UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON-LINE

A paper offered as a grant from the Spanish authorities for some land in Louisiana decided to be incomplete, and nothing more than the preamble to Spanish grants.

Moreover, there is no evidence that the claimants are the heirs of the grantee, nor that anyone claiming under him ever took possession or exercised any act of ownership from 1777 to 1846.

The claimants presented in the district court a paper of which the following is a translation:

"Don Bernardo de Galvez, Colonel &c. Having seen the

Page 53 U. S. 436

foregoing proceedings performed by the commandant of Attacapas, Don Alexander Declobet, respecting the possession which he had given to Peter LeBlanc of ten arpens of front on the great prairie, with the depth of forty-two, bounded on one side by the lands of Louis Roque and on the other by vacant lands, and recognizing these proceedings as regular, and that the concession of these lands can be made without injury to others, not having been claimed, but the proceedings acquiesced in on the part of those assisting in them; approving as we do approve, and using &c. New Orleans, 5th of January, 1777. Don Bernardo de Galvez, by order of his Lordship, Don Joseph Foucher."

"Register's Office, New Orleans, La."

"I, Louis St. Martin Register of the Land Office at New Orleans, Louisiana, do hereby certify the foregoing document to be a true copy, taken from one of the records of my office, entitled 'Libro 1 of French and Spanish Concessions.'"

"In faith whereof I hereunto subscribe my name, this 18th day of May, 1849."

"[Signed] L. ST. MARTIN, Register"

Upon this document the district court confirmed the claim, and the United States appealed.