ORDNANCE OFFICE, Washington, December 28, 1854. SIR: The enclosed letter from Brevet Major Laidley, recommending the sale of a portion of the site of the arsenal at Fayetteville, N. C., and the application of the proceeds to the purchase of a piece of land adjoining the east front of the arsenal grounds, is respectfully submitted. That portion of the site which it is proposed to sell, is not required for any public purpose. The disposition which Major Laidley proposes to make of it, and the application of the proceeds, as recommended by him, will be advantageous to the public interest, and it is desirable that these measures should be authorized. This will require the action of Congress, and I would suggest and recommend that steps be taken to obtain the requisite legislation for this end; which may be done most readily and conveniently, it is thought, by the passage of a joint resolution, declaring that the assent of Congress is given to the sale of such portion of the site of the United States arsenal at Fayetteville, N. C., as in the opinion of the Secretary of War may not be required for public purposes, and to the application of the proceeds of such sale, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to the purchase of such additional land for the use of that arsenal, as the Secretary of War may deem necessary. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Hon. JEFF'N DAVIS, H. K. CRAIG, Colonel of Ordnance. Secretary of War. NORTH CAROLINA ARSENAL, Fayetteville, December 18, 1854. COLONEL: I beg leave, respectfully, to call your attention to the propriety of purchasing for the United States the parcel of ground lying in front, or to the east, of the public grounds at this place. As it is contemplated to build a wall on the present eastern limit, the consideration of the purchase, prior to the erection of this wall, is important. A few reasons which I shall offer to your consideration will show why this piece of ground is wanted, and the advantages to accrue to the United States by its possession. In the first place, it is much required to drain the arsenal square. It is the only falling ground contiguous to this part of the public land, and through this land is the natural and easiest escape for the water that falls on the main buildings and the space enclosed by them. As yet, no general system of drainage has been adopted, and one great reason for it is the difficulty to say where the water shall be conducted. We are not at liberty to lead it by the easiest, shortest, and only good way, through the plot of ground which it is proposed to purchase, to a small stream; and thus far it has been permitted to stand or make such escape as it can find. This piece of ground is also deemed necessary to insure the health of the arsenal grounds; it is skirted by a fringe of trees, which is agreed by all as being of great importance in preserving the healthiness of the place, by keeping off miasmatic fogs, which arise from the low grounds and settle on the lower part of the hill. This ground belonging to persons not interested in the preservation of these trees, so important to the health of the public grounds, they may at any time be destroyed, and the arsenal suffer the consequences by being rendered very unhealthy. This ground is on the hill-side, and the declivity is so great, that it is not probable that it will ever be valuable for fine houses, but must always be used for inferior buildings or low dwellings. It is now, with one exception, used exclusively for negro dwellings. It is proposed to sell the portion of the public land marked a, b, c, d, which is not particularly required for any special purpose, and which has risen in value much within a few years, and to apply the proceeds to the purchase of the parcel marked e, f, g, h,-to close the road A, and deflect it to B, by improving and grading the present street B. I am told there will be no difficulty in getting permission from the county court to do this, by making the street B a good road of easy grade, which can be done for a small sum. This will give a free space in front of the quarters, now very public and much annoyed by disagreeable neighbors, will insure the healthiness of the post, will give a good escape for all the water falling on the square, and conduce much to the beauty of the place. This proposed purchase has been recommended by two of my predecessors, in the most earnest terms. Very respectfully, I am, Colonel, your obedient servant, Colonel H. K. CRAIG, T. T. S. LAIDLEY, Ordnance Office, Washington, D. C. GEORGE BUSH. [To accompany bill H. R. No. 707.] JANUARY 30, 1855. Mr. NICHOLS, from the Committee on Private Land Claims, made the following REPORT. The Committee on Private Land Claims, to whom was referred the memorial of the Territorial Legislature of Washington, praying for a confirmation of the title of George Bush and his heirs to certain lands in said Territory of Washington, beg leave to report: That by the act approved September 27, 1850, entitled "An act to create the office of surveyor general of the public lands in Oregon, and to provide for the survey and to make donations to settlers of said public lands," it is provided "that there shall be granted to every white settler or occupant of the public lands, American halfbreed Indians included, above the age of eighteen years, being a citizen of the United States, or having made a declaration according to law of his intention to become a citizen, or who shall make such declaration on or before the first day of December, A. D. 1851, now residing in said Territory, or who shall become a resident thereof on or before the first day of December, A. D. 1850, and who shall have resided upon and cultivated the same for four consecutive years, and shall otherwise conform to the provisions of this act, the quantity of one half-section, or three hundred and twenty acres of land, if a single man; and if a married man, or if he shall become married within one year from the first day of December, 1850, the quantity of one section, or six hundred and forty acres of land, one-half to himself and one-half to his wife, to be held by her in her own right," &c. This provision extends to all lands in Oregon and Washington Territories, except town sites or lands settled for business or trade, school lands, or other reservations pointed out by law. That in the year 1845 George Bush, a free mulatto person, with his wife and children, emigrated to, and settled in Thurston county, then in Oregon, but now in Washington Territory, and settled upon and laid claim to 640 acres of land; that he has continuously occupied said section of land and cultivated the same; he has put upon it a valuable farm-house and other improvements, and that he now has the said tract of land, or a large part of it, in a high state of cultivation. Bush having been excluded from the benefits of the law granting donations of land in said Territories, the Territorial legislature, on the 27th day of February, 1854, adopted a memorial to Congress, asking that his case should be made an exception to the general rule, and that an act be passed giving to Bush and his wife title to the section of land so occupied and cultivated by them. The memorial of the Territorial legislature is herewith printed. The application is based upon the meritorious conduct of the said Bush, in the accommodating and charitable disposal of his produce to emigrants, thereby contributing much towards the settlement of the Territory-the suffering and needy never having applied to him in vain for succor and assistance ;" and in deference to the desires of the legislature, and under the circumstances of the case, your committee beg leave to report a bill. To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled. Your memorialists, the legislative assembly of the Territory of Washington, legally assembled upon Monday, the twenty-seventh day of February, A. D. 1854, would most respectfully represent unto your honorable body, that George Bush, a free mulatto, with his wife and children, immigrated to, and settled in, now Washington Territory, Thurston county, in the year 1845, and that he laid claim to, and settled upon, with his family, 640 acres of land in said year, in said Territory and county, and that he, with his family, has resided upon and cultivated said tract of land continuously from the said year 1845 to the present time, and that his habits of life during said time have been exemplary and industrious; andt hat by a constant and laborious cultivation of his said claim, and by an accommodating and charitable disposal of his produce to immigrants, he has contributed much towards the settlement of this Territory-the suffering and needy never having applied to him in vain for succor and assistance; and that at the present time the said George Bush has a large portion of his said claim under a high state of cultivation, and has upon it a good farm-house, and convenient out-houses, in all amounting in value to several hundred dollars; and that in view of the premises aforesaid, your memorialists are of opinion that the case of the said George Bush is of such a meritorious nature that Congress ought to pass a special law donating to him his said claim. And your memorialists beg leave to call your attention to his said case, and to ask your honorable body to pass a law donating to the said George Bush the said 640 acres of land upon which he now resides, the one-half to himself, and the other half to his wife and to their heirs forever. F. C. CHENOWITH, E. W. MCCONAHU, President of Council. Passed House of Representatives March 17, 1854. |