The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-07-16

REPORT
tee on Public Lands investigate the facts concern
ing alleged le-a and fraudulent conyeyances CT pubic
lands in the State o. Florida.
The Committee on Public Lands to whom was re
ferred the Senate resolution passed April Is,
1855, directing said committee subcommittee
of their number to investigate the facts concern
ing alleged illegal ana fraudulent convcvances of
public lands in the State of Florida have had the
same under consideration, ana respectfully re-
port
The following is a copy of said rcsou-
ton
IN TIE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES,
April IS, 1855
Whereas il has bec.. alleged by the Senator
from FIori Ia that ne i satisfied, from petitions
presented by reputable CITIZENS OF Florida, that
Illegal an fIaul',lcnt c"nveyanccS o. public
lands have been made IN SAID State in deroga:ion
OF the lgh', OF the United States and OF settlers
upon said lands, and jrl d remedy for such evils
can b provided by law therefore, he i
Hc>1.tHd, That the Committee on Public LANES
or subcommittee of lheir number, Is, ana is
hereby, directed 10 nve,,lgtte al! the facts bear
ing upon lhe general all CATIONS referred TO- aud
that or ihe purpose OF $ ch nVcstig tfion said
committee is authorized TO employ etcnu.5rt-
pher, anu shi.ll have power To- a,hnNiSlc, c;uhs,
send 1''r persons anu papers, L. sit il Washington
or such other place as may he Ic cs,ary The cX-
ponses Of the ~ane 10 be paid from he c ntingent
fund OF The Senate aud said committee shah re-
port, by bill or r'hfrWist "a the circumstances
sha! seem 10 IeQVr.. sIch pan Ter remedy Of
the evils, il any shown, As they may Gccn nccs>
sary
AuesJ AXs1H &. McCoor,
Secretary.
la order to ascertain the c;aSs Of lands
concerning which an investigation was de-
sired bv the author Of t;le resolution. the
senior Senator from Florida (>enator
CalD, he was invited TO appear before Che
committee and make statement From
his statement it appeared that an invcsti-
CATION wa. only desired in regard to
swamp and overt1owed lands granted to
the State by the act Of September IS.
1850.
The committee thereupon proceeded to
take the testimony OF certain witnesses,
and have received a statement from the
Trustees OF the internal Improvement
Fund Of the State of Florida, and from
Mr.. Hamilton Dis>ton, on behalf OF the
Florida Land and Improvement Com
pany, all OF which are appended to this
report.
by the act Of September Is, 1850,
above referred to, there was granted t.
the State Of Florida The whole of the
swamp and overtlowed lands within her
borders made unfit thereby for. cultiva-
ton, which remained unsold at the date
OF the passage Of the act, to enable said
State TO construct the necessary lcvees
and drains for their reclamation.
BY the second section it was made the
duty OF tie Secretary Of the Interior, as
soon as practicable after the passage ofthe
act, 10 MAKE accurate lists and pIa,s of the
lands described in the grant, and to trans
NIT the same to the Governor of the
State, and at the request Of the Governor
to cause IA patent to be issued to the
State therefor. by the third section it
was provided thar, in making out lists
and p!ats Of such land, all legal subdivis-
IONS the greater part Of which was wet
and unfit for cultivation should be in
Guided in sand lists and plats, but when
the greater part of a subdivision was no;
OF That character the whole OF it should
be excluded thcreirom.
y circular OF instruction AS to the man
ncr Of proceeding under said act was
issued by the Secretary of the Interior
November u, 1850, to the Survey or
Generals OF the several swamp-and
States in which at office had not been
discontinued, and to the Registers and
Receivers in the other States to which
the grant applied. Copies of this circu-
lar were sent to the Governors of all the
States III interest, with the request that
the State authorities would elect which
Of the two methods for the selection of
the swamp lands therein proposed they
would adopt. These methods were
(D The field notes Of the Government
survey TO be taken as the basis Tor selec-