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President of

thorised to

issue patents for land to

Dufour upon certain evidence being produced.

in payment for the lands of the United States," and a discount at the rate of six per cent. a year, shall be allowed on any payments, which shall be made before the same shall become due.

Sec. 4. On producing to the secretary of the trea the U S. au- sury copies of the entries aforesaid, and of the plats of the tracts applied for, also the certificate of the register of the land office established at Cincinnati, that the same have been purchased in conformity to the provisions of this act, the President of the United States shall be, and he hereby is authorised and empowered to issue letters patent, in the usual form, unto the said Dufour, his associates, and their heirs, for the said lands; with condition expressed in the said Forfeiture for letters patent, that on failure to pay the purchase monon payment. ney when the same shall become due, the lands there, in described, with the improvements thereon, shall be deemed forfeited, and shall revest in the United States.

IX. 94.
3d March,
1807.

George Ash

to have the

right of preemption.

(8) Pre-emption Right to George Ash.

Sec. 6. George Ash shall have the right of preemption to six hundred and forty acres of land including his improvement, on the river Ohio, below the former Indian boundary line; the boundaries of the tract shall be designated by the register of the land office, and the said land shall be granted to him at the same price, and on payment being made in the same manner as for other public lands sold at private sale, the respective instalments of the purchase money shall become due at the same time with the payments of the first public lands sold in that district.

X. 36.

(9) Pre-emption Right to William Wells.

William Wells shall have the right of pre-emption 18th March, to three hundred and twenty acres of land, to include his improvements, situate at Fort Wayne, in the Indiana territory, at the confluence of the rivers Saint

1808.

to William

Joseph's and Saint Mary's, which form the Miami of Pre-emption the lake; the boundaries of which shall be designated right granted under the direction of the secretary of the treasury; Wells. which tract of land shall be granted to him, at the same price, and on the same terms for which other public lands are sold at private sale, and the respective instalments of the purchase money shall become due at the same time with those of the first public lands which may be sold in the tract of six miles square ceded by the treaty of Grenville to the United States, at the confluence of said river.*

SECTION IV.

ADJUSTMENT OF PRIVATE CLAIMS.

(1) Provisions respecting Claims and Donations in the territories of Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

1788.

THE committee consisting of Mr. Williamson, Resolution, Mr. Dane, Mr. Carrington, Mr. Kearney and Mr. 20th June, Wingate, to whom was referred a memorial of George Report of a Morgan and his associates, respecting a tract of land committee of in the Illinois country, on the Mississippi, having re- Congress on ported thereon, and their report being amended, to the memorial of George read as follows: "That there are sundry French setMorgan and tlements on the river Mississippi, within the tract his associates which Mr. Morgan and his associates propose to pur- for purchas chase. Near the mouth of the river Kaskaskias, there ing a tract of is a village which appears to have contained near Illinois. eighty families from the beginning of the late revolu. tion. There are twelve families in a small village, at the Prairie du Rocher, and near fifty families in the Kahokia village. There are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five miles farther up the river. The heads of families in those villages, appear each of them to have had a

For certain pre-emptions granted in the Michigan territory, see the "Adjustment of private claims in that territory." The preemptions granted in the Mississippi territory, will also be found un der the head of "Private claims in that territory."

land in the

They recommend in case

of sale, a reserve for

cient settlers.

certain quantity of arable land allotted to them, and a proportionate quantity of meadow and of wood land or pasture.

Your committee are of the opinion, that from any general sale which may be made of the lands on the Mississippi, there should at least be a reserve of so much land, as may satisfy all the just claims of the claims of an ancient settlers on that river, and that they should be confirmed in the possession of such lands as they may have had at the beginning of the late revolution, which may have been allotted to them according to the laws or usages of the governments under which they have respectively settled. And whereas, an additional quantity of land may be necessary for the support of those people, whenever the settlement shall increase, and the Indian trade, by which they have chiefly subsisted shall become less profitable; your committee are of the opinion, that such allowance should also be made to them within the reserved limits; whereupon they submit the following resolves:

Boundaries thereof,

That mea

sures be taken for confirm ing the inhabitants in their titles

That separate tracts shall be reserved for satisfy. ing the claims of the ancient settlers, which shall be included within the following boundary, viz: A straight line to be extended from the mouth of the little river Maria, below the river Kaskaskias, to the old French Fort on the east side of the said river Kaskaskias, and opposite the Kaskaskia village; thence, north three miles; thence, west across the Kaskaskias river to the ridge of rocks and high land, which extend from the Kaskaskias to the Illinois rivers: then along the west side or foot of the said ridge of rocks and high land, to the parallel that runs two miles north of the church at Kahokia; thence, west to the river Mississippi; thence, down the said river to the mouth of the river Maria.

