the Interior, December 15, 1855, for the reason "that five full sections contiguous, had been approved, irrespective of this tract."

The General Assembly, by act approved March 17, 1876, authorized the Auditor of State to negotiate with the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company, for the purchase of that portion of said tracts sold by the State, with a view to confirming title in the grantees of the State. The price not to exceed the amount for which said tracts were sold by the State, with ten per cent. interest from date of sale.

Nothing has been done under said act relative to a negotiation with the railroad company.

This grant, as hereinbefore stated, is for twelve salt springs with six sections contiguous to each, making seventy-two sections, or 46,080.00 acres, provided none of the sections were fractional. On account of some of the sections being fractional, the quantity as approved and certified to the State, exceeds that amount by one hundred and twenty acres. This list, as approved and certified to the State describes just six sections as contiguous to salt spring number four; the quantity given in these is 3,869.67 acres. Two of these sections are fractional, which makes the quantity 29.67 acres more than if there were no fractional sections. The s sec. 13, and net of sec. 23, tp. 70, r. 16 aforesaid, is a part of said six sections. Hence, the reason for revoking their approval as saline lands is not apparent.

The following is a statement of the saline lands patented since the last report of this office:

6TH. THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE GRANT.

By act of July 2, 1862, Congress donated to each State which might provide a college or colleges, for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic arts, an amount of the public lands equal to thirty thousand acres for each Senator and Representative in Congress to which the States respectively were entitled by the apportionment of the census of 1860, in the following terms:

SEC. 2. That the land shall not be selected in less than quarter sections. That where there are public lands in a State subject to private entry at $1.25 per acre, its share shall be selected therefrom, and when there are no such lands in a State, the Secretary of the Interior shall issue scrip in the required amount, said scrip to be sold and the proceeds applied to the purposes specified in the act. That no State can locate scrip in any other State or Territory, but that the same can be located by their assigns. That not more than one million acres can be located in any one State, and that no location shall be made within a year from the passage of the act.

SEC. 3. That all expenses, including taxes, from date of selection of the lands shall be paid by the State, so that the proceeds of sale of said lands may be kept entire.

SEC. 4. That the moneys derived from sale of lands on scrip, shall be invested in United States' or State Stocks, or some other safe stocks yielding not less than five per cent., and shall constitute a permanent fund, (except as provided in Section 5,) the interest to be used for the support of at least one college, where shall be taught such branches as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, including military tactics, but not excluding other scientific and classical studies.

SEC. 5. That the grant is made on the following conditions:

1st. The State shall make good any loss of principal or interest, and the annual interest shall be regularly applied to the purposes mentioned, except the legislature may authorize the appropriation of ten per cent. thereof for the purchase of lands for sites for experimental farms.

2d. That neither principal or interest of said fund shall be applied directly or indirectly, under any pretense whatever, to the purchase, erection, preservation or repair of any building or buildings.

3d. That the State claiming the benefit of this act shall provide at least one college, and if not provided in five years the grant to such

State shall cease, and the money for lands sold be refunded, but the title of purchasers from the State shall be valid.

5th. Lands selected from double minimum priced lands are to be accounted at double the quantity which they actually contain.

6th. That no State while in rebellion or insurrection against the government shall have the benefit of this act.

7th. That no State shall have the benefit of this act unless within two years from date of its approval the legislature shall accept the

same.

SEC. 6. That the land scrip cannot be located until after January 1, 1863.

SEC. 7. That the local government land officers shall receive the same fees for locating scrip as are allowed for locating bounty land

warrants.

SEC. 8. That in the States to which scrip is issued, the governors shall report annually to congress all sales made of same, until the whole is disposed of, showing the amount received and disposition of proceeds.

By act of the extra session of the Ninth General Assembly, approved. September 11, 1862, the grant was accepted upon the conditions of the act of Congress, and the Governor was required to appoint an agent to select and locate the lands, and report; the Governor to lay the list of selections before the Trustees of the Agricultural College for their approval. One thousand dollars were appropriated to carry out the provisions of the act. No lands claimed by any county as swamp, were to be selected.

