The New York Herald Newspaper, December 7, 1852, Page 7

proposed in my former report, and superintending to its completion the whole work. The sum of $25,000 addi- tional will be required to pay all expenses, and complete qhe work by the close of the next fiscal year. ‘The more particular the Core elgg returns of the Seventh Census, the more interesting do they appear, and the more confident aro we of their eorrect- ness and reliability. There is no question but they pre- sent the most ample materials for representing, with almost pertect accuracy, the social, civil, and p! condition of the American People. While in the minutie ingenuity may discover discrepen- cies im these returns, as in all others, they present such an arrey of Leh Con body roll poouete information re lating to our country as Tee pee mo other nation! While the savans of the Old World are digging into the ruins of cities, removing mountains of eand, and excavating subterrancan temples, to discover the most feeble rays pointing out the history of nations of antiquity, we possess, respec! our own archives, of which would be sought for in vain in any other country, and which furnieh every facility for us to know pate ay to enable us to transmit our true history rity. ie importance of statistical investigations and ipebi cations cannot be more strongly illustrated, than by the examples of those nations of the old world where the power existed in the threne, to admit of their continu. ance, or 4 their developement, as policy. in view of the existing state of the saney would seem to dictate, Btatistical researches instituted by Louls XLV, after the in ce, when it ‘wes necesrary to smother the revelations of her decay, as they would be illustrated during the war of the Span- ich succession and the disasters of Hochstadt and Ro willies. The same result was exhibited a ceateey after, when the statistical investigations, re established by the first Consul in 1802 after the peace of Amiens, were not abet Sgt make ae a Sen of the count ir the catastrophe at Leipsig. with, reference to the present progress of statistical science in Europe, alate French writer, Morean de Jonnes, remarks that ‘a profound peace, whose duration is anex- ampled. has caused an admirable emulation to spring up among all the nations of Europe, which, to repair the misfortunes ocsationed by their former numerous wars, and toattain to greater Prosperity, have ardently emoloy- 04 themselves in the cultisatiott Of atatistios, which fs the Dasis of enterprise. and from the registers of which they obtain instructions in those se affecting the welfare of the State and ple.” One of the best lustrations of the truth of his remarks is furnished by the National Statistical Congress proposed to be held at Bruseels, in September of 1853, These illustrations serve to show the value and moral force of statistical revela. tions, and the duty of a self-governing people like ours to sustain them, and to demand a proper publication of their developements and that it should form a work easily comprehended im all its parts, one not exclusively for the learned, but adapted to the wants of all who would wish to consult it. . The pr tion of such a work is not only within the . vompass of possibility, but, with the means possessed, can }e readily accomplished by industry and a reasonable imount of ability. That the expense necessarily attend- og the publication has been generally exaggerated, will ‘ppear from an examination of the correspondence re- hting thereto which bas been transmitted to you. Many great mem, as Lavoisier, Vauban, Necker, ond Young, for vant of better means than they possessed, have made use d much more imperfect data than ours, to arrive approxi- nately at the truth. and the character of their data, im- fect as it was admitted to be. did not intimidate them m making use of the materials they possessed, nor de- ‘tr their governments from adopting their deductions. Of toeee, permit me to present but one illustration, exhibited by Lavoisier, to whom a committee of the N tonal Astembly in France applied in 1790 for information tp enable them to prepare, in accordance with the diree- ton of that body, a rational basis for the establishment To meet the wishes of the committee, and to his calculations respecting the quantity of land eul- tivated, and the quantities of production and consump- tion, this learned man used 96 a means of arriving atthe | desired facts, the number of ploughs which was supposed | toexist. The results thus atrived at were adopted. and subsequent revelations, made upon more sufficient data, exhibited in them a close end wonderful ximation tothe truth. Our materisls present no such hypothetical eharacter but are deemed generally accurate and reliable and are of a character to warrant their publication. Respectfully submitted JOSEPH ©. G. KENNEDY, Superintendent of Census. Hon. A. H. H. Srvanr, Secretary of the Interior, THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. The Annual Report of the Commissioner of Public Lands, Genrnat Laxp Orrice, Nov. 29, 1852. Sin—I bave the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this office during the past year, with | such ruggestions as seem to be proper for farther carrying out the system of disposing of the public domain :— Within that period were surveyed, acres, 9 522 953 Advertised for rale..... : 8,082,463 Within the last fecal year there 658,071 Located’ with bounty land warrants 201 314 La) with other certificates... 115,682 sseeeeves 4,870,087 under swamp + 5,219,188 *, 8,025 820 Making an aggregate of...... eevee 18,116,175 Being an increase, in the amount of lands sold and located with land warrants, over the previous year, of 669,220 acres. ‘The whole amount thus sold 2nd located, reported un- der the swomp land grant, a! scleeted for internal im- provements, railroads, &¢., ¢» «ds that of the last year by 3,342 $72 acres, and the :-!es would no doubt havo been much heavier but for ih. xtensive reservations for railroads in Missisippi, Ai.) na, and Missouri, For the quarter ending (th «ptember 1852, there were sold, acres... Located with bounty land we Making @ total of........0- there were Teporte «with other certifica’ 16,649 Making a total of... 1,646,020 There were reported und 2,486,433 Making an aggregatefor th) jaarter of...... 4,181 263 letters wero received and adjusted and reported to Ueates of land sales, 20,226 During the past yoar answered ; 1,491 accounts » the Comptroller ; 21,603 ce bounty land warrant locati».~, 9,318 declaratory state- ments, 59,000 swamp land sternal improvement, and other selection& were posted ; about 70,000 cash, bounty land and other patents were written, recorded and trans- mitted; 7,664,519 acres of swamp lend and other selections wore certified to the States, and upwards of 20,000 pages of letters and accounts were recorded. Among the accounts adjusted as above mentioned, were those of the Land Officers, under the act of March 22, 1852, “to make land warrants assignable, and for other purposes,” hy which those offleers were entitled to the same per centage for the location of warrants since the lith of February, 1847, as for cash rales. As the law provides that all such fees for locations made prior to its passage should be paid out of the ‘Treasury, most of the accounts therefor were m this office, from the roturns of the several offi involved a great amount of careful labor, and uel of all the accounts settled since 1st January, ‘The whole amount thus paid out of the Treasury, tothe 18th November. 