The General Assembly of the state of Illinois Respectfully represent to your Honorable boddy, that the lands on either side of the Illinois ^River^ from the termination of the Illinois and Michigan Cannal to its junction with the Missippi River a large portion of the way are subject to anual inundation for a distane varying from one to five miles in width, owing to this fact those lands have not been sold and cannot be be cultivated: although if reclaimed they would in all probability soon be sold to individuals, and becom[e] fruitful fields where life and energy would abound; whereas2 in there present condition disease and Death are ^their production^ to be seen in their neighborhoods ^in the present condition they are useless^ Your Honorable boddy haveing the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations, respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States cannot but be willing to adopt any measure calculated to aid in carrying into effect this power, or which may be calculated to facilitate the sales and settlement of the public domain; the interest of the United States and this state are identified ^in^ every effort to reclaim, and bring into market, those

---

lands which in consequence of their natural position ^cannot^ be cultivated. It is confidently believed that a large majority of the botom lands lying on the Illinois River which are now lying waste may with a reasonable expenditure of public money, be converted into cultivated fields, and the United States thereby be enabled to realize the value of those lands and the people and state the advantages which result from having so large a Quantity of land settled and improved It is believd that if the United States will grant to the state of Illinois one half of the unsold land (that is each alternate Section on fractional part three for the purpose within three miles of the Illinois River on both sides to enable the state to construct Roads across the botoms, and canals ^and^ ditches to drain the watter from the inundated lands on the River, that the United States will realize more from the sale of the remaining half than will ever be realized for the whole lands without such improvements

For these reasons your Honorable boddy is respectfully asked to make a Grant of the land herein described to the State of Illinois for the uses and purposes above stated3