New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-25
THE uGUmAs LAND CLAIM.

have purchased Tor SloU tract OF land some sew
| epty miles above New. Orleans, from the Chief Of
| tie Houmas and Bayou Goua Indians, petit
toned Gov Unzaga to confirm that purchase, which
be is alleged to have done. Noeyidenee is on record
that these Indians had any right to sad lands, nor
that the chief had any right to sell them they had
| Nor is there any record evidence that he ever did
| sell, or pretend to sell, any such lands. This
tract was originally set forth half league in ex-
tent on the Mississippi, running back to the depth
offa league Unzaga appears to have confirmed this
| alleged purchase under certain conditions.
| In I776, Maurice Conway, having bought out
| Latl, again petitions the Governor, setting forth
that be is about to settle the aforesaid grant, and
that the land aforesaid sis entirely deficient in
I" fences. and is cleared out upward of league in
d" depih an outrageous fasehoodb so that the cy-
press swamp or resort for timber being about
league and half from the river your petitioner
has no right thereto, in consequence of your not
shayipg granted him but the common depth OF
a" forty arpents which is so short that he cannot
"reach the cypress trees necessary to make fences
and other work absolutely necessary on planta-
" ton: therefore petitioner prays you wllgant
" him all the depth which may be vacant immed-
lately after the said depth Of forty arpents." Gov
U1zaga thertupon orders Louis Andry to proceed to
the said tract survey it, put the petitioner in pos
session of whatever land may be found vacant in the
rear of his tract Us aforesaid to "set and mark the
boundaries" ard make due return thereof. An
6ry proceeded to DO as be was ordered, and made
return IS follows:
I bad TIE boundaries
dsSss to that eject - tie cood. tie necessary
o. w. ops,afsas lcsiI petitioner,
1ressSS'S % T G so. d. p;' and seoordnry sn
the upper and tower side lines each to the depth Of forty
'svo aypeHfs yrom me Tirer.'"
On the DIST Of June, l777, Gov. Gulvez, who
had succeeded Unzsea, appears to have confirmed
to Maurice Conway the lands thus surveyed and
marked off TO Conway, amounting 10 some Telve
or fifteen thousand acre.. Such ia the legal, his
torcal basis of the present " Huomas Land Claim"
which ia row made to cover $50 900 acres of beau
tul and fer lie lard in the heart OF Louisiana en-
bracDg the hOmestead of some five hundred families,
many Of which have been living here for generations.
The value of the property thus claimed is estimated
at several millions of dollars.
The claimants of this magnificent estate have of
course been busy enough since Louisiana was pur-
chased by the United States in seeking to obtain is
confirmation, and in several instances would seem
to have obtained good deal more help than they
we're legally entitled to from certain Federal fuoc-
tonarics. At length, l8ii-6, more than forty
years after the purchase, patents were issued for
part of il from the General Land Office. Here
upop on petition OF the settlers, Congress June &C.
lel6,) directed the Attorney General to look into
tie evidence on which this Houmas Grant is based
and bring suit thereon if deemed advisable. So
ssd, 20 done; the suit was brought; the question
tried in the Federal COuIts-Jadah p. Benjamin,
now United States Senator being one of the counsel
for the claimants; and they were beaten; Judge
Campbell (Noy. %, 1861 ruling that their patent
was illegal, null and void and decreeing that it be
delivered up within thirty days to be Cancelled.
More than three years have since elapsed, but the
defendants persist in treating tho order of the
Court with contempt.
Long ere this, Mr.. John Sideu the other Senator
from louisiana, had purchased heavy interest in
the Houmss Grant In 1884, Mr.. Slidell being
then Member Of the House, and on the Committee
on Private Loud Claims, a bill was reported from
said Committee intended to cover and confirm the
Houmas grant; but this bill was powerfully opposed
and defeated.
But one defeat is not decisive, as against such
able tacticians. On the 9Th of January, 1853 Mr..
Polk of Missouri submitted TO the Senate ga bill
q for the relief of Manuel Le,sa, Joachim Leisa,
and Others and to provide for the location Of GER
"tain confirmed private land-clams" II referred to
claims in Missouri and was Intended, in certain cases
where the particular lands granted could not be
found or Of no value, to permit other lands to
be located instead. This bill went of course to the
Committee on Private Land Claims, whereof Mr..
TrJjainiii is Chairman Did he reported it, March
IL, 1863, "wth an amendment" striking out all
after the enacting clause and making it "a bill to
"prOvide for the location Of certain confirmed pri-
" vate lands in the State of Missouri, and for other
"yuposes," sure enough whereof Sec. = reads
as follows:
Ind enacted that the decsions In favor of land
claimants made by Grymes Lewis and Robertson coums
appointed to adjust private land claims In the Eastern Dis
tc. Territory Orleans communicated the House Of
JshsrJ 1872 which be found In the American State Papers
DuH Green's ediiion) Vol from ga to so7 inclusive be
adverse the right sssert the validity of their claims
in court OF courts o. Justice"
Was ever very black cat more nicely covered
with the whitest offour' The title Of the bill says
nothing of land claims in Louisiana; the Houmas
Grant ia nowhere limited at. The decisions" COW
ering the hundred and forty-three pages of Duff
Green's American State Papers designated are over
one thousand in number and were ell but five or six
promptly confirmed when made, more than forty