permitted, I would have obtained them on the 2d instead of this general certificate.

The Secretary says in his report that I entered the "greater" portion of these lands. Mr. President, that is a mistake. I entered about 3,500 acres out of the 20,000 applied for by Messrs. Felix and McLaughlin, and forty other individuals entered the balance.

What more can I present? The Secretary rests the case upon the register and receiver's acknowledgments of the receipt of the warrants of Felix and McLaughlin on the 7th; the same letter states that the lands were sold; (and you cannot receive a part and discredit the balance.) The copy I send acknowledges the receipt of mine five days before, and is signed by the receiver, who is still retained in office. The original is at your service.

Having thus presented my case, I am unaware of any reason, either social, moral, or political, why the same measure of justice should not be meted out to me that is adjudged to others, and why I should be debarred from purchasing land in the same manner as every other person has purchased it here for more than a year past. And I do not yet despair of the hope, Mr. President, that this case will be properly adjudicated, and I and my co-sufferers will be spared the expense and trouble of presenting our grievances in a memorial containing all the facts to Congress.

You cannot suppose, Mr. President, that feeling, as I do, that my title to this land is perfect in law, morals, and equity, that I will ever relinquish my certificates or my title, so long as the supreme court of Missouri decides that a register's prior certificate takes precedence of a President's subsequent patent, and the onus is thrown on the holder of the patent to show the illegality of the first sale; added to which, my perfect consciousness that the only fraud in this case rests on the side of Messrs. Felix and McLaughlin.

Having, to my mind, made my case so clear as to admit of no cavil, I ask but the simplest justice, and am satisfied, if your time will permit you to examine this case, that you will cause the Secretary to cancel all the locations of Messrs. Felix and McLaughlin that conflict with the lands embraced in the enclosed copy.

I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant, J. H. BIRCH, JR.

My address is Glasgow, Missouri.

His Excellency JAMES BUCHANAN,

President of the United States.

It is hereby certified that James H. Birch, jr., has this day applied, purchased, and paid for the following described lands, lying in the district of lands subject to sale at the land office at this place, and the duplicates for the same will be issued as soon as the business of the office will permit.

The NW. of NE. and NW. of S. 1, T. 66, R. 25, 200 acres.

of S. 2, T. 66, R. 25, 40 acres.

and S.

of SE. and SW. of S. 11, T. 66, R. 25,

The lot No. 1 of NE., and lot No. 1, of NW. 1, and N. of SE. of S. 5, T. 65, R. 26, 320 acres.

and N. of SW.

65, R. 26, 400 acres. The W. of NE. †

of NE. ‡ of S. 28, T. 65, R. 26, 160 of W. of S. 31, T. 65, R. 26, 480 acres. and NW. of SE. and W.

of SW.

and E.

and NW.

NE. of SW.

The W.

of SW. 1

of S. 20, T. 66, R. 26, 240 acres.
of S. 27, T. 66, R. 26, 80 acres.

of SW. of S. 28, T. 66, R. 26, 200 acres.
of S. 33, T. 66, R. 26, 40 acres.

T. 66, R. 26, 160 acres.

and SW. of S. 32, T. 66, R. 26, 200 acres. of NW. and N. of SE. and NE. 27, 240.

of NE. 4, and SE.

of S. 12, T. 65, R.
and E. of SW.

of S. 35, T. 65, R. 27, 240 acres.

of SW. of S. 36, T. 65, R. 27, 80 acres.
of S. 1, T. 66, R. 27, 160 acres.

of SW. 4 of 25, and E. § of SE. † of S. 26, T. 66, R. 27,

of S. 5, T. 63, R. 28, 160 acres.

of NE.

28, 389,68 acres.

100

100

The W. and NE. 269 acres. 8 The NW. of NW. The SE. and SW. The SW. of NE.

of NE. and NE.

64, R. 28, 160 acres.

The W. and NE.

and SW. of SW. of S. 8, T. 64, R. 28, 440 acres. of S. 15, T. 64, R. 28, 160 acres.

