United States v. D'Aguirre

by Stephen Johnson Field

United States Supreme Court

68 U.S. 311

United States  v.  D'Aguirre

APPEAL by the United States from the District Court for the Southern District of California; the case being thus:

D'Aguirre, in right of his wife Donna Maria Estudillo, claimed a tract of land in California under a grant from the Mexican Government. The tract was parcel of a larger tract, known as the 'Rancho of Old and New San Jacinto.' Two grants had been made of parts from this general tract; the surplus embracing, in fact, about eleven leagues, being that which was claimed by the respondent.

Having presented a petition to the Board of Commissioners, appointed by act of March 3d, 1851, to ascertain and settle private land claims in California, for a confirmation of his claim, D'Aguirre's title as it appeared before the board was thus:

His original petition to the prefect for the land, made in behalf of his wife, set forth 'that there was remaining a 'sobrante,' or surplus,' in the tract or rancho of San Jacinto, and that his wife 'requiring the said remnant, . . . solicited the prefect's assistance to obtain the mentioned land, the extent of which was about five leagues' within the limits of the known rancho of San Jacinto, the general plat of which is in the office of the Secretary of State, and shown in its total extent that it is bounded thus: north by the ranchos of Jurupa and San Bernardino, south by Temecula, west by Unapia, and east by Gorgonia.' The petition continued: 'Your honor will also cause previous observations to be taken.'

The petition to the prefect was followed by the report of that officer to the governor upon it. The report says: 'The land petitioned for is that remaining vacant from the land of the Old and New San Jacinto, and which is bounded by the lands mentioned in the petition; and the copy of the plat, which I have under my eyes, proves to be correct with the original which exists in the government.' The document proceeds: 'Inasmuch as it does not appear to be strange property, that which is claimed as part overplus, and never to have been the same declared, &c., it seems to me that there can result no obstacle to this concession. Notwithstanding that which is represented, your excellency, with more prudence, will resolve upon that which becomes its superior will.'

Next followed,--

THE CONCESSION OF THE GOVERNOR, PIO PICO.

ANGELES, May 9, 1846.

Having seen the petition with which commences this espediente, the report, & c., with the rest that has been reported, and finding the whole in conformity with the laws and regulation, &c., I declare to Donna Maria Estudillo d'Aguirre the property in fee of the land remaining in Old and New San Jacinto, conformably as shows the general map, which agrees with all the antecedents. Let the respective title be delivered to the claimant, and let this espediente be reserved to submit to the approbation of the most excellent Assembly, &c.

PIO PICO.

JOSE MATIAS MORENO, Secretary.

Coming after this document of 'Concession' was, what is called the Grant, a document from the same governor, Pio Pico, in substance reciting that D'Aguirre, in the name of his wife, had solicited for her, the overplus land resulting from the rancho of Old and New San Jacinto, concerning which, the investigations being previously made the governor proceeds to say, 'I have decreed this day that it be conceded to her, the mentioned land, declaring to her the property of the same in fee by these present despatches.' The document continues:

'She shall solicit the respective judge to give her juridical possession in virtue of this decree, thereby establishing the boundaries with the necessary landmarks.

'The land of which donation is made to her, is that which remains as overplus in the ranchos of Old and New San Jacinto, as will appear by the general map of both ranchos, and which corresponds with their espedientes.

'The magistrate who shall give the possession shall have it surveyed conformably to the ordinanza, commencing the surveys from the boundaries of Jose Antonio Estudillo and of Don Miguel de Pedrorena, and he will advise the government of the number of (sitos de ganado mayor) square leagues it contains.'

Next came the report of the Committee on Vacant Lands, which, declaring that D'Aguirre's petition in relation to the tract remaining as overplus, having been granted to him in conformity with the laws on the subject-matter, the said concession 'of the tract which remains as overplus from the ranchos of Old and New San Jacinto is approved.' An approval by the 'most excellent Departmental Assembly of the foregoing decree' concluded the title of D'Aguirre.

The surplus which D'Aguirre had asked for, representing its extent as being about five leagues, more or less, contained in fact, as already mentioned, about eleven leagues.

The question was, of course, as to the amount embraced by the grant; that is to say, whether D'Aguirre's representation in his petition for the 'surplus,' that its extent was five leagues, more or less, would confine the grant to a surplus containing but five leagues, or whether the grant would carry the entire 'surplus' in its full meaning, though that surplus contained eleven. The board of commissioners considered that it only carried five, and rejected D'Aguirre's claim for the entire surplus of eleven. But on appeal, the District Court was of a different opinion, and confirmed the claim; giving to D'Aguirre the surplus remaining within the boundaries of the general tract, to the extent of eleven square leagues, unless there was less than eleven within such boundaries, in which case of such less quantity the confirmation was limited to it. It was from this decree that the United States took the present appeal.

Mr. Wills, for the United States: There has been here, to say no more, such plain misconception on the part of the Mexican government as to what it was granting-that misconception being brought about by misrepresentation of facts on the part of D'Aguirre-that the court will withhold its aid. Certainly the quantity of land which the government would convey entered largely into its determination, whether it would or would not convey it all; and when D'Aguirre represented that the 'sobrante' or surplus contained five leagues or perhaps less, when in fact it contained more than double the amount of five, there is such error as the court will relieve against. The surplus is but the subject of the grant, and justice will be done by giving five leagues in the surplus described.

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