Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1856-12-10

IN vain
ON NATIONAL DOMAIN.
Abstract of the General s.nnd office
Report.
The repor, from the Genera, Land Office
Is Of more taan usual length. covering
period of FIVE quarters, ending 39th Sept.
1886. and giving full Information touching
The many and varoas subjects OF lis jutiS
diction, and all the operations Of the land
~ TEN Of the u. s. ylapas sold and other
wise disposed Of, during the reiod covered
BY tie report There were sold for cash,
lo,o62 .l07 ~ acres Of The public lards; and
located with military bounty land wariants
$500 DO acres; selected ard reported under
swamp grants 6.G36,s,i 80 ceres; ahd appro'
priated hy he railroad grants OF hiv, Jane
and August, 1886, Gas esfirnated) Is, 133.-
so acres, maniug Grand aggregate Grclu-
ding Other internal improvensu. selections)
of H. ii, $50 IS acre, of The pahte domain
dsp So. of during The five quarters ending
iDih Sept. 1880. This is an increase of
millions of acres over he quality disposed
OF during the i've quarters preceding -
While the sales for cash have greatly fall
len OF the disposal I Congressional grants
and 10 'atiohs of laud warrants has more
thau ;roporl ,nately iHcr'a,ed. Thetsh'es
accompanying The report showing the ,ales,
locations, swamp selections. &c. are very
full.
I.,ils 20 40 90 siderable extett have been
proclaimed aui oiierc! II public sale Turing
the year 1850. the present policy Of the
office being to secure tn. III To the actual set
tiers under the pre- emptioH laws rather than
10 favor specuiaton therein, nv precipila'
+ ling Pablo sales oil large quantities beyond
/ the means of the settlers 10 pure chase With
the view OF making this the permanent pol
icy OF the uthce, the report recommends
Sight moiifca ION uf the presumption laws.
Other amendments for The equitable ADJUST.
neut OF conflicting settlements upon The
! unsuryryed lands are recommended.
sURvEYs.
The surveys duriEg the year ending 30th
| Sept. 1856. OF which plais have been e'urn'
Ell and approved, apouut'o 10, s.3 692 acres
OF which 1891. 81. acres are on the Pecifc
coast Extensive surveys have been made
which have not vet been reported. Tie sur.
vevs Of 1885 aud ;hose reported in 1856 a.
mount To ll.lls 443 acres, Of which 1913
65i acres arein California, aud he Terrific.
ries # Oregon, Washington, Kansas. Ne.
braska and Utah. The quantity Of new
4 lands now liable 10 be disposed OF is great.
er than at any previous period of the history
Of our land system. In many Of the land
States the surveying operations are confined
to re-surveys, corrections, and the surveys
Of towns, Islands and private claims; and
il Is expected that the archives will be in
readiness for delivery to seven Of these
States within two or three years.
The public surveys. within the last year.
on the Pacific and in our new Territories,
have been extended with extraordinary ra.
pidity. In California t.e surveyed lines
for base. meridians, standard parallels, town
ships, sections, SC, are, in their aggreg ate
length, greater than the circumference o:
the globe. Maps in duplicate, equal to l..
! pol plats, with complete map Of the
States, have been prepared, and important
! suggestions are presented in regard to the
! auriferous and agricultural lands. In Ore.
I eon and Washington Territories Indian hos,
/ tilities have seriously impeded oper atoms
under the surveying system; yet, notwith.
standing this, considerable progress. is
made. In Oregon, between the Cascade
! Mountains and the ocean, the surveys Of
the public lands and Of donation rights are
far advancing towards completion: and il is
now proposed to extend the Oregon survey.
ing districts east OF the Cascade range,
whilst in Washington Territory township
lines have been run On Whitby's Island,
some returns have been made under former
contracts OF the Willamette meridian, 80
| miles Of the Sd standard parallel have been
run west to Gray's hsrbor, and 30 miles Of
/ the It'll standard passing through the vast
/ expanse OF the Admiralty inlet and Whit.
/ by's Island.
/ In Kansas the surveys Of the public and
Indian trust lands have been pushed forward
with activity. Notwithstanding the severity
! OF the last winter, the disturbances in the
country, and the difficulties incident to the
execution OF surveys under the treaty stip
ulations, surveys to the extent Of hundrt ds
OF thousands Of acres have been recorded.
plats Of the same prepared, and the eastern
portion Of the Delaware trust lands placed
in such a condition As 10 authorize their in
PRODUCTION into market BY 4 proclamation
for their sale on the 18th Of Nov.
In Nebraska the surveys have not pro.
crossed 20 rapidly, attention in this survey.
ing district having been mainly directed 10
the Indiad trust lands in Kansas.
In New Mexico, notwithstanding the dif.
fculty In procuring supplies in this sparse.
~ settled country and Indian hostiltiss,
some progress has been made in the surveys
BY the extension Of meridian, base, connce.
ton and township lines. Some private land
claims which had their origin under Sps,n
and Mexico, have been pre.ented 10 the
Surveyor General for examination, with
whom hes also been fled number or .pue.
! blo' Indian claims.
In Utah Territory, the U. S. Surveyor
General arrived IN July 1855, and establish.
ed his ONCE at the great Salt Lake City,
After a preliminary reconnaissance in the
vicinity Of that city, the initial point Of the
surveys were fixed at the corner Of the TEN,
pie block, in the erection Of . suitable mon.
ument at the point Of intersection Of the
principal meridian " III the base line, from
there the base has been extended due east
four miles, md west - miles, the principal
msridisn was extended north q miles, and
south q miles, Thess iines pass through
Salt Lake Valley, caehsnalsds. Blue Spring
and kausel Spring Valley, to the north Of
the basel through Tlilla and part u pash
Valleys ard the west, through Jordan, Utah
-Csdar. Tietick and Z rostien q YoSa1
vallsye eaA " south-sostrlsts Aave been
sEtsred taae ess awsvsys V tAsea valleys,ss
Is ~ ssiE SKI = nv &. ' SsSs9'