Cooper

The claimant in this case, a naturalized Mexican citizen, obtained in December, 1833, a grant from the governor for the place called Rio Ojotska.’ This grant was approved by the departmental assembly,-and a certificate of its confirmation delivered to the grantee, as appears from the testimony, and the expediente filed in this case. He subsequently applied to the governor for an exchange of the land granted for that now claimed by him. Proceedings on this application were commenced by Governor 1 Figueroa, and the new grant was made, as desired by the petitioner, by Governor Gutierrez on the twenty-fourth of February, 1836. These facts are proved by the testimony of Hartnell and Vallejo, whose evidence is corroborated by the expediente on file in the archives. The genuineness of the grants is fully established. Previously to obtaining the last grant, the claimant had gone into possession of the tract solicited, and had built a house upon it. He also had. as early as 1834. placed a considerable number of cattle upon it, and had commenced the erection of a mill, upon which he expended more than $10,000. He also erected a blacksmith shop, and for two years had employed upon his rancho…