Special assistant to the United States attorney.-Richard R. Horner, 1804 Second Chief Clerk. John C. Conliff, Jr., the Westchester Apartments, Magruder, 1605_North_Danville Street, Lyon Village, Va.; W. R. Stitely, Member of Metropolitan Police Department assigned to United States attorney's office.-Allan B. Baker, 4912 Third Street. Messengers.-Luther Ross, Vista, Md.; Hugh W. Harvey, 627 Harvard Street; Howard V. Wilkes, 1205 Columbia Road. MUNICIPAL COURT (467 C St. Phone, NAtional 6000) Presiding judge.-George C. Aukam, 1821 Irving Street. Robert E. Mattingly, 5411 Forty-second Street. Nathan Cayton, 2948 Macomb Street. Armond W. Scott, 1922 Eleventh Street (phone, NOrth 2519). Ellen K. Raedy, 1407 Delafield Place (phone, GEorgia 8560). Clerk.-Blanche Neff, 6407 Third Street: POLICE COURT (6th and D Sts. Phones, NAtional 6990 and 6991) Presiding judge.—John P. McMahon, Argonne Apartment, 1629 Columbia Road. Judges: Hobart Newman, 2608 Tilden Street. Walter J. Casey, 1026 Sixteenth Street. Edward M. Curran, 6607 Western Avenue. Clerk. Walter F. Bramhall, 3317 R Street. Chief deputy clerk.—William A. Norgren, Riverdale, Md. Chief probation officer.-Joseph N. Sanford, 3410 Macomb Street. JUVENILE COURT (472 Indiana Ave. Phones, DIstrict 5739 and NAtional 6000) Judge.-Fay L. Bentley, 3726 Connecticut Avenue. Clerk. Hilda R. Reagle, 71 V Street. REGISTER OF WILLS AND CLERK OF THE PROBATE COURT (United States Courthouse. Phone, National 2840) Register and clerk.-Theodore Cogswell, 1004 New Hampshire Avenue. Deputies.-Victor S. Mersch, 6806 Forty-fourth Street; Melvin J. Marques, 430 Turner Street, Chevy Chase, Md. RECORDER OF DEEDS (Century Bldg., 412 5th St. Phone, DIstrict 0672) Recorder of deeds.-William J. Thompkins, 1721 S Street. Deputy recorder of deeds.-Margaret M. Killeen, 2726 Connecticut Avenue. Secretary.-Romeo W. Horad, 1736 Vermont Avenue. Chief Clerk.-Catherine F. Downing, 1155 Fourth Street NE. Private secretary.-Elizabeth B. Briggs, 1712 Second Street. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ORIGIN AND FORM OF GOVERNMENT The District of Columbia was established under the authority and direction of acts of Congress approved July 16, 1790, and March 3, 1791, which were passed to give effect to a clause in the eighth section of the first article of the Constitution of the United States giving Congress the power "To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;-" The States of Maryland and Virginia made cessions contemplated by this clause in the years 1788 and 1789, respectively. From the cessions tendered by the two States was selected the territory for the permanent seat of the General Government. This territory was 10 miles square, lying on either side of the Potomac River at the head of navigation. Later, 1846, Congress retroceded to Virginia that portion ceded by it. The Maryland or retained portion is approximately 70 square miles. The seat of government of the United States was first definitely named by the clause in the act entitled "An act providing a permanent form of government for the District of Columbia", approved June 11, 1878, as follows: "That all territory which was ceded by the State of Maryland to the Congress of the United States, for the permanent seat of government of the United States, shall continue to be designated as the District of Columbia" (20 Stat. 102), although it had been incidentally mentioned as such in several preceding statutes. The land within the ceded territory was owned by a number of people. In Georgetown, President Washington negotiated with the proprietors or landowners of that portion of the ceded territory selected as the site of the city of Washington, which comprised about 10 percent of the area of the present District of Columbia. On the second day, March 30, 1791, he concluded an agreement which was put in writing and signed by the proprietors. By it the President was given sole power to lay off streets as he pleased. These proprietors conveyed their holdings to trustees named by the President to hold title to the same during the laying out of the Federal city and then convey as agreed to the United States and the proprietors, respectively. Under this agreement the proprietors donated to the United States all of the lands for the streets and one-half of the city lots throughout the entire city. Sites reserved by the United States for the public buildings, parks, and other public purposes were paid for by the United States in Maryland money the equivalent to $66.66 per acre. Such payment, amounting to $36,099, was made out of the proceeds from the sale of some of the lots which these proprietors had donated to the United States. This was the only purchase price paid by the United States for any part of the entire acquisition of 5,128 acres for the purpose of building the Capital City. The land within the original city of Washington comprised a total of 6,111 acres and was divided to the United States 4,147 acres-3,606 acres for streets and 541 acres for public purposes. The remaining 1,964 acres was divided into squares and the squares into lots. The whole number of lots was 20,272-10,136 to the United States and the same number to the proprietors. Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, declared the liberality of the proprietors was "noble." The United States lots were sold from time to time, chiefly before 1800 and up to 1835 and brought $741,024.45 (S. Doc. 247, 64th Cong., 1st sess., p. 23). This was a considerable sum as compared with the average annual income of the |