1852, was $110,816 91 ‘This law, which was an act of simple justice to the District Land Officers, and ouly # reasonable compensn- tion for faithful services, limite the amounts of fees paid ‘to each person, from every source, to $2 500 per aunum, and requires that thote for the locations of Iand warraats, made after the passage of that law, should be paid by the ons Who made thore losations. The cons en, that in several instances the aggregate of fees paid uence has, fm for military locations oxceeded the maximum com- | Popestion of the Land Oficers, and the excess has gone the Treseury; and therefore, the government, to that extent, has Leen reimbursed on account of the above mentioned expenditures in the first instance, The survey of the northern boundary of Towa has been completed. as reqmred by the act of 3d March, 1849, the monuments have all been erected, and a full report of the whole work, with mapsof the boundary, Pei oh, aphy of — country, will be specially at an eer’! lay we iO; rae ly day in the ensuing session ‘The promptness, energy and efficiency with which this work has been executed, redounds to the crodit of the able and efficient Surveyor General and Astponomer charged with ft, and in fact to all the persons employed on it, The condition of the publto lands in eash State and Territory will be found set forth im tabl ing thi# report, in which the en‘ire area of each St: square miles and acres, is given—the quantity eur ond uneurveyed—the number of eres offered for vale the number of acres soid—th: tione, grants for schools, universities, asylums for the deof and dumb, internsl improvements to Individuals and compantes—for seats of government and puolic building'—for military serviows—reserved for salines— for the benefit of Indians~for companies. Individuels and corporations; the area covered by confirmed private claimé- the amount of swamp lands granted to the several Btates for railroad purposes, end the total area unsold and unappropriated of offered and unoffered lan‘ts, From the Inet column, it will be perceived that there are ange bodies of land in all the States and Territories .y extending from the 20th to the 40th parallel of north Intitude, and from tho Atlantis to the Pacific. iggiudioy y desirable variety of soil and climate, minal ond timber, and capable of producing. in the greatest ab dance. not the nece caries but the loxuries of life, widest field for enterprising industry. jount embraced in dona- | beppy. to ‘eredit on the scientific exeeution of it is in and abroad to the artis quently the progress will be at the rate of five hundred | copies per week. in this connectiow, I beg leave to invite attention toa paper from Dr Owen, herewith submitted, setting forth utility of a ical survey in 0: yn, and manifest- ing a Limo ire thet a ¢) reconnoisance be ordered in the region of country in Nebraska, which lies near the head waters of the Moreau, White. aed Chey- epne rivers, and in the region of the Black Hills, denomi- nated the ‘Mauvaises Terres.” This is regarded as the tertiary formation, abounding with the fossil remains of extinct species of animals, each combining the distine- tive characteristics of several existing races, according to the decisions of comparative . This region will be found alluded to oe pee: 194, in sixth chapter of a report. The field ered to, seems likely to be one peculiar interest to the logical world, in reference to which Dr Owen states, “it is mot too much to as- sert, that since the disclosures by the opening of the gyp- sum ql of Mont in France. t made us first acquainted with those singular extinct fossil races entombed in the Peris basin, no discovery in geology has divulged such ex! and interest results in paleontology.” He further remarks, that, ‘here in the ‘bad lands’ of Nebraska, do we anticipate the removal of the shroud of oblivion that has so long concealed im: history of this earth, that must form leeply interes' chapter in its geology, With such pres; of enriching the fields of scieuee from a further exploration of this attractive region, you will understand my anxiet; beef vig ing those pepegee! revearohes.’? Reacons other the foregoing are urged by Dr. Orast year, when starting the pablo in 0: year, when e public’ regon, the department yielded to the ‘wishes of the fate delegate, whé urged, in com with the desire of his consti- tuents, # geological recennoissance to some extent in the Oregon teriitory, and particularly to the west of the Cas- cade mountains. After much deliberation, it was deemed consistent and proper to devote to such objects what re- mained ef an appropriation for similar explorations in | the woe aie as Dr. Owen has strenuously se- | commended the measures, in continuation of the deveiope- ments which will be found in his report. Dr. Evans, his enterprising assistant in recent explorations, was ap- | pointed to this service. Be has persevered in the work with remarkable energy, atter having crossed the Rocky mountains, at much personal hazard. without other pro- tection than a few occasional Indian guides. Preliminary reports have been received from him of much interest; but the means furnished were long since exhausted, and will not admit of completing his report ; and hence an item is submitted for the purpose, in the estimates of appropriation for the ext fiscal year, and also, to cover the expense of a reconnolssance of the “Mauvaises Terres,” in Nebraska. The final sepia of Messrs. Foster and Whitney, on the geology of the Lake Superior land district,for the com. pletion of which an appropriation was made at. the last session of Congress, will be communicated in the course of the next tession, ‘This report will embrace the most reeent information | it reiation to the copper and iron mines of that interest. ing region. ‘he whole of the mineral business connected with the sales of the public lands in Michigan, Wisconsin, Llinois, &o., has begp brought so nearly to a close, that there is no longer fy necessity for the employment of a mineral agent in thore regions, and I therefore recommend that a seryiees of the one now employed there be discon- inued, The business connected with the bounty lamd divisions | of this office has been preesed forward as rapidly as possi- ble, The following table exhibits the number of warrants issued under the acts of 1847, 1850, and 1852, the number of those warrants that have beon located, and the number | now outstanding, viz.: Act or 157. Acres em- Acres em- No. Acresem @radeof No. braced No. braced outstand braced Warra issued. thereby. located. thereby. ing. thereby. 160 Acres, .76 874 12,209,840 65,445 11,111,200 7,429 1,188,640 wo 6,264 = 250,560 5,075 203,000 1, 189 47,5600 760 8,832 1,4 550,160 14,194 1,1 60 2,942,400 23,480 "930,200 60,080 1,928,640 | 2,404,610 Total... 138,698 9,524,320 46,506 8,487,340 92,192 6,336,430 ‘Acr ow 1852, 160 acres, .None, wine WL 30 te 171_——18,630 | 40 ., 1,000 40,000 (no returns) 1,000 40,000 Total.... 1,171 630 1171 53,680 | SuMMARY. . | Acres em- Acresem- No. Acresem- Ne. braced No. | braced outstand. braced | thereby. 11.314 200 3,487,540 thereby. a sre, i located, Act, 1847. 0 ety 185021 6 Act, 1850, Act, 1882, Total... . 223,007 22,428,400 12 026 14 8 Notwithstanding our stringent assignment of warrants, frauds are sometimes perpetrated, and petents issued on fraudulent assignments. In such cages. it has been held that this office can afford no rellef, | and that the on'y redress for the warrantees, is thro the proper judicial tribunals, in a suit for the title to the located with their warrants. This is expensive, and may be wi , Where the holder of the patent title | eelis to an innocent purchaser. who has no knowledge of the fraud The examinations of the transfers, moreover, materially retard the issuiag of the patents, 3 nearly all of them are assigned, and with the greatest care, frauds bef in character above mentioned, cannot always be de- ote To avoid these evils, as far as practicable, I reepeotfully recommend that an act be passed by Congress, authoriz- ing this office in all cages to iasue the patent to the :erson who rendered the service for which the warrants wero ited; with the proviso that the title shall enure to the efit of the parties contemplated by the acts of 1317 and 18£0, their heirs. assignes or devisees. av the casemay be. The United States wonld thus be divested of the fee in the lands, the rights of the soldiers and those holding under them would be secured, as the rule of ‘caveat emp- ter”? would apply in all cases, and the questicns counected with subsequent transfers could be adjudicated by the courts. In this way the landed titles of the country would be rendered secure and permanent, much vexatious litigation prevented. and the warrantees could sell and astign as usual. In the present prosperous condition of the country, the extent of the sufferings and apd sacrifices, endured in the service for which these warrants were granted, and the valueof that service, are almost unappreciable, During the war of | 1812, with England, justly styled the eecond struggle tor | independence, our patriotic citizens, on land and water, | were ever ready at 1 moment's call tostrike for freedom and shed their best blood im defence of their country. Maby of there patriots have pasted away, leaving their families in straitened circumstances,and others are strag- gling in the autumn of life, uader sickness and poverty, toebtain ascanty tubsistence, When the act of 1850 ras passed, length of service appeared tho most just. if not thé only criterion, by which the extent of the bounty should be measured. Experience, however, has tince pro- ven, that many of those whose actual service in the field was the briefest, endured the greatest hardships and ren- dered most valuable services to their