Case Name: Lessee of Henry Drinker against Samuel Hunter
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1796-10
Citations: 2 Yeates 129
Docket Number: 
Parties: Lessee of Henry Drinker against Samuel Hunter.
Judges: 
Reporter: Reports of cases adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Yeates)
Volume: 2
Pages: 129–129

Head Matter:
Lessee of Henry Drinker against Samuel Hunter.
Improvements of, or settlements on lands out of the limits of the Indian purchases, after the 3d February 1Í68, give no title whatever, nor will they be suffered to go to the jury.
Where lands have been patented, subsequent surveys thereof are merely void, unless in certain instances.
Ejectment for 300 acres of land on Penn’s creek.
The court after argument, declared that no settlement on or improvement of lands out of the limits of the Indian purchases, after the law of 3d February 1768, gave any pretensions of pre-emption to the parties making them, or shadow of title; nor would the court suf fer evidence of such settlements or improvements to go to the jury.
Where lands have been patented, and the titles thereof are free from suspicion, any subsequent surveys of the same lands, under warrants or locations, are merely void in themselves, unless there are strong circumstances of an antecedent possession in the adverse party, or in the instances of surveys made in consequence of the decision of the court of law on a question tried between the parties, or order of the board of property. The improper practice of some surveyors in making such surveys, and afterwards omitting to mention the former surveys in their returns, has been the great source of uncertainty of right, litigation and uneasiness, under which Pennsylvania has long labored.
Messrs. Ingersoll, C. Smith and D. Smith, pro quer.
Messrs. Duncan and Walker, pro def.

Opinion:
Verdict for the plaintiff.