(ACT of April 12th, 1814.)

to law, and are embraced in the report of the commissioners, or register, or recorder, for the district within which the lands claimed do lie, in every case where it shall appear by the said report of the commissioners, register, or recorder, that the concession, warrant, or order of survey, under which the claim is made, contains a special location, or had been actually located or surveyed within the late territory of Orleans, before the twentieth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and three, or actually located or surveyed within the territory of Missouri, before the tenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and four, by a surveyor duly authorized by the government making such grant, such persons shall be, and they are hereby confirmed in their claims: Provided, That no claim shall be confirmed by this section which shall have been adjudged by either of the boards of commissioners, or a register, or receiver of public moneys, or a recorder acting as such, to be antedated or otherwise fraudulent: nor any one to claim a greater quantity of land than the number of acres contained in one league square, nor the claim of any person, in his own right, who has received, in his own right, a donation grant from the United States, in said state or territory: And provided also, That no confirmation made by this section shall affect the rights of any person claiming the same lands, or any part thereof, whose claim has been confirmed by a board of commissioners for ascertaining and adjusting claims to land in said state or territory, nor preclude a judicial decision between private claimants in such interfering claims.

SEC. 11. Every person or persons claiming lands in the said state or territory, by right of donation under any former laws, whose claims are contained in the report of any of the boards of commissioners, or the report of the register and receiver of public moneys, or of the recorder of land titles, made, or hereafter to be made, under existing laws, and which claims shall appear by the said reports not to have been confirmed, merely because the tracts claimed were not inhabited on the twentieth of December, one thousand eight hundred and three, such person or persons shall be, and they are hereby confirmed in their respective claims: Provided, That in every other respect such claims shall be embraced by the provisions, and conform to the limitations and restrictions, prescribed by former laws for granting the right of donations in the said state and territory.

SEC. III. It shall be the duty of the several registers of the land offices, and of the recorder of land titles, in the state or territory aforesaid, with whom the claims in their respective districts have been entered, which are confirmed by this act, in all cases where the land has not been surveyed according to law, to make out, for the principal deputy surveyor of the district in which the land lies, an order of survey for each tract of land confirmed under this act, with a proper description of the tracts to be surveyed,

(ACT of April 18th, 1814.)

wherein the quantity, locality, boundaries, and connexion, when practicable, with each other, and the tracts which have been heretofore confirmed, shall be stated; and on the return of the plat of survey, or where an order of survey is not necessary, the said register or recorder of land titles, shall, on application for that purpose, make out, for each claimant entitled thereto by the provisions of this act, a certificate of confirmation, directed to the commissioner of the general land office; and if it shall appear to the satisfaction of said commissioner, that such certificate shall have been fairly obtained, according to the true intent and meaning of this act, then and in that case patents shall be granted in like manner as is provided by law for the other lands of the United States. And the said register or recorder shall be entitled to receive, from the person applying therefor, where he shall have previously issued an order of survey, for such order of survey and certificate, the sum of one dollar and fifty cents, and for each certificate without an order of survey, the sum of one dollar.

SEC. IV. It shall be the duty of the principal deputy surveyor, on receiving an order of survey from the register or recorder of land titles, and the surveying fees from the claimant, which shall not exceed three dollars for every mile to be surveyed and marked, to survey or cause to be surveyed, under the direction of the surveyor general, or surveyor of the lands south of the state of Tennessee, the several tracts of land confirmed by this act; and the said principal deputy surveyor shall make return of the surveys, in separate plats, to the register or recorder of the district within which the land lies, and also transmit, to the surveyor general, or surveyor of the lands south of the state of Tennessee, as the case may be, a plat or plats of the surveys directed to be made by this section, who shall, respectively, transmit copies thereof to the commissioner of the general land office.

SEC. v. Every person, and the legal representatives of every person, who has actually inhabited and cultivated a tract of land lying in that part of the state of Louisiana which composed the late territory of Orleans, or in the territory of Missouri, which tract is not rightfully claimed by any other person, and who shail not have removed from said state or territory, shall be entitled to the right of pre-emption in the purchase thereof, under the same restrictions, conditions, provisions, and regulations, in every respect, as is directed by the act, entitled "An act giving the right of pre-emption in the purchase of lands to certain settlers in the Illinois territory," passed February fifth, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen.

ACT of April 18, 1814. 4 Bioren, 711.

51. SEC. I. All the right and claim of the United States to a lot of ground in the county of Orleans, and state of Louisiana,

(ACT of March 3d, 1815.)

bounded above by the lands of Don Miguel, and fronting on the bayou St. John, containing one hundred and eighty feet front and five hundred and forty feet back, including the improvements thereon, now occupied by the said company, be, and the same hereby is, vested in and conveyed to the president and directors of the Orleans Navigation Company, for the time being, and their successors, for the use and benefit of the said company forever.

ACT of March 3, 1815. 4 Bioren, 833.

52. SEC. 1. The president of the United States is hereby, authorized to cause to be ascertained and surveyed the boundary line designated by the treaty with the Creek nation of Indians, concluded on the ninth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, and the same shall be distinctly marked, in all such places, except where water courses are described, as the boundary by the said treaty; and for this purpose the president of the United States shall have power to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, three commissioners, whose compensation shall not exceed, exclusive of travelling expenses, the rate of eight dollars per day, during the time of actual service of such commissioner, in ascertaining and surveying the said boundary line; they shall have power to employ a skilful surveyor, who shall be allowed five dollars per day, and two chainmen and a marker, who shall each be allowed two dollars per day, in full for their services.

