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E7 f. C. GUIETI.
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Insertion. For yearly advertisements private arrangemr-.ts are to
be made. Postage must be paid on tellers business.
Report of the Commissioner of the General Land Office
to tiie Secretary of the Treasury.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
NovK.MBE.-t. 30, 1833.
Sir: I have the honor of submitting to your examina
tion, aud for the consideration of the Government a re
port of the operations of this office ditrinir the past year ;
the present condition of the same, with its ar ears of
business, and the necessary action of Congress, to ena.
ble it to discharge its various duties wfi h more prompt
ness, and with that justice which is due to the parties
interested, and to the public service.
Tlie annexed document, marked A. allows the peri
ods to which tlie quarterly accounts of die receivers
hav# been rendered to this office, as also the monthly
♦betnct* of sales and receipts, and the admitted balan
ces remaining in the hands of the receivers at the re
spective dates of their last returns. With few excep.
tiona, the land officers have been very prompt in trans
milling to this office their monthly and quarterly state
merits, as required by law, and tlie regulations of the
department.
Th* accompanying statement, marked B, exhibits for
the year 1832,and the first three quarters of ]>533, tlie \
amount ot public lands sold in tlie respective States and
Territories ; the several amounts received in cash, in 1
forfeited laud stock, in military bounty land scrip, and j
the total amount of purchase money, with the amount j
ipaid into the Treasury. From which statement, it will |
appear that the sales of the first three quarters of 1833 i
have exceeded those of the corresponding quarters of I
1832, 532,838 acres; boo,OSD dollars of purchase mo
ney ; and oi amount paid into the Treasury, the sum of
603,838 dollars. This excess can be accounted for, in
ill* increasing di.-position for emigration which pervades
the Atlantic Stales and many portions of Europe, and in
ilie persevering industry and enterprise of our Western
and Southwestern population. It is not improbable that
tb* aides for the present year wi.l amount to three mil
lions of acres, and tlie money paid into the public Trea
sury exceed three millions of dollars. In many of the
districts, the largest sales frequently occur in the last
•quarter o: the year.
I have caused to be prepared the tabular statement,
C., which presents, at one view, the sales of the public
lands, under the cash system, from its commencement,
on the first ot July, 1820, to the end of the year 1832.
It exhibits the quantity sold at the several land offices in
each year, with tho aggregate amount at each office du
ring the whole of that period, as also the amount sold in
each year in the several States and Territories, togeth
er with the total amount in each year, the total amount
in each Stale and Territory, with the grand total. This
•tatemeat also shows tlie progressive increase of the or.
Miaary sales, with the exception of the year 1332, which
did not equal those of 1831 by 315,514 acres, in const;-
•quence, principally, of the ganeral prevalence of the
Asiatic cholera in many of those districts to which emi.
gration tended, and from which it usually emanates,
and the Indian war which pervaded the northern fron
tier of Illinois, and tlie western part of Michigan.
A schedule of forfeited land stock issued and recciv.
«d at the several land offices, under the provisions of the
••actsof Congress of May 23, 1838, .March 31, 1830, and
July 9, 1532, is herewith appended, marked D. It
■*h*we tho amount issued and received at each office in
each of the years 1828, 1829, 1830. 1831, 1832, and ih*
first three Quarters o! 1833, the total amount issued and ro
caived in each year, the whole amount ai each office dn
ring ihat period, with iheir respective grand totals. The
•mail balance of less than 16.41)0 dollars of the whole
amount issued, remained to be received and accounted
for at this office on the 3!)tli of September last.
By tlie act of May 30, 1831), there were appropriated I
260,000 acres of land, subject to private entry, in Ohio,
Indiana, nd Illinois, to satisfy the nnlocated military
bounty land warrants of. the Virginia State line and
navy; 50,000 acres of the Virginia continental fine, and
on unlimited quantity for the United State s military war
rants, for services rendered in the revolutionary war ;
and scrip was authorized to be issued in eighty acre
tr-cts, in lieu of said warrants. The act of July 13,
1832, made an additional appropriation of 300,000 acre?
for the Virginia continental lino, and the State line and
navy ; and by the net of March 2, 1833, the further quan.
tity of 200,000 acres was appropriated lor the Virginia
warrants, to be located on any of the public lands lia le
to sale at private entry; making a total for Virginia war.
rants, of 810,000 acres. Os this quantity, scrip had |
bean issued, or prepared to be issued, by the Secretary
•ot the Treasury, ou the 15th of November instant, fqr
772,424 acres, leaving a balance of 37,576 &crr-s, ,fie
•warrants for which have been filled, and the sevio will
he issued thereon so soon ns the title pape re thereof
ehaJl b« completed. The schedule hereunto annexed
marked E. exhibits a summary statement of tlie number
•of warrants which have been satisfied, of each class
or description ; the quantity of l?ud tor which scrip
4jss been issued; iis amount in money, at one dollar and
twenty-five rents per acre ; togother with the total num
ber of certificates of scrip Issued. Virginia warrant*
have already been filed so- about 10,000 acres, exceed,
ing the amount which c'.mhe satisfied with scrip out, ol
the appropriations w)-,i cn have been made. I have no
means of aac«rtaini - .'g the amount ot outstanding Vir
ginia war ran ra no' yet filed in this office and, it will he
for the decision of Congress whether further provisions
shall be mnd'e ro satisfy the same.
The annexed statement, marked F, shows the amount,
in money, of the military land scrip received in payment
for public lands, at the several land offices, in the years
1830, 1831, 1832, and the first three quarters of 1633,
with the total amount in each year in each State and at
each office, with the grand total. It will appear from
this statement, that, of the whole amount of scrip issued,
(1,063,599 dollars,) there had been received at the land
•offices and accounted for at this office, on tho 39th of
•September last, the sum of 751,827 dollar- ; and that, of
this sum, more than one-half had been taken at the
Zanesville office, in Ohio, and at the office of Indiana
polis. in Indiana. It is altogether, in my opinion, irre
concilable with the ordinary course of such business,
and the usual current of public sales, that so large a por
tion should have been received at these two offices,
without the connivance or direct agency of the land
officers and their clerks, or one or more ot them, at each
office, by which scrip has been taken in cases where
otherwise cash would have been received. Other offices
have also received and transmiitted ah unexpected
amount ; in consequence of which, measures have been
taken to ascertain tlie tacts and circumstances connected
with these transactions, and explanations have been re.
quired of the officers. Before the close of tlie present
session of Congress, the department will be able to show
the causes and agencies which have contributed to throw
this species of property so rapidly upon 'lie Government.
