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table, compiled by the statistician referred to, is presented in verifica tion of these statements:

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From these statistics it will be seen that a sudden expansion of exports, imports, tonnage, and revenue dates from the year 1830, when the grand impulse to foreign immigration was given. The total number of immigrants from 1820 to 1830 was 143,458; from 1830 to 1840, 552,000; from 1840 to 1850, 1,558,300; from 1850 to 1860, 2,807,624.

In addition to the enormous increase of societary movement demonstrated in the above table, the direct contribution to our national wealth in the form of active capital brought by the immigrants to this country, in smaller or larger sums, merits special attention. Careful statistics show that alien immigrants bring with them small hoards, averaging about sixty-eight dollars per head. At this rate the amount of money thus imported from 1790 to 1860 cannot be less than four hundred million dollars, gold value. It has been estimated that the production of raw and manufactured material in the United States during the year 1860 was two thousand million dollars-an aggregate evidently not over one-third the reality. This would give an average of twenty cents per day, or sixty-two dollars and forty cents per annum, for each individual. Allowing this average to the increase of population due to foreign immigration, and we have an aggregate approaching six hundred million dollars-nearly one-third of the production of that yeardue to our liberal policy. Immediately after the close of the war of independence, the illustrious statesmen of that age, foreseeing the inestimable value, present and prospective, to this republic of the national territory, and the importance of early opening the way for its settlement, and for a gradual and progressive transfer to individual ownership under well-defined principles, took measures to these ends, as shown by the journals of the Continental Congress, by reporting, on the 7th of May, 1784, "An ordinance for ascertaining the mode of locating and disposing of lands in the western territory."

That ordinance was considered, discussed, and amended, until the expiration of a year from its introduction, when it was finally passed, May 7, 1785. It had no precedent in the theory or practice of any preexisting government. It was the result not only of the highest order of statesmanship but exhibited a profound knowledge of engineering science in minute details. The ordinance made provision for surveying and disposing of the public domain, as well as for donations in the cause of education and for military services. As the extension of the public surveys is an essential prerequisite to the consummation of titles, under numerous acts of legislation, the following is submitted as an

OUTLINE OF THE RECTANGULAR SYSTEM OF SURVEY;

which system has progressed gradually to its present extent, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and from the 49° north latitude to the Rio Grande del Norte, excepting six New England States, New

York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas, the United States not being the owner of public lands in any of these political divisions. During a period of eighty-four years this system has answered the wants of the people, securing ready and unerring landmarks, the permanency of which, as well as the feasibility of their restoration where destroyed by time or accident, has obviated litigation respecting titles to tracts thus defined.

The system consists of initial points, or the points of intersection of principal base lines, surveyed, measured, and marked on a true parallel of latitude, with principal surveying meridians. In establishing the principal lines from the points of intersection to the four cardinal points of the compass, surveyors mark the corners for quarter sections, sections, and townships, at forty, eighty, and four hundred and eighty chains. From the base lines, which are run on the parallel of latitude, townships count north and south, and from the principal surveying meridian ranges proceed east and west. At the distance of twenty-four miles, or every fourth township lying north of the principal base, and at every thirty miles, or five townships south of the base, standard or correction parallels are established, which in turn become bases for surveys situated immediately north or south of them.

Next, guide or auxiliary meridians are surveyed at every eight ranges, or forty-eight miles east and west of the principal surveying meridian, which, starting in the first instance from the principal base and the first standard parallel south, run due north to the intersection of the first correction parallel north and the principal base, thus forming parallelograms of twenty-four by forty-eight miles north of the principal base, and thirty by forty-eight miles south thereof, embraced by the principal meridian, principal base, first correction parallels north and south of the principal base, and first guide meridian east and west of the principal meridian. These principal lines constitute a framework of the rectangular system.

Each of the aforesaid parallelograms, as well as others situated further north and south, east and west of the principal base and principal meridian, are established on the face of the earth at like distances from those lines or from auxiliary bases and guide meridians. This process divides the land States and Territories into regular and well-defined bodies of land, any one of which, no matter how remote it may be from the principal base and meridian, can be divided into townships of six miles square each, containing, as near as may be, 23,040 acres. The townships are square, each subdivided into thirty-six sections of a mile square, and containing, as near as possible, 640 acres.