SEC. II. The said commissioners, on completing the ascertainment and survey aforesaid, shall make out three accurate plats of the survey of the said boundary line, one of which they shall transmit to the secretary of state, one to the surveyor of the lands south of the state of Tennessee, and the other to the chiefs of the Creek nation of Indians.

SEC. 111. All the public lands of the United States to which the Indian title was extinguished by the aforesaid treaty, shall be, and are hereby formed into a land district; and for the disposal thereof a land office shall be established, which shall be kept at such convenient place as the president of the United States may direct; and, for the said land office, a register, and receiver of public moneys, shall be appointed, who shall give security in the same manner, in the same sums, and whose compensation, emoluments, duties, and authority, shall, in every respect, be the same, in relation to the lands which shall be disposed of at their office, as are or may be provided by law in relation to the registers and receivers of public moneys, in the several land offices established for the disposal of the other public lands of the United States.

SEC. IV. The powers vested by law in the surveyor of the lands of the United States south of the state of Tennessee, shall extend over all the public lands of the United States to which the Indian

(Act of April 29th, 1816.)

title was extinguished by the aforesaid treaty, and the same shall be surveyed in the manner, and for the same compensation, as other public lands in the Mississippi territory.

SEC. v. The president of the United States is hereby authorized, whenever he shall think it proper, to direct so much of the public lands, lying in the said district, as shall have been surveyed in conformity to this act, to be offered for sale. All such lands shall, with the exception of the section numbered sixteen, which shall be reserved in each township for the support of schools within the same, with exception also of one entire township, to be located by the secretary of the treasury, for the use of a seminary of learning, and with the exception of any tracts of land reserved to the Indians by the said treaty, shall be offered to the highest bidder, under the direction of the register and receiver of public moneys of the said land office, on such day or days as shall, by a public proclamation of the president of the United States, be designated for that purpose. The public sales shall remain open for three weeks, and no longer; and the lands shall be sold for a price not less than that which has been, or may be, fixed by law, for the public lands in the Mississippi territory; and shall, in every other respect, be sold in tracts of the same size, on the same terms and conditions, as have been, or may be, by law provided for the other public lands in the Mississippi territory. The superintendents of the said public sales shall receive six dollars, each, for each day's attendance on the said sales. All lands, other than those reserved as aforesaid, and excepted as abovementioned, remaining unsold at the closing of the public sales, and which had been offered at the said sales, may be disposed of at private sale, by the register of the land office, in the same manner, under the same regulations, for the same price, and on the same terms and conditions as are or may be provided by law for the sale of the other public lands of the United States in the Mississippi territory. And patents shall be obtained for the lands sold in the said district in the same manner, and on the same terms, as for other public lands sold in the Mississippi territory.

ACT of April 29, 1816. Pamphlet edit. 123.

An act to provide for the appointment of a surveyor of the public lands in the territories of Illinois and Missouri.

53. [See "Lands northwest of the Ohio," 83, ante, page 487.]

ACT of April 29, 1816. Pamphlet edit. 132.

An act concerning preemption rights given in the purchase of lands to certain settlers in the state of Louisiana and in the territories of Missouri and Illinois.

54. [See "Lands northwest of the Ohio," 85, ante, page 489.]

ACT of April 29, 1816. Pamphlet edit. 130.

55. SEC. 1. The claims marked B, and described in the several classes in the reports of the commissioners for the western district of the state of Louisiana, formerly territory of Orleans, and recommended by them for confirmation, are hereby confirmed: Provided nevertheless, That under no one claim shall any person or persons be entitled, under this act, to more than the quantity contained in a league square.

SEC. II. All claims embraced in the reports of the recorder of land titles, acting as commissioner for ascertaining and adjusting the titles and claims to land, in the territory of Missouri, dated November first, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, and February second, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, where the decision of the said commissioner is in favour of the claimants, shall be, and the same are hereby confirmed, to wit: confirmations of village claims under the act of congress of the thirteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twelve: grants of the late board of commissioners, appointed for ascertaining and adjusting the titles and claims to land in the territory of Missouri, extended by virtue of the fourth section of the act of the third of March, one thousand eight hundred and thirteen; grants and confirmations under the several acts of congress, commencing with the act of the thirteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twelve.

SEC. III. In all cases not provided for by law for patent certificates to issue, every person, and the legal representative of every person, whose claim to a tract of land is confirmed by this or any former act. and who has not already obtained a patent certificate for the same, shall, whenever his claim shall have been located and surveyed according to law, be entitled to receive from the register of the land office at Opelousas, in the state of Louisiana, or from the recorder of land titles in the terrritory of Missouri, as the case may be, a certificate, stating that the claimant is entitled to a patent for such tract of land, by virtue of this act, for which certificate the officer issuing the same shall receive one dollar, and the certificate shall entitle the party to a patent for the tract of land, which shall issue in like manner as is provided by law for patents to issue for lands purchased of the United States.

ACT of March 3, 1817. Pamphlet edit. 245.

An act to set apart and dispose of certain public lands, for the encouragement of the cultivation of the vine and olive.

56. SEC. 1. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury, under the direction of the president of the United States, to designate, and set apart, any four contiguous townships, each six miles square, of vacant public lands, lying in that part of the Mississippi territory which was formed into a land district, by the act, entitled "An act for the ascertaining and surveying of the