New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-12-05

Secretary Stuart however caneed SEINE % cpc '"nos
along tbe river and above the Raccoon FORK 70 De
lifted and certified az part of the grant, and list was
Io a,nroved by Secretary McCellaDd before DIS at
tention was called to the questions of law We
claim which had been presented on oehaiL % m
State in 1S49 that the grant extended 70 the heau""
tors Of the Des Mones River. lao, 20
The right of the State under the grant OF me GU VI
August 1s46, to any lands lying above the kaecoon
FOX was directly involved in cause when was ae-
tenined by the Supreme Court o. tne ohl,eu ~naI
therein decided that the grant did not embrace any
such lands and that the lists and certificates wnch no
issued from this Department conveyed no tle 70 he
state. The quantity of land embraced IN the ilsls %
Ills kind il III so acres, and with the exception OF
some sixty OF seventy thousand acres the same tracts
have also been claimed by the State Of Iowa for the
use of railroad companies, under the act OF Congress
approved May Is 1856 parts OF the grants .ere9y
made TO aid In the construction oil certain r.nroads.
Having recommended to the Committee OF Puohc
Lands Of the Senate in June last REIMBURSEMENT 10
the State of all title remaining III the unlted STATES 70
the 81 572 of Land enormously listed ana cer
fed under the Des Moines grant, have directed sus'
pension of immediate action under the railroad grants
so far as the two conflicting claims interfere The
lands along the upper portions OF the Des MONIES
River not embraced in any Of the certified lists wch
have been surveyed for four, five, and ak years put
Withheld from market account OF the claim OF
the State have recently been proclaimed and offered
at public sale.
when came into Office the grant to Wisconsin to
aid the Improvement OF the Navigation OF ne FOX anu
Wisconsin Rivers was unsettled My predecessor,
few weeks before that period made decision, &c,
cording TO which the quantity Of this grant, under al
the laws upon the subject, was ascertaned 70 De
GA $50 acres Before that time the State had selected
Ianda under the law of 1854 largely in excess OF this
Hnsniity and the selections had been withheld from
sale In this state of facts directed the lists OF elec-
tons to be taken mp and approved In their order Oh
precedence to such extent would complete the guam
y of lands due the State and the tracts selected IN
excess to be restored to market This was done, ex
ceptirg some $4,000 acres of selections which were
suspended in order to let in az part Of the grant, such
oddDumbered lots in the StOckbridge township on Inc
east side of Lake Wnnebago Jas might remain to the
United States free from any claim of individuals UNI
der the treaty Of February, 1856, with the STOCK
bridge ard Munsee Indians. The lists OF such iot,
have been recently prepared, and with supplemental
lit Of selections, approved thus iuiy CLOSING up INC
business. e ,or,,
II has been nv aim, whenever these cases OF long
standing and chronic difficulty have egimatey come
before me- to fully examine and carefully c9hslasr
tlem. 10 inform myself of all their history and Details
and dispose of them finally in spirit OF justice, and
according 10 the laws respectively governing each
case thus relieving the general business Of the Land
Office from the incubus which, by reason OF their PEN
dncy pressed upon and deraDged the service and per-
picked rs officers.
The progress of the public surveys in the Territory
of Washington has been interrupted account OF the
existence Of certain land claims under the treaty OF
June 10, 1916, with Great Britain On the expiration
tie poesessoy right of that Company, under the third
article of the treaty terminated. Instructions were
accordingly issued the SurveyorGeneral IN Sepem-
her, 1859 to extend the lines of the public surveys
over the lands which had been occupied by its agents
and EMPLOYEES and contracts have since been made for
subdyiding in the usual manner, considerable por
ton Of those lands.
Two tracts-one at Nisqually, containing, by est-
mate l67 600 acres and another at Cowitz containing
about 5000 acreshave been claimed under the fourth
c.tile e the same treaty for the Pugets Sound Ag-
cultural Company. 1t is stipulated in tho. sri," .es
the "farms, lands and other property OF every de,
scripion belonging to the Pugets Sound Agricultural
CoInrany on the north side OF the Columbia River
shall be confirmed to the said Company. In case, how
ever the situation of those farms and lands should be
considered by the United States to be Of public and
political importance, and the United States Govern
ment shoud signify desire to obtain possession OF the
whole or any part thereof the property 80 required
shall be transferred to the said Government at proper
valuation TO be agreed upon between the parties
II is clearly the duty of this Government to confirm
to the Pugets Sound Agricultural Company all such
"faIms and Glands " az belonged to said Company
at the date Of the treaty. The treaty, however, ere
aed no rght it simply provided for the confirmation
of title either nchoate or perfect, previously exist
ing Title to land under the British Government can
only be derived from the Crown either directly or In.
directly But this Department Is not advised that SAID
Company have, claim to have, any grant from the
Crown Of Great Britain: The treaty only secures to
them the Glands" and A" farms " +" belonging 10 4"
them; and if we reject the literal, obvious nterpreta-
ton and construe the words belonging 10" equiv
aent to occupied by" the Company, still we find
nothing in the words OF the treaty which will warrant
the claim of an extensive district, when II Is well
known that at the date of the treaty only few
poyees Of this Company had houses, sheep-fods and
cattlepens, with very meager improvements scattered
over wide and underlined range Of country. Such
construction of the treaty is totally inadmssible and
inconsistent with the land policy Of the United States
and Great Britain. While it is manifest from all the
evidence collected that no part of this land belonged
to" the Puget's Sound Agricultural Company, yet
some scattered portions of il might answer the descrp-
ton of " farms" and Glands occupied by it. which
in spirit Of fairness and hberaty, might be deter
mined by survey, confirmed and patented. On the
other hand, the claim which has been presented and
which regard as merely speculative DELAYS the pub
lie surveys retards settlements, and prevents the i'm
provement of the country
Indeed, the SurveyorGeneral reports that almost all
the old servants of the Pugets Sound Agricultural
Company have long since become American citizens
and are now claiming farms, under former donation
and present preempion laws within the region that
has been claimed on the Nis9ually River
1t is due to the people of Washington Territory that
some decisive action should be taken. am not adj
yised that any portion of the tracts claimed are of any
public or political Importance to the United States and
recommend That the Suryeyor-General of Washing
ton Territory under the supervision of this Depart
ment, be authorized by special enactment to decide
upon the validity Of the claims of the Pugets Sound
Agricultural Company and if they entitled to con-
hmaiion to determine the location and boundaries of
pany, which should be required, within given period
to present Its claims for final action.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Detailed information in regard to the operations of
the Indian Office during the past year and the present
condition OF the various tribes of Indians within our
limits VIII be found in the report of the Commissioner
which, with the accompanying documents, is herewith
submitted.
In reviewing the results of the policy pursued by
the Government of the United States toward the In-
with hin hair 1rto e eLo 4.
mind that, while the same general relation exists be-
tween the United States and all the tribes, that rela.