at the time of

the same proportion for a fractional part of a town. To be paid ship or of a lot, to be paid at the time of sales, on sales. failure of which payment the said lands shall again be offered for sale.

*There shall be reserved for the United States, out Reservation of every township, the four lots being numbered, 8, of lots No. 8, 11, 26, 29, and out of every fractional part of a town- 11, 26, 29, ship, so many lots of the same numbers as shall be found thereon for future sale. There shall be reserved the lot No. 16 of every township for the main- Of No. 16, tainance of public schools within the said township, and of one also one third part of all gold, silver, lead and copper third of mines, to be sold or otherwise disposed of, as Con- mines. gress shall hereafter direct.†

for schools,

When any township or fractional part of a town. Deed to be ship shall have been sold as aforesaid, and the mo- made by the ney or certificates received therefor, the loan officer loan officer. shall deliver a deed in the following terms.

"The United States of America to all, &c. &c."

diers entitled

to bounty

Saving and reserving always to all officers and soldiers entitled to lands, on the north-west side of the Ohio, by donation or bounty from the commonwealth Saving of the of Virginia, and to all persons claiming under them, rights of offiall rights to which they are so entitled under the deed cers and solof cession executed by the delegates for the state of Virginia, on the first day of March, 1784, and the lands from act of Congress accepting the same: and to the end, Virginia. that the said rights may be fully and effectually secured, according to the true intent and meaning of the said deed of cession and act aforesaid; Be it ordained that no part of the land included between the rivers called little Miami and Scioto, on the north

By the contracts with the Ohio Company and John Cleves Symmes, the section, No. 29, was given for religious purposes. By the act of 18th May, 1796, and 10th May 1800, four central sections (including No. 16,) were reserved in lieu of the five sections here designated. By subsequent acts the sale of all those reserved sections (section No. 16, for the use of schools excepted) has been authorised.

All salt springs and lead mines are reserved by subsequent laws: but the reservation of one-third part of gold, silver, and copper mines has been discontinued.

west side of the river Ohio, be sold, or in any manner alienated until there shall first have been laid off and appropriated for the said officers and soldiers, and persons claiming under them, the lands they are entitled to, agreeably to the said deed of session and act of Congress accepting the same.

12th May, 1786.

Whereas, the ordinance for ascertaining the mode of disposing of lands in the western territory directs, Resolution, That the geographer and surveyors shall pay the ut most attention to the variation of the magnetic needle, and shall run and note all lines by the true meridian, certifying with every plat what was the variation at the times of running the lines thereon noted;" which direction will greatly delay the survey of the said territory :

Repeal of a provision in the ordinance of 20th May, 1785.

Resolution, 21st April,

1787. Residue of the lands to be sold.

For not less than $1 per acre.

Mode of payment.

Resolved, that the above recited clause in the said ordinance be, and the same hereby is repealed.

After the secretary at war shall have drawn for the proportionate quantity of the lands already surveyed, which were assigned to the late army agreeably to the ordinance of the 20th of May 1785, the remainder shall be advertised for sale in one of the newspapers at least, of each of the states, and at the expira tion of five months from this day, the sale of the land shall commence in the place where Congress shall sit, and continue from day to day until the same shall be disposed of; provided, that none of the land shall be sold at a less price than one dollar per acre, and that the sale shall be made agreeably to the mode painted out by the ordinance aforesaid.

Resolved, that one-third of the purchase money shall be immediately paid in any of the public securities of the United States to the treasurer of the said states, and that the remaining two thirds shall be paid in like manner in three months after the date of the sale, on which payment (a certificate thereof being previously furnished by the treasurer to the board of treasury,) titles to the lands shall be given to the

purchasers by the board of treasury, agreeably to the terms prescribed by the said ordinance; provided, that if the second payment shall not be made in three months as aforesaid, the first payment shall be forfeit- ment forfeited, and the land shall again be exposed to sale.

First pay

ed if 2d be

not made &c.

securities

Resolved, that Congress approve of the declarati- Resolution, on made by the board of treasury at the time of sel- 24th Septemling the public lands, that the interest on the securi- ber 1787. ties to be received in payment should not be compu- Interest on ted; and direct them to proceed in the same manner paid for pubin future sales, issuing certificates, or indents of in- lic lands not terest for the interest due on the certificates paid con- to be compuformably to the authority given them for the sale of But indents the lands between the seventh range of townships and to be issued the Scioto, on the 23d day of July last.

ted.

therefor.

