ART. 54.] LAND OFFICE. 371

8. All moneys payable to the State on account of the public
lands shall be paid to the Commissioner of the Land Office,
whose receipts therefor shall be a good acquittance to the party
paying the same; and the said commissioner shall keep an
account of all such payments in a book kept for the purpose,
and shall account monthly with the Comptroller on oath and
pay over to the Treasurer all such moneys so received, first de-
ducting therefrom twenty-five per centum' as a compensation
for his trouble.

9. He shall record all certificates that may be returned to
the Land Office and issue patents thereon, as soon as they are
ready for patents.

10. Upon application in writing of any person claiming to be
entitled to any of the British confiscated lands sold by the com-
missioners appointed under the authority of this State to pre-
serve and sell British confiscated property, the title to which
still remains in the State, and praying that title thereto may be
granted to him, and upon satisfactory proof submitted to the
Commissioner of the Land Office that such applicant is en-
titled to receive title thereto, the said commissioner shall issue
a patent for such land to the person appearing to him to be
entitled thereto.

11. Before issuing any patent under the preceding section, the
said commissioner shall order the party applying therefor to
cause to be inserted in one or more newspapers published in the
county or city where the land lies, if there be a newspaper pub-
lished therein, at least once a week for three successive weeks,
an advertisement setting forth the object of the application, and
describing therein by metes and bounds, and such other descrip-
tion of the land for which the patent is sought, so that the land
may be known, and also particularly describing the claim of the
applicant for such patent, and containing a notification of the day
and hour on which the applicant .will apply to the commissioner
to issue such patent, which day shall be at least sixty days from
the day of filing the application, and warning all parties inte-
rested to appear before said commissioner on the day and hour
therein designated to show cause, if any they have, why such
patent should not be issued.

12. If no person appears to contest the said application on the
day so appointed, a patent shall issue to the applicant, but if -" --*»-**-