country. It would seem then. to be just that therame liberal provision should | be made for them as was extended to the soldiers of the | regular army, and that each should receive one hundred. and sixty acres, whether his service was long or short, or had been rendered on land or water. In, addition to those above mentioned, warrants and ecrip bave been issued by the division having charge of the Virginia military amd bounty lands under the war of 1812, amounting to 27,766 acres. j ‘That division has also heen actively engaged in index- Ing the old volumes, and preparing new records and ab- | stracts, &o., s0 as to be ready for the issue of script to the holders ot Virginia military warrants, authorized by the act of Slst August, 186%, go soon as the proviso to the second rection of that act shall have been complied with by that State. | The execution of this law has been devolved by you upon the General Land Office; and, from the experience already had, it is evident that the proviso in it, requiring Jo" fe, be satisted ~ by a revision of the proofs oF yy additional testimony, that any warrant sucren- | dered (under the provisions of that act.) was feitiy and justly issued in pursuance of the laws of said common- wealth of Virginia, for military services so rendered,” will be exceedingly omerous on this office, and on the holders of the warrants, and will materially retard tho completion of the business under it, I would, therefore, respectfully recommend that the sald proviso be repealed, and the issuing of the warrant treated as prima facia evi- dence that the service was rendered by the percon in whose name it was granted. It will then be difficult in all cases to sscertain satisfactorily who are the present edna as required by the act, that the script may issued to them. The extent end nature ef this business, in any event, is such as to require an increase in the number and sala- ries of the clerks employed on it. I therefore recom- mend that the salary of the clerk in charge of thi branch be increared to $1,600 per annum, and that authority be given for employment of two ezamimers, at asralary of $1,300 each, and two olerks to write, resord, and index the script. at a salary of $1.200 each. In reference #0 this branch of the office. I beg leave to invite attention to the condition of some of the records of Virginia rey patents for londs in Ohio, whieh were issued prior to 1824. ‘Those records are so deficient that certided coptes of them are of no use, and cannet aid in sustaining the rights of the parties to whom the patents were irsued, por can they R made available, in their present condition, by any act of Congress. In some cases the name of the grantor is not inserted. and. in lieu of a dercription of the land the warrant is pasted in, and the | whole of the latter part of the record, including the sige natures of the officers, is left blank. ‘Two modes are suggerted by which these records may Le completed, under authority of an acs of Congress. One in, {o cail in the original patents, of daly certited, copies of them. fiom the records of the countie in which the | lands are situated, and to complete the records there- from ; the other is, to endeavor tcomplcte them from the tille papers on file in this office, The former would tae better plan in all cases where it can be adopted, and the latter, where the original patents, or oertifiod coples of thean, eansiot be had nthe éivision having charge of pre-emptions, sehool and seminary selections, the numerous eases frequently involving difficult and complicated questions are promptly dispered of. oj mmedlintely on the paseage of the act of 27th May and 2d August, 1862, the former cranting pre-emptions to ettlers on the Menomonie purchase north of Pox dd the Jatter, to “protect nctunl eettlere upon the land on tbe line of the Central Railrond and branches, by manting pre-croption rights thereto,’ instrustions, in Aocordance with the provisions of those laws, were pre- pared @nd transmitted to the roepeetive land offlses, Where the reserved lands were ordered into market, that all persons contemplated by the latter law might have an opportunity of availing themselves of ita benefits. The Inetriel ve tent by telegraph to thore ofices where the time intervening bewween the passage of the law, | @ | of finally treating with the Indians respeoting the residue | of their lands, I reccmm aa the passage of a law author- to carry out the liberal views of Congress towards class of our citisens; notwithstanding which, many cases of have occurred. in consequence of some restrictions in the act of 1841, which are so plain and itive as to leave this office no discretion. One of there is the limiting the pre- emption privilege to those who settle upon lands which were surveyed prior to such settlement rer should be abolished, and settlements Geng ov on all Khotber of tbece provisions is thet preemption rights ther of ¢ pre emption shall not attach to any sections of land reserved to the United States, alternate “ to other sections granted to a1 of the States for the construction of any canal, rail or other publie improvement.” This inhibition should alto be removed, and pre cameos granted to all such be no more than justice to the enterprising citizens, through whose energy. toil, and privations, the chief yalue has been gives tothe public domain, the treasury of the country enriched, the fruitful valleys of the ‘West opened up to the settlement of the millions who now occupy that favored region. Tinvite the attention of Congress to the recommenda- tions heretofore made for the revival of the yt of the 3d ‘August, 1846, “ providing for the adjustment of all sus- nded emption land elaims in the several States and rit ;°? and for the extension of the ions of that act, and those of 3d March, 1819, 24th May, 1828, “for the correction of errors in making entries of land,” to all cases where the locations have been or mey be made with bounty land warrants or other serip. ‘The revival and extension of these laws will afford re- Nef to mapy meritorious cases where innocent persons have beem led into error by cireumstances beyond their control, and will remove @ cause of much labor and cor- respondence to this effice, by the final disposition of such cases. Every principle of justice requires that the same facility and indulgence should xtended to those who locate land with warrants or seript as to those whe purchase for eash. Cases of great hardship have arisen, w! fide settlers have endeavored to secur yy Warrants, and who, having been misled in the de seription of the tract, have located their warrants upon lands that were comparatively valueless to. them, leaving their own improvements subject to sale or location, for want of the means of securing them By the treaty of 1832, the Chickasaws ceded to the United States their lands in Mississippi and Alabama, containing, according to actual survey. 0,718,586 27 106 acres; and, pursuant to the treaties of 1832 and 1834 with that tribe, there has been disposed of by vidual Indian reserves, and by public and private sale. the greater pertion of the whole cession, leavit but a little over 200,000 acres now undisposed of These ynceld Jands, under the graduation principle in the treaty of 184, ai now liable to rale at twelve half cents anvacre, except 640 acrés known as the Land Office sec- tion, at Pontotoc, the sale of which is specially proyiged for in the supplement to the treaty of 1842, By the eleventh article of the treaty of 1884, it is pro- vided, that should the expenses of these lands prove reater than the receipts, the Chickasaws may declare the residue of them abandoned to the United States. ‘This office, from time to time, has reduced the expenses of the land system in the cession, by ‘dispensing with the services of such cflicers as had brought the branches of business entrusted to them to a close, In order, however, to conduct the sales in the cession pursuant to treaty stipuletions. it has been necessary to. continue the regis- ter and receiver, at a salary of $1,200 each, as authorized in the treaty. If no steps should be taken at an early dey,in the way | ining the Exeoutive to attach these lands to a contigu- ous Gistrlct, and tosell them free of expense to the In- Gians. In this way they would be relieved at once from the annual expenses now incident to the employment of a register and receiver, at the salary specified inthe trea- ty, and the Land Office rection could be sold to the best advantage, measure not only beneficial tothe Indians, but doubtless desirable to the town of Pontotoc, to which it is adjacent. Under other treaties, with various tribes of Indians, individual