The appropriation of seven thousand dollars, made at
the last session ot Congress, lor extra clerk hire for
this office, has enabled me to progress with its current
business to a very considerable extent, and to grant ad
vantage to those most interested and to the Government.
Out of that appropriation there have been opened twan
ty-tvvo tract books, containing the entries of the tracts
of five hundred and four townships; the posting of about
17,090 entries of lands sold, besides the writing and re
cording of mure than 13,000 patents, and the perform
ance ot a large amount ofmiscellaneous business, equal
ly pressing and important. Yet, notwithstanding the be
nt hts '' Inch have resulted from that appropriation, trie
force of the office, provided by law, has been inadequate
so tne discharge of its current duties, and leaving, at
t.ie close oi • e present year, a greater aggregate a
mouu' ol ar;.- xrs than existed on the Ist of January last.
C i me passage of the act of March 2, 1633, provid
ing :or t ie a.pomtiuem of a secretary to sign patents in
name o. the President, there were written and re
corut i, ana prepared for signature, more than twenty
,!l d* I, ents sor lands sold. In consequence ottlie
provisions ot that act, u uecattie necessary to alter tne
date ot execution of each patent, and the record thereof,
and the endorsement o. the certificate on which the same
w-as founded. This service was an expense to the office
of more than six hundred dollars, requiring, on all the
documents, more than sixty thousand alterations or ad
ditions, and, in effect, abstracted that aum from the an
propnation for the salaries of the permanent clerl s 1
would, therefore, for the purpose of reimbursing 'that
amount to the office, respectfully recommend a special
appropriation ot six hundred dollars, to be expended in
writing and recording four thousand patents. wlfich
would diminish that branch of arrears, without interfer
ing with current duties.
The unfortunate destruction of th" Treasury building
by fire, admonished me of the propriety and absolute
necessity ot adopting every precautionary measure to
secure t:.a safety of ’he title -p-rs, records «-id other
important document**-, w-ich .>uistitr ■• ifie a-
papers, embracing c large portion which belong to the
credit system ot the land sales, were deposited in the
attic story of the building, immediately under the roof,
in the utmost confusion, in bandies arranged neither in
chronological older, nor in the order oi consecutive
numbers. On a r ’presentation of these facts to the then
Secretary ot the i n - vary, and by his advice, I have
adopted those means which wou;d secure to the Go
vernment, and to the extensive regions of the Ohio and
Mississippi, the safety and security of those documents
which are connected with the land titles of more than
three millions.of white population. Portable cases for
all papers and documents not <>f daily use, and fire bags
for each room of the office, nave been contracted lor,
and will be delivered in the course of two or three
weeks, while tlie assortment and arrangement of the
title papers are in rapid progress, by persons especially
employed in that service. Tiie jilan adopted, and which,
when completed, as it will be in two or three months,
will enable twenty able bodied men, in case of fire, to
remove from the office every paper, document, book,
and record of the same, to a place of security, i n fifteen
minutes, without the derangement of either; so that, in
asc tlie roof and second story of the building should
Le in flames, every thing belonging to the Land Office,
ex.-epf its iiiraitufc, could be saved and removed by the
ordinary assistance which is found in tlie case oi fires.
The w hole expense of these necessary and precniuiona.
ry measures will amount to about twenty-six hundred
dollars, (or which a special appropriation is respectfully
requested
One of tlie most serious causes which have produced
the delays and embarrassments to the performance of
. the ordinary business ot this office, is the want of the
statutes and the reports of the adjudicated decisions of
the highest courts of justice in the several States, 'i he
daily necessity of a recurrence to such documents, and
the difficulty of obtaining access to the same, has been
■ the occasion ot vexatious delays, in numerous instances,
i t i the parties immediately interested, and to the prompt
i discharge o( official duty. This can he remedied by a
special appropriation, lor that purpose, of about twenty.
| live hundred dollars, which is respectfully and urgently
I recommended. It s frequently the case that a resort to
: these statutes, and the reported decisions thereon, is ah.
| solutely necessary to a correct action on q uestions aris
i ing under the law of descent, the jurisdiction of probate
| matters, the settlement and distribution of intestate es
tates, the law of judgments and executions, and the lien
created thereby, with the law of assurance or convey
ances in relation to real estate. Access to these sources
ot information is often indispensable to the security of
individual rights, and important to the pecuniary inter
ests of the Government. In many of the States, some
of tiie principles of tiie common law have been dccla ed
inapplicable to tlie peculiar circumstances of the people
and the country, and inconsistent with the genius and
provisions of our political institutions; and others have
been substituted by legislative adoption, compatible with
constitutional rights and the immunities of the citizen.
Hundreds of questions are presented every year, in the
administration of the powers and duties of this office,
involving the examination and application of legal prin
ciples, connected with 'he subjects above enumerated ;
and it is a matter of surprise to me that more complaints
have not, been made against the decisions of the com
missioner in cases where he lias been called upon to
decide, without the requisite legal information to do so
understandingly. la many instances, I liave no doubt
they have been submitted to. rather than incur the ex
pense ot an appeal to the administration of justice in the
United States’ courts. These evils should no longer
prevail, and the oxcuseTor them should cease to exist,
by the appropriate ac tion of Congress. The small sum
necessary to oe appropriated, cannot come in competition
with the resulting benefits to individuals and to i>s Go
vernment. There is, probably, no bureau under the Exe
cutive Departments, which requires so frequent recur
rence to tlie statutes and judicial decisions of the several
States, as that oi tho General Land Office, and in which
they are so necessary to the administration of right and
justice. In truth, it has become in practice, from neces
sity, a Court of Exchequer, where its decisions are tacit,
ly assented to, from ignorance of the law, or acquiesced
in irom pecuniary considerations. My dnty to the Go
vormnent and ro individual rights requires this statement
from me, as ar. act of justice to the parties interested,
and as highly proper and.important for ifie legislative ac-
Lots ot Congress.
Although the above statements and exhibits show that
the duties of tiii.s office are mryjally increasing and rap.
idly accumulating, it is proper for me to say that they
present but a small portion of he items ofsuch increase.
