286 LAND LAWS AND LAND TITLES.

over this territory. The preemption law had never been in force in Oregon; there were no land districts or land offices established. 38 No claims had ever been taken with reference to such a law, nor had any one ever thought of being governed by them in Oregon. And as to town sites, while the California land law excepted them from private entry, the organic act of Oregon excepted only salt and mineral lands, and said nothing about town sites; while the act of 1850 spe cifically granted the Oregon City claim, leaving all other claims upon the same footing, one with another.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Portland who had pur chased lots were in a state of bewilderment as to their titles. They knew of whom they had purchased; but since the apportionment of the surveyor general, which made over to Coffin a part of Lownsdale s convey ances and to Lownsdale and Chapman a part of Cof fin s conveyances, they knew not where to look for titles. To use the words of one concerned, a three days protracted meeting of the citizens had been held to devise ways and means of obtaining titles to their lots. They finally memorialized congress to pass a special act, exempting the town site of Portland from the provisions of the donation act, which failed to meet with approval, being opposed by a counter-peti tion of the proprietors ; though whether it would have succeeded without the opposition was unknown.

In the winter of 1854-5 a bill was before the legis lative assembly for the purchase of the Portland land claim under the town-site law of 1844, before men tioned, Portland having become incorporated in 1851, and having an extent of two miles on the river by one mile west from it. Coffin and Chapman opposed the bill, and the legislature adjourned without taking

38 Two land districts were established in February 1855, Willamette anil Umpqua, but the duties of officers appointed were by act declared to be the same as are now prescribed by law for other land offices, and for the surveyor general of Oregon, so far as they apply to such offices. Or. Statutes, 1858-4, 57. They simply extended new facilities to, without imposing any new regu lations upon, the settlers.