nati, on the second Monday of November next, they having given four weeks previous notice of such meeting in a public newspaper printed at Cincinnati, and shall then and there proceed to hear and finally decide upon all claims, of which notice may have been given as aforesaid, and shall, in all matters relative thereto, govern themselves by the provisions of the said act. Vacancies in the said board of commissioners may be filled by the president of the united states alone. And the duties, powers and emoluments of the said commissioners, receiver of public monies, and register of the land office at Cincinnati, and surveyor-general, as prescribed by the said act, shall, and the same are hereby continued. [See antea 21, 23.]

34. SECT. IV. Every person who may have obtained, or who shall hereafter obtain, as aforesaid, a certificate of a right of pre-emption from the said commissioners shall be allowed until the first day of January next, to make the first payment required for the lands described in such certificate, and shall, in all other respects relative thereto, conform to the several provisions of the said act.

35. SECT. V. It shall and may be lawful for the secretary of the treasury to cause to be viewed, marked, and opened, such roads within the territory north-west of the Ohio, as in his opinion will best serve to promote the sales of the public lands in future: Provided, That the whole sum to be expended on such roads shall not exceed six thousand dollars, and that the same shall be paid out of the monies paid by purchasers of public lands on account of surveying expenses.

36. SECT. VI. All the lands around Vincennes on the Wabash, in the Indiana territory, the Indian title to which hath been extinguished, shall be surveyed and laid off in the manner prescribed by the third section of an act entitled "An act to amend an act entitled "An act providing for the sales of the lands of the united states in the territory north-west of the Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river,” under directions from the secretary of the treasury, and by such person or persons as the president of the united states alone shall appoint for that purpose: Provided, That the whole expense of surveying and marking the lines shall not exceed four dollars for every mile that shall be actually run, surveyed and marked. And two plats of the lands aforesaid shall be prepared by the person or persons who may survey the same, who shall also designate thereon the bounds of the lands of individuals held under reservations of the state of Virginia, or under the laws of the united states: One of the said plats shall be return cd to the office of the secretary of the treasury, and the other shall be deposited with the secretary of the Indiana territory. [See postea 56.j

37. SECT. VII. In all cases where any section or fractional section of land lying within the seven ranges of townships, has been sold prior to the tenth day of May, one thousand eight hundred, under the authority of the united states, the lines of such section or fractional section, shall be run under the direction of the secretary of the treasury, in the manner most consistent with the supposed boundaries of the same, at the time of the sale, any thing in the act of the tenth of May, one thousand eight hundred, to the contrary notwithstanding. And it shall be lawful for the secretary of the treasury, whenever lines thus

run shall interfere with the claim of a purchaser of public lands under the last mentioned act to permit such purchaser, if he shall desire it, at any time within six months, after such lines, thus interfering with his claim, shall have been run, to withdraw his former application, and to apply in lieu thereof for any other vacant section.

ACT of April 21, 1792. (Vol. II. p. 63.)

38. SECT. I. A certain contract expressed in an indenture executed on the twenty-seventh day of October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, between the then board of treasury for the united states of America, of the one part, and Manasseh Cutler, and Winthrop Sergeant, as agents for the directors of the Ohio company of associates, of the other part, so far as the same respects the following described tract of land; that is to say: "Beginning at a station where the western boundary line of the seventh range of townships, laid out by the authority of the united states in congress assembled, intersects the river Ohio; thence extending along that river south-westerly to a place where the western boundary line of the fifteenth range of townships, when laid out agreeably to the land ordinance passed the twentieth day of May,one thousand seven hundred and eighty five, would touch the said river; thence running northerly on the said western bounds of the said fifteenth range of townships, 'till a line drawn due east to the western boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, will comprehend, with the other lines of this tract, seven hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, besides the several lots and parcels of land in the said contract reserved or appropriated to particular purposes; thence running east to the wertern boundary line of the said seventh range of townships, and thence along the said line to the place of beginning," shall be and the same is hereby confirmed: And the president of the united states shall be and he hereby is authorized and empowered to issue letters patent in the name and under the seal of the united states, thereby granting and conveying to Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver, and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in fee simple, the said described tract of land, with the reservations in the said indenture expressed, in trust for the persons composing the said Ohio company of associates, according to their several rights and interests, and for their heirs and assigns, as tenants in common.

