Public Lands in Oregon,
ETC., and also the Act amendatory thereof, ap-
proved February nineteen [fourteenth1 eigh-
teen hundred and ffty-three.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That the
donation hereafter to be surveyed IN Ore
gon and Washington Territories, claimed
under any of the provisions of the act to
create the office of Surveyor-General of the
Public Lands in Oregon; etc., approved
September twenty-seven, eighteen hundred
and fifty, shall in no case include town
site, or lands settled upon for purpose of
business or trade, and not for agriculture !;
and all legal subdivisions included In whole
or in part In such town sites, or settled up
pom for purposes of business or trade, and
not for agriculture, shall be subject to the
operations of the act of May twenty-three,
eighteen hundred and forty -four; ''for the
relief of citizens of towns upon lands of the
United States, under certain circumstan-
ces," whether such settlements were. made
before or after the surveys: Provided, how
ever, That the period of two years oceu-
pancy required of settlers before they caa
purchase the lands claimed by them under
the provisions Of the first section of the act
of February fourteen, eighteen hundred
and fifty-three, above mentioned, shall be,
and the same is hereby, reduced to one
year.
SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That
the proviso to the fourth section of the act
of twenty-seventh September, eighteen
hundred and fifty, above mentioned. by
which all contracts for the sale of lands
claimed under that law, before the issue of
the patents therefor, are declared void, shall
be, and the same is hereby, repealed: Pro
vided, That no sale shall be deemed valid,
unless the vendor shall have resided four
years upon the land.
SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That
the pre-emption privilege granted by the
act of fourth September, eighteen hundred
and forty-one, shall be, and the same is
hereby extended to the lands in Oregon and
Washington Territories; whether surveyed
OF unsurveyed, not rightfully claimed, en-
tered, or reserved, underline provisions of
this act, or the acts of which it is amenda-
lOI 1lOI CASiuuSnpy Tie. tSlilo VI LuS S1lu
act of eighteen hundred and forty -one, with
the exception Of 'unsurveyed lands as above
mentioned; and all settlers on eansdf-
veyed lands In said Territories bshall give
notice to the Surveyor General, or other
duly authorized officer, of the particular
tract claimed under this section, within six
months after the survey of such lands is
made and returned. And all persons claim
ing donations under this act, or the acts of
which it is amendatory, shall in like man
ner give notice to the Surveyor-General, or
other duly authorized officer, of the parti-
cular lands claimed as such donations, with
in thirty days after being requested to do
so by such officer and failing such notice
in either case, the claimant or claimants
shall forfeit all right and claim thereto:
Provided, however, that the time limited
by the sixth section of the act Of eighteen
hundred and fifty-three, In which claimants
under the act of eighteen hundred and fifty,
are required to give notice of their claims,
shall be, and the same is hereby. extended
to the first of December, eighteen hundred
and fifty-fve, except In cases where the
Surveyor General shall request them so to
do, as above provided.
SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That,
in lieu of the two townships of land granted
to the Territory of Oregon by the tenth