The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-21

parishes Oh 81. ucicna ohu W. "a
! Carolina, were bid IN py tho I'M"
States at public tax sales, and oy tne nn,
itation of said act the time OF reacmpv"
| of said lands having expired; anu VIA
as. In accordance with instructors s ,ss ~
iby President Lincoln on the iesn ua! M ~
| September, 1863, to the United o,a'1s III
rect Tax Commissioners lot oou'h Co
lima, certain lands bid IN ny Tue om'eu
| States in the parish oil ~; he,eha' III
! said State, were In part SOFA u! inc saiu
! Tax Commissioners To heads OF lamiiies OF
the African race, In parcels OF not more
than twenty acres 10 each purchaser; and
! whereas under THE said instructions, the
, said Tax Commissioners did also set apart
| rs school-tarms certain parcels OF land in
said parish, numbered on their plats from
one to thirty-three, inclusive, making an
aggregate of six thousand acres, more or
less: therefore be it further enacted. that
the sales made to heads of families of the
African race, under the Instructions OF
| President Lincoln 10 the United States
| Direct Tax Commissioner for South caro-
| lima, of date of September 10th, 1868, are
hereby confirmed aud established, and all
| leases which have been made to such
heads of families by said Direct Tax Com
missioners shall DO changed into certificates
Of sale in all cases wherein the lease pro-
vdes for such substitution, and all the
| lands now remaining unsold which come
within the same designation, being eight
! thousand acres, more or less, shall be dis
posed Of according to said instructions.
SECTION 7. That all other lands bid In
bv the United States at tax sales, being
! thirty-eight thousand acres, more or less,
and now inthe hands of the said Tax Com
missioners as the property Of the United
States, in the parishes of St. Helena and
St. Luke, excepting the school-farms, as
| specified in the preceding section, and SO
naval purposes at Hilton Head, Bay Point,
and Lands End, and excepting also the
city of Port Royal, on ST. Helena island,
and the town Of Beaufort, shall be disposed
! of in parcels of twenty acres at one dollar
and fifty cents per acre to such persons,
and to such only, as have acquired and are
now occupying lands under and agrecably
to the provisions of General Sherman's
special order dated at Savannah, Georgia,
January lG, 1865, and the remaining lands,
il any, shall be disposed OF in like manner
to such persons as had acquired lands
/,
Sherman, but who have been disposscSscd
by the restoration Of the same to former
owners P,uridsd, That the lands sold in
compliance with the provisions OF this and
the preceding section shall not be alicnated
by their purchasers within six years frcm
and after the passage of this ACT.
SECTION s. That the school-farlns in the
parish of ST. Helena, s. c., shall be sold
subject to any leases Of the same By the
said Tax Commissioners, 1t public auction,
on or before the LIST day of January, 1867,
at not less than ten dollars per acre, and
the lots in the city OF Port Royal. as laid
down by the Tax Commissioners, and the
lots and houses in the town of Beaufort,
which are also held in like manner, shall
be sold at public auction, and the proceeds
of said sale, after paying expenses OF the
surveys and sales, shall be invested III
! United States bonds, the interest Of which
shall be appropriated, under the direction
OF the Commissioners, 10 the support OF
schools, without distinction OF color or race,
on the island, III the parishes OF st. Helena
and St. Luke.
SECTION Q. That the Assistant Com
missinners for South Carolina and Georgia
are hereby authorized to examine all
claims to lands in their respective States
which are claimed under the provisions OF
General Shcrman's special field order, and
to give each person having 4 valid claim
warrant upon the Direct Tax Commission
ers for South Carolina for twenty acres OF
land, and the said Direct Tax Commission
ers shall issue to every person, or to his or
her heirs, but in no case TO any assigns
presenting such warrant, Il lease of twenty
acres of land, rs prescribed for in section
-, for the term of six years: but ut any
time thereafter, upon the payment of a
sum not exceeding one dollar and fifty
cents per acre, the person holding such
lease shall be entitled 10 a certificate OF
| said tract of twenty acres from the Direct
Tax Commissioner or such officer as may
be authorized to issue the same, but no
warrant shall be held valid longer than two
wears after the issue of the same.
SECTION 10. That the Direct Tax Com
missioncrs for South Carolina are hereby
authorized and required, the earliest day
practicable, to survey the lands designated
in section - into lots of twenty acres
each, with proper metcs and bounds dis
tinctly marked, so that the several tracts
shall be convenient in form, and, as near
as practicable, have an average OF fertility
and wood land, and the expense of such
surveys shall be paid from the proceeds Of
sales of said lands, or, if sooner required,
out of any moneys received for other lands
on these islands sold by the United States
for tax, and now in the hands of the Direct
| Tax Commissioners.
| SECTION II. And be 1t FURTHER enacted,
That upon the completion of the transfers
of said lands in the manner specified i'll the
preceding sections, the President OF the
| United States shall have power to restore
TO their former owners the lands now occu-
pied by persons under General Sherman's
special field order dated at Savannah,
! Georgia, January l6, 1865, excepting such
lands as may have been sold by the United
States for taxes but such restoration shall
not be made until after the crops Of the
present wear shall have been gathered by
the occupants of said lands, nor until
fair compensation shall have been made to
them for all improvements or betterments
erected or constructed thereon, and after
due notice of the same being done shall
have been given by the Assistant Commits
sioncr.
SECTION IL. That the Commissioner
shall have power to seize, hold, use, lease,
or sell all buildings and tcnements, and
any lands appertaining TO the same, or
otherwise formerly owned by or claimed
as the property of the so.called Confcdc-
rate States, and not heretofore disposed OF
by the United States, and eny building or
lands held in trust for the same by any
person or persons, and TO use the same or