reservatione have been allowed from a very early period in the operations of our government. By the treaties of 1882, with the Creeks, a large number of reserves was granted, anda sale of them authorized, and in 1888 Congress passed an act making it obligatory | upon the Executive, not only to issue patents to the first purchasers from the Indians, whose contracts had been approved by the President, but also to recognize in the issuing of patents any intermediate assignments, when found tatisfactory, from the first purchaser to the last claiment, the matter, the Commissioners state in the paring to leave for Los Angelor. they have To tay that the claimants, in their petition to the claimed the land under a grant from the Gor Seep en sms otamens To; ons ‘he governt California of October 24, 1781, for the authori! Governor to make it. [Halleck’s Reports, Ap ix. No. 2.) That the land called San Antonio was described in the petition as containing an unknown quaatity, and as bounded on the north one on bay of Ben Francisco, no juced that the land had ever beem surveyed; that the counsel for the claiments, and the law agont,stipulated in writing, for the purpose of a hearing. that the tract claimed was from twenty. five to thirty miles in length ong. Pe bay, and ten miles in width. making from 260 to square miles, being more than three times the quantity that could have been granted to any one party under tho Mexican colonizstion law of 1! That in none of the Papers connected with the grant is the land s poken of as containing more than five and inrome of them, it is represented as lees; and that in all of them the de- soription of the land is indefinite and obscure. no other than the northern and southern boundaries being men- tioned in any of them ; that it appeared fcom the papers that the order of Gov. Sola, of Angust 16, 1820, under which the petitioners claimed, was revoked in part, with- in a few weeks after it was made, and the party’s posses. sion curtailed by removing the northern boundary a league and e half further south; and that for d boundary, Governor Bola issued a doc- ument of title, October 18, 2822 being the title given by him ; that the claimants now produce, (butof existence of which the public archives no evidence,) a paper purporting to bea decree of Governor be ep made June 20, 1823. by which the league and a of land taken away from Peralta by vo was ordered to be restored to him; that in 1844, the claimants peti- tioned Governor Micheltorena, (without mentioning the Arguella title.) for a confrmation of the land gives him by. Bola att the petition was considered a acted upon 1 Governer, ‘@ con! issued {2'the claimant liming the quantity of {und to Ove square leagues; ‘that this title paper, which is doubtless in the bands of the claimants, was not produced;”” that the ity of the Commissioners ‘were upon evidence thus juced, and absence of evidence thus suppressed, to confirm the title to such an extensive tract of lan but desired a survey and further proof, for which one them, at the time of the continuance, assign: Ds, & copy of which. with » transcrip from the record book of titles for the year 1 howing that the confirmatory grant to Peralta, issued by Micheltorena, was to the ex- tent of five equate leagues,” have been forwarded to the department by the Commissioners, in justification of the course pursucd by them, in postponing a decision in this important cause, Ts the civil aud diplomatic appropriation act, of the 81st August last, Congress have conferred authority on the Surveyor (iencral, aud made an appropriation for the survey of private claims in California which have been Presented to the Land Commissioners in good faith, with @ limitation that he shall apply the appropriation “only | to such unconfirmed cases as in the gradual extension of the lines of the public surveys he sl find within the immediate sphere of his operations and which he is sa‘is- fied ought to be respected and actually surveyed in ad- vance of confirmation.’ This provision of law, it is ex- pected, will be the means of relieving the country from much embarrassment. by preventing conflicts which tight ariro by the survey, 98 public property, of lands that should properly be held in reservation until the final adjudication shall have been had; and hereafter, in sach claims as may be ultimately held to be invalid. it will be uite easy to'extend the lines of the public surveys over them. and connect the same with the contiguous surveys, In the same law, Congress has further provided for an asroctate law agent for California, learned in tho law, and skilled in the Spanish and English languages; and with this additional aid, it is hoped the Commissioners will bo able to peer ce the business entrusted to them, and bring their labors to a close as speedily as possible, I beg leave toinvite the attention of Congress to the propriety of prescribing by legislation, some measure for ascertaining and settling any private rights whicl it may be our duty to recognise in Oregon, in view of the stipu lations in the treaty of 15th August, 1848. at Washington, between the United States and Great Britain. In prosecuting the public curveys in that territory, this office was under the necessity of prescribing a general rule for the government of the Surveyor General, in order that he mightevold, as fur as practicable, any interference with valid rights. The action of that officer, how | ever, in' the matter, in the abeence of legislation, must By the treaty of 1830 with the Choctaws nume- | rous reservations were allowed, and Patents, required to be fesued to the resecyers, under the fo urteenth article, and to purchasers from the Indians under the nineteenth | article and supplement to that treaty, These and other kindred treaty operations have devolved au immense amount of business upon this office; but such has been the progress made in it, that we are prepared to issue patents on demandin any uncontested case where the proceedings are found regular. By the act of Congres, approved 27th January, 1851, Congress authorized a grant of “the right of pre-emption | to certain purchasers and fettlers on the ‘Maison Rouge rant,’ in the event of the final adjudication of the title in favor of the United States.” The Maison Rouge title, in a petitory action, came be- fore the Supreme Court of the United States, in 1845, in | the case of the United States vs. King and Coxe, and again in 1849, and decisions were then rendered sgainat it, but there was nothing in those decisions that war- ranted the Executive in proceeding to dispose of the necessarily be partial and inconclusive, and I there- fore must again advert to the subject, in the hope that proper legislation may be had at the present scacion, in | case our government should not purchiage recognined in the treaty The duties of the private land claim branch of the eer- vice are now extremely intricateand onerous. By reason of the enbanoed value of property generally throughout the country. conflicting iierests arise, and perplexing questions of law and ot fact are constantly coming before the department for examination and decision, often in volving interests to an immense amount; and when such progress eball have been made by ailitself of the right of | tuted for the adjudication of private land titles in Cali- | fornia, as will being them before the General Land office lands as public property, in the absence ot express direc- | tions from Congress In 1860, however. it again came before that Court, in the case of the United States vs. Turner et als , under the acts of Congress approved May 26, 1824, and June 17, 1344; and under those laws a decree was rendered by that | The seventh | tribunal sguinst the validity of the title tection of the said act ot 26th May. 1824, declares, in the case of @ final decision against a claim that “the land shall forthwith be held and taken as a part of the public lands of the United States, subject,” &c. In view of this provision of law, this officer was of opinion that the contingency contemplated by the said act of 27th January, 1851, had occurred, aud accordingly my vredeceesor, on the Sth Murch, 1861, despatched in- structions to the proper land officers to give eflect to the taid aot of 27th January. 