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the survey in such case, where the claims to be segregated are vein or lode claims, must be executed in such manner as will conform to the requirements in section 2320, U. S. Revised Statutes, as to length and width and parallel end lines.

115. Such survey when executed must be properly sworn to by the surveyor, either before a notary public, officer of a court of record, or before the register or receiver, the deponent's character and credibility to be properly certified to by the officer administering the oath.

116. Upon the filing of the plat and field notes cf such survey, duly sworn to as aforesaid, you will transmit the same to the surveyor-general for his verification and approval; who, if he finds the work correctly performed, will properly mark out the same upon the original township plat in his office, and furnish authenticated copies of such plat and description both to the proper local land office and to this office, to be affixed to the duplicate and triplicate township plats respectively.

117. With the copy of plat and description furnished the local office and this office, must be a diagram tracing, verified by the surveyor-general, showing the claim or claims segregated, and designating the separate fractional agricultural tracts in each 40-acre legal subdivision by the proper lot number, beginning with No. 1 in each section, and giving the area in each lot, the same as provided in paragraph 45, in the survey of mining claims on surveyed lands.

118. The fact that a certain tract of land is decided upon testimony to be mineral in character is by no means equivalent to an award of the land to a miner. A miner is compelled by law to give sixty days' publication of notice, and posting of diagrams and notices, as a preliminary step; and then, before he can enter the land, he must show that the land yields mineral; that he is entitled to the possessory right thereto in virtue of compliance with local customs or rules of miners, or by virtue of the statute of limitations; that he or his grantors have expended, in actual labor and improvements, an amount of not less than five hundred dollars thereon, and that the claim is one in regard to which there is no controversy or opposing claim. After all these proofs are met, he is entitled to have a survey made at his own cost where a survey is required, after which he can enter and pay for the land embraced by his claim. 119. Blank forms for proofs in mineral cases are not furnished by the General Land Office.

THOMAS H. CARTER,

Commissioner.

Approved December 10th, 1891.

JOHN W. NOBLE,

Secretary.

A.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

GENERAL LAND OFFICE,

Washington, D. C., October 12, 1892.

Registers and Receivers, United States Land Offices:

GENTLEMEN: Attached is a copy of the act of Congress of August 4, 1892, entitled "An act to authorize the entry of lands chiefly valuable for buildingstone under the placer mining laws."

The first section of said act extends the mineral land laws already existing so as to bring land chiefly valuable for building-stone within the provisions of said law to the extent of authorizing a placer entry of such land. The proviso to said first section excludes lands reserved for the benefit of the public schools or donated to any State from entry under the act.

In cases that may arise hereafter in reference to any lands subject to entry under the mining laws, you will be governed by said act in admitting such entries. The proper instructions for your guidance in so doing may be found in official circular of December 10, 1891, entitled "United States Mining Laws and Regulations Thereunder," to which you are referred, and your special attention is called to the law and instructions therein relating to placer claims.

It is not the understanding of this office that the first section of said act of August 4, 1892, withdraws land chiefly valuable for building-stone from entry. under any existing law applicable thereto.

The second section of said act of August 4, 1892, makes the timber and stone act of June 3, 1878 (20 Stat., 89), applicable to all the public-land States. You will observe the same in acting upon applications for entries in your respective districts. For instructions you are referred to the general circular of February 6, 1892, pages 35 to 38 inclusive.

In allowing placer entries for stone chiefly valuable for building purposes, under the first section of the act of August 4, 1892, you will make a reference to said act on the entry papers returned.

Very respectfully,

Approved October 12, 1892:

GEO. CHANDler,

W. M. STONE, Acting Commissioner.

Acting Secretary.

AN ACT to authorize the entry of lands chiefly valuable for building stone under the placer

mining laws.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any person authorized to enter lands under the mining laws of the United States may enter lands that are chiefly valuable for building stone under the provisions of the law in relation to placer mineral claims: Provided, That lands reserved for the benefit of the public schools or donated to any State shall not be subject to entry under this act.

