, 1854-09-16
Washington Land Law.

Representatives of the United States Of
america in Congress assembled, That the
donations 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 Sep
t0mber twenty-seven, eighteen hundred and
fifty, shall in no case include town site,
or lands settled upon for purposes of busi-
ness or trade, and not for agriculture; and
all legal subdivisions included in whole or
in part in such town sites, or settled upon
for purposes Of business or trade, and not
FOR agriculture, shall be subject to the ope-
rations 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: PrOrided, hO10-
erer, That the period Of two years occu-
pancy required of settlers before they can
purchase lands claimed by them under the
provisions of the first section of the act Of
February fourteen, eighteen hundred dnd
fifty-three, above mentioned, shall be, and
the same is hereby, reduced to one year.
Sec. 2. And be IL further enacted, That
the proviso to the fourth section Of the act
of twenty-seventh September, eighteen hun
dred and fifty, above mentioned, by which
all contracts for the sale of land claimed
under that law, before the issue Of the pat
ents therefor, are declared void, shall be,
and the same is hereby, repealed ProUi-
ded That no sale shall be deemed valid,
unless the vendor shall have resided four
years upon the land.
Sec. 8. AiM 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 sur
veyed or unsurveyed, not rightly claimed,
entered, or reserved, under the provisions
of this act, or the acts Of which it is amen
datory, nor excluded by the terms Of the
said act of eighteen hundred and forty-one,
with the exception of unsurveyed lands as
above mentioned; and oil settlers on un-
surveyed lands in said Territories shall 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 oil persons
claiming donations under this act, or the
acts of which this is amendatory, shall in
like manner give notice to the surveyor
general, or other duly authorized officer,
Of the particular lands claimed as such do
nations, within thirty days after being re-
quested to do so by such officer; and fail
ing such notice in either case, the claimant
or claimants shall forfeit all right and
claim thereto: PrOrided, ho'eerer, 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 no
tice Of their claims, shall be, and the same
is hereby extended to the first of Decem-
Der, 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 IL further enacted, That
in lieu of the two townships Of land grant
ed to the Territory of Oregon by the tenth
section of the act Of eighteen hundred and
fifty, for universities, there shall be reserved
to each of the Territories of Washington
and Oregon two townships of land of thirty
six sections each, to be selected in legal
subdivisions, for university purposes, under
the direction of the legislatures of said Ter
ritories, respectively.
Sec. 5. And be il further enacted, That
in any case where orphans have been, or
may be, left in either of the said Terrific
ries, whose parents, or either of them, If
living, would have been entitled to dona-
tion under this act, or either of those of
which it is amendatory, said orphan shall
be entitled to quarter-section Of land on
due proof being made to the satisfaction Of
the surveyor general, subject to the decis-
ion of the Secretary Of the Interior Said
land to be set of to them by the surveyor
general in good agricultural land, not re-
served, or otherwise appropriated, under
any law Of Congress; and, in case of the
death Of either or any of said orphans, af-
ter their lands shall have been designated
by the surveyor general, the right or rights
of the deceased shall vest in the survivor
or survivors.
Sec. 6. And be il further enacted, That
all the provisions of this act, and the acts
Of which it is amendatory, shall be extend
ed to all the lands in Oregon and Washing
ton Territories; and, for the purpose of
carrying said acts into effect in said Terri
tories, the President shall be, and he is
hereby, authorized to appoint register
and receiver for each of said Territories,
whose powers, duties, obligations and re-
sponsibilities, shall be the same as are now
prescribed by law for other land officers
and for the surveyor general of Oregon, SO
far as they apply to such officers. They
shall keep their Offices at such place as the
President shall, from time to time, direct /;
and their compensation shall be twenty-five