That measures be immediately taken for confirming in their possessions and titles, the French and Canadian inhabitants and other settlers on those lands, who, on or before the year 1783, had professed themselves citizens of the United States, or of any of them, and for laying off the several tracts which they rightfully claim within the described limits; and for for laying off laying off for the benefit of the said inhabitants, three their lands, additional tracts, adjoining the several villages Kas

and posses

sions,

for their be

du Rocher;

kaskias, La Prairie du Rocher and Kahokia, in the and three adform of a parallelogram, extending from the river ditional tracts Mississippi eastward, to the ridge of rocks before neft, described, and of such extent as shall contain four so as to allow hundred acres for each of the families now living at 400 acres to each family. Tract assigneither of the villages of Kaskaskias, La Prairie du Rocher, Kahokia, Fort Chartres or St. Philips. The ed to Kaskasadditional reserved tract adjoining the village of Kas. kias; kaskias shall be for the heads of families in that vil. to la Prairie lage; the tract adjoining La Prairie du Rocher and to Kahofor the heads of families in that village; and the kia, Fort tract adjoining Kahokia for the heads of families in Chartres and that village, as also for those at Fort Chartres and St. St. Philip. Philips. Such additional donations of four hundred lands not acres each, to be distributed by lot, and immediate alienable, possession given: Provided nevertheless, That no until after person thus obtaining possession of such donation three years lands, shall have power to alienate the same, until he when a title or she, or his or her heirs shall have resided at least is to be made three years from the time of such distribution, within to such resithat district; at the end of which period, every resident shall obtain a title to the reserved lot; and all lots not thus conveyed to residents, shall revert to the United States.

Donation

dents.

amount of

That whenever the French and Canadian inhabi. After the tants, and other settlers aforesaid, shall have been con- claims, &c. firmed in their possessions and titles, and the amount shall be ascerof the same ascertained, and the three additional pa- tained, rallelograms for future donations, and a tract of land, one mile square, on the Mississippi, extending as far above as below Fort Chartres, and including the said. Fort, the buildings and improvements adjoining the the remainsame, shall be laid off; the whole remainder of the der shall be soil, within the reserved limits above described, shall conveyed under the genebe considered as pertaining to the general purchase, and shall be conveyed accordingly.

ral purchase.

The governor That the governor of the Western territory be in- of the Weststructed to repair to the French settlements, on the ern territory Mississippi, at and above the Kaskaskias: That he the Missisexamine the titles and possessions of the settlers, as sippi,

Viz: The purchase of a large tract of land, as asked by George Morgan and his associates, and authorised by this same resolution; but which, having never been effected, is, as well as all the other resolutions relating thereto, omitted.

to repair to

to examine

the titles of settlers,

and take an account of the

heads of families, &c.

Report agreed to by Congress.

Resolution, 28th Aug. 1788. Modification

of the act of

20th of June,

above described, in order to determine what quantity of land they may severally claim, which shall be laid off for them, at their own expense; and that he take an account of the several heads of families, living within the reserved limits, in order that he may determine the quantity of land that is to be laid off, in the several parallelograms, which shall be laid off ac cordingly by the geographer of the United States, or his assistant, at the expense of the United States.

Resolved, That Congress agree to the said report.

Resolved, That instead of the three parallelograms, to be reserved, according to the act of the twentieth of June last, for donations to the ancient *settlers on the west side of a certain ridge of rocks, there shall be reserved an equal quantity of land for the same laying off the use, to be laid out in three squares, on the east side of said ridge of rocks, and as near as may be to the improvements belonging to the villages of Kaskaskias, La Prairie du Rocher and Kahokia.†

1788, in regard to the

three dona

tion tracts. Improvements without the re

served limits,

reserved in the proposed sale. Resolution, 29th Aug. 1788. Inhabitants

of St. Vincents confirmed in their titles

sions.

That in case there are any improvements belonging to the ancient French settlers, without the general reserved limits, the same shall also be considered as reserved for them, in the sale now proposed to be made.

Resolved, That measures be taken for confirming, in their possessions and titles, the French and Canadian inhabitants, and other settlers, at Post St. Vincents, who, on or before the year one thousand seven and posses- hundred and eighty-three, had settled there and had professed themselves citizens of the United States, or any of them, and for laying off to them, at their own expense, the several tracts, which they rightfully claim, and which may have been allotted to every head of them, according to the laws and usages of the goa family. vernment, under which they have respectively settled.

400 acres to

be given to

That four hundred acres of land be reserved and given to every head of a family, of the above description, settled at Post St. Vincents.

In the Illinois.

†The first resolution repealed by 8th section of act of 3d March, 1791.

Surveys directed to be made at public expense, by act of 21st Feb. 1793.

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