Exclusive of the correspondence v/itli the Secretary of
the Treasury, in relation to the issue of military bounty
land, scrip since the first of January last, which is equal
to the writing api\ recording of 318 letters, and the let.
ters written to the several land officers, acknowledging
toe receipt ol their monthly and quarterly returns, a
mounting to 1,150 to the 15th of the present month, there
have been written in the office, on other subjects, from
tlie Is'; ot January last to the 15th instant, including co.
ptes oi portion of the same, 4,589 letters, occupying in
tb’; record thereof, 3,047 large folio pages. During the
present year, there will have been issued and transmitted
I from tlie office more than forty thousand patents, leaving
an arrear of patents for lands s ild, at tiie close the
year, in amount exceeding seventy thousand. To n - s
should be added, besides other increasing J 3niß ,- j(lg
the office, the requirements of individ** i •• * • ! ,
, , , "-“• -or copies ot
title papers, record*, correspondence, other docu.
merits, to be used in the adm; liis .. ati(jn o( - justicei the
settlement of intestate o'sfata,, to supp j y the loss or de
a;ruction ot the and for other lawful purposes,
which will amount for (lie present year, at twelve and a
halt cent' p er one hundred words, to a sum exceeding
‘du“e thousand dollars. This class of requisitions upon
the nine sincl duties ot the office must annually increase
| with the progress of the sales of the national domain,
j the opening and clearing the forests, and the extension
j of tlie western settlements. Another source of expen-c
j to the office, and which is constantly increasing with tlie
• accumulation o: its arrears, is the issuing, ( in ignorance
i ; ot the tact, of patsm* to purchasers, or to thsir assigns,
I after the death of the patentees. To remedy this defe. t
in tiie system of legal grants for lands sold, which has
now become serious and embarrassing, it is necessary
, tor Congress to provide by law that patents issued to
persons deceased, tiie iearal title shall inure to the heirs
or devisees, to every lawtnl effect and extent, as if they
, had been executed and delivered in the liletirne of the
same.
The surveys of the public lands liave progressed to a
very considerable extent, a large portion of which, how
ever, are rendered immediately unavailing, in conse.
quencc of the deficiency of aid provided by law in the of
fices of the surveyors general. At the present time lam
not able to make a particular report thereof, but it is ex
peeled that statements in detail of the progress and the
condition and necessities of cadi office on the Ist Jan
uary next, will b« returned, ns soon as practicable after
that date, by tlie several surveying departments.
When these statements arc received, they will be com.
mumcated in extenso, or in a condensed form, as may
be required. Ir is known, however, that the surveys
of about 800 townships have been made and paid for,
the plats and descriptive notes of which should be re
turned to this office, and to the proper land offices, in
the course of s;x or eight months. A large amount of
surveys have be«n made and are in progress, which will
| be completed and paid for, and the returns thereof made,
during the year 1831, if the necessary means should be
provided by Congress. I consider it my duty to state,
in connexion with this subject, that it is impossible for
the public surveys to progress, and the sales and dispo.
sition of the national domain to be facilitated and extsn.
tied with advantage to the Government, and without
injury to individuals, unless more discretionary power is
vested in the Treasury Department to meet unforessen
evils arm and the defects of legislation, to bring up and
•prevent tiie accumulation of arrears, and to secure a
prompt and efficient discharge of public duty. I would,
therefore, respectfully propose that the Secretary of the
Treasury, on a reported statement of facts by the com
missioner of the General Land Office, be authorized
and directed by law to cause ail the arrears of the sur
veying departments to be brought up as soon as practi.
cable; to require an authenticated transcript of the re
cords of the field notes to be transmitted to tlie General
Land Office; to cause renewed township plats tone fur
nished to the land offices, where the originals have be
come so dalaced and injured, and the entries thereon
obliterated by constant use, as to be no longer available
in every particular, as public documents; and to make
reasonable allowance for the surveys of the principal
and guide merid ans and base lines, and particular sec
tions of tlie public lands, in cases where they cannot be
executed for tiie prices allowed by law ; and that the ex
pense thereof be paid out of the general appropriation
for the surveys of the public lands.
In making this annual report, I m again required, by
a sense of public duty, to present a brief view of the ar
rears of business in this office, and the means necessary
to bring up those arrears, in connexion with a proper dis
charge of current du’r. Under the head of
Ist. Pi irate land claims. The printing and publica
tion of State papers, by Gales and Seaton and Duff
Green, supersede much of tiie duty previously required
by this bureau. The arrears of this branch ot business
can now be brought up by one competent clerk in one
year.
-■I- Military bounty lands. Tiie duties now required
>• ■: t?»is head votdd require the t a;
■ • 1 : s ■ vs for j r v ? r •
r .v ’ lands, and
the time, for one fear, o! six intc uusjuai
clerks.
-Ith. Indexes to the records of patents, a work of the
' most pressing necessity, and which is almost entirely in
arrears from the commencement of the public land sales,
j cannot be accomplished in less than one year, by fifteen
| active and competent clerks.
sth. The opening of tract books for surveys already
returned to the office, as rendered necessary by the quar
ter quarter section subdivision, would require the service
of two clerks for one year.
Gth. Writing, recording, and examining patents fur
I lands sold. The amount of arrears under this head, for
\ lands sold to the first ot January next, will exceed sev.
enty two-thousand patexts. To write, record, and
i examin * the same, would require the service of eigh
| teen diligent clerks for a year.
I 7th. Suspended cases under the. credit system, from
j the difficulty of completing the title papers, and the great
labor of” examination, will demand the service of two
clerks one year, who are acq aimed with this duty.
Bth. The draughtsman's bureau. There are now in the
office 9-6 township plats to be protraced on the mans of
the proper land districts, besides about B. fo other plats,
which are expected to he returned in the course of six or
eight months; information having been received tiiat the
surveys thercot have been made am! returned to the res
pective surveyors general. To make the protractions
and connexions which should be done in the'eourse of the
ensuing year, will require the labor of one competent
and industrious draughtsman at least twelve months.
