any act to the contrary, notwithstanding: Provided, that no fractional sections shall be sold in that manner until after they shall have been offered for sale to the highest bidder, in the manner herein after directed.
Public lands of the U. States may be sold in whole, half or quarter sections.Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That all the public lands of the United States, the sale of which is authorized by law, may, after they shall have been offered for sale to the highest bidder in quarter sections, as herein after directed, be purchased at the option of the purchaser, either in entire sections, in half sections, or in quarter sections; in which two last cases the sections shall be divided into half sections by lines running due north and south, and half the sections shall be divided into quarter sections by lines running due east and west. And in every instanceAll subdivisions to be at the expense of purchasers. in which a subdivision of the lands of the United States, as surveyed in conformity with law, shall be necessary to ascertain the boundaries or true contents of the tract purchased, the same shall be done at the expense of the purchaser.
Interest not payable for purchases of public land, if the principal be punctually paid.
Act of May 18, 1796, ch. 29.Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That no interest shall be charged on any instalment which may hereafter become due, in payment for any of the public lands of the United States, wherever situated, and which have been sold in pursuance of the act, intituled “An act to amend the act intituled An act providing for the sale of the lands of the United States, in the territory northwest of the Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river,” or which may hereafter be sold by virtue of that, or of any other act of Congress: Provided, that such instalments shall be paid on the day on which the same shall become due; but the interest shall be charged and demanded in conformity with the provisions heretofore in force, from the date of the purchase on each instalment which shall not be paid on the day on which the same shall become due: Provided however, that on the instalments which are or may become due before the first day of October next, interest shall not be charged, except from the time they became due until paid, but in failure to pay the said instalments on the said first day of October, interest shall be charged thereon, in conformity with the provisions heretofore in force, from the date of the purchase.
(Act of May 18, 1796, ch. 29.)
Under whose direction.
Times and places of sale.
How long the sales to remain open.
Terms of sales.
Other public lands north of the Ohio, or south of Tennessee to be offered to the highest bidder, in quarter sections.
Reservations in favour of a grant to John C. Symmes and others.Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That the sections which have been heretofore reserved, and are by this act directed to be sold, also, the fractional sections, classed as is by the ninth section of this act directed, and all the other lands of the United States, north of the Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river, shall be offered for sale in quarter sections, to the highest bidder, under the directions of the register of the land-office, and of the receiver of public monies, at the places, respectively, where the land-offices are kept, that is to say; the lands in the districts of Chilicothe, on the first Monday of May; the lands in the district of Marietta, on the second Monday of May; the lands in the district of Zanesville, on the third Monday of May; the lands in the district of Steubenville, on the second Monday of June; and the lands in the district of Cincinnati, on the first Monday of September. The sales shall remain open at each place no longer than three weeks; the lands which may be thus sold, shall not be sold for less than two dollars per acre, and shall, in every other respect be sold on the same terms and conditions, as is provided for the sale of lands sold at private sale. And all the other public lands of the United States, either north of the Ohio, or south of the state of Tennessee, which are directed to be sold at public sale, shall be offered for sale to the highest bidder, in quarter sections: Provided however, that section number twenty-six of the third township of the second fractional range, within the grant made by the United States to John Cleves Symmes, on which is erected a mill-dam, is hereby granted to Joseph Vanhorne, the proprietor of the said dam; and also, that section number twenty-nine of the second township of the fourth entire range, be granted to James Sutton; and also, that section number