Whereas, it is found to in be convenient to execute

that part of the land ordinance, passed May 20th, Supplementa 1785, which directs that certain proportions of lands ry ordinance, be allotted to the several states to be sold by the loan 9th July 1782. officers in each state. And whereas, a sufficient quantity of lands for satisfying the bounties due to the late army, was set apart by the act of Congress, passed the 22d of October last, whereby further drafts for satisfying military bounties in lands from the townships lately surveyed, are become unnecessary :

Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, that so much of the said ordinance, pas- So much of sed May 20th, 1785, as ordains that certain parts of the ordinance the townships, therein directed to be surveyed, shall of 20th May be drawn for in the name of the thirteen states re- 1785, as auspectively, according to the quotas in the last preced- by commissithorises sales ing requisitions, in all the states, in order that the oners of loans same be sold by the said loan officers; and also that repealed. the secretary at war shall take by lot from the townships, when surveyed, certain proportions of land for the use of the late army, so far as the same may re- And drafts spect future drafts, be and the same are hereby re- for the late pealed.

army, modified.

So much of

the 7 ranges as is not disposed of to be sold.

Terms of

sale.

Change as to place of sale.

Resolution,

15th June, 1785.

Unauthorised settle

ments on public lands prohibited.

Be it further ordained, that the board of treasury be, and they hereby are authorised and directed to sell those parts of the seven ranges of townships surveyed in the western territory, which are not already sold or drawn for the use of the late army, in the same manner, on the same conditions, and under the same restrictions and limitations as were prescribed in the resolutions of Congress of April 21st, 1787, except as to the place of sale, and the daily continuance thereof, which may be so far varied, that the said board may commence the sales at New York or Philadelphia, and adjourn the same, from time to time, to any part or parts of the United States, which they may judge most proper for the purpose.

Resolved, that they prohibit the settlement of all persons not properly authorised for that purpose, upon the unappropriated lands of the United States, and that they cause to be circulated in the said country the following Proclamation:

Whereas it hath been represented to the United States in Congress assembled, that several disorderly persons have crossed the river Ohio, and settled upon their unappropriated lands; and whereas it is their intention as soon as it shall be surveyed, to open offices for the sale of a considerable part thereof, in such proportions and under such other regulations as may suit the convenience of all the citizens of the said states, and others who may wish to become purchasers of the same; and as such conduct tends to defeat the object which they have in view, is in direct opposition to the ordinances and resolutions of Congress, and highly disrespectful to the federal authority, they have therefore thought fit, and do hereby issue this their proclamation, strictly forbidding all such unwarrantable intrusions, and enjoining all those who have settled thereon to depart with their families and effects without loss of time, as they shall answer the same at their peril.

• Board of Treasury.

1787.

Persons hav

Resolved, that the secretary at war direct the com. Resolution, 24th April, manding officer of the troops of the United States on the Ohio, to take immediate and efficient measures for dispossessing a body of men who have in a lawless. ing taken un and unauthorised manner taken possession of post lawful posSt. Vincents, in defiance of the proclamation and session of authority of the United States, and that he employ post St. Vinthe whole or such part of the force under his com⚫ removed by mand, as he shall judge necessary to effect the ob- the troops of ject.

cents, to be

the U. S.

1787.

New states

not to inter

the lands of

The Legislatures of those districts or new states* Ordinance. shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the 13th July, soil by the United States in Congress assembled, nor with any regulations Congress may find necessa ry for securing the title in such soil to the bona fide fere in the purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on lands the primary disproperty of the United States; and in no case shall posal of the non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than resi- soil, nor tax dents. The navigable waters leading into the Mis- U. S. &c. sissippi and St. Lawrence, and the carrying places Navigable between the same, shall be common highways, and waters deforever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said clared comterritory, as to the citizens of the United States, and mon highthose of any other states that may be admitted into the confederacy, without any tax, impost or duty therefor.

(2) Provisions enacted under the present form of government, prior to the act of 10th May, 1800.

ways.

1789.

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the 1. 1st sess. 12. treasury to execute such services relative to the sale 2d Sept. of the lands belonging to the United States, as may Duties of se be by law required of him.

cretary of the treasury.

4th Aug. 1790.

Sec. 22. The proceeds of the sales, which shall f. 2d sess. 34 be made of lands in the Western territory, now belonging, or that may hereafter belong to the United States, shall be, and are hereby appropriated towards

• To be formed in territory north west of Ohio.