IN ASSEMBLY, April 22, 1833. REPORT Of the select committee on alien bills. Mr. Spencer, from the select committee to whom were referred the several bills reported to the Assembly on the petitions of aliens, or transmitted for concurrence by the Senate, and the proposed bill prepared by the Commissioners of the Land-Office, entitled "An act concerning escheats," REPORTED: That they have carefully examined the bill recommended by the Commissioners of the Land-Office, and believe it well adapted to meet the various applications for the release of escheated lands, and calculated to save applicants much trouble and to relieve the Legislature from a mass of business which may be more safely confided to another department. With a very few amendments, the committee recommend to the House the passage of the bill. All the bills reported to this House or transmitted by the Senate for concurrence, are provided for in the general bill now reported, and the committee therefore recommend to the House to reject those bills respectively. The following are the titles of the bills of that description which have been submitted to the committee. An act for the relief of the representatives of Thomas Hill, deceased. An act vesting certain premises therein described, escheated to the people of this State, in Fitch Shepard, his heirs and assigns. An act for the relief of the heirs of James Martin, an alien. An act for the relief of the heirs of Thomas Huston, an alien. [Assem. No. 326.] 1 The cases for which these bills are intended to provide, are included within the first section of the general bill herewith reported. An act to confirm the title of certain real estate in Herman Gansevoort, and others therein named. An act to confirm the title of certain real estate in Obadiah Sands. An act for the relief of Frederick A. Scriba. An act for the relief of Robert Oliver. An act vesting the title to certain lands in John Slack and Robert F. Slack. The bill from the Senate entitled "An act releasing the interest of the people of this State to a lot of land in the village of Tompkinsville, Richmond county, to Samuel R. Smith. The cases presented by the bills last enumerated are all embraced in the 15th section of the general bill now reported. The above lists comprise all the bills and petitions referred to your committee. IN ASSEMBLY, April 22, 1833. MESSAGE From the Governor, transmitting a report and resolutions from the Legislature of Massachusetts, on the subject of the public lands of the United States. GENTLEMEN, TO THE ASSEMBLY. I herewith transmit to you a report and resolutions of the Legislature of Massachusetts, on the subject of the public lands of the United States. Albany, April 22d, 1833. W. L. MARCY. [Assem. No. 327.] 1 REPORT. REPORT Of the joint special committee of the Legislature of Massachusetts, on so much of the Governor's address as relates to the resolutions of Tennessee on the subject of the public lands of the United States COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, } The joint special committee of the Legislature, to whom was referred so much of the Governor's address as relates to the resolutions of the State of Tennessee, on the subject of the public lands of the United States, have attended to the duty assigned them, and beg leave to submit the following REPORT: The committee, upon an examination of the resolutions referred to them, were of opinion that the tendency and operation of the measures there recommended could not be understood without an investigation of the various questions involved in a consideration of the rights and duties of the General and State Governments in relation to the public domain. They have accordingly, with such aids as it has been in their power to obtain, entered upon this investigation, and the report now submitted contains the result of their inquiries. The committee have taken this course the more readily, from a conviction that although this Commonwealth has a deep interest in the subject, it has hitherto received from our citizens comparatively little attention. It is not difficult to ascertain the causes of this apathy. The lands are situated at remote distances from us, and the administration of them has been necessarily confined to the General Government. The new States have always claimed and possessed the principal agency in their management and disposition. An examination will show, that for many years past the committee on public lands have been selected almost exclusively from those States where these lands lie, and the recommendations of these committees have generally been adopted without discussion. As a necessary consequence, a course of legislation very liberal to the new States, has uniformly marked the action of Congress upon this subject. The price of land has been placed as low as it could be without exciting the avidity of speculators; large |