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Show I COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 35 of the settlers, so that it is doibtfnl if the Indians will be longer permitted to lead the precarious and vagabond life in which they have heretofore continued. From representations made to this office by Major General John Pope, arid his excellency Governor Solomon, of Wisconsin, with your approbation, I ap-pointed Hon. W. D. McIndoe, the newly elected member of Congress from that State, a special agent to visit that part of the State which is frequented by these Indians, with a view to bringing about such an nnderstanding between the citi-zens and Indians as wonld prevent further hostilities until the necessary legis-lation may be had for the correction of the evils complained of. His report will I be fonnd among the accompanying papers, and to it I especially invite your at-tention. I t will be seen that in his judgment no reasonableapprehension of hos-tilities need be entertained prior to the opening of spring. In view of the fact that these Indians are not nnda the control of this department, and the further fact that no funds are at its disposal applicable to their removal or subsistence, I respectfully request that such legislation may be invited from Congress as, in the wisdom of that body, may be deemed necessary in order to effect the remo-val of these Indians from the State, either by peaceable or forcible means, as may be found necessary. Difficulties were for a time apprehended with the Chippewas in the neighbor-hood of St. Croix Falls, as will be seen by reference to the correspondence with Governor Solomon upon that subject, which is also to be fonnd among the ac-companying papers. I am happy, however, to be able to state that an investi-gation ordered by this o5ce has proven that the apprehensions were groundless, and resulted mainly from an attempt, by false reports, to procure the quartering of troops in that vicinity, in order that a market might thereby be provided for 4 such provisions as are required for the subsistence of troops. MICHIQAN AQCNCY. , Perhaps no more forcible illustration is presented, in any part of the country, of the great superiority of large reservations as compared with smaller ones, in their adaptation to the purposes for which reservations are designed,'than is sf-forded by this agency. There are within the agAncy something over eight thousand Indians, having twenty distinct reservations set apart to them by treaty, and embracing in the aggregate an area equal to about fourteen hundred square miles, of which at least one thousand square miles is embraced within the limits of only five of the reservations, leaving for the other fifteen an average of only abont twenty-seven square miles, or three-fourths of a township I t will be apparent to any one, upon reading the comprehensive report of Agent Leach, that .the only Indians within the State of Michigan for whose improvement there is reasonable ground for hope, are those situated upon the larger reservations, those upon the smaller being, with scarcely a single exception, meae yagrants. .Upon the larger reservations the Indians have the advantage resulting from the presence of missionaries, school-teachers and others laboring for their benefit and improvement, and upon them are found the most intelligent, industrious and civilized Indians of the State. Upon the smaller the numbera are so few that a |
