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Show ON GENERAL ALLOTMENT ACT. 483 ren under thafourth section shall be contigaons to that made to the head of the family, it is reqnired that each allotment made to an individual, whether the head of afamilg, a single adnlt, or a minor child, where such allotment embraces more than one legal aubdis%ion, mnst be compbsedof contiguous he, asin the ordinary disposition of the pnblic domain under the settlement law. The neat inquiry is, if the quarter section is "more than 160 acres, mustthe Indian pay the excess as in a homestead entry ?" The allotments anthorised by the act of Con- is not by acres, but hy the legal subdivisions of the section, as one-quarter, one-eighth and o n ~ i x t e e n t ho f a section. Therefore, on the selection of one of these legal submiirisions the allotment should be made, whether the area thereof he more or lass than is ordinarily the w e where the sec-tion is perfect Apart from this, it is evident from the provision in section 4 for the payment -from the United States Treaanry of the Iand-office fees incident to these allot-ments it was not intended that the Indians should be at anyexpense in connection with the exeontian of the law. The remaining inquiry of the register, ss to whether the Department will furnish a hook to register the silotments in, isa matter of detail, which may he safely left to the Commissiooer of the General Lsnd Office? whose duty it is to furnish such records as may be needed in the proper sdmioiat~r~tioafn his office. Yecy reepectfnlly, CEO. H. SHIELDS, Assistant Attorney-General. Hon. JOHN W. NOBLE, Semelary of the Interior. Referred to the Acting Commissioner of Indian Affaim,, for his information and direa- |