The NE.

The N. of NE. and N. of NW. † of S. 17, T. 64, R. 28, 160

acres.

The S. of NE. of the SE.

529,66 acres. 100

and W. of S. 19, T. 64, R. 28,

The SW. of SW. 4 of S. 27 and S. of S. 28, T. 66, R. 28, 360 acres. The SE. of NW. and S. of S. 30, T. 66, R. 28, 360 acres. The NE. of S. 31, T. 66, R. 28, 160 acres.

The NW.

of S. 32, T. 66, R. 28, 160 acres.

of S. 33, T. 66, R. 28, 120 acres. T. 66, R. 28, 40 acres.

of S. 26, T. 64, R. 29, 120 acres. of SW.

of S. 29, T. 64, R. 29,

of S. 30, T. 64, R. 29, 80 acres. of S. 33, T. 64, R. 29, 160 acres.

of S. 34,
of SW.

The E.

of SE.

The NW.

The NE

and E.

The W. 160 acres.

The N.

of SE. of S. 34, T. 64, R. 29, 240 acres. of S. 35, T. 64, R. 29, 80 acres.

of 19, and N. of NW. of S. 30, T. 64, R. 29,

of S. 1, T. 65, R. 29, 347% acres.
of SW. 4 of 4, and E. of SE.

of S. 5, T. 65, R. 29,

and N. of S. of S. 8, and W. of NW. † and NW. 14 of SW. of S. 9, T. 65, R. 29, 600 acres. The NE. of S. 14, and NW. The NE. & and W. of SE.

400 acres.

The S. of SE.

The S. of N.

The NE.
The W.

of S. 23, T. 65, R. 29, 320 acres. and SW. of S. 22, T. 65, R. 29,

of S. 3, T. 66, R. 29, 80 acres.

and S. of S. 8, T. 66, R. 29, 480 acres.

of S. 10, T. 66, R. 29, 160 acres.

of NE. and NW. and E. of SW. † and W. § of

SE. of S. 17, T. 66, R. 29, 400 acres.

The NE. of S. 27, T. 66, R. 29, 160 acres.

The E. of NE. of S. 35 and N. of S. 36, T. 66, R. 29, 400

acres.

68

The SE. of S. 30, T. 62, R. 31, 160 acres.
The W. of S. 31, T. 62, R. 31, 337 acres.
The SW. of NW. and N. of SW.

S. 14, T. 61, R. 32, 160 acres.

100

and NW. † of SE. of

The SE. of NE. of S. 15, T. 61, R. 32, 40 acres.

The S. of S. 34, T. 61, R. 32, 320 acres.

The W. of S. 29, T. 63, R. 32, 320 acres.

The SW.

The W.

of S. 11, T. 65, R. 32, 160 acres.

58

The NW. of NE. and W. of S. 36, T. 65, R. 32, 360 acres.
and SE. of S. 31, T. 66, R. 32, 480 acres.
of S. 15, T. 61, R. 33, 160 acres.

The SW.
The NE. and N. of SE. of S. 3, T. 62, R. 33, 240 acres.
The N. and SW. of S 4, T. 62, R. 33, 480 acres.
of S. 9, T. 62, R. 33, 320 acres.

of SE. and SW. of S. 11, T. 62, R. 33, 240 acres. The W. of S. 2, T. 63, R. 33, 320 acres.

The E. of NE. and SE. of 3. 3, T. 63, R. 33, 240 acres.
The Sec's 4, 10 and NE. of S. 7, T. 63, R. 33, 1,440 acres.

The SW. of NW. and W. of SW. of S. 29, T. 63, R. 33, 120 acres.

of NW. of S. 7, T. 65, R. 33, 160

of NW. 4 of S. 6, T. 65, R. 33, 441,8% acres. of SW. and SE. of S. 6, T. 65, R. 33,

100

441 80
100 acres.
The W.

of NE.

and E.

acres.