Although the laws governing the public surveys do not require the actual subdivision of sections by running and marking lines within them, yet they point out the method by which purchasers may have, at their own expense, subdivided and marked in the field each section into quarter sections, or one hundred and sixty acres, and these into quarter-quarter sections, or forty acres, that service being generally performed by county surveyors in accordance with the original fieldnotes of surveys executed by United States surveyors. This rectangular method, according to the true meridian, and noting the variation of the magnetic needle, has the advantage of all others in that it is simple, economical, easy of reference in the identification of localites of the most minute subdivisions, by merely designating principal meridian and base line, township, range, and section. In addition to these facilities, it affords a convenient method of ascertaining distances between various

points, towns, and cities, without resorting to the scale of maps, in simply counting squares of townships delineated on the government maps, and allowing to each six lineal miles.

But its chief advantage consists in the facility it furnishes to purchasers to acquire titles either to minute or extensive tracts. It supersedes intricate descriptions in patents, which are necessary, according to geometrical systems, depending on numerous courses and distances for the ascertainment of boundaries resting on corners and sundry variations of the magnetic needle.

The establishment of the rectangular method of survey, and rapid sale of public land in different land States and Territories, necessitated the institution of twenty-three principal meridians, which govern the surveys of the public domain.

Ohio public surveys are controlled by several initial points, and by the first principal meridian coincident with the common boundary between that State and Indiana.

Indiana surveys are referable to the second principal meridian.

Illinois surveys are governed by the second, third, and fourth principal meridians.

Wisconsin surveys are controlled by the fourth principal meridian. Minnesota public lands are referable to the fourth and fifth principal meridians.

Dakota surveys are regulated by the fifth and sixth principal meridians.

Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, by the fifth principal meridian.

Kansas, Nebraska, and the greater part of Colorado, by the sixth principal meridian.

Michigan surveys by the Michigan meridian.

Florida surveys by the Tallahassee meridian.

Alabama surveys by the Huntsville and St. Stephen's meridians. Mississippi surveys are controlled by the St. Stephen's, the Choctaw, and the Washington meridians.

Louisiana surveys are regulated, east of the Mississippi River, by the
St. Helena meridian, and on the west by the Louisiana meridian.
New Mexico surveys are governed by the New Mexico meridian.
Arizona surveys depend on the Gila and Salt River meridian.
Utah surveys on the Great Salt Lake meridian.

Nevada surveys are governed by the Mount Diablo meridian.
Idaho surveys by the Boise meridian.

Montana surveys by the Montana meridian.

California surveys depend on the Mount Diablo, the San Bernardino, and the Humboldt meridians.

Oregon and Washington surveys are governed by the Willamette meridian.

As the law requires the lines of the public surveys to be regulated by the true meridian, and that the townships shall be six miles square, recourse has been had to standard parallels and guide meridians to arrest within parallelograms the convergency and divergency of the meridians, resulting in a substantial adherence to the statutory enactments. In order to illustrate the framework of the system, the accompanying diagram "A" will show the initial point of survey, or the intersection of the principal base with the principal meridian, standard parallels or correction lines north and south of the principal base and guide meridians east and west of the principal meridian, together with paral lelograms formed by those principal lines surveyed into townships.

THE METHOD OF SURVEYING THE EXTERIORS OR TOWNSHIP LINES.

The principal meridian, base line, standard parallels, and guide meridians having been first run, measured, and marked, and the corner boundaries thereon established at distances of forty chains from the initial point for quarter-section, eighty chains for section, and four hundred and eighty chains for township corners, the process of running the parallelograms into townships and ranges is as follows:

Townships lying north of the base line and west of the principal meridian. The government surveyor begins his survey at the southwest corner of township 1 north, range 1 west, already established by former surveyor on the base line. (See figure 1 on diagram A.) Thence he proceeds due north four hundred and eighty chains, establishing quarter section and section corners to No. 2, where he sets corner to townships 1 and 2 north, ranges 1 and 2 west.

The boundary corners may be either trees, if found at the precise spots, posts, or stones of prescribed dimensions, according to the peculiarities of the country; and their positions are indicated by adjacent trees or other permanent objects within convenient distances, the angular bearings and distances of which from the corners are ascertained and described in the field-notes of surveys. The corners thus established are marked on sides fronting township, range, and section, which they face. In the absence of bearing trees witnessing the positions of corner boundaries, mounds of earth or stone are raised around posts. In mounds of earth common to four townships or sections, the posts are set diagonally, and in those common only to two townships or sections, they are planted with their faces to the cardinal points, and are further witnessed by pits dug out and facing the posts in mounds of townships and sections they perpetuate.

