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Show or of warfare, specimens of apparel, &c., as would be vahable for preservation. I beg leave to cdl your attention azam to the subieet. The Indian raee, bv whatseems to be the law of its exiaience, is fast p&ing away, and in coitait with the white race the tribes are rapidly losing their distinctive feature, in language, habits, customs, kc. A moderate appropriation, jndieionsly expended,, would enable the ofice, through its agents, teachers, missionaries, and others interested i l l the various tribes of red men, to collect annually a large and in-creasingly valuable wllection of the memorials referred to. I t is gratifying to notice, in the examinatirm of anumber of tl,eannual reports of the agents, aninerea.sed willingness on the part of the Indians to labor, and a greater number of cases where they are employed and p i d regular wages npom the reservations. Instrnctiom have been forwarded to give them the preference in d l cases where they are willing to work. Another evidence of progress in Ohe right direction is the reqmest made by several agents, on behalf of the Indians, that the kind of goods furnished to them may be changed from the blankets, bright-colored cloths, and various gewgaws, which have from time immemorial gone to make np invoices of Indian goods, to substantial garments, improved agricujttrral implements, kc. Of course this office will take pleasure iu responding to all such demands. l'articnlar reference to the subject of the rigllts and interests of the orphan children ofthe Miamies is made in connexion with that agency, but the principle in question touches a number of other tribes. I am fitllgi convinced of the duty. on the part of this osce, of the adoption of somi policy which will sufficiently protect the interests of such grphans, in securing their education, their rights to t%e lands intended for them, a d t o their annuities, which last 1 propose to retain and invest for them, unless some better plan can be devised after receiving the report of Superintendent Murphy, to whom the subject ha% been referred. The subjact of control by the agents over the missionaries who labor among the Indians has presented itself in tlse case of the Catholic priest among the Menomonees, wbich is fully detailed in Agent Davis's report. Theinfluence of the priest at that agency over the Catholic portion of the-tribe appears to have been very objectionable; and, in the matter of his conduct at the time of the prevalence of the small-pox among them quite o~~trageonasn, d the agent's wurse in excluding him from the reservation was fnlly approved; v Fortnnately, snch.complaints are very rare, and I trust this case may have no parallel else-where. The same priest is charged by the agent with obtaining or endeavoring to obtain from the relatives of deceased Indian soldiers, of whom there have heen many among the Menomonees, a large share of their arrears of pay and bounty, to pay for mapses for the souls of the deceased. At the h w r d of b e ing charged with interfering with matte+s of religion, I have, by special report upon this snbject, taken steps to prevent the consummation of this wrong, by having these payments made through this ofice. , Some action is necessary ou the part of Congress to provide a remedy, b a revision of the list of authorized Indian agencies, for the confusion which gradually arisen out of the division of the old established Territories. The case of Washington, Idaho and Montana is in point, where, out of the number originally provided for Washington Territory, two are now on duty in Idaho and Mon-tana, while one is assigned to duty in Oregon; and lately an agent was appointed, under a commission for Indians in Idaho, to take charge of the Flatheads in Montana, and who must be paid from the appropria~ion for Washington, to I which superintendency the Flatheads originally belonged. Several other changes will doubtless be foundnecessary on the receipt of the reports of the commissions now engaged in making treaties with vsrioustrihes, the final adjustment of mat-ters with the sonthem Indians, and the ratification of certain other treaties which will probably he laid before yon doring the approaching session of Don- |
