Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 18 Part 1.djvu/511

 TITLE xxx11.—THE PUBLIC LANDS.—Ch. 9. 439 sections shall be numbered respectively, beginning with the number one in the northeast section and proceeding west and east alternately through the township with progressive numbers till the thirty-six be completed. Fourth. he deputy surveyors, respectively, shall cause to be marked on a tree near each corner established in the manner described, and within the section. the number of such section, and over it the number of the township within which such section may be; and the deputy surveyors shall carefully note, in their respective iield—books, the names of the corner-trees marked and the numbers so made. Fifth. Where the exterior lines of the townships which may be subdivided into sections or half~sections exceed, or do not extend six miles, the excess or deficiency shall be specially noted, and added to or deducted from the western and northern ranges of sections or half-sections in such township, according as the error may be in runnin the lines from east to west,or from north to south; the sections and halgsections bounded on the northern and western lines of such townships shall be sold as containing only the quantity expressed in the returns and plats respectively, and al others as containing the complete legal quantity. Sixth. All lines shall be plainly marked upon trees, and measured with chains, containing two perches of sixteen and one-half feet each, subdivided mto twenty-five ual links; and the chain shall be adjusted to a standard to be kept forethat .. Seventh. Every surveyor shhll note in his field-book the true situations of all mines, salt licks, salt springs, and mill-seats which come to his knowledge; all water-courses over which the line he runs may pass: and also the quality of the lands. Eighth. These iield-books shall be returned to the surveyor-general, who shall cause therefrom a descri tion of the whole lands surveyed to be made out and transmitted to tlile officers who may superintend the sales. He shall also cause a fair plat to be made of the townships and fractional parts of townships contained in the lands, describing the subdivisions thereof, and the marks of the corners. This plat shall be recorded in books to be kept for that pugpose; and a copy thereof shall be kept open at the surveyor·general"s 0 ce for public information, and ptlieg aoipies shall be sent to the places of the sale, and to the General n — ce. Sec. 2396. The boundaries and contents of the several sections, half- Boundaries and sections, and quarter-sections of the public lands shall be ascertained in f§;§§“*;r‘:l Pub;:; conformity with the following priuc1pleS¤ minsé, ll asc First. All the corners marked in the surveys, returned by the surveyor- -- —; _- - general, shall be established as the proper corners of sections, or subdi- ,413 g°;’·;,18°’;a§· visions of sections, which they were intended to designate; and the . ’ corners of half and quarter sections, not marked on the surveys, shall be CeB¤*•TIé'gll¤¤g;¤¤ placed as nearly as possible equidistant from two corners which stand on 20,QQ£“d,rbayg,0n&; the same line. missioners:·.Schur- Second. The boundary-lines, actually run and marked in the surveys meir, 7Wall., 272. returned by the surveyor-general, shall be established as the proper boundary-lines of the sections, or subdivisions, for which they were intended, and the length of such lines, as returned, shall  held and considered as the true length thereof. And the boundary-lines which have not been actually run and marked shall be ascertained, by running straight linen from the established corners to the_oppos1te corresponding corners; but in those (portions of the fractional townships where no such opposite correspon ing corners have been or can be fixed, the boundary—lines shall be ascertained by running from the established corners due north and south or east and west lines, as the case may be, to the water-course, Indian boundary—line, or other external boundary of such fractional township. _ Third. Each section or subdivision of section, the contents whereof have been returned by the surveyor-general, shall be held and considered as containing the exact quantity expressed in such return; and the halfsections and quarter-sections, the contents whereof shall not have been sr—03——33