1861. Since then the attention of the department has been drawn to the fact that there is another suit pending, un- der the acts of 1824 and 1844, before the Supreme Court. being the case of Coxe and others against the United States. in which the claim also rests on the Maison Rouge title; and the ground bas been taken that there 1s no pro pricty in acting under said act ot 27th January, 1851, until this last mentioned case sball have been decided on the appeal. In my communization to you of the 30th ultimo, it is shown that this office has taken @ different view ef the matter, and declined compliance with an application for» suspension of the notices under the act of 27th January, 1851, in consideration of the terms of the aforesaid seventh section of the act of 26th May, 1824. the decree of the Supreme Court in the case of Turner, and the re- quirement of the aid act of 27ch January. 1861. | | As the notices contemplated by the act of the 27th of | Janvary 1861, will not, however, be given until the offi. cial returns chall have been made of the public surveys, within the exterior Jines ef eaid claim, some time will yet olapse before ary final action will be had in the way | of disporing of the lands within the limits of raid claim. It is recommended that a general law, similar in princi ple to the act passed in the Maison Rouge casé be enact- ed s0 48 to relieve such rettiers as may be in a like situa- tion on other claims yet before the courts, and in which final decisions may be rendered against the Spanish or French title, On the 34 of March, 1851, an act was app:ovel ‘for the settlement of certain classes of ‘private land claims’ within the limits of the ‘Baron De Bastrop grant,’ and for allowing pre-emptions to certain actual settlers. in | the event of the final adjudication of the title of the said De Bastrop in favor of the United States” The Supreme Couit of the United States baving rendered a decision against the validity of the De Bastrop title, which covered over @ million of arpens, this office, pursuant to the re- quirements of the said act of the 3d of March, 1851. is- sued the necessary instructions, in order that a report wight be made by the jand officers on the several classes of claims under De Bastrop. ‘That report has been received, and, pursuant to the third rection of the act, will be laid before Congress at at early day of the ensuing session. Pursuant to the act of Congress, approved 3d March, 1851, for ascertaining and settling the private land claims in California, the land commissioners, who had been ap- inted to perform the duties prescribed by that law, al. fected an organization in the early part of the present year, and held the first session at San Francisco; and since then, accordirg to advic's dated in August Inst. they were pre- paring tohold « reaion in that month at Los Angelos, pur- suant to the order of the President. They nad further heen directed to bold a session the 10th November at Santa Barbora. and on the 16 b February, 1853, at Monterey; but upcn their recommendaticn of 10th August last. the order for the errions at Santa Barbara aud Monterey was re: yoked, and another session at Ban Francise> was directed to take place on. the 16th November. instead, The Teascns urged by the Commissioners were, that they might be able to despatch the cnses at that place which were ready for examimation and which would remain in suspense some eight er pine months from the date of their letter if the order for the setsions at Santa Barbara and Menterey was carried into full effeet. In their communieation to the depertment of the 1¢th of August last. they represented that “since the organi vation of the Board, ia January last, the Commissioaer have been industriously employed in informing them- eelves im regard to the Spanish and Mexican laws, ordi- raneer and decreor, applicable to land titles in this State, in examining fnto the general mature and character of those titles, and in taking testimony in imdividual cases;”’ that “the novelty and importance of the various matters d and centidered. meoeesarily wag ‘as well eas for the Commi it was sot uvtil the 17th ultimo (July) that tl ments in the first onses heard were concluded, eases submitted;” that ‘on the 9d instant,” (August.) ir “ first decision was made, which embraces most of @ lending and important legal questions which it is = carce that are likely to be brought before” them; that “the whole number of cages” then‘ pending before the Board” was" 298, apd testimony” bad “been taken in 116 of them. ¢ portion of which” were then ‘ready for examinetion and hearing,’ &o. Since then this office has received the printed opinions of the Commissioners, rendered in August last, in the cases of Crus Cervantes, Pearton B. Reading, and Carmen sibrian De Beenal Referring to those opinions, two of the Commissioners, (Mersts Hiland Hall avd Jamos Wilsom ) in @ letter to the department of the 18th August last, advert to them as showing thet they “have agreed upon and settled, so | far as” chetr “ action is concerned, most of the important. legal questions that are Hkely to arise under grants of land made by the Mexican government, en the authority of the Mexican colonixation law of 1324;"" and that, “in connection with these three cases, and another of « similar character, there was also argued submitted to” them “a fifth’ in whieh the grant wi have been made by the Spanish Governor, which claim, upon the proof made,” they " were unable | vonre) Ken Base in favor of the petitioner: which, by the: tion, a8 &@ majority of the Board, was rther evidence ‘and ment,” nd | for ite examination and definitive action in the way of irsuing United States patents for the same, our labors and respopeibilities will be seriously increased in this branch of the service. ‘The attention of Congress is called to the recommendations heretofore made for such legislation will authorize this (fice under the direction of the Pr sident, to rurvey and dispose of lands reserved for mili- tary and other purposes. whet i ‘were originaily set apart has b Tous reservaiions now exist, and io many tretances preset an timort ineaperehle difficulty to theseLtament aod sal of large bodies of land. By the act of 1810, the Secretary of War is authorized to sell abandoned military re: maplished, | Nume vations; but there is no authority anywhere to dispose of | lond rererved for waval timber. The expediency of hav- ing » uniform ryetem in the whole matter has boen £0 fuily «xpiained heretofore und is 80 evident, that further remark if deemed unnecessary. ‘the surveys of the public lands in several of the States have been closed, and the archives of the offices of the ‘al have been turned over to the officers States, ip accordance with the provisions h June, 1840, A similar course will soon huve to be ndopted with references to some of the other Btetes, and in ail euch cases the power to sur. vey, re-survey, or fubdivide lands, ceases when the office of the Surveyor General is thus abol- ished. In fact, it is right and proper that this ex: pense on the public lands should be absted as specdily as it cam properly be done. Daily experience. however, evinoes the necessity for the continuance of this power over the public lands until they are all disposed of, and the only proper and economical arrangement that seems expedient and practicable, is to place it in this office ‘This would obviate all inconvenience that can arise from abolisbing the'offices of the Surveyors General, under the act of 1840, and secure, wt a nominal expense, all the ad- vantages that could accrue from their continuance under such ciicumstances, I beg leave to call your attention to the interesting re ports of the several Surveyors General, herewith sub wilted. showing ruccintiy*the extent of the operations of thet brauch of the service during the past year—the prevent ;condition of their districts, and the surveys pro- Pored for the ensuing season, ‘Their office labors, it will be perceived, bave been rendered extremely onerous, by the selection of the swamp and overflowed lands, aud ex aminations in relation to erroneous and defective surveys, ‘he work, however, is progressing satisfactorily, and strenuous efforts have been made to bring it to a close as speedily 8 it con be done with a due regard to the pub ic interest. As the sales of the public land progress in different offices, the necessity arises tor consolidating districts, provided for by the act of 12th June, 1840, and for re. moving the Laud offices so ax to be more convenient to | the untold portions of the district, Some of the recent, | laws contain provisions authorising the President to re- move the Land Offices from time to time, as the necessi- ties and convenienes of the public may require; and as there ts the same necessity m all like cases for the exer- | cixe of this power, I recommend that # general provision of law be made to that effect ‘The adjustment of the grt of swamp and overflowed lands made by the acts of 2d March, 1849, and 28th Sep- tember. 