The lands selected by the States of Ohio, Illinois,
Indiana, and Alabama, under grants for canal pur
poses, and those selected under grants for other pur
poses, with the school lands selected in lieu of section
16, have all to be entered and marked on the township
plats and maps of proper districts. To perform :hi;
service, as also that of making similar entics, under
the act of April, 1832, authorizing a subdivision of
the fractional sections into forty tracts, would occupy
the time of a draughtsman more than one year. If
it is contemplated by the Government to complete the
service as far as practicable, required by a resolution of.
the Senate of February 28, 1823, the labor of one
draughtsman acquainted with the duty would be requir
ed for six yoars. The daily interruption to the proper j
discharge of public duty, and the expenses resulting to I
the office, in consequence of the continuance of these
arrears, have become evils of the most serious character,
and should be done away immediately,
9th. Mis '.ellaneous arrears, other than those enumcra- I
ted, would occupy the time of four clerks one year. :
These arrears, now amounting to the services of fifty. |
nine clerks for one year, have been accumulating for a j
long period of lime, a large portion of which existed be- !
fore the administration oi the office was committed to ;
my hands. They have arisen from the physical impos- \
sibiluy of the office to discharge all the duties required
of it by law, with the force provided for that purpose,
from the injudicious and unfortunate reduction of six of
its clerks in 1827 ; from the great increase ot' business
arising under the relief laws since 1823; from the es
tablishment of additional land and surveying districts;
from the numerous reservations made in Indian trea
ties ; from the many grants of public lands, lor canal,
road, literary and oilier purposes ; and from the great in
crease of miscellaneous business, within the last four or
five years, not previously demanded of the office.
To bring up these arrears, I would respectfully re
commend that the Secretary of the Treasury be author
ized to cause the same to be done, and the expenses
thereof paid out of any moneys in the Treasury nit
otherwise appropriated, to such an extent as, in his
judgment, the necessities of the Government and jus
tice to individuals may require. And to enable the office
in discharge its current duties, I propose the employment
therein <>l one chief clerk at a salary of $1,700 per annum;
one clerk at $1,500; five at $ 1,400; ten at $1,150; and
thirteen .at $1,000; making, in all, thirty clerks; and also
one draughtsman at $1,500, one assistant draughtsman at
$1,150, one messenger at S7OO, and two assistant mes
sengers at $350. For the reasons of this additional
aid, and the increase of pay to a portion of the same, I
refer you to my report made to the Secretary of the
Treasury on the 21st of January last, and which has been
printed as number 50 of the Senate documents of last
session. If, however, it should not he deemed expedi
ent by Congress to adopt this proposition, an appropria
tion of $6,000 per year, for the writing and recording of
patents for lands sold, and a like appropriation for six ex
tra clerks in the office, would greatly facilitate its hit si-,
ness, and very much lessen the embarrassments uu j er
which it now labors.
All which is respectfully submitted.
ELIJAH IT AYVARU.
Hon. R. B. Taney, Secretary of the Treasury.
From the South' rn Recorder.
Messrs. Editors Ihe I _. re publications of Judge
Shorter and Col. Iv i Y«o'^ ) ] e:ive me no choice, but to ask
a hearing nom foe This would have been done
sooner, but i' om ino accidental circumstance, that while
1 was go.ug iP t j l( . stai , e t 0 Columbus to see Col. Iver
son. ae v; as travelling in the same way to Macon,.where
jUS ’’,ess detained him some days. The following let
foes will explain, and in a satisfactory manner, 1 hope,
every thing relating to this unpleasant business, so far
> as lam concerned.
i Your obedient servant,
f S. GRANTLAND,
Milledgeville, December 25th, 1833.
Columbus, Dec. 15th, 1833.
> Col. Alfred Iverson :
1 Sir —The conversation we had a few days ago, when
1 we first met, satisfies me that you are disposed to do
1 ample justice, so far as lam concerned, in respect to all
! matters connected with the late change of Directors in
> the Farmer’s Bank of Chattahoochee.
1 You admit, Sir, that I had no participation in that
! change, as it was made, nor any reason to expect, that
' more would lie done by you, than what was distinctly
! j understood between us, to wit: the removal of Michael
• j W. Perry, Esq., and the appointment in his place of Dr.
1 Thos. Iloxey, lor the sole purpose of reducing the sala
* ri> sos the officers, which had been increased without
’ the knowledge of many of the Stockholders, and were
1 thought by you, as well as mvstdf, to be too high. You
3 i will also admit, that I made no remark calling in ques
r tion either the integrity or capacity of the President or
; Cashier of the Bank ; and that the increase of their sa
laries, and the neglect of their duties, (of both which
i you, and you only had informed me) were alone the sub
- jeets of complaint. You are mistaken in saying, as you
. do in your late publication, that 1 censured Judge Shor
ter, fertile use he had made of my Power of Attorney,
i to vote for Directors—the fact is, Sir. that Judge Shor
. ter was not the agent who represented my stock. Ed
! ward Cary, Esq. the Cashier of the Bank, held my pow.
er, and I did say, and do yet think, that while holding
■ our powers, Mr. C. should not have urged an increase
. of the salaries, without first consulting Mr. Sanford and
myself. The statements you made ol the expenses of
r the Bank, and also of a disposition on the part of the
i President and Cashier to have their salaries raised still
, higher, with the expression of your opinion that no di
. vidend would he declared at the expiration of the half
i year, or at any rate not more than two per cent, and that
f no profit could be expected thereafter, without some
1 change of the D rectors, certainly did arouse my feel
, ings; and 1 expressed them, as is habitual with me,
> warmly and decidedly. Hut I did not authorize you to
, displace Mr. Cary, nor did I say any thing in disparage.
ment of Judge Shorter, unless this expression could be
so construed—that if these gentlemen would not con
sent to hold their offices with such salaries ns the Bank
t could afford to pay, vve (meaning the stockholders and
i directors) would provide lor filling their places with oth
i er suitable persons. About the time the bank com
-1 menced us operations, and at different times since, I re
t member to have said to you, that m the event of Judge
, Shorter’s resigning the Presidency, I should look to you
; as his successor; and it is quite probable that I said so
in the course of our conversations respecting the change
i of one ol the directors, which change you deemed to be
. indispensable to effect the contemplated reduction of the
. salaries. It was, however, my wish that Judge Shorter
should continue at the head of the institution. His well
1 i known talents and business habits, together with the fact
of his possessing a large property, which had been ac
. quired by persevering industry, gave to the Bank, under
i his supervision, advantages of which I was fully sensi
> ble, and inspired a confidence in its stability and pros
i perity, which could not, in my opinion, have been in
-1 creased by the substitution rt any other person.
