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Treasury Department
March 6th, 1866.

Sir

A number of petitions have been addressed to this Department for the restoration to petitioners and former owners of lands in Florida, which are now in the possession and control of Agents of the Treasury Department as abandoned property, under the provisions of the Act of July 2nd 1864.

As you are [[strikethrough]] well [[/strikethrough]] aware a circular was issued by me on the 27" of June last to all agents of the Treasury Department having such lands in charge, instructing them over to the duty authorized officers of the Bureau of Refugees Freedmen and Abandoned Lands so far as they may be required or demanded by the same. Most, if not all the lands of this class in Florida, now in the care of Treasury Agents, were first seized or taken in possession by them as late as the months of May or June last after the surrender of Genls Johnston and Taylor, and long after the passage of the act of March 3, 1865. transforming to the Bureau of Refugees the supervision and management of such land, and they were seized without the orders or knowledge of this Department.

It is understood that no registration for these lands has ever been received by the officers of the Bureau, perhaps for the reason that no duly authorized