1860, has progressed slowly, notwith:tanding reat diligence and activity in the force engaged on ic. ‘he Feleciion of the lands embraced by these grants was entrusted to the Surveyors General of the several States where thove offices existed, and to the registers and re- ceivers of the land districts in those States where the office of veyor General had bern abolished. The rea- | ton for this course was, that the Surveyors General had access to all the field notes aud the laud officers toall the deveriptive notes, whereas, except of a few of the States, there was not complete setsof either on the files of this Office. It was weil understood, that many of the lands had been surveyed im very dry seasons, or when the ground was frozen, and hence the field. or descriptive voter, would not indicate all that were of the character embraced by the grant. In cases of this kind. the offl- cers were authorized to receive and act on such responsi- ble and reliable tecttmony as should be produced by the authorities of the States, No reports bave yet been re- ceived from rome of the officers, though urged repeatedly to ha-ten their action, that the grant may be closed, Much difficulty has alto been experienced because of the numerous conflicts that bave grown out of the grant ‘The suspension of the sale and di«poral of all the public demain was not contemplated by these laws, and could not be made upless specially dtrected by Congress; and hence numerous entries and locations have been made of lands claimed by the States under therelaws. The grant took effect from the dates of the acts making it and therefore. in pumerous cases, conflicts cf title arie which bave tobe adjudicated by the department To relieve this diffleulty, as far as practicable, I suggest that where such lands have been purchaved, authority be granted for paying over the purchase money to the State, on @ relinquishment, by the governor, or other offloer + appointed by him for that purpore, of ail the right ef the State in and to such lands; and where those lands were located by warrants, or script to authorize the State to bee a like smount elsewhere, upon # similar relinquish. ment. Exclusive of this difficulty, however, the labor in ad- | supposed will arise in the land claims in this State,and Justing these grants is very great, as all the lists re | will form a rale for their action in a large portion of the turned have to be carefully com ith the trast books. All selections where tl pored of previous to the pourere of the laws annulled dl those since suspended—all the relection: are then posted, lists of them are prepared and sent to tho land officers, and aleoto the governor with diagrams exhibiting the lands embraced by the lists, and on the request of the governor the patente are then issued, As all this work must be done in conncetion with the current business of pared od the office and as but few ean be employed on it, the pro- | gress must be negeesarily slow. It is proper bere to state, that doubts have recently becn snggested whether the title of tho United States to the lands relected under the act of 4th September, 1841.and for schools and other purposes, is divested. by a mere cer- tifleate to the State, that the selections of eueh lands have been approved by the Executive, In some of the laws, the language is entirely full on this point, but the uaiform usage of the office has been to regard those certificates as claimed to | conveying the fee. To prevent any question arising on Sola in 1829, | this point, however. it would be weil for Congress te pass an act declaring that all such certifications which have Deon, or may hereafter be made, shall be re veying the fee, subject to all valid interfering rights, and that where tuch eertifentes we das cOn- herctofore isswed, this itponed for fur argument, Pint the claim whieh is made in the names of the hetra | cflice shall have the power of authenticating them by the nd dovisees of Luis Persita, is to @ very large tract of | ute of ourreal. he tribuaals consti- | ct for whieh they | for regulating,‘by sot of the int Caliptnlc, is now <xinswaty on t. ‘The only provisions of law in relation to the office of the Surveyor General of this State. are in the act emaiieg spppropriation for the ctvil and diplomatic exponses oi ther government for the facal years ending th June, en "The former act merely contains an item ‘for surveying the public lands avd private claims in Calffornia, im con- formity with the provisions of the act of Congress, wu- thorizing timilar surveys, of twenty-five thousand dollars to be expended under the directiou of the mt of the Interior, out of whieh sum is to be paid compen- sation of a Surveyor General. whose salary mot ex- csed four thousand five hundred dollars per annum, pro- vided that this rate of compensation shall continue for the term of two years, and no longer ;"’ and the latter (etatute at large, Be 90, 91.) merely makes further ap- propriations for the same serviee, without affecting that roviso PFAecording to a decision of the iret Comptrolier of the ‘Treasury, the compentation allo ved the Surveyor General st by the former act cannot be paid after the 30th June next without the repeal by Congress of that pevritos and the indispensable necessity of action by Congress on the subject at the present session. The object, no doubt, of Congress, in thus limiting the period during which this compensation should be paid, was.to ascertain whether the rate thus fixed was just. Experience has fully shown that in proportion to the expense of living it is by no means proportionate to the compensation paid the same gue of officers east of the Rocky mountains, and is from being commensurate with the arduous and im- tant duties devolved on that officer, and which he ters ably and faitbtully performed, ‘The rame remark can be made In relation to the salary '$2,00 per annum) allowed the Surveyor General of Save. yy the act ef the 27th September, 1850, ‘This compen: territory, will’ scarcely provide for the neces tion, in view of the high rates of living in that wants of that officer and his family, and is wholly uate to the services rendered by him. ‘The propricty of extending the United States land ays- temover the territories of Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico. is also respectfally submitted. Those territories are graduaily being settled by » hardy. enterprising, and industrious population. The lines of the bgpbile surveys, when extended over those lends. in accordance with the stem established by the laws of \ will interfere probably with the improvements of thore settlers, and hence frequent and vexatious liti gation will be produced, increasing in proportion as the pomp extend prior to those surveys, The neces sary facilities should also be furnished to all those set. ters to secure their hom 8, either by grants or purchase To thie end it would be well to create land officers in California, Oregon, and the territories mentioned, and int @ register to each, who eould collect evidence o ) open tract books, and make every necessary pro- paration for the sale of the lands when the claims or | grante are all finally dispored of. While on this subject, I would recommend that the township lines alone should be extended over the valuable deposits of the precious minerals, and that the lands containing those deposits be left free to the enter- prising industry of all citizens of the United States, and | thore who have declared their intention to become such, to work and mine at their pleasure, without let or hin- drance, except ¢ far as local legislation may be neces- sary to preserve tho peace of the country, and to secure pereons in their possessory rights; and if any benefit is claimed by government’ from the product of these lands, further than that which is general to all our citi- zeus, by sn abundant supply of the precious metals, that it be im the shape of @ nominal charge for refining the ore and coining the metal, which may be required te be done in the country, before permitting it t2 become @ subject of treffic, barter, er exportation, e inexpediency of the leasing system, as practised for many years in the mineral lands, on the Upper Mis- siselppi, and the actual loss to the government there- from, in cash. are fully shown by the able report of 20th November, 1845. of one of my predecessors, now in the United States senate. Subsequent oe in rela- tion to the mineral lands on Lake Superior, has fully )ustained the views set forth, in that report, as shown by the accompanying statement, from which it will be per- ceived that the expenses of the mineral agency at that point, since 1847, has exceeded the revenue therefrom nearly $3,500. No