It is true, as you say in your address to the public,
that there had been between us much confidence and
friendship. That any circumstance should have occur
red to interrupt or diminish either, is by me very much
regretted—but you know, sir, that I am wholly blame
less in this matter ; and that you shall so declare to the
public, is what you must feel is due, not less to yourself
than it is to me.
You do me great injustice in supposing I have taken |
part in the quarrel between you and others. With the !
controversies of the citizens of Columbus, whether po- j
f litical or personal, I have no concern. It would be in
-1 decorous in a stranger, as lam among you, to connect |
i | himself with such matters. My object has been mere- ;
; j ly to place my own conduct in a proper light before the
public. I am, Sir, vour obedient, servant,
! | SEATON GRANTLAND.
Columbus, Dec. 22d. 1833. j
‘ I S. Gravtland. Esa.
TJenr Sir —Ym;r letter of the 20th ins! has ! » re-’
cei«.- * it unnecessary for me to reply at length,
to all the points embraced in it, or to go more fully than
I have already done, into an exposition of the motives
and reasons which induced me to exercise, as I did, the
power confcred upon me by your proxy. This has been
partially, and I trust sufficiently done in my reply to
Judge Shorter’s publication. I hive no hesitation in
stating to you now, as I have uniformly done, in all my
conversations upon the subject, both with yourself and
others, that you hail no voluntary or intentional agency
in the removal of Judge Shorter from the Presidency of
the Bank. It is certainly true, that your power of Attor
ney was asked for and granted with a view to the reduc
tion of the salaries of the officers; and when it was
first sought for and promised. I had no other object in
view.—Subsequent considerations induced me to change
my plans and to go farther than was either contemplated
by myself or anticipated by you. These considerations
have been made known to the public, who must.be left to
judge of their propriety.
You labour under a mistake in supposing that I have
imputed to you, remarks calling in question the integrity
and cKpacy of tiie former officers of the institution.
You tonnd fault with the amount of their salaries—the
manner in which they were increased, and the great
quan'ityof private business and individual speculations
in which they seemed to be engaged, and which we con
curred in supposing would necessarily divert iheir atten
tion from the duties of the offices which thev held in ihe
Bank.
1 may have been mistaken in the fact, that you cen
sured Judge Shorter for the use made of your former
proxy. The impression on my mind was, that he held
that proxy, and as you censured the manner in which
it was used (to enlarge the salaries) I very naturally ap
plied your remarks to him—l now suppose that you
intended generally to cast censure upon the act, without
making any particular application of it; for as Judge
Shorter and .Mr. Cary held a majority of the votes upon
that occasion, and acted in concert, of course they were
equally entitled to blame. I admit that you did not ex
press a desire that either Judge Shorter or Mr. Cary
should be removed, yet I was certainly impressed with
the belief, from the general tenor of your remarks, that
you were very much dissatisfied with the manner in |
j which they had acted in relation to their salaries, and
I that you felt indifferent whether they were retained or
not. It seems that I was mistaken in the last conclu
| sion. You could not have regretted more than myself,
j that any circumstance should have occurred, to interrupt
! for a moment, the friendly intercourse which has so long
| subsisted between us; and I felt gratified, when, in our
i last conversation, you assured me of tin; restoration of
j kind fellings towards me. Having readily acquitted you
| of all intentional blame in the transactions alluded to,
| and arranged for your stuck to your satisfaction, I trust
! you will do me the justice to admit that you have suffered
no loss at my hands, and that I never intended to do any
thing calculated injuriously to affect either your rights,
interest or honor.
I am, verv respectfully, your obedient servant.
ALFRED IVERSON.
O The papers of Columbus, and others which have
published Judge Shorter’s and Col. Iverson’s address
es to the public, will please publish the foregoing letters.
From the Richmond Enquirer.
VIRGINIA GOLD.
Gentlemen: Feeling convinced that you cattaot
be otherwise than interested in knowing the ex
teat to which our mother State is daily developing
her hitherto hidden treasures, I am satisfied that
you will with pleasure read the communication I am
about to make. You, of course, have heard much of!
the gold-searching in Virginia, and must know that in jna.
ny instances it has been exceedingly profftable : but
comparing tiie account I shall presently give, with the
most favorable you have ever heard before, I am sure
you will perceive a most astonislup , difference. The
mine of which I am about to spcaK belongs to Mr. David
Tinder, (a most worthy and rt> potable "man,) and lies
on Contrary Creek, in the ny. ,j ier „ part of Louisa eoun
fo sit is worked on sl)-.r e 3, by Colonel Robards and
Company, oi North 'Carolina, gentlemen who have
been extensively engaged in this business for years,
and, lam told, wfo.i great success. It is. what is called
by miners, s> Apposite of gold, and not a vein. At this
p.ace ~nd s are employed. The following is an ac
count ol rbeir labors, from the time of commencement up
d'.,s date, which isjust 8 weeks and 2 days, lit week,
1 3 0 l dwts. 2J week, 2;)2 dwts. 3J week, 153 dwts. 4tb .
, week, 229 dwts. sth week, 1,606 dw,’-. 6th week, 9\(j
dwts, 7th w ee';, 280 dwts. Bth week, 941 dwts.
Bth day, they obtained the unparalleled sum n j jy'gop
dwts. the day following, 2,735 dwts. While y..
this spot, I saw 125 dwts. washed from a , mg ie panful of
earth, not amounting to more th ,r t p re ° p; nts . an( i
again, 115 dwts. from the same q., , nt £ y . ‘ indeed, ’sir, I
c:in hardly give you any uleu ot \ nc richness of this mine.
In digging up the earth fo r a6 hj n g 9 it literallv gliiters
with gold, and some ve ] s f u \ see m to be at feast one
quarter gold. In> 0 , rt h Carolina they think 1 dwt. to
the hand, gooi work, and 2 dwts. very good. Only
look at the < On one day the average was 135
dwts, &i*d another 101 dwts. and during the whole tin e
more I'ann 9 dwts. '1 here is no estimation in this mat
so ‘ r, but every thing was tested with accurate scales and
j weights, and that, too, under the inspection of many of
the most respectable gentlemen in the neighborhood.
