, 1870-04-20

- M empire. The ftAkes are not driven which
de1ne the deeert from the goranment.
vided into fifteen surveying departments,
each With 4 Surveyor General for its gov
e1nor, and he and his anuall a11ny OF deputies
rule IS in the days Of the early world, by tho
natural land-marks which nature has set up.
One thousand persons constitute this little
about our business, vEansfing over corner
over land BY the foot. this army Of
pioneers has pitched it, fifteen campa, like
90 many considerations, in the blue
desert, snd is buxily laying out the
to Be. Il you should 50 into New Mexico or
arizona, After long and lonely travel. you
might. Ut last, como to certain posts, blAzed
trees, and other nAzks, indicating that human
actors hsd been 1t some monstrpus work in
these lonely and uninhabited plsccs. Follow
that these marks we're apparently parts Of
some general system Of mathematical survey-
ing, md At last you would reach some central
rlaee in the highest altitude,-so that it could
be seen from al the countr! round, which
seemed 70 be tho inihal point .nd focus Of all
the immense public domain Of tho country but
twenty three Of these initial spota, and heao
mike the key to the whole land systaEn- EAch
OF these points Is where = parallel Of latitude
dosses IN Arhit1Iy meridian. Every acre,
section, and township, which b to b An IN
laid out By that basis and that nae1idi1o- And
their point OF intersection il the lsndsmAu+s
role Star, whereby he known his poeition On
tho y1st exPanse Of the country. For eighty
four years this has been tho American erstam
Of surrey; .nd al the maps, plans, eh4sta, md
General Land On1ee in Washington, and du-
pIjeate ID kept At the oface OF tbs particular
Surveyor General having charge Of tho district
10 rapped out, numbered. and registered
,xCxxI THINGS FOE 7H1SKk2s-
Iis = popular error that the government
possesses lsnd II Tesn. Te1as cana IN Is Al
organized st1ts and poesessor Of her whole
Territory, ~ truly ae did tho thirteen colonies.
L curious feature Of the public domain ID
The fact that lArge cities are being built upon
i under law, such ~ Helena, N Nontaus,
which has population Of eight thousand, and
dollAn- These tuwns ara sEtared By the
Probate Judgp or Mayor for ttse inhabitants,
the United BtAtes receiving bus dollar and
quarter N ac1r; and than tho Judge or Mayor
executes deed TO each los-holder- Thirteen
thou1and tuvns md citee have been laid ous
upon the public domain sincs the land rystcul
began. md under the toxn-e3e acts Of 1861 and
1858 application for these sites Is adiudicAtel
by the General Land Commissioner. Herr
We havo singular instance OF the progress oa
organized population in Cur countlJ,-ettc1s
mganizsd oomr,unides passing tar beyond tht
settled limits Of the States, and in na.ny caset
anticipating eren the httle army Of surveyors
Thus, before there Is S,Ate, there is often I
| city, a earnest ana Is ambitious as ancien
Rome Or Marsei1len
In 1863, more ttan seven anl half mill
icna t aeTea vera transferred by the govern
mcnt TO individuals, the lind oEica 1ealizlnt
more than four and 4 half millions Of dollars
| or mre than one-third more money than Il
the previous ycar. Nearly three millions Q
acreavere sold for cash, md almost - muc
passed away from tho government unde
| homestead eutdea Tho railroads receive