to sell upon certain terms and limitations. Also by this act the Surveyors of the several counties were to select and designate the swamp lands in their respective counties, which they did, generally taking all the unentered lands. Meanwhile, the United States Land Offices remaining open, and having nothing to guide them, individuals continued to purchase lands within them, in many instances the same tracts which had been selected by the Surveyors as Swamp lands.
The deficiency of data in the Department of the Interior by which to designate the Swamp-lands from other lands; the very liberal designations made by the County Surveyors, and the numerous purchases made, and sought to be made, by individuals from the United States, of tracts claimed by the State as Swampland, led to much difficulty, confusion and embarrassment; even to the taking proof in the local Land Offices, whether particular tracts were or were not, in fact, Swamp land.
March 2, 1855 another act of Congress was passed intended to mitigate, if not entirely overcome this difficulty.
No single patent, as seemed to be contemplated by the first named act of Congress, ever issued; but on the 20th. day of October 1856, a Patent issued to the Governor of Illinois, for the Swamp lands in the Dixon Land District, which District includes the county of Bureau.
April 28, 1856, the Board of Supervisors of Bureau county passed, and entered of record a set of resolutions for the sale of the swamp-lands within that county, of which resolutions the paper hereto attached, marked (A) contains true copies.
In pursuance of those resolutions the ``Drainage Commissioner[''] of that county, made sale of those lands to various purchasers, taking notes, and giving certificates to said purchasers, of which notes and certificates, the papers attached, marked respectively (B) and (C) are blank forms. Some of the purchasers did, and some did not present their certificates and receive bonds as indicated. The paper attached, marked (D) is a blank form of the bonds given, and ready to be given.
February 18, 1857, some question having been made as to the validity of this sale, the Illinois Legislature passed an act ratifying and confirming it.
March 3, 1857, Congress passed another act, confirming a certain selection of Swamp lands, and directing the same to be patented; which ``selection'' so confirmed, was in fact the same, for part of the lands included in which, the Patent aforesaid had then already been issued.