time this deponent has made the village of New Madrid his place of residence. He further states that the place where Colonel Morgan located himself, A. D. seventeen hundred and eighty-eight, was below Lake St. Aun, being about one mile below the site of the present village of New Madrid; and he also states that, A. D. seventeen hundred and ninety-four or five, the village of Little Prairie was settled by Francis Lesieur; A. D. 1793 Don Pierre Fouché was relieved by Don Thomas Portell, as commandant; A. D). 1796 Don T. Portell was relieved as commandant by Don Carlos Dehault Delassus, and A. D. 1798 Don C. D. H. Delassus was made lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana, and that this deponent, who commanded in the Spanish naval service, remained in command of the village until the arrival of Don Andre Pereux, who remained in command until a short time before the country was receded, when John B. La Valle had command, and that to his knowledge the regulations of Morales were* published about A. D. eighteen hundred by the bent of the drum and reading it at the corners of the streets, and afterwards putting up the order at some public place, as was always done when royal orders were made public. He also states that on the morning of the seventeenth of December, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and eleven, the first earthquake was felt, which was the one that destroyed the Little Prairie; but the one that did the material injury to the village of New Madrid was not until the seventh of February following.. That earthquakes have continued from that time to this during the fall and winter; that prior to and on the twentieth of December, eighteen hundred and three, this square was possessed and occupied by John La Valle, and that he occupied this same square until his death, A. D. eighteen hundred and nineteen.. Auguste Chouteau, being sworn, says that in the year of A. D. seventeen hundred and sixty-four he surveyed the site for the town of St. Louis, and made a plat of the same; that the main streets were all of them laid out to be thirty-six. feet, French measure, wide; all the cross streets were laid out to be thirty feet, French measure, wide; that the blocks were generally laid out to be two hundred and forty feet, fronting on the main streets and running back three hundred feet to the other main street, and the grants to the town lots were always intended to be bounded by the plan or plat above mentioned, so as not to encroach upon the streets. He states that he is well acquainted with what was the custom as to the grants to the lots fronting on the Mississippi in this town, which was always sanctioned by the custom of the country, viz: that there was always a space left below the lots so situated (and fronting on the Mississippi) and the Mississippi for a tow or road, and that he never did know (during the time the French or Spanish authorities governed this country) of any lots being fenced in down to the river Mississippi, either to high-water or low-water mark. Further, that A. D. seventeen hundred and eighty, he again surveyed the town according to the original plan, a copy of which survey has this day been shown him by Theodore Hunt, the United States recorder of land titles; and he further says that, since the first laying out of the town, the Mississippi has washed away some. land in front of said town as it was laid out. The following is a comparative statement adopted by the surveyor general's office at St. Louis, Missouri, of the land measures of the United States, and the French measures formerly used in the late province of Louisiana : 1 perch is equal to 2919 links. 27 arpents are equal to 4 85 100 551 1 arpent is equal to of an acre and T. 1 arpent and 1755 725 arpents and 32 perches are equal to 640 acres. No. 1. Tabular statement showing the number of acres of public lands surveyed in the following land States and Territories up to June 30, 1865, during the last fiscal year, and the total of the public lands surveyed up to June 30, 1866, and also the total area of the public domain remaining unsurveyed within the same. Total... 32,462, 080 25, 576, 960 21, 637, 760 41,824,000 92,016, 640 3,000,000 26, 631,520, 11,300,000 25,576, 960 21, 637, 760 92,016, 640 50, 7:2 47, 156 41,316 52, 19 59,26 37,931, 520 25,576, 960 39,964 21,637, 760 36, 128, 610 36, 128, 640 35,462, 400 35, 462,400 55, 410 44, 154, 210 44, 154, 240 68,991 33,200 56,451 468, 666, 252 1, 227, 262 4, 267, 037 474, 160, 551 991, 368, 2491, 465, 468, 200 2,289,795 *The State of Nevada was enlarged by adding 1 degree of longitude-detached from the west part of Utah-11,728.845 acres; also by the addition of that portion of Arizona lying between the 37th degree of north latitude and Colorado river on the south, and the 37th degree of longitude west, to the eastern boundary of California, amounting to 7,823,936 acres, which will increase the area of Nevada to 71,757,741 acres. This is, however, subject to the approval of the legislature of Nevada, of which this office has not been advised at the date of this report. Per act of May 5, 1866. A strip of 1 degree of longitude being taken from Utah on the west, for the purpose of adding to Nevada, equivalent to 11,728,845 acres, the area of Utah thus diminished will be 56,355,635 acres. Vacated Indian reservations in Utah (77,225 acres) were surveyed during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1866, but as this area forms part of that formerly surveyed as the public iands, and is included in 2,425, 239, the area is not repented. The area of Arizona being diminished by the cutting off the northwest corner and adding to Nevada, amounting to 7,823,936 acres, its area will be 72,906,304 acres. GENERAL LAND OFFICE, October 2, 1866. No. 2 A. Statement of the public lands sold, of cash and bounty land scrip received therefor, number of acres entered under the homestead law of May 20, 1862, of commissions received under sixth section of said act; also, of land located with scrip under the agricultural college and mechanic act of July 2, 1862, and commissions received by registers and receivers on the value thereof, and statement of incidental expenses thereon, in the first half of the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1865, and ending June 30, 1866. |