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Show REPOLtT OF '171E COMHISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 79 appoiuted by the I'rcsident, one on the nomination of the principal chief of theChocta~' aation and one ou the nominatio~o~f the governor of t,he Chiokasaw Nation. These leases are to be for thirty years 1118teadof fifteen, as provided by the act. A11 lemes heretofore made by the national agents of the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations are confirmed and all leases with individuals are annulled. Sixth. The tribal governments of the ChoctamandOhickasawnations are continued in existence in a modified form for the period of eight years from March 4,1898. The agreement with the Creek Nation, which, as stated above, has not yet been ratified, makes substantially the same provision as to a.llot-ments, title, town sites, etc., within the Creek Nation as the agreement with the Choctaw and Ohickasaw nations. No regulations have as yet been prescribed under the Curtis act, but a draft of regulations to govern leasing of minerals under section 13 was prepared in this office uuder informal instructions from the Department and was informally submitted for Department consideration. Neither have regulations under the Choctaw and Chickasaw agreements been prescribed. As Congress did not, before adjournment, provide any appropriation to meet the expense of the execution of the act or of the sgreement when ratified, and 'as the execution of either would entail some considerable expenditnres, it is doubtful whether anything can be safely doue to that end further than to prepare for prompt action when Congress shall provide the means for the purpose. While no general regulations have been prescribed, arrangements have been made by the Department for the exeention of the provisiots of the act requiring immediate attention, viz, those relating to collec-tion of and accounting for therevenues of the tribes. July 21,1898, the office was instructed by the Department, as a provisional arrangement, that all rents and royalties arising upon such contracts,leases, permits, eta, as were in force at the time of the passage of the act would, until otherwise provided, be collected by the Indian Agent for the Five Tribes on the basis of such contracts, leases, etc., and the proceeds paid into the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the respec-tive tribes, in compliance with the provisions of tbeact. Agentwisdom, of the Union Indian Agency, was given direotions, July 23,1898, to carry out this provisional regulation of the Department, and a copy thereof was furnished to each of the executives of the Five Tribes. July 26, 1808, the Department explained that said provisional regulation was intended to cover also any import taxes, per capita assessments, or other charges upon cattle imposed by the lams of the respective tribes, and instructions to that effect were given Agent Wisdom by telegraph July 28, 1898. By an act approved July 1,1898, Congress ratified the agreement entered into on December 16,1897, between the Dawes Commission and the Seminole Nation, which agreement had been previonsly ratified by that nretio): 'I'uis agreement, which will be found on page 00 of this |