39. SECT. II. The president shall be and he hereby is further authorized and empowered, by letters patent as aforesaid, to grant and convey to the said Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in trust, for the uses above expressed, one other tract of two hundred and fourteen thousand, two hundred and eighty-five acres of land. Provided, That the said Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, or either of them, shall deliver to the secretary of the treasury within six months, warrants which issued for army bounty rights sufficient for that purpose, according to the provision of a resolve of congress of the twenty-third day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty

seven.

SECT. III. The president shall be, and he hereby is further authorized and empowered by letters patent as aforesaid, to grant and convey to the said Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver and Griffin Green, and to their heirs and assigns, in fee simple, in trust for the uses above expressed, a farther quantity of one hundred thousand acres of land. Provided always nevertheless, That the said grant of one hundred thousand acres shall be made on the express condition of becoming void, for such part thereof, as the said company shall not have, within five years from the passing of this act, conveyed in fee simple, as a bounty and free of expense, in tracts of one hundred acres, to each male person, not less than eighteen years of age, being an actual settler at the time of such conveyance.

40. SECT. IV. The said quantities of two hundred and fourteen thousand, two hundred and eighty-five acres, and of one hundred thousand acres, shall be located within the limits of the tract of one million, five hundred thousand acres of land, described in the indenture aforesaid, and adjoining to the tract of land described in the first section of this act, and in such form as the president in the letters patent, shall prescribe for that purpose.

ACT of May 18, 1796. (Vol. III. p. 293.)

41. SECT. I. A surveyor-general shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to engage a sufficient number of skilful surveyors, as his deputies; whom he shall cause, without delay, to survey and mark the unascertained outlines of the lands lying north-west of the river Ohio, and above the mouth of the river Kentucky, in which the titles of the Indian tribes have been extinguished, and to divide the same in the manner herein after directed; he shall have authority to frame regulations and instructions for the government of his deputies; to administer the necessary oaths, upon their appointments; and to remove them for negligence or misconduct in office.

42. SECT. II. The part of the said lands, which has not been already conveyed by letters patent, or divided, in pursuance of an ordinance in congress, passed on the twentieth of May, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, or which has not been heretofore, and, during the present session of congress, may not be appropriated for satisfying military land-bounties, and for other purposes, shall be divided by north and south lines run according to the true meridian, and by others crossing them at right angles, so as to form townships of six miles square, unless where the line of the late Indian purchase, or of tracts of land heretofore surveyed or patented, or the course of navigable rivers may render it impracticable; and then this rule shall be departed from, no further than such particular circumstances may require. The corners of the townships shall be marked with progressive numbers from the beginning; each distance of a mile between the said corners shall be also distinctly marked with marks different from those of the corners. One half of the said townships, taking them alternately, shall be subdivided into sections, containing, as nearly as may be, six hundred and forty acres each, by running through the same, each way, parallel lines, at the end of every two miles; and by marking a

corner, on each of the said lines, at the end of every mile; the sections shall be numbered respectively, beginning with the number one, in the north-east section, and proceeding west and east alternately, through the township with progressive numbers, till the thirty-sixth be com pleted. And it shall be the duty of the deputy-surveyors, respectively, to cause to be marked, on a tree near each corner made, as aforesaid, and within the section, the number of such section, and over it, the number of the township, within which such section may be; and the said deputies shall carefully note, in their respective field-books, the names of the cornertrees marked, and the numbers so made: The fractional parts of townships shall be divided into sections, in manner aforesaid, and the fractions of sections shall be annexed to, and sold with, the adjacent entire sections. All lines shall be plainly marked upon trees, and measured with chains, containing two perches of sixteen feet and one half each, subdivided into twenty-five equal links, and the chain shall be adjusted to a standard to be kept for that purpose. Every surveyor shall note in his field-book, the true situations of all mines, salt licks, salt springs and mill-seats, which shall come to his knowledge; all water courses, over which, the line he runs shall pass; and also the quality of the lands: These field-books shall be returned to the surveyor-general, who shall therefrom cause a description of the whole lands surveyed, to be made out and transmitted to the officers who may superintend the sales: He shall also cause a fair plat to be made of the townships, and fractional parts of townships, contained in the said lands, describing the subdivision thereof, and the marks of the corners. This plat shall be recorded in books to be kept for that purpose; a copy thereof shall be kept open at the surveyor-general's office, for public information; and other copies sent to the places of the sale, and to the secretary of the treasury.

