Tracts of

land thus

curate and

vernments of

Louisiana, shall have

been filed, &c.

Surveys.

Surveyor-ge

neral to trans

commissioners, shall be surveyed, at the expense of the parties, under the direction of the surveyor-genegranted to be ral, or officer acting as surveyor-general, in all cases surveyed at where an authenticated plat of the land, as surveyed expense of the parties, under the authority of the officer acting as surveyorunless an ac- general, under the French, Spanish or American goauthentic sur-vernments respectively, during the time either of the vey, made un- said governments had the actual possession of the said der authority territories of Orleans and Louisiana, shall not have of former go been filed with the proper register or recorder, or Orleans and shall not appear of record on the public records of the said territories of Orleans and Louisiana. The said commissioners shall also be authorised, whenever they Commission- may think it necessary, to direct the surveyor-gene ers authorised ral, or officer acting as such, to cause any tract of to direct re- land, already duly surveyed, to be resurveyed at the expense of the United States. And the surveyor-general, or officer acting as such, shall transmit general mit general and particular plats of the tracts of land, thus surveyand particu- ed, to the proper register or recorder, and shall also lar plats to secretary of the transmit copies of the said plats to the secretary of treasury, &c. the treasury. Reports of Sec. 8. The commissioners aforesaid shall respecundecided tively report, to the secretary of the treasury, their claims to be transmitted opinion on all the claims to land within their respecby commis. tive districts, which they shall not have finally sioners to se- confirmed by the fourth section of this act. cretary of the claims shall, in the said report or reports, be arranged into three general classes, that is to say: first, claims which, in the opinions of the commissioners, ought to be confirmed, in conformity with the provisions of the several acts of Congress, for ascertaining and adjusting the titles and claims to land within the territories of Orleans and Louisiana; secondly, claims which, though not embraced by the provisions of the said acts, ought, nevertheless, in the opinion of the commissioners, to be confirmed, in conformity with the laws, usages and customs of the Spanish govern. ment; thirdly, claims which neither are embraced by the provisions of the said acts, nor ought, in the opi nion of the commissioners, to be confirmed, in conformity with the laws, usages and customs of the Spato be laid be- nish government; and the said report and reports being, in other respects, made in conformity with the

treasury.

Arrangement

of claims.

The reports

fore Con

gress.

The

forms prescribed according to law, by the secretary of the treasury, shall by him be laid before Congress, for their final determination thereon, in the manner and at the time heretofore prescribed by law for that purpose.

officers here

Sec. 9. The following allowances and compensa- Allowances tions shall be made to the several officers hereinafter and compenmentioned, that is to say to the principal deputy of sations to the the surveyor-general, for the district of Louisiana, at in mentioned. the rate of five hundred dollars a year, from the time he entered into the duties of his office, in addition to the fees which he is entitled to receive by law. To the register of the western district of the Orleans territory, and to the clerk of the board of commissioners for that district, one thousand dollars each, for their service as commissioners and clerk respectively, during the year one thousand eight hundred and six. 10 each of the deputy registers of the territory of Orleans, five hundred dollars, in full for their services subsequent to the first day of January last, in addition to the fees to which they are legally entitled. To each of the commissioners, at the rate of two thousand dollars a year; to each of the clerks of the boards, and to each of the agents employed by the secretary of the treasury, at the rate of fifteen hundred dollars a year, and to each of the translators, at the rate of six hundred dollars a year, to commence from the first day of July next, in the district of Louisiana, and from the first day of January next, in the territo ry of Orleans, and to continue to the time when each board shall be respectively dissolved: Provided, That no more than eighteen months compensation be thus allowed to the said commissioners, clerks and translators, and that the compensation of any such officer, absenting himself from his district, or failing to attend to the duties of his office, shall cease during such absence or failure.

Proviso.

No. 1.

LOUISIANA.-Extract from the Grant to Crozat.

