Representatives, of twenty-six members, elected for one year. The members are apportioned among the different counties, according to the population (Indians excepted). The Legislative power extends " to all rightful subjects of legislation "—but no law can be passed interfering with the sale or disposal of the public lands. No tax can be imposed on the public lands, and the property of non-residents cannot be taxed higher than that of residents. All laws have to be submitted to, and if disapproved by, the Congress of the United States, they become null and void; and laws incorporating banks do not take effect unless approved by Congress. The members of the legislature receive three dollars per day, when in session, and three dollars for every twenty miles travel in going to and returning from Madison. They meet annually, on the first Monday in December, and their sessions are limited to seventy-five day, or rather by the amount of the appropriations made by Congress.

The JUDICIAL POWER is vested in a Supreme Court, District Courts, Probate Courts, and Justices of the Peace.

The SUPREME COURT consists of a Chief Justice and two associate Judges, appointed during good behavior, who hold a term annually, at Madison, the seat of Government, on the third Monday in July. The salary of the Judges is eighteen hundred dollars.

The DISTRICT COURT is held twice a year, in each county, by one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, at such times as are prescribed by law. The Territory is divided into three Judicial Districts. The First, Charles Dunn, District Judge, consists of the counties of Crawford, Grant, and Iowa. The Second, David Irwin, Judge, consists of the counties of Walworth, Rock, Green, Dane, Jefferson, Sauk, and Portage. The Third, Andrew G. Miller, Judge, consists of the counties of Brown, Milwaukee, Racine, Washington, Dodge, and Fond du Lac.*

* The remaining counties are not organized for judicial purposes, but are attached to some one of those here named.

The Supreme and District Courts possess Chancery, as well as common law jurisdiction.

The JUDGES OF PROBATE, and JUSTICES OF THE PEACE, are elected by the people. The Justices have no jurisdiction where the title of land is in dispute, nor where the sum claimed exceeds fifty dollars.

A DELEGATE TO CONGRESS is elected every two years, who is entitled to a seat in the House of Representatives, and the privilege of speaking, but has no right to vote on any question.

An ATTORNEY, and MARSHAL, are appointed by the President, for the term of four years, unless sooner removed and the Legislature have created the offices of Treasurer, Auditor, and Superintendant of public property.

WISCONSIN has now a population sufficient to entitle her to claim an admission into the Union, as an independent State, on an equal footing with the other original States, that population being fixed by the ordinance of 1787, at sixty thousand; and a very general disposition is now manifested among the people to organize a State government without delay. We are then entitled to a place in the Union on an equal footing with the other States.

There are three Land Offices in Wisconsin, for the disposal of public or government lands; at Milwaukee, Mineral Point, and Green Bay.

The MILWAUKEE Land District includes all the land from range number nine east, to Lake Michigan; and from the Illinois State line, to town ten, inclusive; and also towns eleven and twelve, in the ranges number twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two. The first public sale at this office was held in the early part of the year 1839, and the amount of money received was nearly half a million of dollars.

The GREEN BAY Land District includes all the country north of the Milwaukee District, and the first public sale was in 1835.

The MINERAL POINT District lies west of the Milwaukee

District, extending to the Mississippi river, and including The first sales at Mineral Point

all the "Mineral Lands."

also took place in the year 1835.

The following table shows the amount of land sold in Wisconsin, and the amount paid for it. It is made from the reports of the Commissioner of the General Land Office, at Washington:

It thus appears, that Wisconsin has already contributed nearly FOUR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS for the support of the general government, from this item alone; and that the average price paid for lands here, is less than two cents over the minimum price of $1,25 established by the government; and also that the sales have been rapidly increasing for the last few years, so that they now amount to nearly half a million of dollars per annum. It is gratifying to learn that a large proportion of the entries is made for the purpose of actual cultivation, as is indicated by the fact, that they are mostly for the smaller subdivisions. Thus, of 5255 entries made at Milwaukee in 1845, no less than 4159 were for lots not exceeding forty acres each, and only 442 were for lots exceeding eighty acres each. In a late report from the general land office, it is stated that there were on thè 30th day of June, 1845, in Wisconsin, 5,737,085 acres of land, that had been offered at public sale, and were then subject to entry at the minimum price.

The public lands in Wisconsin are, as elsewhere in the

west, surveyed into townships, six miles square each, and subdivided into sections of one mile square, or six hundred and forty acres. The townships are numbered from the base line, which is the south line of the Territory, and the ranges of townships are numbered east and west, from a line in the Mineral Point District running between the counties of Grant and Iowa, called the fourth principal meridian. Thus, Milwaukee is said to be in township number seven north, and in range number twenty-two east; and Cassville is in township number three north, and in range number five west of the fourth principal meridian. The sections in each township are numbered from one to thirtysix, beginning at the northeast corner, as shown in the following figure.

The section numbered sixteen is in all cases reserved for the use of schools in the township:

At the corners of each section, four trees are marked (one standing on each section) by the Surveyor, with the number of the township, range and section, thus:

These marks represent the corners, at which sections 14,

15, 22 and 23 come together.

"sectional map,"

By means of these marks, aided by a a person can, at any place in the woods, find his exact position, and relative situation, and the distance from other places.

The sections are divided into quarters of one hundred and sixty acres; and the quarters are divided by a line running north and south, into two equal half quarters, or eighty acre lots. They are designated as the east or west half of the quarter.

Great inducements are now offered by government to those who wish to purchase the public lands for actual improvement and cultivation. By the pre-emption law approved September 4th, 1841, it is provided that every person who shall make a settlement in person on the public land and erect a dwelling, shall be authorized to enter a quarter section or one hundred and sixty acres, at the minimum price, before the public sale; and thus secure the same against competition: and if any person shall settle upon and improve land subject to private entry, he may, within thirty days, give notice to the register of the land office of his intention to claim the land settled upon, and may within one year make proof of his right, and enter the land at the minimum price. He may thus be considered as a purchaser at a year's credit; but if he fails to give the notice, or to make the requisite proof, his land again becomes subject to private entry.

At the land sales in the Mineral Point District, all those