other section of the globe could have furnished a better opportunity to test the efficiency of this system, as the ouly outlet for the products of the | mines was by the Sault Ste. Marie river, and hence none | could be smuggled out without paying the government impost, or rent It ie hardly probable, therefore, wigh a knowledge of those facts, that this system will be extend- | ed to the mineral lands on the Pacific; and there is none | other that ‘could be estabiisbed on a similar basis that | would not be liable to like objections. One of the earliest measures, in connection with the pub- | Ue lands, that engaged the atiention of Congress, was the necessity for makivg provision for the establishment of school, colleges, &c , in the new States, and for obealng roads for ready access to the immense domain then heli by the government in those States. For the former, one | thirty sixth part of the pablic lands was set apart; for the latter one twentieth of the net proceede of the whole do- main was appropriated ‘Whe same wise policy has been continued from the time of President Jefferson through each administration, | down to tbe last session of Congress; and every President, since the days of Washington, except the two distin. guished patriots whose terms of office were abridged by death, have evinced their sanction of this policy. by signing bills making grants for carrying it out, as shown by the accompunyirg statemeut In extending ihe isnd system over the Territories of Minerota and Oregon, Congress have enlarged the grant for rchools to double the amount for each township of that heretofore ret apart for this purpose, and no deubt ‘the same liberality will be manifestea towards the other States and Territories, as necessity requires or opportuni- ty offers. The Disizict of Columbia. the seat of the na- tions] legirlature, sione, bas not heretofore enjoyed the | benefits of the liberality of Congress in this respect, The | citizens of Washington have taxed themselves heavily, | and made every provision in their power, tor the estab Mabment of a judicious «ystem of education here, in which {nstruction is impurted without charge ef aay kind There are now fight district and seventeen primary «cheols\in successful operation, at an annual | charge of about fifteen thousand dollars to the city, | and in which over two thousand ecbolars, male and fe- | male are taught wil t ents of a good English edu nm, With the higher branches, when required. This, ver, ix by mo «sufficient, as many are comstant- y seeking admitta: there schools, ani cannot be re- ceived for want of room. while the surrouading country is almost entirely destitute, I would therefore, earnest- | ly recotumend that liberal provision in money or lands be made for educational purpores in this Distric may become worthy of its illustrious founder, the of his country.” In relation to the other branch of this subject, I beg Jeave to state that the roads end canals, constructed with the assistance given by the government snd the improve. ment of the navigation of rivers. effected through the fame inrtrumentality, have brought iato market immense bodies of iend, which otherwise would probably have re- mained unsold for many years—in all likelihood long enough for the expenses to have consumed a great part of the revenue derived from them, aud if interest were | charged on their value, vo have absorbed the whole amount Where grants have been made by alternate rections, reeerving every other section to the government, and doubling the minimum price of the Iunds thus reserved, the government has gained as before stated, and alto di- | rectly by the enbauced value of the lands along such im- provements ‘The grant for the Mobile and Chicago Railroad. made by the act of 20th September, 1850 so far as the State of Tilinois is concerned, where the selections have been com. pleted and the lands retained by the goveroment brought into murket. 18 strongly. in point, in support of this view, Here the greatest anxiety was manifested to obtain lands | } | along the road, even st ihe euharced minimum and | CO., Broadway, (bambers and Reade ata niost to the Troplo of Cancer, has given ft an Those duties, Pies ay Tee office. briefly classed under the several Land Di-triets of the United States, and the aet- tlement of Individual conflicts and other adverse Theexamination and adjustment of the aecor the Land Reece! of public monary ane the dSurvey- ors General © examination of Preemption claims, Fent up from the District Landofficers for review and in- th and the sett!» ment of disputed cases, nume- ten complicated. mination of Land Warrants, growing out of the: lution. last war with Great Britain, and of the Mexican war, under the act of 1847, and the gene- Pee her 1860, luties incident to the public surveys, in the draft ing branch of this establichment. pee knowledge of surveying in all its branches. anc skill in protracting and 3 The exeminetion, generally, of assignments of inqhoate titles, under local statutes, resting on ordinary ances, devise, op rales under orders of probate court,), decrees in chancery, partnership titles, and titles ts)! porations. ‘The engrossing, recording, and examination efpitony for rights under the eredit, oash, and military systems, In exeeuting the laws of Oongress making grants>( lands for county seats, schools, roads, eanals, and): Purposes, The examination of claims and titles derived from Great Britain, France, and Spain, in connection with the ¢on- firmatory statutes, and the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, in which the original ences of title are necessarily drawn in review in relation to errors of law, or of fact, or of conflicts, and in order s ant determination of locality, and extent of oo1 mation. and. finally, to carry them into patent from the United States. requiring a thorough knowledge of all the laws of the former ana present governments om the sab- ject, and involving a vast amount of labor and eom- plexit; In the investigation of evidences of claims to reserva- tions under Indian treaties, in order to carry such rights into patents according to the terms of grant, or transfer, these often giving rise to embarrassment, im the settle- ment of conflicta. The preparation of instractions to the Surveyors Gene- ral, and superintending the extension of the surveying ayrtem, and the revising of returns to seoure efliciency, uniformity. and correctness in the local duties, and the correction of errors je field oyerations—often a work it delicacy and difficulty ‘The preparation of general tructions to the Land Officers, and general correspon- dence incident to the immenne details of the system. ‘The examination of cases referred for examination by committees in Congrees, and other duties inseparable from the general supervieary power of this office. Inthe operations of this institution our rules of action have ne- cerrarily to be determined afte of the voluminous legislation of Co: 2 Fs with foreign 4 opinions of the Atterney General of the United States, and the precedents existing in the office. The foregoing may furnish some ides of the scope of the duties, labors, and 1¢-ponsbihities of this effiee; the manner in which they are discharged, we leave to the judgment of an enlightoned government, and the intelll- gence of those representing the vart landed interests of our country and their constituency. For detallsof the statistics and othar subjeets referred to in this report, I beg leave to refer to the aceompanying documents and tables - The reports of the Surveyors Goneral of California and Oregon, not having been received in time to accompany this report, will be submitted with a special communioa- tion For the same cause, no estimates are submitted for suzveys in California; they will torm the subjeot of another communication at an early day. With great respect, I have the honor to be, your obe- dient servant, (Signed) JOHN WILSON, Commissioner. Hon. AH. H. Srvanr, Secretary of the Interior SHAVELLEKS GUIDE Renee OR ALBANY—WINTER ARRANGEMENT—THRE! daily Uline: $160.—Tho trains leave City station, corner row and Centre streets, daily, Sum: rts jepted, as follows :—First train at 7 30, A. brain, stopping at all the way stations; Pt Albany oppin, ton ‘Ail and Chatham Four Corners in time to connect with the 2 90 train from Albany, went; third train 345, P. M., Albany pxproes stopping at Croto Falls, Dover Plains, Millerton, flilisdale, and Chatham F Corners, arriving 915 P. M., connecti) f Albany with ex- pross train for Buffalo, Roturning, will leave Kaas Alban S68A. M, cxpress train, arriving in Now York at 12 45 Be M5 11 5 4 M., mail train making i stops, and 4 . ‘sapross train, arriving in New Yor! 1. si ‘ M. SLOAT, Sap't. He DSON RIVER RAIL ROA D.