SEC. 2. That an act entitled "An act for the sale of timber lands in the States of California, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington Territory," approved June third, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, be, and the same is hereby, amended by striking out the words "States of California, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington Territory" where the same occur in the second and third lines of said act, and insert in lieu thereof the words, "public-land States," the purpose of this act being to make said act of June third, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, applicable to all the public-land States.

SEC. 3. That nothing in this act shall be construed to repeal section twentyfour of the act entitled "An act to repeal timber-culture laws, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-one. Approved, August 4, 1892.

A.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

GENERAL LAND OFFICE, Washington, D. C., October 24, 1892.

Registers and Receivers, United States Land Offices:

GENTLEMEN: In addition to instructions contained in general circular of February 6, 1892, pages 35 to 38, inclusive, and pages 147 and 148, in relation to the timber and stone act of June 3, 1878, extended by the act of August 4, 1892, referred to in circular A of October 12, 1892, you are advised as follows:

1. That entries made under section one of said act are required to be kept and reported in consecutive and numerical order in your mineral land series. 2. That entries made under section two of said act are required to be kept and reported in consecutive numerical order in your regular agricultural cash series.

Necessary additional blank forms for entries under said act are as follows: Form Nos. 4-357; 4-363; 4-37°; 4-371; 4-537; 4-658 c.

Very respectfully,

W. M. STONE,

Acting Commissioner.

X.

Commerce Transportation Facilities Proposed

Railroad.

It is difficult to obtain statistics in regard to the trade of Alaska, since the transportation of imports and exports is accomplished less by the regular lines than through special conveyances. The large companies engaged in business in the Territory usually employ their own ships. There were some 87 trading houses reported in Alaska in 1891, located in not less than 60 towns and villages, and scattered from Point Barrow to the southern extremity, and from Loring to Attu. The number of stores for the sale of general merchandise in southeastern Alaska in 1892 was 47. The imports consist of merchandise, machinery, powder, clothing, provisions, tools, furniture, etc. The exports are made up of fish, furs, whalebone, ivory, oils, gold and silver bullion and ores. The total imports in 1892, according to the report of Governor Knapp, of Alaska, amounted to the value of $2,164,238. The exports are classified as follows:

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Gold bullion, Alaska Treadwell Gold Mining Company.
Gold and silver ore and bullion by other companies....

13,500 seal skins taken under the lease; 52,087 seal skins taken by sealing
fleet; 10,000 seal skins taken by natives and others...

Furs shipped by Alaska Commercial Company.
Furs shipped by other parties, western Alaska..
Other products not enumerated.....

Total..

Balance of exports above imports, $5,594,886.

$707, 017

400, 000

755.587
348, 991
90,000

60, 000

7,759, 064

Among the furs may be mentioned those of the sea otter, the seal, the beaver, the silver and blue fox, the mink, and the marten. Mr. Petroff (Alaska, Its Population, Industries, and Resources, 1884) says:

In the regions inhabited by the sea-otter hunters and on the Pribilof Islands, a barrel of flour per annum is consumed for each man, woman, and child more than the average in civilized communities. Traders report that the demand for flour and hard bread increases annually, even among the tribes of the interior. The demand for tea, also, is steadily gaining, and the consumption of sugar is universal wherever it can be carried by the traders, but is especially large in those sections of Alaska (especially in the southeast) where the creoles and natives understand the manufacture of alcohol from sugar and molasses. Including the southeastern division, which is supplied chiefly from Portland, Oreg., and British Columbia, the annual shipment of flour may be estimated at not less than 10,000 barrels, or a barrel for every three individuals of its population. If to this are added 5,000 or 6,000 cases of hard bread, 1,200 chests of tea, and 2,500 barrels of sugar, it is seen that the trade with Alaska in these staples alone is assuming considerable proportions. The shipments of tobacco aggregated from 15,000 to 20,000 pounds. Of the value of the dry goods it is impossible to make an estimate, but it is safe to assume that it does not equal that of groceries or provisions.

MAIL AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.

Governor Knapp, in his report for 1892, says: "The mail contract with the Pacific Coast Steamship Company requires stoppage for receipt and delivery of mail by their regular passenger and freight steamers, two each month, at seven ports, viz: Kichkan, in Tongass Narrows, Loring, Wrangel, Douglas, Juneau, Killisnoo,

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