The government Survey of Vacancies. 155 
ument erected by Mr Ellicott as an azimuth mark, and its recent 
destruction is therefore regretable. 
The boundary line, as has been seen, was run out in 1791. It 
was cleared of timber and most of the milestones set during the 
following year, 1792, and it is probable that during this same year 
Ellicott produced the general topographic map of the entire Dis- 
trict, the date of publication of which is uncertain. The only 
eopy of this map of the District known to me is in the Library 
of Congress, entitled “ Territory of Columbia, drawn by Andrew 
Ellicott.” Its conjectural date, added in pencil, is 1793. This 
map was republished in 1852, the republication being seemingly 
5» 
a facsimile in all respects, except the omission of the phrase 
“drawn by Andrew Ellicott.” Reduced copies of it have been 
several times published. Down to the publication of Boschke’s 
map of the District at the outbreak of the war, this topographic 
map of the District by Ellicott is apparently the only one ever 
made, 
Land Office Surveys—In the surveying division of the General 
Land Office is a not very large package of papers relating to sur- 
veys by the United States of public lands in the District of 
Columbia. The ragged and yellow label, written in a large, fair 
hand, runs thus: “ Papers relating to applications to appropriate 
certain lands in the District of Columbia under the provisions 
of the joint resolution of Congress of February 16, 1839,” ete. 
This package contains all the papers in the General Land 
Office relating to public land surveys in the District of Columbia, 
the history of which is briefly this: After the settlement of the 
District of Columbia had progressed for some years or decades, 
it was found that here and there errors had been madé by sur- 
veyors in staking out or marking the boundaries of lots, farms, 
and estates. In some cases a tract might by the terms of its 
description be counted in two adjoining tracts, and so two people 
might claim the same tract. In other cases tracts supposed to 
adjoin were found not to touch, and there would thus bea tract 
lying between which had ne private owner. This tract then 
belonged to the United States. The person discovering this error 
naturally wished to acquire possession of this now valuable land. 
That he might do so, congressional authority was necessary. 
Accordingly, on February 16, 1839, a joint resolution was passed 
by Congress permitting purchase under the old Maryland law of 
1801, which provided for the sale of “ vacancies ”’—7. ¢., un- 
