The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-07

Purchase money received, $lS,296'98
Warrant and Patent Fees, 6S51'OO
Contractors fees, 5000
Copying. fees, 2,O484O
The rec,pts Of the apartment for the present
year show an increase OF $7,ll7.53 over that OF
the year ending November 80, 1867. And it is
believed the revenue the Sla.e will receive
through this Office for land and fees next year
will be more than twice the amount received
this year II the county surveyors can meet the
demands of the owners of patented lands, who
desire 10 have parts OF original tracts surveyed,
IN order to get their portions patented, this
estimate will probably fall short of the amouut
that will be realized to the Treasury from this
source.
In ibis connection, it is not thought ont Of
place to suggest that vacancies now existing, or
occurring during the year, in the office OF County
Surveyor, should be promptly filled by the
proper authority so that the citizens of all parts
of the Commonwealth may have an opportunity
to get such Surveys made as may be required to
enable them to liquidate whatever liens, for
unpaid purchase money, may exist against their
lands.
Much inconvenience has heretofore been ex-
perienced by :hc people, as well as by thus
Department, because OF vacancies, in many
OF the counties, in the office OF County Surveyor
The wants Of the people owning unDatented
lands will doubtless be such, for some time to
come, that skilled surveyors Will find the office
of County Surveyor, even in counties where for
some yea there has been out little for SUCH
warrant the accep' ance OF the trust,
A great deal OF inconvenience and difficulty
is experienced by people through the State, iu
obtaining the names OF the warrantees, or other
parties, who took out original office rights for
land, thereby making 1t almost impossible, in
many cases, to prepare briefs of title in con-
veyaDces or to write intelligently to this Office
tor official copies of records required in the
trial OF land causes. If dockets containing lists
of all the patented lands OF the Common wealth,
by counties, giving the name OF the warrantee,
date OF warrant, quantity OF acres, name OF
patentee, date OF patent, and page of t)lio in
which enrolled, together with location of
the land, were made out and sent to
the several prothonotarlGs, now that
tented lands will soon be forwarded them, the
county records would have fall lists OF the per-
sons who purchased, or in whose names the
lands of the State were taken up in the first
ing for data would be saved. These lists of
patented lands, though OF great importance
because they would bring the information found
in large folios in this Department, without
division by counties, nearer to the people in.
terested, would no. cost the State any conside
rabe sum to prepare but would be OF great
service n the counties, because parties desiring
TO purchase land usually 60 to the county seat
to ascertain the status OF the tract. The Com
monWealth should afford every proper means
within its power to AID the owners of lands in
procuring official papers to perfect their titles,
for the reason that the system 1t adopted and
continued, perhaps the best known at the time
was so imperfect as to directly cause, or indi-
rectly invite, much of the trouble and litigation
which have ensued.
Since my last annual report the following
sums, one-tenth of the proceeds OF Agricultural
College Land Scrip, and the interest aud pre-
MUM on investments from the same source,
have been, by order of the Board of Commis-
soners. paid to the Agricultural College of
Pennsylvania, located near Belefonte, under
the provisions OF the act Of 10th February, 1867,
viz 8
For the purchase of an experimental
farm in Chester county SIT, 7,750'00
For the purchase OF tarm near the
Agricultural College, in Centre
county 100000
For the purchase of farm in the
western part OF the State 1s,l36'50
$43,ss6'5o
Interest and premium paid during
the year 25.6l27s
--
Total S6s. 500 %