Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-04-05
Opinion and Decision Of the Surveyor Gen.

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afasd soaS ~, c,'g ej- iasco~r,T. 80 ~,
T.Sr.'srs ef u U,asl 20 -,'o-. y,sSs1asf fo 30
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;s1ss 81 -, y.teasb,E, 80, ard D,r,Ssb-r l9tL.
l>J9
'rb, Land or tract. of land nov in contruyrT-
:, ar, situated in Township North Range
I IaSi II il, Willamette Meridian. covering
th- -ii. II the pr.-~.'nt ciry It Vancouver. ia
>aid T,rTii"rv. and ,1nlrac.-d within a lsr-,.
tract. furmerlv claiincd l,y ihc Ilud~on'- Bav
COMPANY. under the 3d ariicl.. It the tr,a,v
Il June 18th. 1916. between the iiic.i
States and Great Britain. l., which " the I~,--
"s.s-rry right> "t thu llul>'n'> li.v Compa-
nv. aud ii all British subjects. lao NAV b,.
+" already in ih,. occupation oi >aid land 9th
"cr property lawfully acquired within said
Territory shall H.. n>l"ci,d.''
Until the 10Th DAY of September, 1850. the
SURVEYOR General Of this Territory, a. also of
Oregon. had bren instructed hv the Commits
sionrr Of the General Land Office no, To- sur
vcv within the limits claimed by the said
llnlson's Bay Company. But ut that date
the said Commissioner thus in,tr,lcts the Sur
veyor General of the Territory of Washing
ton, viz:
1T is claimed, on the part of the Mission
"G r. the Roman Catholic Mission of st.
I" ".Jamcs) that these posSrssory rights are now
"cxtnct, by the expiration of the charter. on
"thc 3Ol May last, of the lludson's Bay
"Company, and in support of this avcrncnt
"rrircncc is mad" to the Report of the Select
Committee on the Iludson's Bay Company
" communicated from the Commons to the
"Iords in the year 1851, and dispatches of
"the 10th July. and l4th August, 1853, from
"thc British Minister, Sir Edward Is. Lytton
"to Gov. Douglas of British Columbia
"Thc Report distinctly shows the possess
"sory rights, was mrrclya license to the Com
"pany to tradc-dd not convey title TO the
" soil, and one OF the dispatches of 10th July,
1885, explicitly declares that 'Mc /rgM ran
"uc,;on 4fthe Uudyon's Bay CompDDy miM
" Iancourcr's Iy/and ~W shou/y be- Scrcrd
"by Mc resumption ot'Mc grunf ot' Me soif"
land adds, that .Me hgai rights. m tie conti-
"ncut oppositc, umiuates IN May ncn,
"US59y"
The posscssory privileges thus shown to
"lc extinct, the title of the United States is
dis,ncumbcred, and becomes absolute in the
"prcniscs and consequently they are no Ion
"grr an impeachment to the survey of the
Glands torncrl, covered thereby
"You will therefore proceed to extend the
lines of the public surveys over the tract of
"country in question when the aforesaid pos
"sessorv privileges have become extinct, will
"make regular returns of surveys, and trans
emit approved township plats thereof, laying
"off the Mission on tho pri~ripIcs laid down
in the 9th section of the act of Congress, ap-
"provcd 27tI September, 1850, (U. :. Stat
"utes, Vol. 9, page 49S) and appropriately
representing it on the plat of the Township
Gin which the same may be situated, and will,
"of course, properly designate on the official
"plats the tracts reserved by the United
States for military or other purposes"
On the 10Th December, 1859, Hon. l. !.
Stevens, Delegate in Congress- from this Ter
ritory, addressed a communication to the Com
missioner of the General Land Office, protest
ing against confirmation to the st. James
Mission of the tract of GAO acres claimed by
them, and asking that the claims Of the L. 5.
Military Rcscrveat Fort Vancouver, the town
of Vancouver, and of Mrs. Short, and the
heirs at law of Amos NJ. Short, donation
claimant, (all of which claimed to have rights
in the tract claimed by said Mission,) might
be passed upon.
On the receipt Of said letter, on the 10Th
Dec, 1859. the Commissioner Of the Land
Office addressed my predecessor, from which
the following is an extract. ri-
IL now enclose herewith copy Of letter
:" Of this date from the Hon. Isaac ]. Stevens.
showing that in addition to
"n.t.) The Catholic Mission claim. and
"(2d) the United Stat.s Military Reservation
.tract. therr srr other clsms. w.:
.f3d. The Vancouver town-siie tract.
.(-.. act of I'D Nav. 1914. L. :. Staiuic>.
~vol. 5. page 657. chap. ~ and
-fl,hl The donation claim cf Nrs. short.
The purJpo-e Of ihi> j. To call upon YOU {"
make Special Report in r. gard to thu sew
ersl claims in question. the lsa-i~ and prsis-r
extent II The ssme. giving ri,nnce tc the
dat. .s ihe origin of The. clsiin- and the ~
Il tent which should H.. Law fully awarded io
-sach cas-. according 10 The e,id-nre i--s.'rc
vou. And II vour fI.-- do n's. furnish con-
pl.-,e data in cach cs-s. y.a ~ill call ui's'a
a. fhs Issrfiss repn--niiny the Mission, 1o~n-
-i,. an. >hsfi claims. and Ih- Nili'@r, an-
=. rl.sriri,- for all the information ihry hsrr
- l-aria- uIs.a the -ev-r~l elzims. the ,xisni.
1. priority. Ac aud viii aassrd ths-ln an IL
- p rtuni,y 9; i-inS hard
-Wh.n tl.- s-e.,ri Is rsssie ee'apl''s. veu
~iH r.ake ysur E.i,ars. showing year d.ei-.
80 i,,n uppa ,he merits ard cxf~E' If s-seh Il
=. said rlaim- y i,h an i.in-'rssiv- mzr-"
Aft-r dn~ npsir-- t. 'br respective clasEnas'-
NV pr.-,l.o---sr. III, Hon. Jaa-- 1Ilica- Ise-
e.--led t. Naneaaver aad oa the Esd das a
April. i-so. afsrsl.-i ia orpar;anii, 60 hi-
III A.-us..-r.s< farssi~h sss-a sssssasss. aud fak.
our sh-ir r-~Pesiive rlaisa~ /; Ia a'iditssn 10
which. aTyisseais "f cpGa>.i ~-rr nas'''. ai''.
s.~h claimant ~ hi- sfiosIaeF fled -a'd az