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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONEE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 69 Pierce AsbilPs improvements were appraised at $580. The coirt fo~lndth at hehad other improvementa valued at $725. The note-book of the oommissioners contains the following entry relative to the case: , His honse, baro, eto.. nreaooth of the towoahip line, and therefore not appraised. lnspectorVaudever says: Pierce Asbill lives south of the line. and the law provides that only thoae residing north of the line shall be allowed for improvements. Frank Asbill's improvements were appraised at $304.78. The court found that he had other improvements valued at $1,000. The Ashills now occnpp 8,500 acres. They settled in the reservation some year8 after it was set aside. As to the LLswam ~la ud^,'^ it may be remarked that by the act of May 14,1862, the legislature of the State of Oalifornia granted all lands belonging to the State and within any reservation to the United States. (State Statutes, 1850 to 1864, page 617.) Oeftificates of purchase were ' not issued to the defendants until after the passage of said act, and the State, by the subsequent act. of April 27, 1863, section 19 (ibid., 613), provided that in case any of the lands sold by the State proved to be ' within the boundaries of a grant or otherwise not the property of the State, the holder or assignee of the certificate of purchase or patent , should be entitled to receive in exchange therefor a certificate from the register of the State laud office that such amount had been paid, whioh certificate should be received in payment for any-other lauds of the same class. June 24,1880, report was made recommending that the ~ t t o r n e i - (fenera1 be requested to iustrnct the proper district attorney to move - for e new trial in these cases, and, if necessary, to appeal to the Su-preme Court of the United States. Appeal was subsequently taken to the Supreme Court, which appeal vas dismissed, on t,he authority of the Attorney-General, on the 8th of January, 1884. This Office was wholly ignorant of this contemplated action. Subsequently the Stace applied to have the lands certified to her, and this office, in report dated February 26,1884, suggested whether the Department would not be justified in instructing the General Land Office not to certify these lauds to the State,,leaviug the question to be further tested by mandamus, ~houldth e State desire to avail herself of that remedy. The list was, however, shortly afterwards certified as requested. Thus endedthe first attempt to dispossess the settlers in Round Val- . ley by proceedings in the courts. Subsequently this office repeatedly asked for an appropriation to pay the balance of the claims of settlers for improvements, but without favorable result. InZhe summer of 1884 a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Indian AEairs visited the reservation to investigate the '6 present a,nd oast manawment of said reuervation. and of all ahnses of the ri-g hts and interest8 of the 1ntli;tlls tlrereoll." During the last week of theses- |