The N. of S. 12,

The SW.

T. 65, R. and S. of SE.

33, 320 acres.

The E.

of SE.

The SE.

The N.

The NE.

The SW.

The SW.

The W.

of S. 13, T. 63, R. 34, 240 acres.
of S. 14, T. 63, R. 34, 80 acres.
of S. 17, T. 63, R. 34, 160 acres.
of S. 26, T. 63, R. 34, 320 acres.

and SW. of S. 36, T. 63, R. 34, 320 acres.
of S. 23, T. 64, R. 34, 160 acres.

of S. 27, T. 64, R. 34, 160 acres.
of S. 2, T. 64, R. 38, 320 acres.

The N. and SE. of S. 4, T. 64, R. 38, 480 acres.
of S. 5, T. 64, R. 38, 320 acres.
38, 160 acres.

The N.
The NE. of S. 6, T. 64, R.
The SE. and E. of SW.
of S. 9, T. 64, R.
of NE. † and W.
11, T. 64, R. 38, 520 acres.
The SW. of SE.
144

of S. 6, T. 65, R. 38, 164, acres.
of S. 10, T. 65, R. 38, 160 acres.

of 15, Sections 19, 20, and W. of S. 22, T. 65, R. 38, 1,940,5% acres.

92

10

The W. of S. 27 and W. of S. 30, T. 65, R. 38, 664 acres. The NW. of S. 31, T. 65, R. 38, 166% acres.

Section 34, T. 65, R. 38, 640 acres.

of lots 1 and 2 of NE. and NW. of S. 1. T. 65, R. 34, 209.844-100 acres.

Total amount of acres, 30,239.391-100.

JAMES H. BIRCH, Register,

Land Office, Plattsburg, Mo., H. WHITTINGTON, Receiver.

MARCH 2, 1857.

I, Moses Shoemaker, clerk of the circuit court within and for said county, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and perfect copy of an instrument of writing in the possession of James H. Birch, jr.; that I am well acquainted with the handwriting of James H. Birch, late register, and H. Whittington, present receiver of the land office at this place, and that I know that the signatures of the said Birch and Whittington, which are subscribed to the instrument of writing of which the foregoing is a copy, are genuine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my hand and affixed the seal of said court, at office in Plattsburg, this 21st day of Oc[SEAL.] tober, A. D. 1857.

MOSES SHOEMAKER, Clerk.

No. 30.

PRAIRIE PARK, October 26, 1857.

SIR: Not wishing to crowd too many things into the communication which I addressed to the President on the 24th instant, a more specific reference to your letter of the 26th ultimo, enclosing the Commissioner's new report of the 24th, has been reserved until the present.

Pardon me for premising that but for the duty which I feel to be devolved upon me, that the correspondence in this case shall be complete, and at least readily intelligible to a committee of the Senate, (should the case have to get there,) I would decline (as Mr. Y. did) to address anything more to the department.

For the purpose above indicated, however, and (if you will permit it) for the yet further enlightenment of the President, reference is again made to the letter of the receiver and myself, written on the 7th of March last, informing the Commissioner that these lands had been covered and carried, by previous applicants, on the 2d of that month; and it is again stated that the original applications of those previous parties, (made in the presence of hundreds, at the "opening" on that day,) are yet on file in the register's office in town, having been re-examined, in the presence of that officer, as late as Saturday last, and found to contain the appropriate endorsement, "Filed March 2, 1857; Jas. H. Birch, reg. (I have reference more especially to the case of my sons and others, it happening that Mr. Yonley's application, although filed when the others were, was not endorsed, because containing on its face a different and sufficient identification.) If, therefore, the real object of the Commissioner be (as stated in the close of the report which he made to you on Yonley's appeal) "to require the legal rights of the first applicants to be respected," it need only be repeated that he has on the files of his office the same evidence (precisely) that Yonley's original application was received and filed on the 2d of March, that he has that the similar one from Pennsylvania was received and filed the 7th of March.