The most interesting lights in which these developments
can be viewed is the change which it produces in the
circumstances of a most worthy and respectable class of
people. Many who have labored in absolute poverty for
years, now find themselves perfectly independent, and
many rich. The very spot of which I now speak, two
years ago, could not he sold for $4 per acre, and, though
cultivated by a very industrious man, afforded but a
poor support for his numerous family. It now brings
him in his hundreds and thousands weekly, and could
not bo bought at any reasonable price. Unlike many,
Mr. Tinder bears iiis prosperity like a true philosopher.
It is true, iie, like many other human beings, is greatly
pleased to see his condition thus thriving ; but looks up
on it as a boon from his beneficent Creator, of which,
no doubt, he will make the best possible use.
You will hear from me again on this subject.
Yours, respectfully,
Dec. 5, 1833. W. I. POINDEXTER.
LONDON AND PARISIAN FASHIONS.
For the Second Week of November.
The form of hats for the present sea
son are now determined on. The crowns are somewhat
deeper than they have been lately worn, especially at
the ears, and the fronts are rather open.
Black velvet hats or bonnets, trimmed with satin rib
bons and demi-veils of black lace, are considered the
most elegant (or neglige.
Flowers are but little worn in hats; for trimming caps
they are, however, perferred to ribbons, and they are
placed near the face.
In evening dress the most favorite coiffures are small
bats of velvet or satin, and turbans of gauze or cash
mere, without feathers, but made of materitals extreme
ly rich in colour.
The large tartan shawls of Scotch manufacture, which
are so exceedingly common in London, are at present m
high favor among the fashionables of Paris. Those of
red and green, orange and black, are most admired.
Dresses are usually made with draperies crossed in
front; for the carriage and promenade, however, silk pe
lisses are preferred. Tiiey are richly ornamented with
frogs and braiding, or with various kinds of fancy trim
ming, composed of silk or velvet. We lately saw one of
blue satin, confined up the front with velvet pattes of the
same color as the pelisse, each being terminated by a
small tassel of silk. The sleeves, which were extremely
fail, were finished by velvet cuffs, which, as well as the
pockets, were ornamented with tassels.
Instead of a pelisse on the shoulders to confine the
plaits at the tops of the sleeves, they are mounted on a
flat piece, which is fastened to the corsage, and rounded {
at the side which receives the plaits. The skirts of j
dresses are made immensely full; eight breadths of gros j
de Naples, or satin, are now the usual quantity.
The corsage en pointe does not seem likely to retain its i
favor this winter.
Some very pretty mantelets have just been introduced, j
They are cut low in the neck, and are composed of satin,
trimmed with black or white blonde. They fail very
much off the shoulders, and, crossing on the bosom, dis- j
play a portion of the corsage of the dress, over which |
they are worn. They may be trimmed ei'her with a deep ■
fall of blonde or a ruche of tulle. That description of j
mantelet, called the Pompadour, is exceedingly pretty. |
It descends below the wfost on either side, and is edged
with a full ruche of tulle. On tiie shoulders it is cut in
deep points and finished by a bow of ribands. Instead
of a ceintuic, a riband is tied in a bow and long ends be. :
hind.
Another pretty kind of mantelet is made high, with a
ruche ofblacktuile round the throat. This made either
of silk or velvet.
The scarfs of printed satin which have just been in
| troduced are extremely rich and elegant. They are not
| e:. usivcly destined for full dress, for which those of j
1 tuile, embroidered in silk, are more appropriate.
Riband cravats still continue in tavor. They are fre- ;
! quently made of pink or blue satin riband, figured with
black. The riband is passed twice round the neck with
out a bow, and then drawn through the waistband. For ,
this purpose very broad and pliant ribbons are employed.
The most favorite patterns are black, edged with cherry i
! color, orange, green, or blue. Blue Haiti, edged vith
: . edge t g tie also vert
'ik <& 3 A %
TUESDAY MORNING. JANUARY 7, 1834.
BUT’ “ A Young Engineer,” will appear in our next.
U No northern mail yesterday; and with the weath
er we have had for some days past, no regularity can he
expected: the roads must be in an impassable condition.
Tae Charleston mail failed also.
At an election held yesterday, the following gentle
men were chosen Directors of the Mechanics’ Bank
for the present year’;
A. Sibley, T. J. Casey, George Collins, John M.
Adams, Edwin B. Webster, Thomas S. Metcalfe, uluses
Ross, J. K. Kiiburn, and Marshal Keith.
We understand that Mr. Sibley was elected President.
COTTON.
Stock* of Cotton remaining on hand at the latest
dates, according to statements received at this office :
New-Orleans, Doe. 23, bales 70,000
Mobile, do. 13,200
Charleston, Jan. 1, 22,000
Macon, do. 12,000
Savannah, do. 22,500
Augusta, do. 34,000
Hamburg. do. 3,600
177,300
PUBLIC LANDS.
Oar readers will find in preceding columns, an inter,
esting report from the Commissioner of the General
Land Office, to the Secretary of the Treasury, and by |
the latter laid before Congress. As the disposition of the
public lands will be a question of much importance at
the present session of our federal legislature, we thought j
it would be well to publish this document, which gives
ad necessary informations respecting the operations of
this branch of the treasury department.
SOUTH CAROLINA BANKS.
The following dividends for the last six months, have I
been declared :
Bank of South Carolina, one dollar and twenty-five 1
cents per share.
Union Bunk of South Carolina, one dollar and fifty
cents per share.
Planters’ and Mechanics’ Bank, eighty.seven and a
half cents per share.
