VII. THE PUBLIC LANDS. REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE. GENERAL LAND OFFICE, SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this office for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1854, and for the third quarter of the current calendar year. From the 30th September, 1853, to the 30th September, 1854, 9,384,464 acres were surveyed, chiefly in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Florida, and 8,190,017 acres were brought into market. This is exclusive of the surveys in California, Oregon and Washington, amounting to 1,686,471 acres, which have not yet been proclaimed for sale, for the reason that those in California could not be disposed of till the private claims and pre-emptions in that State had been adjusted; and no provision was made by law for the ordinary sale of lands in Oregon and Washington till the last session of Congress. As soon as it can be done with a due regard to outstanding claims, these lands will be brought into market in the same manner as those east of the Rocky mountains. During the fiscal year ending the 30th June last, there For the quarter ending September 30, 1854, there were Sold for cash (part estimated).. Making a total of......... Reported under swamp-land grant.......... Making an aggregate of......... Acres. 2,894,306.00 388,360.00 3,282,666.00 1,496,962.57 4,779,628.57 This shows an increase in sales for the last fiscal year over the preceding of 5,952,239.86 acres; and although the aggregate disposed of was less than that of the preceding year by over 2,000,000 acres, the difference was caused by the fact that the most of the grants for bounty land, swamp, railroad, &c., had previously been disposed of. The sales for the third quarter of the current calendar year are more than twice as heavy as those for the corresponding quarter of the previous year, though the locations are less numerous, for similar reasons to those above given. During the year ending the 30th September last, 120,784 patents under the various laws were written, exclusive of the swamp-land grants, and 111,158 were recorded, occupying 224 folio volumes; 429 manuscript patents were also written and recorded, covering 851 pages, or nearly two folio volumes. Tracts. Of certificates of purchase there were posted........ 106,279 Declaratory statements.. Selections for internal improvements..... Swamp-land selections.... Equal to....... The following accounts were also adjusted, to wit: Of receivers of public money... Of disbursing agents.... Of refunding accounts... 17,806 50,324 13,473 93,362 281,244 486 402 508 333 277 Of surveyors general and deputy surveyors.. Of publishers of newspapers....... Equal to....... ... 2,006 accounts, and occupying four large folio volumes of records. 125 lists of swamp-land selections, covering 2,920 pages, and 4 lists of railroad selections, covering 348 pages, have been received and acted on. 508 Virginia bounty-land claims, filed for the issue of scrip under the act of August 31, 1852, have been examined, of which 373 were allowed, 62 rejected, and 73 suspended. 4,043 pieces of scrip were issued, amounting to 292,195 acres; and 190 claims were filed, calling for 90,342 acres. 2,806 pre-emption claims under the several laws have been examined and settled, and the voluminous correspondence therewith connected promptly attended to. 26,617 letters have been received and registered, the registery covering 3,659 pages, or 7 volumes of large folio record; and 24,279 letters were written, filling 15,473 pages, or 31 volumes of record. 6,684 packages, exclusive of letters, have been transmitted, and the seal of the office attached to 51,000 patents, copies, &c. It will thus be perceived, that, on an average, full onethird more business has been done in the office during the past year than in the preceding; and although more assistance has been furnished for part of the current year than formerly, the gentlemen in the office, heads of divisions, and others, who cordially co-operated in pressing on this labor, are entitled to high commendation. The unusually large number of patents prepared, and the office business connected therewith, evince the amount of labor performed in the recorder's division. The onerous and responsible duties of the chief clerk have been faithfully and efficiently discharged, and the internal police of the office fully sustained. The principal clerk of private land claims has also been actively employed in the difficult and complicated duties of his division, which are in a satisfactory state of forwardness. The principal clerk of surveys, though in ill health, has been assiduously engaged as his strength would permit in organizing the surveying operations in the new Territories, and carrying them out in the States. The clerk in charge of the pre-emption division has also been most indefatigably employed, and, in view of the fact that many cases were complicated and difficult, has disposed of a very large amount of business. The clerk in charge of the Virginia revolutionary claims and war of 1812 bounties, has labored indefatigably and ably in this most difficult branch of duty. The clerks in charge of the Mexican bounty-land claims, and those under the acts of 1850 and 1852, have striven earnestly and successfully to keep up the duties of their re spective divisions, notwithstanding the great pressure of those duties. The accountants have had the posting of the sales and locations, though unusually heavy, brought up as close as possible, and the accounts of the receivers and disbursing agents, adjusted to the latest dates practicable; and notwithstanding the large amount of money received for lands, it is confidently believed that every dollar has been or will be paid into the treasury. The duties of these divisions, though exceedingly arduous, have been zealously and faithfully performed. The clerk in charge of the swamp-land division has also been diligently employed, and has ably pressed forward the duties of it towards completion. With very few exceptions, the assistants in those several divisions have ably and efficiently seconded the efforts of their principals to consummate speedily and satisfactorily the duties of their respective branches. The accounts of the surveyors general, deputy surveyors, and publishers of newspapers, have been adjusted and reported to the latest possible dates. The following table shows the present condition of the bounty-land warrants, under the acts of 1847, 1850, and 1852, to wit: Act of 1847.. 86,676 12,995,880 77,535 11,734,080 959 76,720 690 55,200 147,800 391,640 4,833 274,680 SUMMARY. 10,110,160 Grand total 282,809 26,543,760 225,421 22,235,880 57,388 4,307,880 It will thus be perceived, that of the 26,543,760 acres embraced by the warrants now issued, 22,235,880 acres have been located, leaving only 4,307,880 acres to be satisfied. The following table exhibits the present condition of the grant of 500,000 acres made to each of the States for internal improvements by the act of September 4, 1841, to wit: Wisconsint................ 500,000.00 Total............. 4,306,544.76 416,721.41 83,278.59 4,306,544.76 3,977,848.09 328,696.67 This grant may be regarded as closed in all these States except Louisiana, and it is presumed that it will soon be disposed of by that State also. The grant for the central railroad from Chicago to Mobile, with a branch to Galena, has been adjusted and finally closed; that in Missouri, from Hannibal to St. Joseph's, is also closed, except a few tracts claimed by the railroad, which have been selected by the agents of the State as swamp lands under the act of 1850, and which are in process of adjustment. The grant for the southwestern road from St. Louis, Missouri, is in process of adjustment, and will be completed as soon as practicable. Nothing has yet been done with the grants for roads in Arkansas, for the reason that, by the terms of the grant, the legislature of the State was authorized to have the routes of the road established, and that body did not meet since the grant was made till this fall. It is presumed that the routes of these roads will be established from surveys already made; and when established, the grant will be adjusted as speedily as practicable. The grant for the Sault Ste. Marie canal, it is expected, will be finally adjusted by the commencement of the session of Congress. *Subject to readjustment, owing to imperfection of plats from which selections were made. Under decision of Attorney General, July 24, 1852. |