their construction will greatly assist in determining the geological character of the country. At present nearly all agricultural labors are suspended in the general scramble for gold; but the enormous prices paid for fruit and vegetables in the towns will undoubtedly induce many, during the coming year, to turn their attention to the cultivation of the soil. The failure on the part of Congress, at its last session, to authorize the sale of public lands in California, has proved detrimental to the agricultural interest of the country. A large number of those who have recently emigrated to California are desirous to locate themselves permanently in the country, and to cultivate the soil, but the uncertainty which exists with respect to the validity of land titles in California, and to what actually constitutes the public domain, serves as a serious check to the forming of new agricultural settlements; moreover, speculators are purchasing up fraudulent and invalid titles to large tracts of the public domain, and selling them off in parcels, and at enormous profits, to those who have recently arrived in the country, and who are necessarily ignorant of the real state of the case. All the mission lands in California were secularized, or made government property, by a law of Mexico, dated August 17th, 1833, and the territorial government of California, under the authority of the Mexican laws, leased and sold a portion of these lands and mission property. Another portion of this property, however, still remained unsold when the Americans took possession of the country, and it has since been left in the hands of government agents for preservation. Erroneously supposing that these lands are subject to pre-emption laws, some of the recent emigrants have attempted to settle upon them. But I cannot deem myself justifiable in permitting this, for I do not conceive that lands which have been under cultivation for half a century, and now belong to government, can be subject to the pre-emption claims of private individuals, in the same manner as the uncultivated lands of the public domain. It is, however, important for the interest of the country that these mission lands be brought into market with the least possible delay, and also that provision be made by law for the settlement and sale of other public lands in California. And as disputes are almost daily occurring between individuals respecting the extent of their several claims, and the validity of their titles, I would urge upon our government the necessity of immediately taking measures for the speedy and final settlement of these titles upon principles of equity and justice. This is absolutely essential for the peace and prosperity of the country. For information connected with this subject, I beg leave to call attention, to the report of Captain Halleck, Secretary of State for California, which was forwarded to Washington by my predecessor, in the early part of April last.