dence equally with the originals in courts of justice. (R. S., §§ 891, 2469.)

1216. When, as provided by law, the field-notes, maps, records, and other papers are turned over to State authorities on the completion of the surveys in any district, the same authority, powers, and duties relative to the survey, resurvey, or subdivision of the lands, and all matters connected therewith, as were previously exercised by the Surveyor-General whose district included the particular State, vest in and devolve upon the Commissioner of the Land Office. And it is provided that, under his direction, any deputy surveyor or other agent of the United States shall have free access to such papers and records, for the purpose of taking extracts therefrom or making copies, without charge of any kind. (R. S., §§ 2219, 2220.)

1217. The Commissioner of the Land Office receives the monthly returns of receivers, of all moneys paid to their respective offices; also quarterly accounts current of their debits and credits. (R. S., § 2245.)

1218. Upon his recommendation and the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the President may order the discontinuance of any land office, and the transfer of any of its business and archives to any other land office within the same State or Territory. (R. S., § 2252.)

1219. He is empowered to entertain appeals from the decisions of district registers and receivers in cases of contests for the right of pre-emption, and his decision is final, unless an appeal is taken to the Secretary of the Interior. (R. S., § 2273.)

1220. He is empowered to establish the maximum charges for surveys and publication of notices to be incurred by applicants for mining claims. (R. S., § 2334.)

1221. Whenever any reservation of public lands is brought into market, the Commissioner of the Land Office

is required to fix the minimum price, not less than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, below which such lands may not be disposed of. (R. S., § 2364.)

1222. He is empowered, when he is satisfied, from the proof submitted, of an error in an entry of lands by mistake of numbers, and, in certain cases, where it appears that every reasonable precaution has been taken to avoid mistake, to change the entry and transfer the payment from the tract erroneously entered to that intended to be entered, if unsold, and if sold, to any other tract liable to entry. (R. S., § 2372.)

1223. His approval of contracts for the survey of the public lands is necessary before they can become binding on the United States, except in such cases as he may otherwise specially order. (R. S., § 2398.) Besides the printed manual, relative to surveys, dated February 22, 1855, and the special instructions of the Surveyor-General not in conflict therewith, the instructions of the Commissioner are required to be taken and understood as a part of every such contract. (R. S., § 2399.)

1224. It is the duty of the Commissioner to fix the prices per mile for public surveys, in no case exceeding the legal maximum; and he is required to prepare instructions, under which each Surveyor-General may keep an accurate account of the cost of surveying and platting private land claims, to be reported to the General Land Office with the map of such claim, so that the cost may be paid into the Treasury before the patents issue. (R. S., § 2400.)

1225. Under the instructions of the Commissioner, the settlers in a township may have, at their own cost, a survey made of such township by the Surveyor-General and a return of such survey filed in the general and local land offices; provided such township is within the range of the regular

The printed regulations of the Commiss relative to pensions and bounty lands, a c be obtained by any applicant, furnish al in addition to the blank forms, necess applicant, if of ordinary intelligence, t cation and to establish his claim. If unaided, by reason of his absence from ment or other cause, the law protects by restricting the fees of his attorney ally agreed upon, or by limiting tl where no agreement is on file in the act of June 20, 1878, before referred ever, to this amount in all cases oc Severe penalty is inflicted in case charges, or the withholding wrong or claimant the whole or any po claim allowed.

locate the same upon the land actually settled upon and improved by him, if the same be then vacant, on making proper proof to the satisfaction of the local land officers in accordance with the regulations of the Commissioner. (R. S., § 2446.)

1231. He is authorized to decide, upon principles of equity and justice as recognized in courts of equity, and in accordance with regulations to be settled, consistently with such principles, by the Secretary of the Interior, the Attorney-General, and the Commissioner conjointly, all cases of suspended entries of public lands and of suspended preemption land claims, and to adjudge in what cases patents shall issue upon the same. (R. S., § 2450; act February 27, 1877.)

1232. He is required to report to Congress, at the first session after any such adjudications have been made, a list of the same, under the classes prescribed by law, with a statement of the principles upon which each class was determined; also to arrange his decisions into two classes,the first class to embrace all such cases of equity as may be finally confirmed by the board, constituted of the AttorneyGeneral and the Secretary of the Interior, as provided in section 2451 of the Revised Statutes; and the second class to embrace all such cases as the board reject and decide to be invalid. (R. S., §§ 2452, 2453.)

1233. He is empowered to order into market, after due notice and without the formality of a proclamation of the President, all lands of the second class, though before unproclaimed and unoffered, and such other isolated and disconnected tracts or parcels of unoffered lands which in his judgment it would be proper to expose to sale in like manner. (R. S., § 2455.)

1234. Where patents have been already issued on entries which are confirmed by the board of adjudication before referred to, the Commissioner of the Land Office,

upon the cancelling of the outstanding patent, is authorized to issue a new patent on such confirmation to the person who made the entry, his heirs or assigns. (R. S., § 2456.)

1235. Upon proof by the authorized agent of the State, before the Commissioner of the Land Office, that any of the lands purchased by any person from the United States prior to March 2, 1855, were swamp lands within the meaning of the act entitled "An act to enable the State of Arkansas and other States to reclaim the swamp lands within their limits," approved September 28, 1850, it is provided that the purchase-money shall be paid over to the State wherein said land is situated, and that when the lands have been located by warrant or scrip the said State shall be authorized to locate a like quantity of any of the public lands subject to entry at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre or less, the proper patents to be issued therefor, and the decision of the Commissioner to be first approved by the Secretary of the Interior. (R. S., § 2482.)

1236. He is required to prepare and issue regulations necessary and proper for the purpose of carrying into effect the act of March 13, 1877, entitled "An act to encourage the growth of timber on western prairies." (Act March 13, 1877, § 6.)

1237. He is also authorized, under direction of the Secretary of the Interior, to enforce by appropriate regulations every part of the provisions of the statutes relating to the public lands not otherwise provided for. (R. S., § 2478.)

1238. The Commissioner is assisted in his duties by the following divisions, constituting, with their chiefs, the organization of his office, viz.:

I. THE CHIEF CLERK'S DIVISION.

This division is presided over by the Chief Clerk of the office, who, in the absence of the Commissioner or in case