Mr Slingerland, or leave submitted the following bill.

A Bill

To give to actual settlers and cultivators the benefit of limited quanties of the Public Lands for a nominal compensation; and to prevent speculation [?] the same.

Be it enacted by the Senate of the And House of Representatives of America in Congress assembled, That any person from and after the passage of this act, may enter at any land office of the United States any quantity of land remaining unsold, not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, at a price which shall not exceed the sum of fifty-cents per acre:

Provided, That the person making such entry shall first make affidavit before the register or receiver of the land office where the entry is proposed to be made, that the said applicant enters or proposes to enter the same for his own use and benefit, for the purposes of settlement and cultivation by and for him, and that said applicant has either made no entry under the provisions of this act, or in pursuance thereof, which, together with the additional entry then proposed to be made, will make the whole quantity so entered, exceed one hundred and sixty acres:

Provided, That any additional entry proposed to be made under the provisions of this act shall be for land laying adjoining to the land first entered.

Section. 2. It may be lawful, however, for any person purchasing land as aforesaid, and residing thereon, to enter eighty or less acres adjoining the one hundred and sixty acres aforesaid, at the price of one dollar per acre; and for twenty acres, in addition to the eighty acres, he shall pay an increased price of twenty-five cents per acre; and for each additional twenty acres thereafter, the sum of twenty-five cents per acre shall be added to the price of the preceding twenty acres.

Section. 3. All acts and parts of acts repugnant to the provisions of this act, shall be, and are hereby, repealed.