by law, one entire township of land, or a quantity of land equal thereto, in tracts of not less than the quarter of a section. Approved, March 2, 1831. CHAP. 417.-An act to ascertain and mark the line between the State of Alabama and the Territory of Florida, and the northern boundary of the State of Illinois, and for other purposes. of Alabama and SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he Survey, boundary is hereby, authorized to cause to be run and marked the Florida. boundary line between the State of Alabama and the Territory of Florida, by the surveyors general of Alabama and Florida, on the thirty-first degree of north latitude, and it shall be the duty of the surveyor general of Florida to connect the public surveys on both sides with the line so run and marked. lands to issue. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That patents shall be Patents for certain issued for such tracts of land as were sold and paid for at the land office at Tallahassee, in the Territory of Florida, as are found to be situate within the limits of the district of lands subject to sale at Sparta, in Alabama, agreeably to the terms of the act organizing that district; and the said entries and sales shall be as valid, in every respect, as if they had been made in the land district of Alabama. northern boundary of Illi SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President of Survey the United States is hereby authorized to cause the surveyor nois. general of the United States for the States of Illinois and Missouri, and the Territory of Arkansas, to act as a commissioner on the part of the United States, whenever he shall be duly informed that the Government of the State of Illinois shall have appointed a commissioner on its part, the two to form a board, to ascertain, survey, and mark, the northern line of the State of Illinois, as defined in the act of Congress entitled "An act to enable the people of the Illinois Territory to form a constitution and State Government," [and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States,] passed the eighteenth of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen ;* and in case of va- *Chapter 217. cancy in said office of commissioner, or of his being unable to act from any cause, the President is authorized to fill such vacancy by the appointment of some other qualified person, whenever it may be necessary, until the object of the commission shall be attained. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the said board of Surveyors, &c. commissioners shall have power to employ the necessary surveyors and laborers, and shall meet at such time and place as may be agreed upon by the President of the United States and the Government of the State of Illinois, and proceed to ascertain, survey, and mark, the said northern line of the State of Illinois, and report their proceedings to the President of the United States and the Governor of the State of Illinois. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the President may allow to the said commissioner of the United States such compensation for his services as shall seem to him reasonable, provided it does not exceed the allowance made by the State of Illinois to the commissioner on its part; and the said allowance, together with one half of the necessary expenses of said board, and the surveyors and laborers, and the allowance to be made to the surveyors general of the State of Alabama and the Territory of Florida, and the necessary expenses incurred by them in running and marking said line between said State and Territory, shall be paid from the Treasury of the United States, out of any money not otherwise appropriated; and, to enable the President to carry this act into effect, there is hereby appropriated the sum of two thousand dollars. Approved, March 2, 1831. [See Part II, No. 445.] CHAP. 418.-An act for the relief of certain holders of certificates issued in lieu of lands injured by earthquakes in Missouri. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress asNew Madrid gr❜nts sembled, That the legal owners of any certificates of new any lands subject location issued under the act of seventeenth February, one may be located on to sale. *Chapter 175. Chapter 265. thousand eight hundred and fifteen, for the relief of persons whose lands were injured by earthquakes in Missouri,* which may have been located upon lands any part of which has been adjudged to any person or persons as a right of preemption, shall be authorized to locate such warrants upon such lands as are liable to entry at private sale: Provided, That, previous to making such new location, the legal owners aforesaid shall relinquish to the United States all claim to the previous location: And provided, further, That such locations shall be made, and patents issued therefor, under the same regulations and restrictions as if the locations had been made under the provisions of the second section of the act of the twenty-sixth April, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, entitled "An act to perfect certain locations and sales of the public lands in Missouri."+ SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this act shall remain in force for the term of eighteen months from the passage thereof. Approved, March 2, 1831. [See Part II, Nos. 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 23, 62.] CHAP. 419.-An act to create the office of surveyor of the public lands for the Surveyor general appointed. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That a surveyor general for the State of Louisiana shall be appointed, who shall have the same authority, and for Louisiana to be perform the same duties, respecting the public lands and private land claims in the State of Louisiana, as are now vested in and required of the surveyor of the lands of the United States south of the State of Tennessee, or the principal deputy surveyors in the said State; and that, from and after the first day of May next, the office of principal deputy surveyors, as created by the ninth section of the act of Congress of the twenty-first day of April, eighteen hundred and six, entitled "An act supplementary to an act entitled 'An act for ascertaining and adjusting the titles and claims to lands within the Territory of Orleans and district of Louisiana,'"* be, See chapter 84. and the same are hereby, abolished; and it shall be the duty of the said principal deputy surveyors to surrender to the surveyor general of Louisiana, or to such person or persons as he may appoint to receive the same, all the maps, books, records, field notes, documents, and articles, of every description, appertaining or in any wise belonging to their offices, respectively. to be delivered to Louisiana, Alaba pi. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the principal Certain documents deputy surveyor for the district east of the island of New the surveyors of Orleans be, and he hereby is, required to separate and ar- ma, and Mississip range the papers in his office; and all the maps, records, papers, and documents, of every description, which refer to lands in the State of Louisiana, shall be delivered to the order of the surveyor general for that State; and such of them as refer to lands in the State of Alabama shall be delivered to the surveyor for the State of Alabama; and such of them as refer to the lands in the State of Mississippi, together with such maps, papers, records, and documents, in the office of said principal deputy surveyor, as are not hereby required to be delivered to the surveyor general of the State of Louisiana, or to the surveyor for the State of Alabama, shall be delivered to the order of the surveyor of the lands of the United States south of the State of Tennessee; and the office of said principal deputy shall be, and the same is office of deputy hereby, abolished, from and after the first day of May next; New Orleans abol and the powers and duties now exercised and performed by ished. the said principal deputy surveyor, shall be vested in and performed by the aforesaid surveyors, within their respective States. east of papers to surveyor SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the surveyor of Missis duty of the surveyor south of the State of Tennessee to de- sippi to deliver liver to the surveyor general of the State of Louisiana all the of Louisiana. maps, papers, records, and documents, relating to the public lands and private claims in Louisiana, which may be in his office; and, in every case where it shall be impracticable to Deputy surveyors to be appointed. Location of office of the surveyor. His salary. Fees. Provision for the settlement of con Louisiana. make a separation of such maps, papers, records, and documents, without injury to the portion of them relating to lands in Mississippi, it shall be his duty to cause copies thereof, certified by him, to be furnished to the surveyor general of Louisiana, and which copies shall be of the same validity as the originals. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the surveyor general of Louisiana shall appoint a sufficient number of skilful and experienced surveyors as his deputies, who, with one or more good and sufficient sureties, to be approved by said surveyor general, shall enter into bond for the faithful performance of all surveying contracts confided to them, in the penalty of double the amount of money accruing under the said contracts, at the rate per mile stipulated to be paid therein; and who, before entering on the performance of their duties, shall take an oath, or make affirmation, truly, faithfully, and impartially, to the utmost of their skill and ability, to execute the trust confided to them; and, in the event of the failure of a deputy to comply with the terms of his contract, unless such failure shall be satisfactorily shown by him to have arisen from causes beyond his control, he shall forfeit the penalty of his bond on due process of law, and ever afterwards be debarred from receiving a contract for surveying public lands in Louisiana or elsewhere. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the surveyor general to be appointed in pursuance of this act shall establish his office at such place as the President of the United States may deem most expedient for the public service; and that he shall be allowed an annual salary of two thousand dollars, and that he be authorized to employ one skilful draughtsman and recording clerk, whose aggregate compensation shall not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars per annum; and that the fees heretofore authorized by law for examining and recording surveys, be, and the same are hereby, abolished; and any copy of a plat of survey, or transcript from the records of the office of the said surveyor general, shall be admitted as evidence in any of the courts of the United States or Territories thereof; and, for every copy of a plat of survey, there shall be paid twenty-five cents, and for any transcript from the records of said office, there shall be paid at the rate of twenty-five cents for every hundred words, by the individuals requiring the same. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That, in relation to all Bicting claims in such confirmed claims as may conflict, or in any manner interfere with each other, the register of the land office and receiver of public moneys for the proper land district are hereby authorized to decide between the parties, and shall, in their decision, be governed by such conditional lines or boundaries as have been or may be agreed upon between the parties interested, either verbally or in writing; and in case no lines or boundaries be agreed upon between the parties interested, then the said register and receiver are hereby authorized to decide between the parties, in such manner as may be consistent with the principles of justice; and it shall be the duty of the surveyor general of the said State to have those claims surveyed and platted in accordance with the decisions of the register and receiver: Provided, That the said decisions and surveys, and the patents which may be issued in conformity thereto, shall not in any wise be considered as precluding a legal investigation and decision, by the proper judicial tribunal, between the parties to any such interfering claims, but shall only operate as a relinquishment, on the part of the United States, of all title to the land in question. lands in western SEC 7. And be it further enacted, That all the lands to Mode of surveying which the Indian title has been extinguished, lying north of division of Michithe northern boundary of the State of Illinois, west of Lake gan Territory. Michigan, and east of the Mississippi river, shall be surveyed in the same manner, and under the same regulations, provisions, restrictions, and reservations, as the other public lands are surveyed. seminary in Mis &c. SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the Legislature Lands granted for of the State of Missouri be, and is hereby, authorized to sell souri, may be sold, and convey, in fee simple, all or any part of the lands heretofore reserved and appropriated by Congress for the use of a seminary of learning in said State, and to invest the money arising from the sale thereof in some productive fund, the proceeds of which shall be forever applied, by the Legislature of said State, solely to the use of such seminary, and for no other use or purpose whatsoever. And that the Legislature of said State of Missouri shall be, and is hereby, authorized to sell and convey, in fee simple, all or any part of the Salt springs in salt springs, not exceeding twelve in number, and six sec- sold, and proceeds tions of land adjoining to each, granted to said State by the applied to educe United States for the use thereof, and selected by the Legislature of said State, on or before the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five, and to invest the money arising from the sale thereof in some productive fund, the proceeds of which shall be forever applied, under the direction of said Legislature, for the purpose of education in said State, and for no other use or purpose whatsoever. Approved, March 3, 1831. [See Part II, Nos. 19, 711, 899, 902, 903, 904, 905, 911, 912, 913, 917, 919, 942, 943, 972.] Missouri may be tion. CHAP. 420.-An act to authorize the State of Illinois to sell twenty thousand acres of the saline lands in said State.* *See act of May 24, 1828; ante, ch. 373. may sell lands re SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the State of Illinois be, and is, authorized and State of Illinois empowered to sell and dispose of twenty thousand acres [in served addition to the thirty thousand acres heretofore authorized to be sold] of the lands granted to said State for the use and works. for salt |