—TRAINS DAILY from Chambers street, for Albany and Troy:— Rxpress Train, 6 A.M. Through in four hours, sonnecting with trains reaching Buffalo or Montreal at 8 o'olock same (ail Teain, 8 A.M. Through way train at P.M. Mail in, 5 P.M. Accommodation Tr in, 7 P.M Peete ore taken at Chambers, Caz al, Christopher, Fowt- P teenth, and Thirty-fir-t streets. ¢ treet, ab 7:90 A. M, fe Sunday Trains, from pereet " Renting iy for GEO. STAKS, Superintendent, heidi: to mete wo} Poughk: eo, and at 6 way sta: DRY GOODS, CLOAKS, MANTIL- LEX. T. STEWART & PRICES REDUCED —FRENCH Ise, &o, December 6, 1852. A’ MBROIDERIES.—JUST RECEIVED, A RICH VA- rigty of collars, sleoves nud chemexotts; s fresh apply of Honiton lace gods, k thresd lace mantillas, nd trimming Inces, | Aleo, now silks, shawls, & large lot of jam ae) able line: whioh are ie TIFTAN TT cloak: offered very low. thourands of cree were dispored of that would probably | have remained unsold for meny years So far, then, as grants of ih aracter are conserned, the ceverest eriticiem cannot justly eharge them as viola- | tons of the compacts with the several States from which | they were acquired, to wit: that they should be con- sidered a common fund. for the use avd benefit of wll the States; nor as the slightest infringement of the pledge made of them by the act of 28th January, 1547, for the | redemption of the public debt The average cost of ratiroads in the United States | has been found to be about twenty five thousnd dollars per mile. The grant of six sections, or 3.840 acres, | per mile, would not quite realize $10.000, at the double iniuimom. The balauce of over $15 000 per mile, would have to be furnished by the State, or the individual en- | terprise to which the construction of the road might be entrusted ; and it would be unjust to the intelligence | and foresight of our citizens to suppose that works of this kind would be undertaken without» fair prospect of ccmpletion and the realization of reasonable profit from the investment The act pasved at the last session of Congress, granting the right of way. and the privilege of taking the meceasa- Ty muterials for the coustrnetion of all such roads, trom | the public lands, is a fuir introduction to this policy. The facilities furniehed by such roads, so far as Humes agency can accomplish it, will snnibilate time and pace, and like adamaniire bonds, bind together this mighty and wide spread republio ‘With there views, I respectfully recommend that grants of thie character be made tothe several States for every work of the kind they may undertake; and especially to the State. weet of the Mississippi, for the construction of railroads from that river. along the fertile vallies watered by the streams that d+-cond from the Rocky mountains jo the foot of those mouoteins; and that like grants be made te the State of Uslifornia, aud Territories of Oregon, Utah. and of Mexico, for routes leading from thePacific to the west ride of those mountains, leaving the transit of the mountains to individual enterprise, or the ake liberality of Congross. in view of the immense facilities and advantages thet would enure to the commereial in- terests of the country from such communications, ‘The protection would thus be extended to citizens ernment for transporting ndiat nd men and militat poste. wi fully justify such grants, aside frem the pe- eupiary profit growing oat of them |. Or, if the States of Iowa and Missouri, should combine to construct such a road from rome pant on the Missou tirlver, west of the western boundary of those States; and the States of Arkansas end Louisiana shovid, fn like manner, undertake the construction of @ Southern road. | for the mutual benefit of those States, that Liberal grants be made for those pu . ‘The vast importance of thease measures will secure their completion if they enee commenced; and many now living will ree t of the Atisntic and Pacific brought within days travel of each other, and our country become the mart and medium of the trade of the worl It is estimated, after deducting all the swamps and overtiowed lands granted to the State of Louisiana. by the acts of 2d March 1849. and 28th Septembsr 1850, that about 10,000 (00 acres will remain to the United States, much of which ie of very inferior quality. The jurties and Droplet y of granting these lands to the State, in far- ther aid of constructing the nece: levees and drains to protect the eountry from annual inuhdetion, have heretofore engaged the atteation of Congress, and formed the subject of a report from the Departanent of the In- terior, of 24th August. 1560. a copy of which is hereto | oe This subject is again respectfally presented, to fully treated cf im that report that farther eomment on it le deemed umnece sory. | — The extraordinary growth and expansion of our public | land eyetem, now extending from the Atiantio to the Pa- | cific, andfrom the lakes end 49 degrees north latitude al- Bt | who appl} | easy and rapi '¥ & CUTTING, ‘521 Broad way. ADAME FIDERICH DESIRES TO INFORM HE customers and others, that she has reoeived b; teamers the moat beautiful Paris embr er imported, and respectfully requoste = uJ FIDERICH, No. 98 Princo abzoot, five MA doors west of Broadway, MEDICAL. ICAL WORK.—D on the fl @. RALPH'S PRAG. the Gen, Or; wh MPORTANT M tical Treat nature sympt ure Thirteen w H. Long & Bro! , pulishers, 42 tor House, snd by most boo! office, 643’ Houston surset, ( opsulted on these subjects from to 12 A. (Sundays rxoepted ) Maved, securety a ot of postage, by addressing, pre paid, to box 869 office. 5OO REWARD. —: citic mixture. the least restristion of d . OXPORUED, 0 applicstion to business, Che proprietor chal cage which the miature will not oure, undor jars. Further—the disease o eof the mixture is taken wh , with full direetion Any sro curec ia two ‘Also, at ti Wooster.) where ik. “and 6 oloped ont EFFERIBS' ANTIDOT! it makes It is put up in bottle Insts a weok— by C. H. O FEE TILL stroct, botweon Chatham a otly ite the Chathna certain 8. dwenty two years in hia apecialit profession eaables him to curs time of quackery can call on him with having. their cases properly. troatod, ploma in my ofice, as membor of the New York COOPER, it DUANS STREKT, MAY Bi ited with contidence om "diseases. ING, 192 Broadway; 108 Bayard ot URED.—DR. COBBETT, 19 DUAN! William strects, an may be consulted om of the vie~ 901 His enocese hag known, both in and out of the professio1 I practitioner of direases in Now }. JOUNSON, 16 DUAN B STREBT, 80 WELL KNOWN for the last op hess ‘Ae tho most successful practitioner in New York, may bo conentted so usual im bis iprivate 0” fice, on all diseases $0 whioh flesh ie heir to. heve suffered modionl pro , may rely ow Thaviy their canes trontod by = physi of oxperienes. R. WILi1AM WARD I* OURING NUMBERS BVER week of those who have contracted disesae. hose with whioh his brother is #0 consulted by as many ass hundred ° more of those disenses. 8: rate Toon for co Office, Canal strest, one door frem Brom way. D® WARDE MA CICAL REMEDIES HOLD OUT AB. solute cortsinty of a speody and thorough eure, early are often cured in twenty-four hours. treatment has boon s great benefit to al street, doer from aways ee neu) asic Office, 01 sande, abel jorner of 1a will tell you wap streets. very my rem: laced, to really cure sera Only place, 7% Di J, on physiol firm relianoe can be Aisonves. One dollar per yi erect, wp stairs, ‘York, until sho new office No. 3 is finished. For ten ast every 10 :summate quack : $" Dr’ Hunter restore: people to sound. health reat rem ir Hunter restere: peo Gaily who ave been ruined with mersury by these jus humbugs. cai ‘HE MARRIED WOMAN'S T Compan ‘By Dr. A.M. of W yentioth 6 ¥ f phy might have po: on of this work. It te intended eg married, oF those contemplating marriage. ae {0 Important secrete, whieh ahould be knowa to ve cre, also, fomale—the wife—the m ither bud anhood, oF th ot Abt complaint to which her sex is oul 9 of & letter froma coutioman fa 008. gm age PON. Dr, A.M. Mavnscrav, No. 199 Liberty stzoel:— My Doar Sir—My wifo has been pers ted some three years or moro, aa lsh and utering nt—evety su: eae moro an trating her, pubting her life and whieh was, on tne last cooasien, dospaired I posed this state of things was Inevitable, and 0 FJ this time, (now ifs, aremedy. 1 ceived was ia, nother be 1 Aeron of course, etion! on sorlous subjesta trenvod of, as they nee sates eee intended fer the merried, or those yo me For sale Taseduey Ke. 2 eee @ Ch aN rei oe eee, * ‘ork; Little & Co. ; , au t. FF m6 SSF reek Ph a A pamp! contents o rH if