The west boundary of township 1 north, range 1 west, or the line between ranges 1 and 2 west of a given principal meridian, being thus surveyed and marked in the field, the next step is to establish the north boundary of the township, which is done by running east on a random line from the corner at figure No. 2, which is common corner to townships 1 and 2 north, ranges 1 and 2 west, by setting at first temporary quartersection and section corners to No. 3, or the northeast corner of the township; thence the northern boundary of the township is measured back on a true line, planting permanent quarter-section and section corners at every forty and eighty chains, respectively, to figure No. 4, which is identical with No. 2. In case, however, the northern bound. ary of the township is found to overrun in length, or fall short of four hundred and eighty chains, or the full measure of six miles, owing either to the convergency of the meridians in running the western boundary of the township, or to other causes, in that contingency the excess or deficiency in measurement is thrown on the west side of the township, to be ultimately merged in the western tier of sections when the town. ship shall have been subdivided into thirty-six sections.

When the survey of the exteriors of township 1 north, range 1 west, is thus completed, the next step is to proceed in a similar manner from No. 4 to 5, No. 5 to 6, No. 6 to 7, which will complete the survey of the exteriors of township 2 north, range 1 west; and so on to No. 10, the southwest corner of township 4 north, range 1 west. Thence north on a true meridian line to No. 11, or the point of intersection of range line with the first standard parallel north of the base line, thus completing the survey of exterior lines of townships 1 to 4 north, of range 1 west. From No. 11 the surveyor returns to the base line, and from the

corner of township 1 north, ranges 2 and 3 west, or No. 12, and proceeds due north in surveying townships 1 to 4 of range 2 west, in similar manner as he did in range 1 west; and so on until he runs the whole parallelogram into townships.

TOWNSHIPS LYING NORTH OF THE BASE LINE AND EAST OF THE PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN.

The method of surveying parallelograms lying north of the base line and east of the meridian is to begin at No. 1, or the corner to township 1 north, ranges 1 and 2 east, and proceed due north as with townships lying north and west, except that in this case random lines of northern boundaries of townships are measured west and the true lines east, throwing the excess or deficiency of four hundred and eighty chains as usual on the west ends of the lines. In order to do this, the surveyor on his true lines eastward commences his measurement from the western boundaries of townships with the lengths of the excessive or deficient halfsections on the west of the townships, making the remaining measurements even half-miles and miles, or forty and eighty chains.

TOWNSHIPS SITUATED SOUTH OF THE BASE AND WEST OF THE MERIDIAN.

In carrying out the rectangular system it was found necessary, owing to the less rapid convergence of the meridians south of the base lines, to establish standard parallels at every thirty miles, or the distance of five full townships, and closing the parallelograms with guide merid ians at every eight ranges, or forty-eight miles. When these principal lines are measured and marked in the field, the exterior lines of townships within said parallelograms are surveyed by starting at the corner to townships 5 south, ranges 1 and 2 west, and running due north four hundred and eighty chains, and marking corners north of first standard parallel south and west of the meridian in the manner hereinbefore described, where the corner to townships 4 and 5 south, ranges 1 and 2 west, is established; thence east on a random line, and west on a true line, of the north boundary of township 5 south, range 1 west; thence on a due north line on the west boundary of township 4 south, range 1 west; thence east on a random and back on the true line of the township, and so on until a meridional line, or the west boundary of township 1 south, range 1 west, intersects the principal base line, thus completing the first range of townships lying south of the base line and north of the first standard parallel south.

The next step is to return to the parallel, and from the corner to townships 5 south, ranges 2 and 3 west, to run due north, measure and mark the west boundary of township 5 south, range 2 west, and proceed in the same way as in surveying range 1 west, and so on until the whole parallelogram is run into townships.

Townships situated south of the base line and east of the meridian are surveyed in like manner as those north and east, excepting that the lines start from the corners on the first standard parallel south, and close on the base line within several parallelograms.

METHOD OF SUBDIVIDING TOWNSHIPS INTO THIRTY-SIX SECTIONS.

Preliminary to the subdividing of a township containing 23,040 acres, more or less, into thirty-six sections, embracing 640 acres each, more or less, the surveyor traces and measures the east and south boundaries of

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