45. SECT. JII. A salt spring lying upon a creek which empties into the Sciota river, on the east side, together with as many contiguous sections as shall be equal to one township, and every other salt spring, which may be discovered, together with the section of one mile square which includes it, and also four sections at the center of every township, containing each one mile square, shall be reserved, for the future disposal of the united states: But there shall be no reservations, except for salt springs, in fractional townships, where the fraction is less than three fourths of a township.

44. SECT. IV. Whenever seven ranges of townships shall have been surveyed below the Great Miami, or between the Sciota river and the Ohio company's purchase, or between the southern boundary of the Connecticut claims and the ranges already laid off, beginning upon the Ohio river and extending westwardly, and the plats thereof made and transmitted, in conformity to the provisions of this at, the said sections of six hundred and forty acres (excluding those hereby reserved) shall be offered for sale, at public vendue, under the direction of the governor, or secretary of the western territory, and the surveyor-general; such of them as lie below the Great Miami shall be sold at Cincinnati ; those of them which lie between the Sciota and the Ohio company's purchase, at Pittsburgh; and those between the Connecticut claim and the seven ranges, at Pittsburgh. And the townships remaining undi

vided shall be offered for sale, in the same manner, at the seat of gove ernment of the united states, under the direction of the secretary of the treasury, in tracts of one quarter of a township lying at the corners thereof, excluding the four central sections, and the other reservations before mentioned: Provided always, That no part of the lands directed by this act to be offered for sale, shall be sold for less than two dollars per acre.

45. SECT. V. The secretary of the treasury, after receiving the aforesaid plats, shall forthwith give notice, in one newspaper in each of the united states, and of the territories north-west and south of the river Ohio, of the times of sale; which shall, in no case, be less than two months from the date of the notice; and the sales at the different places shall not commence, within less than one month of each other: And when the governor of the western territory, or secretary of the treasury, shall find it necessary to adjourn, or suspend the sales under their direction, respectively, for more than three days, at any one time, notice shall be given in the public newspapers, of such suspension, and at what time the sales will re-commence.

46. SECT. VI. Immediately after the passing of this act, the secretary of the treasury shall, in the manner herein before directed, advertise for sale, the lands remaining unsold in the seven ranges of townships, which were surveyed, in pursuance of an ordinance of congress, passed the twentieth of May, one thousand seven hundred and eightyfive, including the lands drawn for the army, by the late secretary of war, and also those heretofore sold, but not paid for; the townships which by the said ordinance,are directed to be sold entire,shall be offered for sale, at public vendue in Philadelphia, under the direction of the secretary of the treasury, in quarter townships, reserving the four center sections, according to the directions of this act. The townships, which, by the said ordinance, are directed to be sold in sections, shall be offered for sale at public vendue, in Pittsburgh, under the direction of the governor or secretary of the western territory, and such person, as the president may specially appoint for that purpose, by sections of one mile square each, reserving the four center sections, as aforesaid; and all fractional townships shall also be sold in sections, at Pittsburgh, in the manner, and under the regulations provided by this act, for the sale of fractional townships: Provided always, That nothing in this act shall authorize the sale of those lots, which have been heretofore reserved in the townships already sold.

47. SECT. VII. The highest bidder for any tract of land, sold by virtue of this act, shall deposit, at the time of sale, one twentieth part of the amount of the purchase money; to be forfeited, if a moiety of the sum bid, including the said twentieth part, is not paid within thirty days, to the treasurer of the united states, or to such person as shall be appointed by the president of the united states, to attend the places of sale for that purpose; and upon payment of a moiety of the purchase money, within thirty days, the purchaser shall have one year's credit for the residue; and shall receive from the secretary of the treasury, or the governor of the western territory, (as the case may be) a certificate describing the land sold, the sum paid on account, the balance