The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1857-12-30
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 80, 1857
Report of tho Secretary of tho Interior

Report Of tho Secretary of the Interior.
Tho whole surface of the public do.
main is stated at l, ,45O. 600, 900 acres,
of which 81, ,44e, $40 acres have never
been offered for sale, and 10000, 900
acres were subject to entry at private
sale on the 30th of September last
The number of acres thus far sold is
500. .86e, ,464; leaving undisposed of,
1896. 137, 536 acres. Last year, e.
889, ,46l acres of public lands were sur
veyed and reported; $500, $50 acres
were sold for cash 7,38l.OlO were
located with military warrants. and the
Rail Road grants under the act of March
were 5,118,OOO acres. The Gum re-
ceived on cash sales was 81, 1895, ,9o8, a
falling off of S5,322,145. with cor.
responding falling off in the location OF
lands with warrants of more than go
per cent. There are 83 organized
Land Districts-but none for New Mex
leo or Utah. a..- .-a .
The Indian tribes within our limits
now number $4,000. The In 1ian
Bureau is putting forth efforts to induce
the savages TO take up with fixed habi-
tations-without which little can be
done towards amelio-ating their condi-
ton. A plan, recommended by the
Secretary, suggests the gathering of the
Indians en- smaller reservations and in
deuser settlements,-the reservations to
be divided into farms and distributed
among the individuals of the tribes,
without the power of sale or transfer,
with central farms for the instruction OF
the children, and a supply of implements
of agriculture for all. The tribes
which have advanced in civilization, and
whose propects are gratifying, are those
in the Southern Superintendency,-the
Choctsws, Chickasaws, Cherokees and
Creeks, with the Seminoles in the ter
ritory west of Arkansas. The estab-
lishment of District Court for this
Superintendency is recommended. to
heal disputes among the people. In
Washington and Oregon the savages re-
main belligerent. 1t is recommended
that the expenses of a delegation from
these tribes to the Federal capital be
paid by the Government, in order that
they may have an opportunity to be set
right. Indian trust funds have been in
vested in State Stocks to the amount of
Sl.48l,476. .s "
The Bureau OF Pensions returns a
satisfactory report. Up to June, 1857,
a total of SOL ,3l4,62O in money. and
large donations of land, had been paid
to Revolutionary soldiers or their wild
ows. During the past year Al, ,483
warrants for bounty land have been iss-
ued. requiring to satisfy them 5,352,-
100 acres of public land. The number
Of warrants issued under all the Bounty
Land acts of Congress from the Revolu-
tionary War to the present time is 547.-
25o--requiring go, 704, ,s4sacres of land.
Frauds upon the Pension Office are nu-
merous, and an extension. of the statu-
tory limit of two years is recommended
to remedy this evil. a 54.s 3 . .-
The wagon-road works have been
commenced on the routes from Fort
kearney to Honey Lake, in California,
from Ell Paso to Fort Yuma, at the
mouth of the Gila, and from the Platte
river to the Running Water. q rerr.
The Patent Office reports that from
Jan. to Sept. 80, 1857, 4,O95 applica-
tions for patents were received, SEQ
caveats were filed, 2,O66 patents were
issued. and 2,2S7 applications were re-
jected. The receipts of this bureau for
three quarters of the year have been
Sl6l,4l5; expenditures. sl63, ,e42
excess of expenditures, Sc, 526. Ofthe
expenditures S27,939 were made up of
fees restored to applicants after the ex-
animation Of their cases.
Report of tho Secretary Of War.