des for exact methods of subdividing the township into sections,
one mile square, numbered as in Figure 2.

Each section is subdivided into rectangular tracts known as halves,
quarters, half-quarters, and quarter-quarters. The designations of these
divisions are by abbreviations and fractions. (See Figure 3.) The number
of acres in each tract is easily computed.

The rectangular system of survey has been a great aid in the subdivision
and location of farm lands; it greatly reduces the number of boundary
disputes, it determines very largely the location of country roads.
Moreover, the Congressional township has become, in a great many
instances, the area within which the political township or town has been
organized. This town, however, need not coincide with the Congressional
township; it may be greater or smaller in area.

[Illustration: Figure 2.--Six MILES SQUARE.

|----------------------------|
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|----------------------------|
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|----------------------------|
|18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
|----------------------------|
|19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|----------------------------|
|30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
|----------------------------|
|31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
|----------------------------|

]

[Illustration: Figure 3.--One mile square

|------------------------------|
| | N 1/2 NE 1/4 |
| NW 1/4 |----------------|
| | | SE 1/4 |
| | | NE 1/4 |
|------------------------------|
| |
| S 1/2 |
| |
|------------------------------|

]

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS AND REFERENCES.

1. For the history of land cessions, references are given in Government
in State and Nation, p. 334, question 1.

2. The topics treated in this chapter are discussed in Harrison, This
Country of Ours, pp. 270-279.

3. On public lands, see Reinsch, Young Citizen's Reader, 90-101.
Marriott, Uncle Sam's Business, 175-184; 254-269.

CHAPTER XVIII.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

Methods of Amending the Constitution.--We have already considered
the effect of amendments on some of the original clauses[61]. It now
remains to consider, briefly, the methods of amending the Constitution
and a few other provisions found in the amendments. Article V provides
for amendments as follows:--

_The Congress, when