New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-28
LAND SALES AT FORT DODGE.

Those who never attended public sale of Govern
mert Lsnds, will get little idea of the modus 0pcrGadl,
from the following letter, written by Cen Van Ant
werp to the Gate City OF keokuk Its information
will be Of interest, also, to the general reader:
Correspondence of The Gate City.
FORr DoDGF. May 3 1857
GENrLFMEN: You and your readers ney like per-
haps To know something of the Public Land Sales IN
progress here. They commenced on Monday last;
ard the receipts fer the week ending to-day, a-e some
thing over S25 GEO. being at tn rate Of nearly sl 600
per day The lands offered, at auction, 10 the
highest bidder in so acre tracts and this amovnt Of
sales daily, keeps the entire force OF both oihces
Registers and Receivers principals as well as clerks
of the latter there are two in eachYery constantly
occupied. For every tract sold an application Il
signed by the purchaser in the Registers office, and
on payment Of the money Ia the Receiver he issues
his receipt TO correspond with it. The number OF re-
ceps issued daily Is about 200 and this together With
the taking in and proper disposal OF the SO.OO or
more, j. a good day work.
The number of bidders present here is not very
r,at-probablv $50 in al-but they represent quite
number of the different States, including some from
the extreme south" Ialladega County, Alabama
especially, heard cry ont occasionally az the resi-.
dence Of the purchaser, when tract Is " Knocked
down" England New-fork and Pennsylvania,
have each their fair proportion among the crowd but
the largest purchasers. think hail from Indiana, ILL.,
nois. Ohio ana Iowa.
The bidding has been decidedly brisk thus far, aud
competition runs quite high every day think that
a. much as half the land sold has gone off at 81 p
Der acre; it runs up very frequently beyond 81 ~,
and reaches occasionally as high figure as from . ~
TO - 81 per acrethe latter being the highest pice
vet paid during the present sale.
These sales be il borne IN mind are TOR cash, land
warrants being inapplicablt for locations Al public
sale and only so tor private entry, after the puOhc
sales shall have been concluded.
The lands too sold during the present week, with
those vet to be offered, are by no means the choice
lands OF the district. The nearest of Thorn to Fort
Dodge are some 30 miles off, aud the most remote
!, . f,s.v, k.Na
miles north from the roadtO Dubuque aud reach quite
up 10 the Minnesota line. They almost wholly
Hesitate Of timber and have yet settlers upon
them Yet these the lands now being sold fer
cash NJ the rates above named aud after the pubic
sales all that may be left OF them will be swept like
an avalanche with land wauants-prOVldcd there II
not then again competition to ran them mp over 81 -
utr acre in which event land warrants will suH be
ruled out Holders of the latter you perceive, there
fore stand rather SHIN chance OF securing choice
lands, as things now go.
The question frequently asked, why it is that land
warrants are not received always for the amount OF
acres they call for respectively and the crceSS IN
pricc if any allowedto be paid III cash WIZ you
please copy into your paper the Inclosed letter from
The Commissioner of the General Land office, upon
that point Ii addressed, rs viii be seen, 10 the
oHiccrs at Fort Des Mones, whore that course was
uursued and many hundreds of entries made IN thai
Ywov They are according to the Commissioners
letter all Illegal which will lead to vast amount OF
| difficulty and trouble before the matter can be adj
iusted Here fortunately, adopted from the com
meuccment of our duties the course Indicated by the
Ccmmiss ioner in the ncl0sCd letter as the proper
ore-thouch it gave rise to little cOmpla al
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