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Show fully recommend that Congress be asked to grant anthorityto issuepatents in feeto the allottees of the several tracts, or their asaigns, sind that such lands as are vacant or abandoned, including their school end mission Ian& and the tract an which the schoolhouue wari located, be appraised and sold by the Commissioner of the General Laud Office, the net proceeds adrising from thesale to he funded for the nse md ben-efit of those members of said tribes horn since the allotment9 were made, or arho never received an allotment. EASTERN BAKU OF CHEROKEES LN NORTH CAROLINA. As stated in my annual report for 1890, the title of the Eastern Chero. kees to their lands in North Carolina has not proved sufficient to pre-vent encroachment thereon by white people, and suit has been insti-tuted by the Government in order that a title in fee may be executed in favor of the Indians. I am informally advised by the Attorney- General, who has jurisdiction over the matter, that the suit is still pend-ing in the United States court in Nort,h Carolina. Meantime, their lands in Swain and Jackson 'counties have been sold hy the county commissioners for the payment of taxes due and unpaid upon their lands in those counties. In order to pay these taxes and other expenses and to redeem the lands sold, authority was obtained from the President last February, on the application of the Indian council, to sell the poplar, walnut, and , other timber on the "Oathcart tract," about whose title there was no dispute,,and proposals for bids for the timber thereon were invited to be opened in June last. This, however, failed to wcoinplish the end desired, and Congress was asked to authorize the Secretary of the In- , . terior to pay these and future taxes out of the funds of the Indians now in the Treasury of the United States. This was doue by act of August 4,1892, and steps will be taken at once to redeem the lands sold. ISABELLA RESERVATION, MICHIGAN. This reservation has been without the superintendence of an Indian agent for about four years. All, or nearly all, of tho lauds were al-lotted several years ago under the provisions of the treaties of August 2,1855, and October 18,1864. The latter treaty provided for theclassi-fication of these Indians into two classes. Those having sufficient iu-telligence and education to prudently mauage their business affairs ' were classified as '' competeuts," and those who wereuneducated or un-qualified in other respects to prudently manage their affairs were classed as "not so competent." Prior to July, 1869, and during the years 1870,1871,1875, and 1883 numerous lists of selections of land were submitted to this office. Many of them were approved and subsequently canceled, some of the allot. meuts having been canceled after the issue of patents therefor. The |