Arizona citizen., 1877-04-14

 of its benefits:
 DEPARTMENT OF THE INFERIOR,
 GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
 WASHINGTON. D. C., March 12, 1877.
 Register and Receiver, U S LanC
 Olfice-Gentlemen: The following i,
 the text of an Act of Congress, approv
 ed March 3, 1877, and entitled An Ac to provide for the sale of desert land,
 in certain States and Territories"
 Be it enacted by the Senate anC . House of Representatives of the |. $ of America in Congress assembled
 That it shall be lawful for any ciiZeI of the United States, or any person o requisite age "whO may be entitled tC become a citizen, and who has filed his declaration 10 become such, and upon payment of twenty-five cents pel acre, to file declaration, under oath wilh the register and receiver of the . land district Tn which any desert land Is situated, that he inlendSto reclaIm a tract of desert land not exceeding one } section, by conducting water upon inc same, within the period of three years thereafter; provided, however. that the right to the use of water by the person ? 50 conducting the same, on or 10 any l, tract Of 'Serl land of six hundred and 2 forty acres shall depend upon bona fide prior appropriation and such right shall not exceed the amount of water actually appropriated, and necessarily ]. used for the purpose of irrigation and f. reclamation; and all surplus water over and above such actual appropria- ton and use, together with the water of all lakes, rivers and other sources of water supply upon the public lands and not navlgable, shall remain and be held for the appropriation and use of ?. the DublIc for irrigation, mining and manufacturing purposes, subject To existing rights. Said declaration shall describe particularly said section of lanl If surveyed, and, if unsurveyed. shall describe the same as nearly as i possible without a survey. At any tune within the period of three year after filing said declaration, upon mak- ing satisfactory proof tu the register and receiver of the reclamation uf said tract of land in the manner aforesaid, and upon the payment 10 the receiver ut the additional sum of one dollar per acre frr tract of land not exceeding six hundred and forty acres to any one person, a patent for the slme shall bt. ! issued tu him. Provided, that no per son shall be permitted L. enter more 1 than one tract of land and not 10 exceed l six hundred and foriy acres which shall be in compact form
 Section ? That all lands exclusive of timber and mineral lands winch will not. without irri catinn, produce ! some agricultural crop, shall be deem ed desert landS, within the meaning ol this act, which fact shall be ascertain ed by proof of two or more credible witnesses under oath, whose ailidaviis shall be filed in the land office in which said tract of land may be situated.
 Section 3. That this act shall only apply 10 and take effect in the States ot California, Oregon and Nevada. and the Territories of Washington. Idaho, Montana. Utah, Wyoming, Arizona. New Mexico and Dakota, and the de termination of what may be consider ed desert land shall be subject to the decision and regulation of the Com missioner of the General Land Office.
 The declaration specified in the first ! section of this act, 10 be filed with The Register and Receiver, must be under oaIh. and may be executed before either the Register or Receiver, or the clerk of any court or record having a seal. It must set forth that the appli. cant is a citizen of lhe United States. or that he has declared his intention 10 become such, in which Case a duly certified copy of his declaration of in tention to become a cIIiZen must be presented and filed. IL must also be set up that ihe applicant has made nu other declaration for desert lands under the provisions of this act, and that he intends to reclaim the tract of land applied for. not exceeding one section. by conducting water thereon within three years from the date of his drclar- ation. The declaration must also con tam description uf lhe land applied for, hy legal subdivisions if surveyed, or, if unSurveyed, as nearly as pOSSi ble without a survey by giving with as much clearness and precision aS pos sible the locality of the tract wiih ref ercnce 10 known and conspicuous land marks or the established lines of sur vev, so as to admit nf iis being there afer readily identified when the lines of survey come t0 be extended
 As preliminary L, the filing of such declaration, 1t must be satisfactorily shown that the land therein described iS de>erl land as dcfinel in the second section of the act. To this end you will require the testimony of at least two disinlercsted and crebihle witness eS, whose testimony y"u will reduce tu. writing in the usual manner; or lhe evidence may be furnished m the form of affidaviis executed before lhe clerk of any court of recOrl having a seal the crrdibiliiv of the witnesses to be. crr flied bv sad clerk. The witnesses. must clearly state lhelr acquaintance with the premises and the iac'S as Co the condition and siiEalInn of the land upon which they base their judg ment. You are particularly enj'ined in exercise great care as tO the Su!t ciencv of the proof up'n this point Afer this proof has been male t.. ynur satisfaction, tle Receiver will re ceive om the applicant the sum of twenfv-tive cents per acre for the l1ni appled for: the Register will rrceIv' and fife his declaration, and you will jointly issue, in duplicate, ia the fol- lowing form:
 No- US LAND OFFICE.
 T. is hereby certified that under the provisions of the Act If Congress. ap proved March 3. 1871, entitled An ....:ln { IT. tI,n .nln nf desert