Diagram of the Great Raft of Red River or Caddo Country referred to in the Commissioner's Instructions of the 28th of October 1836. Reduced from Mr Shreve's sketch

the manner in which the instructions from this office, relating to the subdivision of fractional sections, and the subdivision laws generally, have heretofore been executed within your district.

The act of the 24th of April, 1820, authorizes the subdivision of quarter sections into half-quarter sections, by a line supposed to run north and south, from points to be ascertained upon the principles laid down in the act of the 11th of February, 1805; that is, from points intermediate between the established section and quarter-section corners, on the lines running east and west through the township, and under the provisions of the act of the 5th of April, 1832; the corners and contents of quarterquarter sections must also be ascertained on the principles laid down in the act of the 11th February, 1805, by east and west lines which join intermediate points between the section and quarter corners, established on the east and west boundaries of the section, the contents of such quarterquarter sections being assumed as half the contents of the half-quarter section.

The act of the 5th of April, 1832, also directs that the fractional sections containing fewer or more than one hundred and sixty acres shall, in like manner, as near as practicable, be subdivided into quarterquarter sections, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. The printed circular from this office to surveyors general, dated May 8th, 1832, of which a copy is herewith enclosed, contains the directions prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, under this provision of the act.

The practice which has obtained, in all the surveying districts north of the State of Louisiana, under the provisions of the laws, &c., above referred to, and which has received the approbation of this Department, will be best explained by an example of a township plat from one of those districts, showing the manner in which the subdivisions have been made, and which, by comparison, will enable you in future to correct such departures from the uniform system as may have been made within your district.

Township 30, range 8 west of the second principal meridian, in the State of Indiana, returned to this office in 1836, has been selected, because it seems to embrace all the varieties of lots.

1st. As regards the section and quarter-section corners, you will perceive that they have been ascertained as directed in the act of 11th February, 1805, by right lines run each way from the mile corners previously found upon the exterior boundary of the township; the excess being thrown upon the north and west tiers of quarter sections; had there been a deficiency, it would have been disposed of in a similar manner, the contents of each section, (water, private claims, &c., always excluded,) except in the two tiers just mentioned, being taken for 640 acres, more or less. By this mode of proceeding, the south quarter of the north tier of sections, and the east quarter of the west tier of sections, except the southwest and northeast quarters of section 6, are made regular quarter sections, and need no further subdivision or numberings upon the plat; thus not only saving a large amount of labor, but greatly simplifying the business.

2d. The half-quarter corners being taken at 20 chains from the quarter posts standing next to the north and west boundaries of the township, a series of regular half-quarter sections, containing each 80 acres, more

or less, is cut from the north and west tiers of quarter sections; and the balance of said quarters, containing, in this instance, more than 80 acres each, have been divided by north and south lines, and by east and west lines, drawn from points intermediate between the section and quartersection lines; the contents of the quarter-quarter sections, thus formed, being accurately calculated by the measurement given upon the map, and noted thereon.

In case the balance of the quarter sections, or any portion of them, had not amounted to 80 acres each, no further subdivision of such would have been necessary; but had they each contained 120 acres, or more, they would have been further reduced by taking off another tier of 80 acre lots; in which case numbers or letters would have been properly employed to designate them, as they could not have been well described by their relative position in the sections; which latter is the only object to be secured by employing arbitrary designation. In subdividing the three fractional sections (7, 18, and 19) cut by Beaver lake, you will notice that the same principles have been carried out, by extending through them the quarter, half-quarter, and quarter-quarter section lines; the numbers of designation being confined to those irregular fractions upon the lake which could not otherwise be clearly described.

When it becomes necessary, under the act of the 5th of April, 1832, to subdivide any previous subdivisions made under the act of the 24th of April, 1820, it has been the uniform practice to preserve unchanged the old subdivision lines and numbers, the new lots being described as the east, west, north, or south halves or fractions of the original subdivision. A departure from this practice has, in several instances, caused confusion in the sales; and the two plats herewith returned for correction, in subdividing which you have only followed the error of your predecessors, are of this class; having corrected them, by restoring the original numbers employed upon the old plats, you will please return fair copies to this office, as also duplicates thereof to the proper register, who will be instructed on the subject.

No. 972. (S. G. N. S. vol 6, p. 82.)

From the Commissioner to the Surveyor General, Jackson, Mississippi.

JANUARY 6, 1837.

SIR: On the 30th ultimo I acknowledged the receipt of your letter of the 10th ultimo, and of the five subdivisional plats therewith transmitted, two of which latter were returned for corrections, accompanied with such instructions as the cases seemed to demand. I have now to acknowledge the receipt of your quarterly accounts for the 3d quarter of 1836, and of the estimates for surveying, and the expenses of your office for the year 1837, which also accompanied your letter of the 10th.

In reply to your request "to be informed of the propriety of liquidating all surveying accounts which were contracted for and approved by your predecessor, which remain unpaid," I have to remark that no official acts performed by your predecessor subsequent to the 3d of March, 1834,

the date at which his commission expired, are to be considered valid or legal; and as regards the payment of any unsettled accounts to which he may have affixed his approval, you will examine them before payment is made; and if found to be correct, according to the requisitions of the surveying laws, and the instructions of this office, you are authorized to liquidate them. As regards the outstanding contracts made by your predecessor, all of which are embraced in your question, a few words of explanation are deemed necessary, which may serve the present purposes of your inquiry, until you can furnish this office with the facts necessary to make the decision implied by your question.

Your statement of the contracts, &c., now before me, exhibits the following items:

Relinquished contracts in the Choctaw cession, $5 per mile, 1,002

miles.

Unfinished contracts in the Choctaw cession, district not designated, $5 per mile, 1,325 miles.

Unfinished contracts in the Choctaw cession, district not designated, $4 per mile, 512 miles.

If these contracts (exclusive of the 1,002 miles relinquished) were paid for at the rates specified, they would amount to $1,325 more than $4 per mile, the maximum price allowed by law for surveying, beyond which this office has no authority to extend the price. The fact that a portion of the contracts for the survey of the Choctaw cession of 1830 have been made at $5 per mile will be fully explained by referring to Commissioner Hayward's letter of instructions to Mr. Fitz, dated the 27th of July, 1831; the latter, having represented that some portions of the work could not be done at the maximum price, whilst others could be performed for less, and the public interest requiring that there should be no delay, was authorized so to arrange his contracts that, in the aggregate, they should not amount to more than $4 per mile. Since you have not mentioned whether the contracts enumerated in your statement embrace all the outstanding contracts, or only those of which the returns are expected immediately, the office has not the means of ascertaining with certainty whether its instructions have been complied with in making the contracts, although it appears from the accounts, so far as they have been rendered, that, in the aggregate, the cost of the Choctaw surveys average less than $4 per mile, by about $4,000 in the whole amount expended. If, on examination, you should find this to be the fact, you are already authorized by previous instructions, so far as relates to the Choctaw surveys, to pay for the work as contracted for, when the same shall be returned to your office in proper form, and shall be approved by you.

In relation to Mr. P. McDonald's account for surveying in townships 17 and 18, of ranges 2 and 3 west, the township plats whereof have been approved and forwarded to this office by your predecessor, as mentioned in your letter, it does not appear from them that the account has been paid. In cases of this kind, it is your duty to examine the account, as well as the work for which payment is demanded; and if no good cause should be found to exist why payment ought not to be made, you are authorized to liquidate them.

You state in your letter that the original field notes of survey of a number of townships and parts of townships appear to be missing from the