Special,
A deed of trust is equity. A land or letters patent is at law.
My opinion is no, you cannot. I apologize for lack of case sites or other information to substantiate my claims. For now, feel free to presume all I have stated as unsubstantiated claims.
There was, at one time however, a common-law mortgage.
What is it you are trying to do? There is lots of material on land patents on this site. You'll have to surf around to find it. The site
www.1215.org also has information on land patents as well.
Again, I welcome all rebuttals (or affirmations) of any of my statements. I am more concerned about truth, validity, facts, and precision. Any additions are welcomed as well.
Regards,
netwrkranger