It is indeed curious to witness the political changes
and inconsistencies of almost all our public men, and the
various disguises they assume in order to play their
parts with more advantage to themselves, in the political
theatre of the United States. Within a few years, men
who were formerly democrats, and denounced as trai
tors to their country, the federalists of 1798-9, and of
1814, h ave associated with those federalists, acted with
them, supported their principles, and supported their c-.n.
didates, for the highest offices of the country. Men \vh o
, formerly were for a liberal construction of B, e federal
constitution, a splendid government, a ger.erou* expen.
diture of the public treasury in works t) f internal im.
provement, and an efficacious proto'etion to the manufac
tures of the country, have shifted tI jP i r grounds, and now
contend that the very measure s hich thev l leret ofore so
zealously suppoitcd are Lnconstitutional!! Men who
denied that the states right3> now maintain that the
federal government hua n 0 r ;ghts. All this is curious
enough. But th era ; s s til! something more curious.—
lue .State o» Georgia, from 1825 to this day, has con
tended so, state rights—for the right of a sovereign state
to exr nor laws over every inch other territory. This
II gH was denied by the administration, while Mr. Ad-
I aras was President, and acknowledged by the adminis
tration, while Gen. Jackson is President. The true
friends of stale rights in Georgia and elsewhere, support
General Jackson for his independence in maintaining
state rights, as defined in both the federal and state
constitutions, and oppose those who do not admit the ex
istence of those Rate right*. This is consistent, and a
just and prop*r policy. But, on the other hand, what do
We behold ? The men who formerly were against state
rights, now pretend that no other but themselves sup.
port the true doctrine of state rights; and with this pre
tension, they support men who advocate unconstitutional
laws —laws which it is pretended gave rise to the doc
trine of nullification. In Georgia, slate rights men of
1825, support Mr. Clay, who still denies to our state, the
right to extend tier laws over her own territory 1! They
abuse Jackson for his proclamation and the force bill,
and yet they would to-morrow give their vote for Mr.
Clay as President, who declared that if the force bill had
not been adopted, he would have voted against his own
compromise bill!! This is beautiful consistency. All
the south, South Carolina taking the lead, urged the
President to use his influence and the power confided to
him by the constitution, for the purpose of preventing the
renewal ol the charter of the Bank of the United States.
And now that the President did use his influence, and
exercise the power confided to him by the constitution,
in putting his veto to the bill renewing the charter of
that bank, the leading public men of Sou’ll Carolina, and
many in Georgia, have changed their opinion, and abuse
the President for the very acts they so strenuously re
commended him to adopt!!! They abuse Jackson and
his proclamation, because, say they, the principles there
in laid down, lead to consolidation. And yet they abuse
him also for withholding his assent to the land bill, which
would in fact establish consolidation!!! Have we any
more examples of inconsistency to stale ? Many mure ;
but another will suffice for the present. General Jack
son has been abused and slandered for the unfortunate
death of Owen in Alabama, and lor the circumstances
attending the Creek lands in that state. Well; the
President to avoid all conflict between the federal and
state authorities, and to give time to the intruders on
those lands, to gather their crops and to remove, post
poned their exclusion to this month. But in order to
avoid still more the necessity of a resort to force, and at
the same time to comply with the treaty made with the
Creeks, those lands were quickly surveyed, and they
have been ordered to be sold on the 13th of this month,
which the intruders themselves desired. Well; what
think ye is the cry now? “Corruption; the President
has determined to take the settlers by surprise, and sell
them out of house and home!” “ The sale teas ordered
fur ihe benefit of the government speculators, to whom
notice was given in time to enable them to raise an a
mount of money sufficient to monopolize the whole coun
try !1 ” What despicable misrepresentations !
Let us now turn to the circumstance which suggest.
; ed the above remarks :
Mr. Clay, by all accounts, has formed another coali
j tion. But will the whole south support it? Will even
I South Carolina support it? We doubt it. Has Mr.
j Clay abandoned all the principles which he took up when
he associated with Messrs. Webster and Adams ? Not
I yet, for in a speech ha delivered the other day on the
; public deposites, he took occasion to animadvert against
■ Georgia in the following terms :
“The Judiciary has not been exempted from the pre
i vailing rage for innovation. Decisionsofthetribunals.de
| liberaiely pronounced, have been contcmptuusly disre
| garded. And the sanctity of munerous treaties openly
■ violated. Our Indian relations, coeval with the existence
i of the Government, and recognized and established by
i numerous laws and treaties, have been subverted, the
rights of the helpless and unfortunate aborigines tramp,
led in the dust, and they brought under subjection to un
known laws, in which they have no voice, promulgated
in an unknown language.”
Or has he abandoned the “ American System,” as
hopeless, uecanse founded on the doctrine of the gene
ral welfare ? Not at all. But how can he form a coali
tion with the leader of the nullificrs, since the Force
Bill met lits warm support? There would be nothing
very strange in that. Were not the nullificrs opposed
to the Bank of the United States ? Were not the state
rights men of 1825, in Georgia, opposed to that Bank,
and to any interference on the part of the federal go
vernment with the jurisdiction of the state over her own
territory Certainly. V. hat is the case now 1 At the i
last session of the legislature) when (he bill .ijr
called the Indian bill was under discussion, did not a few
of those pretended state rights men contend, that the
state had no right to confine an Indian family to 160 a
cres of land, that it was unconstitutional, and cruel to
treat the poor Indians in that manner ? These are
strange statements ; but though strange, they are no less
true. Let us return to Mr. Clay, and show how he
sticks to the “ American System,” and how he coaxes
the ■udifiers. In the same speech about the deposites,
he says :
Vv lieu we assembled here last year, we were full of
(■read.ut forebodings. On the one hand we \v«£e menac
ed with a civil war, which, lighting up in a single State,
m;, 'rend jij ilnmes throughout one of the largest
t " i ■ ' d the Union. On the other, a chei ished system
1 ■ >■-«• antial to the successful prosecution of the
ind i- ry of our countrymen, was exposed to imminent
danger of immediate destruction. Means were happilv
applied by Congress to avert both calamities. The coun
try leconciled, and our Union once more become a band
of friends and brothers. And I shall be greatly disap
pointed, if we do not find those who were denounced as
being unfiiendly to the continuance of our confederacy.*
among the foremost to fly to its preservation, and to res
sistall Executive encroachment.
