, 1854-11-18

act Of 1858, in which claimants under the
4th section of the act of 1850 are required
to give notice of their claims, shall be ex,
tended to the LIST of December, 1855, ex,
cept in cases where the Surveyor General
shall request them to do so as above pro
lided.
SECTION directs that two townships Of
land Of thirty-six sections each shall be re-
served for university purposes, in lieu ol
the two granted to Oregon by the act Of
1850, TO be selected in legal subdivisions
under the direction of their respective legis-
latures. Before you receive any selections
for this purpose, you will require the Sc
lecting agent to furnish you with Official
evidence of his authority to act, and allow
no more to be selected than the quantity
donated; see that the lists are signed; sub
nit them for approval to the Surveyor
General as required by the original act,
and when they shall lave been approved,
furnish this Office with copies thereof
SECTION provides for such orphans as
had no rights under the acts of 1850 aud
1858; that is, where either or both parents,
being settlers, died before the 9th Sep
tember, 1850, and having no rights under
those acts, consequently had none to be in
herited; or where one or both parents died
on their way to the territories leaving chill
dren, entire orphans that were landed there
whether they continued to remain there or
not. In this case, evidence must be fur
nished that the parents emigrated for the
territories with the intention to become
agriculturalists, and consequently, " if liy
ing" would in all probability have been
entitled to donation.
This evidence to be forwarded to this
Office, with your usual returns, for the de-
cision Of the Secretary Of the Interior
You should exercise due care in setting OF
the orphan allotments within the limits of
your district, so as to secure them good
and available lands, as designed by Con-
gress. No patent certificate can, however,
be issued in any such cases until a guardian
or trustee shall have been appointed for
such orphans by legal authority, in whose
name, as such, the certificate aud patent
will be issued, and the evidence of such
guardianship must accompany every such
patent certificate. The names of the Or
pbans to be cited in full in the certificate.
SECTION 6 authorizes the appointment of
register and receiver for each territory,
whose powers, duties obligations and re-
sponsibilities shall be the same as now pre-
scribed by law for other land officers, and
for the Surveyor General Of Oregon, so far
as they apply to such officers '
Accompanying this I send you copies Of
the various instructions issued from time to
time for the government Of land officers,
also Of such Of those issued to the Surveyor
General Of Oregon as affect your action.
So far as You are required to perform du-
ties heretofore discharged by the Surveyor
General, you will compose a joint commits
sion to hear ndadjudicate donation claims;
issue yoar joint certificates in lieu of that
heretofore required from the Surveyor
General, and the receiver will issue his re-
ceipt, and account for the moneys received
\ in payment Of land in the usual manner.
The numbers Of the certificates and re-
ceipts will be Of one series, whether issued
upon prescription cases, or sales at public
outcry, or private entry. Where the do
nation Is in consideration of four years. oe.
cupation and cultivation, and no money
paid no, receipt will be- issued /; but the
certificates must be numbered in the regu
lar order Of their dates and headed dona;
ti0psP yherepaymeut is made for such do
nations, you will add to the caption SO thai
it will read donations, paid for in cash. ,
The moneys received, where donations arc
paid for, will be embraced in your quar-
terly account of cash received. So much
Of this section as refers to your pay and
emoluments is too plain to need comment.
SECTION erects Oregon and Washing
ton territories into separate surveying dis
tricts, and authorizes the appointment o
Surveyors General.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant
JoHN WILSON,
1 Commissioner.
IcEBERss IN THE ATLANTIC Bra