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United States, Appellants, v. The Heirs of John Forbes, Appellees, The U.S. 173 (1841)

handle is hein.slavery/ussccases0340 and id is 1 raw text is: JANUARY TERM 1841.

THE    UNITED     STATES, APPELLANTS, v. THE            HEIRS 0' JOHN
FORBES, APPELLEES.
John Forbes, by memorial to Governor Kindelan, the Governor of East Florida,
set forth, that, in 1799, there had been granted to Panton, Leslie, and Company,
for the purpose of pasturage, fifteen thousand acres of land, which they were
obliged to abandon, as being of inferior quality. Forbes, as the successor to
these grantees, asked to be permitted to abandon these fifteen thousand acres, and,
in lieu, to have granted to him ten thousand acres, as an equivalent, on Nassau
river. The petition avers, that the obj;ct was to establish a rice plantation. The
petition was referred to the Comptroller, who gave it as his opinion, that the
culture of rice should be promoted. Governor Kindelan permitted the abandon-
ment of the fifteen thousand acres granted before, and in lieu thereof, granted to John
Forbes, for the object of cultivating rice, ten thousand acres in the district, or banks
of the river Nassau. Surveys of seven thousand acres of land, at the head of the
river Little St. Marys or 4 St. Mary, and three thousand acres in  Cabbage
Swamp, were made under this grant. No description of the locality of the land,
other than that in the certificate of the survey, was given; nor do the surveys prove,
that the land surveyed lay in the district of the river Nassau. No evidence was given
of the situation of Cabbage Swamp.  Held, that these surveys were not Made on
the land granted by Governor Kindelan; and, according to the decisionsbf this Court,
on all occasions, the surveys, to give them validity, must be in conformity with the
grants on which they are founded; and to make them the origin of title, they must
be of the land described in the grant of the Spanish government.
The cases of the United States v. Clarke, 8 Peters, 486. The United Statesv. Huertas,
9 Peters, 171, cited.
The Courts of Justice can only adjudge what has been granted; and declare that the
lands granted by the lawful authorities of Spain, are separated from the public
domain: but where the land is expressly granted at one place, they have no power;
by a decree, to grant an 'quivalent at another place, and thereby sanction an aban-
donment of the grant made by the Spanish authorities. The Courts of the United
States have no authority to divest the title of the United States in the public lands,
and vest it in claimants; however just the claim may be to an equivalent for land, the
previous grant of which has failed.
The case of the Uriited States v. Arredondo, 6 Peters, 691, cited.
The decree of th Supreme Court of East Florida, which had confirmed the grant to
@John Forbes, reversed.
ON appeal froni the Superior Court of East Florida.
The executor of John Forbes, on the 20th of May, 1829, pre-
sented a petition to the Superior Court for the Eastern District
P2

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