Mind, reader, Mr. Clay says, that he shall he greatly
disappointed, if he does not find those who were denoun
ced as being unfriendly to the continuance of our confe--
deracy, among the foremost to fly to its preservation,
and to resist all executive encroachment. What does
this move, in the political check board, mean ? It means
nothing more nor less than that the Union is not worth 5
preserving, while Jackson is President of the Unrtedt
States, but worth preserving, if Mr. Clay or Mr. Cal
, houn could be made President, an 1 all the offices placed'
I* n die hands of their Irien.ls. Principles, consistency,
the public welfare, the peace and tranquillity of tlie
: country, are counted for nothing, when the ambition of
| those two gentlemen and their friends, lias to bt gralifw
j ed : this is the cud of their vaunted patriotism.
| Me shall conclude these desultory remarks, by giving
j it as a prediction, that, before many years elapse, Mr. C d
| houn A his friends, will be found again among the Z e a lou».
j advocates of the protective system. This w ou ]d ap
pear strings—very strange indeed ; but wh C r wo reco ,’
lect that to this gentleman and his friend,a we „ re j t|
dubtetj for the •• Am.rimn System,"
"" ""“f hr,he of nullification,
m-lnclt was cront.d fa, the „„,pc, s c. „ f de „ ;
had been established by the i • ...i „ , • ,
, , . 3 ‘-res; no political move
ments, however dissimila-. i a their character, can ap
pear strange and »urpr lplfl?- Wh3t js thejr j
now about the Bank o |. , he United Su .es ? What was
their language n „ ,
. . a Te - W years ago ? i lien it was a dan
g6r}°Un ln9tltl -doxi, clothed with too much power, and
I* J unconstitutional, how, with proper
6 uur ’> Lie chartei might be renewed! How tliey get .
r ,jle constitutional question, we are as yet in the
! da Is not our prediction a rational one ? Besides,
the accomplishment of a prediction wc made in 1827,
, has emboldened us to utter the one just stated. In
IS—7, ISJj., and lbJ9, we predicted that the time was
not far off, when the editor of the United States Tele
graph, Gen. Duff Green, would he found among the
most violent enemies of General -Jackson. From the
time that tnis i elegrupu was established, we frequent
, ly observed, t hat the editor was not sincere it his adu.
( lotions to Gen. Jackson, and in his violent invectives
against his opponents. We observed also, that this pa
-1 per would do more ha rn to the election of rWj General,
and to his administration, by the reprehensible manner
that press was conducted, than Ins opponents could.
And we observed also, that the Telegraph was not work- -
. ing for General Jackson, but for somebody else. Well ;■
lias our prediction been verified ? After its abuse of
Mr. Clay and his friends, what is now the language of
that paper towards them ? After its repealed attacks
L against the Bank of the United States, and the “ Ame
rican System,” wiiat course does the editor now pursue
. in regard to those great questions of public policy ? It
ia only occasionally that we see the Telegraph, tor wo
do not exchange with that paper ; but it is so often quo
, ted in other opposition papers, that the leading articles
, frequently come under our eyes. It would not be strange
then, if, notwithstanding the doctrine of nullification,
the South Carolina Convention, and its ordinances, we
should witness Vh. Calhoun, his friends, and their or
gan the Telegraph, once more become the advocates of
the protective system, by high duties on imports, of the
Bank of the U. States, of a generous expenditure of the
public money in works of internal improvement, and, as
a matter of course, of a most liberal construction of the
federal constitution. We must, however, do them the
justice to say, that, when they will again openly advo
cate those question., they will have resumed the prin
ciples which they formerly entertained, and which were
only momentarily laid aside, for certain purposes.
If A RTFO2ID COXVK.VTIOX.
In one of our papers of last week, we published an ar
ticle taken from the Hartford Times, respecting this
celebrated convention, and the doctrine of nullification
• which us members wished then to carry into effect.—
The article alluded also to a work soon to appear, writ--,
ten by 31 r. Dwight, the Secretary of that convention, and
giving its history and explaining the motives which led
to its meeting. As our readers may be desirous of
knowing what the friends of that convention, and the sup.
porters of the measures it intended to adopt, have now to
say in their defence, we publish below an article from the
N. York Commercial Advertiser, upon the subject. The
work in question has appeared ; and if it contains all the in
formation expected, we will be enabled to form a better
judgment of the motives of the members, than heretofore,
and to make a better comparison between the nullifies*
of that day and the milliners of the present time. We
shall endeavor to read the history of Mr. Dwight, with,
as much impartiality for the parties concerned, as nearly?
twenty years of prejudice against the Hartford Conven-,
tion can well create in our minds. Judging of the past
by the present time, we apprehend that Mr. Dwight wil I
not be able to remove the odium which has so firmly,
stack to the proceedings of that convention.
From the New York Commercial Adcertiser of Dec. 24.'
History oi the Hartford Convention*
This work, which was announced sonic months ago
as forthcoming, has made its appearance, and will fully.,
justify, wc think, any proper expectations that may have
been formed of it. If, however, any person has indulged
the anfetpation that it would disclose any sscret conspi.
racies, or untold treasons, he will he sadly disappointed
—li was not in the power of the Secretary to develope
the criminal designs of that body, fur none such existed'
but he has given a faithful narrative ofits doings—a com
pendious but true account of the causes which led to its,
formation, and a brief sketch of the salutary results that
are fairly ascnbable to it.
Any man who feels deposed to cast off the harness*
of party, and to instruct his judgment by the history or
past events, will do well to consult this volume. He
will find it to contain a well digested review of the pro
minent topics in our political history, from the formation
of our government down to the period of the Hartford
Convention, which closed its sittings on the sth of Janu
ary, 1815. The political course of Mr. Jefferson neces
raniy occupies, from tue nature of ilac work, a large por
tion of the author’s research. He proves from incon-.
testible evidence that the politician whom ft has been,
the fashion ot the times almost to adore, was not only
unfriendly to the Constitution of the U. States, but tha’t
lie wap a vilifier of Washington, and when detected in
aspersions upon his character, resorted to all the artifices
ot tergiversation to evade the charire.
To Mr. Jefferson should undoubtedly he conceded the
quality of patriotism. He loved his country, and sought ,
to promote its prosperity. But he was ambitious— en
vious of rivals—unscrupulous in the means adopted to.
attain his ends—and often guilty of the most flagrant in
consistency and dissimulation. It is aot necessary to ap.
peal to Mr. Dwight’s book in evidence of thess facts; —
they i re abundantly evident from 'he .Memoirs publish
ed by hts grandson. Having resided in Trance during
several vearsoi the revolutionary period in that country,
Mr. Jefierson became deeply imbued w its principles,
both political and religious, T rom his return to Ameri
ca, down to the close of his adininistv .riou, his partialities
for Trance, and hts host.! 1 \ to England, v, ere manifest,
and gave a deep tinge to hts administration ofthe govern.',
Blent, fjis - ‘cssor, Mr. Madi Bowed up thel
j lir.; ,♦ • v■' ■ aMr.Jj! ! ■;. n marked out—audßj