Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. President, I believe there has been no departure as yet from the rectangular system of surveys established b the Government, and so far as these agricu tnral lands are concerned they generally lie in bodies where they can be surveyed without much diflieulty. It is not generally necessary to survey the whole country in order to survey bodies of agricultural lands. Public surveys for agricultural purposes are generally made by running straight lines at right angles; but this bill contemplates, ifI understand it, that each claim taken by a miner is to be separately surveyed by the surveyor general, no matter how inconvenient its location orirregularits shape, and the public surveys are to be made to conform to the size and shape of the claims taken by the miners. so that whatever may be the expense growing out of such surveys of the country as are necessary for agricultural purposes, certainly the extension of the surveys to all the mineral lands will add very much to the expenses of the Government. such lands as are described in this bill are generally found in mountaine us districts, where it is exceedingly difficult to make surveys, or in portions of the country worthless for all nrposes except for the nrposes of mining. am simply seeking to show that the sale of the mincra lands will be an immense expense to Government, I care not what system may be devised for their sale. It will be enormously expensive to establish the necessary offices, to pay the necessary officers, and to defray all the other expenses which must attend the system. I am answering the argument that is used in favor of selling the land by those who say it will add to the reve nues of the Government. I say it is demon strably certain that it will add immensely to the expenses of the Government, and that no income tax that is not burdensome and crashing to those engaged in mining will equal the amount of the expenditures of the GOvernment in undertaking to sell these lands after they have been surveyed at the Government on ense. p This bill provides that these lands shall be sold at the rate of 5 dollars peracre, and it did provide that “ 3%. of the net product of a mine, vein, or lode” should be evied “in lieu of the stamp tax;” but I believe it is generally agreed that this clause, which was particularly objectionable in my opinion, shall be stricken out; so that this bill will only provide, to meet these numerous expenses to the Government, for the sale of mineral lands at 5 dollars peracre. Anybody can readily see what the amount of revenue derived from the sale of these lands at 5 dollars peracre will be, compared with the cost of their survey and sale according to the provisions of this bill. If it will do the Government no good to sell these lands, what advantage will it be to the miners? I shall speak particularly of the features of this bill. I do not intend to discuss the subject. in a general way, but only to call attention to the provisions of this bill. If the suggestions which I make can be satisfactorily answered, then of course I shall be content with what may be said in favor of this measure. I will remark, in the 1st place that this bill l. sonsclaim a.vein or differs from all other laws relating to the preemption of the public lands. I should like to know whether the intent is to make it permiissive or imperative on the mnier. It provi 05