Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

“ The defendant brings a writ of error and the Brotts a cross-writ. The ground of the judgment was that the State acquired title to the land under the Swamp Land Act of March 2, 1849, c. 87, 9 Stat. 352, and conveyed it to the plaintiffs' predecessors, except that the parcel awarded to the defendant was held to have been excluded from the Swamp Land grant to the State because before the territory was transferred by France to the United States is had been conveyed to private persons by a complete grant. ”

“ The conveyances under which the Brotts claim were authorized by state law only if the lands concerned were part of the Swamp Land grant of Louisiana. The general authority to convey such lands is not attacked, but only the specific patent. ”

“ The defendant, the Land Company, to make out its case would have to maintain that notwithstanding the unquestionable validity of the Acts of 1805 and later, requiring outstanding titles to be established or registered after Louisiana was acquired by the United States, Botiller v. ”