Abstracts to be made out and forwarded to the Secretary of the Treasury by the commissioners.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners shall respectively, under such instructions as the Secretary of the Treasury, may, with the approbation of the President of the United States, transmit to them in relation thereto, prepare, and cause to be prepared, abstracts from the records of the claims filed as aforesaid, in which the claims shall be arranged into classes, according to their respective merits, and other circumstances whereby they may be diversified; the abstracts shall contain the substance of the evidence adduced in support of, or obtained respecting the claims and shall contain such other information and remarks as may be necessary to a proper decision thereon, which abstracts the commissioners shall respectively, as soon as may be, report to the Secretary of the Treasury, and shall by him be laid before Congress at the next session thereafter for their determination thereon.
A list of actual settlers to be made by commissioners and reported to Congress.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the said commissioners be, and they are hereby authorized and required to collect and report to Congress, at their next session, a list of all the actual settlers on land in said districts, respectively, who have no claims to land derived either from the French, British or Spanish governments, and the time at which such settlements were made.
Rates of compensation.
Proviso.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That each of the said commissioners shall be allowed as compensation for his services in relation to the said claims, at the rate of fifteen hundred dollars a year; and each of the clerks, at the rate of one thousand dollars a year: Provided, that not more than eighteen months’ compensation be thus allowed to the commissioner and clerk for the district east of Pearl river; nor more than two years’ compensation be allowed to the commissioner and clerk for the district west of Pearl river; and the commissioner for the eastern district, on making his report to the Secretary of the Treasury, as aforesaid, shall be entitled to receive in addition seven hundred and fifty dollars, and his clerk five hundred dollars; and the commissioner for the western district, on making his report aforesaid, shall receive one thousand dollars, and his clerk seven hundred and fifty dollars; and the said allowances shall be in full for their services under this act.
Approved, April 25, 1812.
Statute Ⅰ.
Chap. LXVIII.—An Act for the establishment of a General Land-Office in the Department of the Treasury.[1]
Office established.
Commissioner to be appointed.
His duties.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be established in the department of the treasury an office, to be denominated the General Land-Office; the chief officer of which shall be called the commissioner of the general land-office, whose duty it shall be, under the direction of the head of the department, to superintend, execute and perform, all such acts and things, touching or respecting the public lands of the United States, and other lands patented or granted by the United States, as have heretofore been directed by law to be done or performed in the office of the Secretary of State, of the Secretary and Register of the Treasury, and of the Secretary of War, or which shall hereafter by law be assigned to the said office.
Chief clerk to be appointed.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be in the said office, an inferior officer, to be appointed by the said principal officer, to be employed therein as he shall deem proper, and to be called the chief clerk of the general land-office, who, in all cases, when the said principal office shall become vacant, during such vacancy, shall have the charge and custody of the seal, and of all records, books and papers, belonging to the said office.
