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Since the last annual report of Governor Nye, ex-o5cio anperintendent, we are almost without a wold of information in regard to the condition of the In-dians of that State. It was not until July last a superintendent was appointed, and the appointee, Hubhard G. Parker, esq., did not enter upon his duties until September. The goods for the Nevada Indians were forwarded last spring, with the expectation that they would he taken in charge and distributed by Agent Lockharb who was at Carson City, to which place they were ~hipped. Tbe appearance in this city of Agent Lockhart in June, and his snbsequent re-signation, disappointed this hope; for Mr. Burch, the local agent at Ruby val-le" v., h ad also left his nost. or resi-ened,. and no oerson was left in Nevada to attend to Indian affafrs. ' Senator Nye, who, as hvernor and superintendent ex-officio, had been very successful in his administration of Indian atfeirs, was appealed to to assist, so far as he could make it convenient,in regard to several matters of importmce; and, although no advices have been received, I enter-tain some confidence that the interests of the service have not serionsly snffcred. There has been, from the first, very little di5culty with the Indians of Nevada, partly because they are a very peaceable people, and partly because of the judi-cious course taken by Governor Nye in establishing efficient special agencies to look after hem, ind prevent di5culties and disturbances, rather than to await their occurrence. Agent Lockhart bad general charge of the Indians, branches of the Pai-ute~, and a portion of them known as the Carson valley Indians, who had reservations surveyed in the western part of Nevada, including Walker lake and Pyramid lake; and a smaller reservationfor a farm and mill and timber had been selected on the Truckee river. Last vear the necessarv exnenditures for this mill and for ~~ - an irrigating ditrh fbr the f&n had been m&e, l;ut the failure of water in tho riv~lrd idappointed for a time the hoprs raised aa to both mill and i k r r t ~ . I carlalot dirnriss with thin 11riet'reli:rerlcet he euhiert of' thin milland rraervation. The reservation was selected with a view to givi the Indians a home, and to furnish, in its very valuable timber, stock tor the costly mill to he erected upon it. To justify such a cost (about $25,00O,including stock of logs already cut) it was undoubtedly contemplated that, beyond the very moderate wants of the Indians in the way of lumber ior houses, sales of lumber to a large amount were to be made for the benefit of the Indians of the agency. I kuow notwbat other object there could have been for either reservation or mill. From papers in this office, hoth original and copiesfrom the files of the depart-ment proper, it appeara that, under date of March 31, 1865, a letter of instruc-tipns waa given by your predecessor to Olark W. Thompson, then superintendent of Indian affairs for the northern supkrintendeney, to =I1 this mill in Nevada; a blank contract for the sale accompanying the instmctions. I refer to hoth bf these documents as published among the papers accompanying this report. The reasons for the sale, as stated in Secretary Usher's letter, were briefly these: That the Pacific railroad would pass near the site of the mill, and make the locality nn6t for an Indian reservation; and that the expen% of themill having been greater than was expected, and it being consideredinjurious to the Indians and the public interests to have the Indians so near to the "settlements attend-ing the construction of the railroad," it was contemplated to reduce the reserva-tion by about five miles, "which would make it proper and necepsary to sell the mill property!' A Mr. W. N. Leet was suggested as a person who would he likely to purchase the mill, and Mr. Thompson wae authorized to executea con-tract on the p a ~ to f government' with the purchaser. The contract enclosed provided for the sale of the mill, with all the logs then cut upon the reservation, and the privilege of cutting logs upon the even-numbered sections of the reser- ' vation for ten years, paying for the whole $30,000 in lumber, delivered at the mill, at the lowest cash prices prevailing at the time of delivery, and in i d - ments of $5,000 for the first year, and $2,600 for the succeeding ten yevr |