The agent appointed to select the lands, (Peter Melendy,) made the selections in the months of August, September and December, 1863, and the selections were approved to the State by the Secretary of the Interior, December 13, 1864.

The State was entitled, in accordance with the terms of the grant, to 240,000 acres of lands-having eight Senators and Representatives in Congress.

The actual quantity of land approved to the State under said grant, was 204,309.30 acres, but 35,691.66 acres being within the railroad limits, were approved at double their quantity, making the amount 240,000.96 acres.

The Agricultural College and Model Farm were established by act of March 22, 1858, and placed under the control and management of a Board of Trustees. (See chapter 91, Acts 7th General Assembly).

The proceeds of the five sections of lands in township 78, range 20, in Jasper county, granted by act of Congress of March 3, 1845, for the erection of public buildings, were by the said act of the General Assembly, donated to said College, provided Congress should assent to the diversion.

In response to a joint resolution of the General Assembly of March 22, 1858, Congress, by act approved July 11, 1862, authorized the State to make such disposition of said lands as was deemed best, thereby consenting to the diversion.

By act of the Tenth General Assembly, approved March 29, 1864, the Trustees of the college and farm were authorized to sell all lands acquired, granted, donated or appropriated for the benefit of the college, and to invest the proceeds. Said act provides that not more than ten per cent. of the lands granted shall be sold previous to April 1, 1866; also, for issuing patents to purchasers.

By act of the General Assembly, approved March 29, 1866, the appraisement of the lands granted by Congress was raised fifty per cent. above that made by the Trustees of the college, in the year 1865, and said Trustees were authorized to sell all of the said lands, or lease them in amounts not to exceed one hundred and sixty acres to any one individual; the lessee to have the privilege of purchasing the land at or before the expiration of the lease at such advanced appraisement.

This act provides that the money arising from the sales of lands shall be paid into the State Treasury, and that the State Treasurer shall invest the same in bonds of the State or United States Registered Bonds, and that the interest on the leases be paid over to the Trustees of the college, to be loaned on good security until needed to defray expenses of the college.

The Trustees are further authorized by this act to appoint agents, or to do any other act to carry out the provisions of the law.

The provisions of this act are incorporated in the Code of 1873, (See Chap. 3, Title 12.)

That portion of said law requiring the State Treasurer to invest the proceeds of the sale of said lands, was amended by act of the Sixteenth General Assembly. (See Chap. 91, p. 74, Acts 1876.) This act prevides that the State Treasurer shall invest said funds, subject to the approval of the Executive Council, "in stocks of the United States or of the States, or some other safe stocks, yielding not less than five per centum on the par value of said stocks, as directed by the act of Congress granting said lands; and the money arising from the interest on

said stocks, on the deferred payments, and on the leases of said lands, as rental thereof, shall be paid over to the Board of Trustees and may be loaned by said Board of Trustees on good and sufficient security, when not needed to defray such expenses of the college as said moneys are legally applicable thereto."

An act was passed by Congress on July 23, 1866, extending the time for States to comply with the act of July 2, 1862, granting lands for Agricultural Colleges.

A portion of the interest money arising from leases of the lands granted by Congress for the college, was invested by the Trustees in the purchase of Agricultural College scrip of other States, which scrip was located in the name of James C. Cusey, as the agent of the college, and was afterwards deeded to the State by said Cusey for the benefit of the college.

The certificates of purchase for said lands were turned over to this office, and I have recently procured patents for all the lands, except for the nw qr. sec. 29, tp. 98, r. 47. I have written to the Commissioner of the General Land Office in regard to this tract, but have received no reply as yet. The certificate of purchase will be held until notice is received that patent is ready for delivery.

This investment of interest money was not such as the law of the State contemplated, but was undoubtedly a much safer and a more profitable investment than "loaning it (at 10 per cent.) on good security, and so far as I know no exceptions have been taken to it.

The following is a statement of the quantity of lands received for the benefit of the Agricultural College, by grant, purchase, and by private donations; also, the total amount of each the State has patented: