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Show L REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. as appraised, and tender made to other claimants who refused to accept the payments. By a decree of the United States courts, certain parties who had been paid for their improvements obtained title to 1080 acres of land within the reservation as "swamp and overflowed lands," notwith-standing the fact that the State of California, by aet of May 14,1862, granted to the United States all lands belonging to the Stateand within an Indian reservation, and that the certificates of purchase were issued snbsequent to the date of this act. Complaints have been made for years that persons having pretended rights on the reservation were holding large herds of cattle there, to the great detriment of the United States and the Indians. The proceeds from the salea of lands proving insufficie~it o pay the appraised value of the improvements of settlers, an appropriation was asked of the Forty-seventh Congress to pay the balanoe, and the re-quest renewed during the Forty-eighth Congress, but without avail. During the Bummer of 1884 a subco~nmitteeo f the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, consisting of Senators Cameron, of Wisconsin, and Morgan, visited the reservation and investigated its condition. From the report of the committee (Senate Report, No. 1522, Fqrty-eighth Congress, second session) it appears that nine individuals and firms, owning under the decree of the Supreme Court 1,080 acres of land, oooupy with 44,000 sheep 97,500 acres of the 102,118 acres included within the reservation. The committee did not present 'their report until the last week of the session. They are of the opinion that the earliest measures should be taken to reduce the boundaries of the reser-vation, allotting the valley lands in severalty, with a sufficient quantity of grnping lands, the balanoe to be sold and invested for the benefit of the Indians. The legal rights of'some of these intrnders are so intermingled with pretended rights and lawless trespass as to render any action of the Department looking to their removal impract.icable. But, as remarked by the committee, '<the present condition of things ought not longer to continue." Some action should be promptly taken by Congress to estab-lish s reservation of snitable size for the requirements of the Indians, to rid such reservation of all intruders, and to pay whatever may be dne on valid claims. The matter will be properly presented to you for sub-mission to Congress at the beginning of the next session. COMMISSION TO SIOUX .OF DBHOTA. The commission, composed of Messrs. Newton Edmnnds, Peter O. Shannon, and James H. Teller, appointed in 1882, "to negotiate with the Sioux Indians for such,modification of existing treaties and agree-ments with said Indians as may be deemed desirable by said Indians and the Secretary of the Interior," was dissolved by Department letter of September 11 last. The work performed by said corhmission, and B |