MEANDERING.

Large lakes, navigable rivers and bayous, are by law of Congress made public highways, and as the government surveys progress they are meandered and segregated from the public lands. Large ponds and water-courses not navigable are in some cases also meandered.

At those points where the lines of the public surveys intersect meanderable streams and bodies of water, "meander corners" are established at the time of running such lines. By the process of meandering, these corners are connected by ascertained courses and distances along the margin of the water, and the configuration of lakes, bayous, rivers, etc. is thereby obtained.

In meandering water-courses, where a distance is more than ten chains between stations, even chains only should be taken; but if the distance is less than ten chains, and it is found convenient to employ chains and links, the number of links should be a multiple of ten, thereby saving time and labor in testing the closing both in the field and in the Surveyor-General's office.

Standing with the face looking down stream, the bank on the right hand is termed the "right bank," and that on the left hand the "left bank." These terms are to be uniformly used to distinguish the two banks of a river or stream.

To meander a river the deputy will commence at a meander corner on the township line and proceed to course the sinuosities of the river bank, measuring the distance on each course, to the next meander corner on the same or another boundary of the township, entering the courses and distances in their proper places in the field book, and in the order in which they are taken, and noting the intersections with all intermediate meander

corners.

1. NAVIGABLE RIVERS.--All navigable rivers are to be

meandered on both banks, and care must be taken, in time of high water, not to mistake the margins of bayous or the borders of overflowed marshes or "bottoms" for the true river bank. Sufficient courses must be taken to follow closely the windings of the river and embrace all the land to its margin.

All streams of water emptying into the river, with the width at their mouth, the height of falls and cascades and the length of rapids, must be noted; and the banks, current, and bottom of the stream meandered, should be described in the field book.

2. RIVERS NOT NAVIGABLE.-Rivers not embraced in the class denominated "navigable" under the statute, but which are well-defined natural arteries of internal communication, and have a uniform width, will only be meandered on one bank. For the sake of uniformity, the surveyor will traverse the right bank when not impracticable; but where serious obstacles are met with, rendering it difficult to course along the right bank, he may cross to the left bank and continue the meanders as far as necessary; but all changes from one bank to the other will be made at the point of intersection of some line of the public surveys with the stream being meandered.

The subdividing deputies will be required to establish meander corners on both banks of such meanderable streams at the intersection of all section lines, and the distances across the river will be noted in the field book.

3. WIDE "FLATS."-Where wide, irregular expansions occur in rivers that are not navigable, and such expansions are permanent bodies of water, the area of which is more than forty acres, and embraces more than onehalf of a legal subdivision of forty acres, they should be meandered on both banks.

4. ISLANDS IN RIVERS.-The precise relative position of islands in a township made fractional by the river in which the same are situated, must be determined trigo

nometrically. Sighting to a flag or other object on the island from a special and carefully measured base line connected with the surveyed lines, and on or near the river bank, form connections between the meander corners on the river and points in direct line on the shores of the island, at which points establish meander corners, and calculate the distance across. The operation must be particularly and fully described in the field notes.

5. LAKES, PONDS, ETC.-Lakes embracing an area of less than forty acres will not be meandered. Long, narrow, or irregular lakes of larger extent, but which embrace less than one-half of the smallest legal subdivision, will not be meandered. Shallow lakes or bayous, likely in time to dry up or be greatly reduced by evaporation, drainage, or other cause, will not be meandered however extensive they may be, but such lakes should be described, and the facilities for draining or prospect of becoming dry from natural causes stated.

Posts will be established by the subdividing deputy, at the intersections of all the public lines with these lakes, the same as if they were to be meandered.

To meander a lake, pond, or bayou, commence at a meander corner on the township line, and proceed as directed in meandering a navigable river. Where the body of water lies entirely within the township boundaries, the deputy should commence at a meander corner established in subdividing, and from thence course around the entire pond or lake, noting the intersection with all the meander corners previously established.

To meander a pond lying entirely within the boundaries of a section, run and measure two lines to such pond from the nearest opposite section or quarter section corners, giving the courses thereof, and at each of the points where these lines intersect the margin of the pond, establish a "witness point" by fixing a post in the ground, and taking bearings and distances to adjacent trees, or if no trees are found, raising a mound.

The relative position of these points being thus definitely fixed in the section, commence at one of them and course to the other, noting the intersection, and thence to the place of beginning. The mode of proceeding must be fully set forth in the field book.

The meander notes must state particularly the corner from which they start, and the meanders of each fractional section are to be exhibited separately. All islands, rapids, and bars are to be noticed, and their exact situation indicated by intersections to their upper and lower points; also the head and mouth of all bayous.

The notes of meanders will be placed at the end of the notes of the township, and according to the dates when the work is performed, as illustrated in the specimen field notes. Following and composing a part of such notes will be given a description of the soil, timber, and depth to which the bottoms are subject to overflow.

The lakes, bayous, ponds, and so much of meanderable rivers as lie within the boundaries of a township are to be meandered at the time of subdividing the township, and the notes thereof will be annexed to and form a part of the field notes of such subdivisional survey.

No blazes or marks of any description are to be made on lines meandered between established corners.

SURVEY OF SWAMP LANDS.

By the act of Congress, approved September 28th, 1850, swamp and overflowed lands "unfit for cultivation" are granted to the state in which they are situated. These lands are selected and approved to the state according to the predominating character of the smallest legal subdivision. If the larger part of such subdivision is swamp and overflowed, it goes to the state; if otherwise, it is excluded from the grant, and retained by the government.

In order therefore to determine what lands fall to the

state under the swamp grant, it is necessary that the field notes of surveys, in addition to the other objects of topography required to be noted, should indicate the points at which the public lines enter and leave all lands coming within the purview of said grant. The deputy surveyor is charged with the responsible duty of describing with care and fidelity the true character of all lands within the field of his surveying operations, which may come under the denomination of "swamp and overflowed," or "unfit for cultivation."

The grant aforesaid does not embrace tracts subject to casual inundations, but only those where the overflow would wholly prevent the raising of crops without the aid of artificial means, such as levees, etc.; hence the deputy should state whether such lands are continually and permanently wet or subject to overflow so frequently as to render them totally unfit for cultivation, giving the depth of inundation as determined from indications on the trees, etc. The frequency of overflow should be set forth as accurately as possible, from a knowledge of the character of the stream which causes the same, and the general contour of the country contiguous, aided by such reliable information as may be obtained from persons acquainted

with the facts.

The character of the timber, shrubs, plants, etc. growing on such tracts, and the contiguity of the premises to rivers, water-courses, or lakes should be stated.

The words "unfit for cultivation" are to be employed in addition to the usual phraseology in regard to entering or leaving such swamp, marshy, or overflowed lands. It may be that sometimes the margin of bottom, swamp, or marsh, in which such uncultivable land exists, is not identical with the margin of the body of land "unfit for cultivation;" and in such cases a separate entry must be made for each opposite the marginal distance at which they respectively occur.