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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Resolution by the Continental Congress concerning land grants in the Western Territory
United States. Continental Congress
April 21, 1787
Volume 20, Pages 685-686

RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS FOR SELLING TOWNSHIPS IN THE NEW STATE.
(From Executive Letter Book.)

By the United States in Congress Assembled,
April 21st, 1787.

On a Report of the board of Treasury, to whom it was referred to report a plan for selling for Public securities the Townships surveyed in the Western Territory, Resolved, That after the Secretary at War shall have drawn for the proportionate Quantity of the Lands already Surveyed, which were assigned to the late Army agreeably to the ordinance of the 20th May, 1785, the remainder shall be advertised for sale in one of the News Papers at least of each of the States, and at the expiration of five months from this day the sale of the Land shall Commence in the place where Congress shall sit, and continue from day to day until the same shall be disposed of; provided, that none of the Lands shall be sold at a less price than one dollar per Acre, and that the sale shall be made agreeably to the mode pointed out by the ordinance aforesaid.

Resolved, That one-third of the purchase money shall be immediately paid in any of the public Securities of the United States, to the Treasury of the said States, and that the remainding two-thirds shall be paid in like manner, in three months after the date of the sale, on which payment (Certificate thereof being previously furnished by

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the Treasurer to the board of treasury) Titles to the Land shall be given to the purchaser by the board of treasury, Agreeably to the terms prescribed by the said Ordinance; provided, that if the second payment shall not be made in three months, as aforesaid, the first payment shall be forfeited and the land shall be again exposed to sale.

Ordered that the board of Treasury take the necessary Measures for carrying the aforesaid resolutions into effect, and also for exhibiting the Surveys of the Lands.

CHAS. THOMSON, Sec’ty.