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The Supreme Court of Vermont. claims: " Hiland Hall opened a hideous sink of corruption, until he was interrupted by the expiration of the morning hour." June 21: " Gilmer growled an hour against Hall for detecting and exposing a multitude of gross frauds perpetrated in the claims relat ing to the Virginia land warrants." June 22: "Goggin scolded an hour againstHiland Hall, and W. A. Goode took the

floor to follow him." June 24: " W. A. Goode followed the Virginia pack against Hall. James Cooper moved the previous question, . but with drew it at the request of Hall to give him opportunity to reply to the Virginia vitu peration." June 25 : "Hiland Hall took the morning hour to flay Gilmer, and the Virginia military land warrants." The claims were purely State claims, and there were no legal or equitable grounds for making the United States pay riMUTUY t. them. After Mr. Hall left Congress, he acted as bank commissioner of Vermont for four years, when he was appointed second Comptroller of the United States Treasury. In 1851, at the solicitation of President Fillmore, he accepted the office of land commissioner for California, his associates being Wilson of New Hampshire, and Thorn ton of Alabama. The duties of this com mission, of which Mr. Hall was chairman, were quite onerous, as they were required, under the treaty with Mexico, to adjust the claims to land, the titles of the owners, as recognized by the Mexican law, being guar-

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anteed to them by that treaty. The opinion of the commissioners, written by Mr. Hall, upon the famous Mariposa claims and Gen eral Fremont, which involved millions of dollars, was so full and clear that eminent jurists wrote him, expressing their admira tion of the document. Judge Hall was a member of the first national Republican convention, and in 1858 and 1859 was elected by that party Gov ernor of the State. He was a member of the fruitless Peace Congress in Febru ary, 186 1. He was an earnest anti-slav ery man. One of his sons was major of a Vermont regiment in the battle of Gettys burg, and when the war bounties had reached four hundred dollars each, and the drafts discontinued, he sent substitutes for four other sons, and also one for himself, although he was sev enty years of age. He took a deep REDFUELD interest in Vermont history, delivered the first annual address before the Vermont Historical Society, was many years its president, wrote many important, histor ical papers, contributing to the promi nent historical magazines of the country, published an early history of Vermont of more than five hundred pages, was one of the friends and staunch supporters of the Bennington battle monument, a life mem ber of the New England Historic Genea logical Society, and an honorary member of many other prominent historical soci eties.