LOUIS, by thegrace of God, king of France and Navarre: To all who shall see these present letters, greeting:

The care we have always had to procure the welfare and advan tage of our subjects having induced us, notwithstanding the almost continual wars which we have been obliged to support, from the beginning of our reign, to seek for all possible opportunity of enlarging and extending the trade of our American colonies, We did in the year sixteen hundred and eighty-three, give our orders to undertake a discovery of the countries and lands, which are situated in the northern part of America, between New France and New Mexico: And the Sieur de la Sale, to whom we committed that enterprize, having had success enough to confirm a belief, that communication might be settled from New France, to the Gulph of Mexico, by means of large rivers; this obliged us immediately after the peace of Ryswick, to give orders for the establishing a colony there, and maintaining a garrison, which has kept and preserved the possession we had taken in the very year 1683, of the lands, coasts, and islands, which are situated in the Gulph of Mexico, between Carolina on the east, and Old and New Mexico on the west. But a new war having broke out in Europe shortly after, there was no possibility, till now, of reaping from that new colony the advantages that might have been expected from thence, because the private men who are concerned in the sea trade, were all under engagements with other colonies, which they have been obliged to follow: And whereas, upon the information we have received, concerning the disposition and situation of the said countries, known at present by the name of the province of Louisiana, we are of opinion, that there may be established therein a considerable commerce, so much the more advantageous to our kingdom, in that there has hitherto been a necessity of fetching from foreigners the greatest part of the commodities, which may be brought from thence, and because in exchange thereof we need carry thither nothing but commodities of the growth and manufacture of our own kingdom; we have resolved to grant the commerce of the country of Louisiana, to the Sieur Anthony Crozat our counsellor, secretary of the household, crown and revenue, to whom we entrust the execution of this project. We are the more readily inclined hereunto, because his zeal and the singular

knowledge he has acquired in maritime commerce, encourage us to hope for as good success as he has hitherto had in the divers and sundry enterprizes he has gone upon, and which have procured to our kingdom great quantities of gold and silver in such conjunctures, as have rendered them very welcome to us.

For these reasons, being desirous to shew our favor to him, and to regulate the conditions upon which we mean to grant him the said commerce, after having deliberated this affair in our council, of our certain knowledge, full power and royal authority, we, by these presents, signed by our hand, have appointed and do appoint the said Sieur Crozat, solely to carry on a trade in all the lands, possessed by us, and bounded by New Mexico, and by the lands of the English of Carolina, all the establishments, ports, havens, rivers and principally the port and haven, of the Isle Dauphine, heretofore called Massacre; the river of St. Lewis, heretofore called Mississippi, from the edge of the sea, as far as the Illinois, together with the river of St. Philip, heretofore called the Missourys, and of St. Jerome, heretofore called Quabache, with all the countries, territories, lakes within land, and the rivers which fall directly or indirectly into that part of the river of St. Lewis.

THE ARTICLES.

I. Our pleasure is, that all the aforesaid lands, countries, streams, rivers, and islands, be and remain comprised under the name of the government of Louisiana, which shall be dependant upon the general government of New France, to which it is subordinate; and further, that all the lands which we possess from the Illinois, be united, so far as occasion requires, to the general government of New France, and become part thereof, reserving however to ourselves the liberty of enlarging, as we shall think fit, the extent of the government of the said country of Louisiana.

III. We permit him to search for, open and dig all sorts of mines, veins and minerals, throughout the whole extent of the said country of Louisiana, and to transport the profits thereof into any port of France, during the said fifteen years; and we grant in perpetuity to him, his heirs, and others, claiming under him or them. the property of, in and to the mines, veins and minerals, which he shall bring to bear, paying us in lieu of all claim the fifth part of the gold and silver, which the said Sieur Crozat shall cause to be transported to France, at his own charges, into what port he pleases, (of which fifth we will run the risque of the sea and of warì and the tenth part of what effects he shall draw from the other mines, veins and minerals, which tenth he shall transfer and con vey to our magazines in the said country of Louisiana.

We likewise permit him to search for precious stones and pearls paying us the fifth part in the same manner as is mentioned for the gold and silver.