Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 2.djvu/316



and remain public highways; and the several salt springs in the said territory, together with as many contiguous sections to each, as shall be deemed necessary by the President of the United States, shall be reserved for the future disposal of the United States: and any grant which may hereafter be made for a tract of land, containing a salt spring which had been discovered previous to the purchase of such tract from the United States, shall be considered as fraudulent and null.

. And be it further enacted, That the several provisions made in favour of persons who have contracted for lands with John Cleves Symmes and his associates, by an act intituled “,” shall be and the same are hereby continued in force until the first day of June next: Provided, that the register of the land-office and receiver of public monies at Cincinnati shall perform the same duties, exercise the same powers, and enjoy the same emoluments, which by the last-recited act were enjoined on or vested in the commissioners designated by the said act: And provided also, that no certificate for a right of pre-emption shall be granted, except in favour of persons who had, before the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred, made contracts in writing with John Cleves Symmes or with any of his associates, and who had made to him or them any payment or payments of money for the purchase of lands; nor unless at least one twentieth part of the purchase money of the land claimed, shall have previously been paid to the receiver of public monies, or shall be paid prior to the first day of January next. And every person who shall obtain a certificate of pre-emption, shall be allowed until the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and six, to complete the payment of his first instalment: And provided also, that where any person or persons shall, in virtue of a contract entered into with John Cleves Symmes, have entered and made improvements on any section or half section prior to the first day of April last (having conformed with all the foregoing provisions in this section), which improvements by the running of the lines subsequently thereto shall have fallen within any section, or half section other than the one purchased as aforesaid, and other than section number sixteen, such section or half section shall in that case be granted to the person or persons who shall have so entered, improved and cultivated the same, on payment of the purchase money agreeably to the provisions made by law for lands sold at private sale; but nothing herein contained shall be construed to give to any such person or persons a greater number of acres than he or they had contracted for, with John Cleves Symmes as aforesaid.

. And be it further enacted, That every person who may have heretofore obtained from the commissioners, a certificate of a right of pre-emption for lands lying between the two Miami rivers, on account of contracts with, or purchase from John Cleves Symmes or his associates, and who has paid his first instalment; and every person, who may obtain a similar certificate by virtue of the preceding section, and shall, on or before the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and six, pay his first instalment, be permitted to pay the residue of the purchase money in six annual equal payments.

. And be it further enacted, That fractional sections of the public lands of the United States, either north of the river Ohio, or south of the state of Tennessee, shall, under the directions of the Secretary of the Treasury, be either sold singly, or by uniting two or more together;