Abstracted from
Territorial Papers of the United States
Vol. XVIII Alabama
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Whereas by an Act of Congress passed on the 3d of March 1815 entitles "An Act to provide for the ascertaining and surveying of the boundary lines fixed by the Treaty with the Creek Indians and for other purposes" the President of the United States is authorized to cause the Lands acquired by the said treaty to be offered for sale when Surveyed; and Whereas the Lands North of the Tennessee River have been surveyed;
Therefore, I, James Monroe, President of the United States, in conformity with the said Act, do hereby declare and make known, that public Sales, for the disposal (agreeably by Law) of the Lands in Alabama Territory, Vizt
On the first monday in February next, for the Lands contained in the Ranges numbered One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six, and on the first monday in March next, for the remainder of the aforesaid Lands; each sale shall remain open for three weeks, and no longer, the sales shall commence with the first section of the lowest numbers of townships and ranges and proceed in regular numerical order.
Given under my hand at the City of Washington, the twenty first day of November 1817
By the President (Signed) JAMES MONROE
(Signed) JOSIAH MEIGS Commissioner of the Gen Land Office
Printers of Newspapers who publish the Laws of the U States will publish the above for Six weeks, and send their bill with receipts to the General Land Office.
SIR, It was announced in the Newspapers, some time since, that the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, had appointed me to be Secretary of the Territory of Alabama.
I feel duly sensible of the honor thus conferred on me by the President; --- an honor the more appreciated and the more dear to me, since, in the discharge of its functions, it would have associated me with the distinguished individual at the head of the Government, to whom I have long been very warmly attached, and with whom it would be a pleasure to serve. This pleasure, however, I am forbidden to enjoy. And I must beg you, Sir, to have the goodness to inform the President that, while I return him my unfeigned thanks for this manifestation of his confidence, the miserable state of my health makes it a duty, which I owe as well to myself as to the Country, respectfully but decidely to decline the acceptance of the appointment.
I feel some delicacy in thus addressing you, since I have, as yet, received no commission, nor any Official notification of my appointment: but I hope to find a sufficient apology in frankly stating the circumstances which induce me to disregard a punctillo, and which seem, to me, to render it proper that I should no longer delay a communication of this sort.
While at St. Stephens, during the month of January, as a member of the Territorial Legislature, I saw, for the first time, the Newspaper annunciation: and I then made known to Governor Bibb my inability to accept; and I should signify that intention to the President immediately on my return to this place, when I expected to find the Commission. In this, however, I was disappointed: and five successiove mails have since arrived without bringing it. Meantime, I know that the Governor has made communications touching the choice of a Successor: as it will be presumed at Washington that the Commission has reached me in due time, an acknowledgement of its reception on my part may be expected before the President would proceed to fill the vacancy.
With the highest consideration & respect, I have the honor to be &c &c
J. W. WALKER
HON. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, Secretary of State.
H. R. 156 - In the Senate of the United States, March 31, 1818. Read and
passed to second reading:
An Act concerning the Territory of Alabama.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled that any person or persons who have or may hereafter purchase from the United States one quarter section or more of
land in the Alabama Territory and shall have paid 1/4 part thereon, as the law in such cases requires, and shall have obtained a certificate of the proper land officer to that effect, shall be competent to hold any office of honor or profit in the said territory, anything in the ordinances or former laws of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding. March 28, 1818
Passed the House of Representatives
Attest: Thomas Dougherty, C.H.R.
Land office at HUNTSVILLE 10th April 1818.
SIR, The balance of the lands on the north side of the Tennessee River were all offered for sale in the two weeks, --- I think the time allowed for Keeping open the public sales, is too short, busyness could be done much better if we were not so much hurried, three weeks would have been little time enough, making the calculations & receiving money consumes much time, good prices have been obtained, not as much sold as at February sales, but entries have been much more numerous, on the 30th of march (the first day for receiving entries) about two Hundred tracts were applied for, & for that number there was upwards of one thousand applicants, for many tracts ten to forty applicants at the same time --- if the land could be put up to the highest bidder where there was so many applicants it would be much to the advantage of Governt & save a great deal of trouble --- although so much land have lately been sold, yet one half of the people does not appear to have purchased, many of the highest priced tracts have been sold at very considerable profits, & people are now anxiously inquiring when the lands on the south side of Tennessee River, will be sold, many wealthy planters of this neighborhood are desirous to purchase & settle there, & I am told there will be an immence emigration from the East, I have no doubt but those lands will sell equally as high, as those on the north of Tennessee River have sold, there appears to prevail something like a land mania, & I think it would be much to the advantage of the government to sell those lands during its prevalency, & the very high prices of cotton, --- I think the Winter season an improper one to sell Lands, persons from a distance cannot easily attend, & no house is sufficiently large to hold purchasers & it its very unpleasant to be exposed --- I think the latter part of Summer, or commencement of fall the most proper seasons, & by that time all the Sixty Townships on the south side of the Tennessee River can be offered for sale, --- I regret that I have not yet been able to make a report for Feby I hope however in a few days to have it ready I have been much hurried in issuing Certificates for distant purchasers who were anxious to return home, & receiving applications
I have the honor, to be, Very Respectfully Sir, your obt Servt
JOHN READ
HONble JOSIAH MEIGS Commissr Genl Ld office Washington City.
[Addressed] Honble Josiah Meigs Commissr Genl Ld office Washington City Mail [Postmarked] Huntsville A. T. April 10 free
[Endorsed] 10th April 1818 John Read relative to public Sales
SIR, In obedience to a Resolution of the House of Representatives, I have the honor to enclose you a Copy of the joint-Memorial of both branches of the Legislasture of the Alabama Territory, praying its admission into the Union, and that the said Territory be authorized to form a Constitution and State-Government; --- and also a Copy of Another Memorial, praying certain alterations to our Judiciary-System: --- to which I take liberty of adding a Copy of the Census.
*footnote 51: Post , p. 462.
*footnote 52: Enclosed in Walker's letter of Nov. 11, infra, but subsequently separated therefrom. A prolonged but unavailing search has been made both in Washington and Alabama for the detailed census records of 1818.
APPORTIONMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE STATE LEGISLATURE (53)
The following is the apportionment of Representatives from the several counties until the first census shall be taken:---
| AUTAUGA | 1 Rep. | [blank] |
| BALDWIN | 1 | 504 |
| BLOUNT | 3 | 3229 |
| CAHAWBA | 1 | 1031 |
| CLARKE | 2 | 2674 |
| CONECUH | 2 | 1698 |
| COTACO | 2 | 2191 |
| DALLAS | 2 | 1320 |
| FRANKLIN | 2 | 2258 |
| LAUDERDALE | 1 | 1698 |
| LAWRENCE | 2 | 2000 |
| LIMESTONE | 3 | 3473 |
| MADISON | 8 | 8780 |
| MOBILE | 1 | 982 |
| MARENGO | 1 | 1164 |
| MARION | 1 | [blank] |
| MONROE | 5 | 4307 |
| MONTGOMERY | 2 | 3464 |
| ST. CLAIR | 1 | [blank] |
| SHELBY | 2 | 3287 |
| TUSKALOOSA | 2 | 2365 |
| WASHINGTON | 2 | 2147 |
*footnote 53: In the enabling act, approved Mar. 2, 1819, the number of representatives in the State Convention from each of the 22 counties was definitely prescribed, the apportionment being based on the territorial census of 1818. ... It was furthur prescribed that each county should have at least one representative regardless of population, and that there should not be less than 44 nor more than 60 members until the number of white inhabitants reached 100,000.