The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-05-26
General 1Qteiiigeqce.
Instructions to the Surveyor General.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
August 26. I854,f

4nstTucttons 70 the Surveyor General.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
August 26, 1854.
SrR:-Under authority of the tenth
section of the act of Congress approved
on the 22d ultimo, entitled eau act to
establish the Office of Surveyor General
of New Mexico, Kansas, and Nebraska,
TO grant donations to actual settlers
therein, and for other purposes" you
have been appointed Surveyor General
of public lands in the Territories of Ne
braska and Kansas. You viii locate
Your Office at such place as the President
of the United States shall from time to
time direct; and your "duties, powers,
obligations. responsibilities, and compen-
sation shall be the same as those of the
Surveyor General Of Wisconsin and
Iowa; and you will be allowed the same
amount for different, fuel, incidental
cApences, and clerk hire, as is allowed 10
the Surveyor General of Wisconsin and
Iowa" This allowance is provided BY
law as q ssarimana !; theactual allowance
viii be. of course, the amount required
for the actual wants of your Office
Such allowance will be the subject of q
special communication.
In instituting the public surveys in
Kansas and Nebraska, ON the most care
ful and substantial basis, under the elev-
enth section Of the act referred to,
it is at the same time primary object
to economize both time and labor to the
greatest possible extent, so as to accom-
piish the subdivissional surveys in both
Territories at the earliest day, at those
particular localities which first attract
the attention of settlers. 1t will there
fore be your duty TO acquaint yourself
with attractive localities to which mi
grafton Is tending and likely tocontinue,
and advise the department. accordingly.
The boundary lire betweed Kansas
d Nebraska it is proposed to make the
incipal base line wherefrom to start
,as surveys, both on the north in Nebras-
ka and. Ga the south in Kansas; and that
boundary is the parallel of 30 deg. north
latitude.
For reasons Of expediency, because of
the apprehensions of hostile Interrupt
tons from the Indians, is it not deemed
proper and prudent to survey base line
further to the west than one hundred and
eight miles distant from the Missouri riv-
or, at the precise point where it is in
terseeted by the 10th parallel of north
latitude. At some future time, when
necessary, It is proposed to start prin-
cipal meridian, extending on the north
of such base to the Missouri river in Ne
braska, and on the south of the same to
the southern boundary of Kansas, which
is The 37sh parallel of latitude. Al
though the public surveys will count from
the principal meridian precisely as if the
same were surveyed, the labor of such
meridian survey viii be now omitted, and
that labor viii be directed to insure prac-
ticsl results of more immediate impor-
lance.
Your first operations viii be to rus
and establish the base line and. continue
the same for the distance of one hundred
and eight miles on the parallel of 40 deg
north latitude. Your township cornel
bounding on the Missouri river will bt
the southeast corner of townships o.
fractional townships number one, nortl
of the base line of range number eigh
teen east, of the meridian lying in Ne
bfaska, and which will correspond Will
township number one, south of the bas'
of range number eighteen east, of thu
meridian lying in Kansas; and at the in
tersection point on the Missouri, con
spicuous and enduring moment is to b.
erected by your deputy.
On the base line proceeding west, YOU
viii establish and mark the appropriate
boundary corners, to wit: at every hal
mile for quatter sections, at every milk
for sections. and at every sixth mile 70
townships. north of the base and east o
the meridian, as far as the one hundret
and eighth mile. The township corners
and those intermediate, will thus be reg
ularly established for each range, start
ing from range number eighteen east
and proceeding to range number one cas-
of the meridian. This retrograde cours
of procedure is adopted to save time ant
labor. by obyiating the necessity tina
otherwise would exist for travelling owe
the same ground twice.
The corner boundaries on this base
and also those on the principal meridian
whenever in the future the latter shat
be ordered to be run-are to be establish
ed In the most enduring manner possible
In localities where, In consequence o
the scarcity of timber. trees are no
found at hand for the purpose, the corne
boundaries may be of stone, well set in
TO the ground and appropriately marked
and where stone is not found at hand
the corner must be mound, eonical ii
shape, constructed Of earth dug fron
four pits. with stake in the mound
center, on which stake is to be designat
ed the number of the corner: and tn
mound is to be encompassed inside tn
pits with quadrangular trench, or mar
ginal elevation, according to the metho
for the surveys IL Oregon, California, an
Minnesota. and which is also to be oh
served in those Of Kansas and Nebrasks
From the one hundred and eight
miles ON such bass. when It is deems
necessary to do so hereafter, the merida
vii be extended north to the Missou
river. and south to the southern bound,
rycf Kansas, and OF that meridianare
he measured aud established the boui
dsrs corners for the townships, section