PART II. ACTS OF CONGRESS FOR THE DISPOSAL OF THE PUBLIC LANDS. SECTION I. GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR THE SURVEYING, SALE (1) Extracts from the Ordinances and Resolutions of Congress, under the Articles of Confederation. THE territory ceded by individual states to the Ordinance, United States, which has been purchased of the In- May 20, dian inhabitants, shall be disposed of in the following manner: 1785. state to be A surveyor from each state shall be appointed by A surveyor Congress, or a committee of the states, who shall take from each an oath for the faithful discharge of his duty, before appointed. the geographer of the United States, who is hereby empowered and directed to administer the same; and the like oath shall be administered to each chain carrier, by the surveyor under whom he acts. The geographer under whose direction the sur- Geographer's duty in reveyors shall act, shall occasionally form such regula- gard to, and tions for their conduct as he shall deem necessary, power over, and shall have authority to suspend them for miscon- the surveyduct in office, and shall make report of the same to Congress, or to the committee of the states; and he shall make report in case of sickness, death, or resignation of any surveyor. ors. How the surveyors shall divide and survey The surveyors, as they are respectively qualified, shall proceed to divide the said territory into townships of six miles square, by lines running due north the territory. and south, and others crossing these at right angles as near as "may be, unless where the boundaries of the late Indian purchases may render the same impracticable, and then they shall depart from this rule no farther than such particular circumstances may require. And each surveyor shall be allowed and paid at the rate of two dollars for every mile in length he shall run, including the wages of chain carriers, markers and every other expense attending the Surveyor's compensation. the first lines. Townships same. Beginning of The first line, running north and south as aforesaid, shall begin on the river Ohio, at a point that shall be found to be due north from the western termination of a line which has been run as the southern boundary of the state of Pennsylvania: and the first line running east and west shall begin at the same point, and shall extend throughout the whole territory; provided, that nothing herein shall be construed as fixing the western boundary of the state of Pennsylvania. The geographer shall designate the townships or fractional parts of townships, by numbers progressively from south to north; always beginning each range with No. 1; and the ranges shall be distinguished by their progressive numbers to the westward. The first range extending from the Ohio to the lake Erie, Latitude to being marked No. 1. The geographer shall personally attend to the running the first east and west line, and shall take the latitude of the extremes of the first north and south line, and of the mouths of the principal rivers. and ranges to be designated by numbers. be taken. Manner of running and marking the Lines. Plats of townships to The lines shall be measured with a chain; shall be plainly marked by chops on the trees, and exactly described on a plat; whereon shall be noted by the surveyor, at their proper distances, all mines, salt springs, salt licks and mill seats that shall come to his knowledge; and all water courses, mountains and other remarkable and permanent things over or near which such lines shall pass, and also the quailty of the lands. The plats of the townships respectively shall be be marked by marked by sub-divisions into lots of one mile square, tional parts. or six hundred and forty acres, in the same direction sub-divisions as the external lines, and numbered from 1 to 36; of one mile always beginning the succeeding range of the lots Order of with the number next to that with which the preced- numbering ing one concluded.* And where, from the causes them, before-mentioned, only a fractional part of a township and the frac shall be surveyed, the lots protracted thereon, shall bear the same numbers as if the township had been entire. And the surveyors, in running the external Corners of lines of the townships, shall, at the interval of every to be marked mile, mark corners for the lots which are adjacent, in the exteralways designating the same, in a different manner wal lines. from those of the townships. †The geographer and surveyors shall pay the ut most attention to the variation of the magnetic needle; and shall run and note all lines by the true meridian, certifying with every plat what was the variation at the time of running the lines thereon noted. sub-divisions to the trea sury. As soon as seven ranges of townships and fraction- Plat of seven al parts of townships, in the direction from south to first ranges north shall have been surveyed, the geographer shall to be returned transmit plats thereof to the board of treasury, who shall record the same with the report in well bound books to be kept for that purpose. And the geogra pher shall make similar returns from time to time of every seven ranges as they may be surveyed. The One seventh secretary at war shall have recourse thereto, and shall part to be take by lot there from a number of townships and the late confractional parts of townships, as well from those to tinental arbe sold entire, as from those to be sold in lots, as my. will be equal to one seventh part of the whole of such seven ranges, as nearly as may be, for the use of the late continental army; and he shall make a similar draft from time to time, until a sufficient quantity is drawn to satisfy the same, to be applied in manner *The secretary of the treasury authorised by the 7th section of, the act of 2d May, 1802, to cause the sub-division lines to be sur veyed, and purchasers permitted, in some cases arising under this erdinance, to select other lands. This imperfect mode of surveying successively rectified by the acts of 18th May 1796, 10th May, 1800 and 11th February 1805 Repealed by resolution of 12th May, 1796. This provision respecting reservations for military bounties modified by supplement of 9th July 1788, and repealed by act of 18th May, 1796. drafted for to be allotted among the states, The remain hereinafter directed. The board of treasury shall ing numbers from time to time, cause the remaining numbers, as well those to be sold entire, as those to be sold in lots, to be drawn for in the name of the thirteen states, respectively, according to the quotas in the last preceding requisition on all the states: provided that in case more land than its proportion is allotted for sale in any state at any distribution, a deduction be made therefor at the next. And transmitted to the Who shall sell the same. Manner of sale. The board of treasury shall transmit a copy of the commission- original plats, previously noting thereon the towners of loans. ships and fractional parts of townships, which shall have fallen to the several states, by the distribution aforesaid to the commissioners of the loan office of the several states, who, after giving notice of not less than two nor more than six months, by causing advertisements to be posted up at the Court houses or other noted places in every county, and to be inserted in one newspaper published in the states of their residence respectively, shall proceed to sell the townships or fractional parts of townships at public vendue in the following manner, viz. The township or fractional part of a township, No. 1. in the first range shall be sold entire; and No. 2. in the same range by lots; and thus in alternate order through the whole of the first range. The township or fractional part of a township, No. 1. in the second range shall be sold by lots, and No. 2. in the same range entire; and so in alternate order through the whole of the second range; and the third range shall be sold in the same manner as the first, and the fourth in the same manner as the second, and thus alternately sold for less throughout all the ranges; provided that none of the than $1 per lands within the said territory be sold under the acre specie, price of one dollar the acre, to be paid in specie or or certificates loan office certificates, reduced to specie value by the to specie va scale of depreciation, or certificates of liquidated debts of the United States including interest, besides the expense of the survey and other charges thereon, which are hereby rated at thirty six dollars the town. ship, in specie or certificates as aforesaid, and so in Noland to be &c. reduced lue. And $36 per township for charges. *Provision relating to this allotment, and sale by commissioners of loans, repealed by supplement, of 9th July, 1788. |