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Show I : ~ .- .~ .- - ~- .~ . ,. - , .# . ,~ REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 61 , By the act of Oongr&ss approved April 8, 1864 (13 Stat. L., 39), it was provided : That there sht~llb e set wart by the President, and at his disoretian, not exceed-ing four tracts of land within the limits of said Btata (California), to be retained by ' the United States for the pnrpose of Indian reservations. It was also provided that if it was found impracticable to establish the reservations contemplated withbnt embracing improvements made within their limits by white persons lawfu~l~~thethree, S ecretazyof the Interior might contract for the purchase of such improvements, but that uo money shonld be paid until the valuation had been approved by Congress andan appropriation made therefor. It was further provided . , that such reservations might include any reservations theretofore es-tablished, in which case the same might be enlarged by the President. In a report dated January 1,1867, Special Oommissioner Stevens gave the names of twentr-six settlers in the valley who had 9,990 acres of land (an average of 384 acres each), and stated that there were also fifteen or twenty persons with a small cabin and iuclosnres, each clairp-ing a quarter section. October 7, 1869, report was made to the Department recommending that Snperintendent nlclntosh be instructed to report the reserve ex-tended to the summits of the monntaius surrounding the valley, an appraisement of the improvements of settlers within said valley, and also a contract with the settlers for purchase of their improvements, in order that the same might be snbmitted for the action of Oongress as provided in the ack of April 8,1864. These recommendations were approved by the Department October 12, 1869, and Superiutendent .McIntosh waa instructed accordingly on the 18th of the same month. December 27,1869, Superintendent McIntosh submitted his report, including an appraisement of the improvements of settlers in the valley, amounting in the aggregate to $109,555. In many cases settlement and improvements had heen made long after the survey of the reservation in 1860, and in others settlers had pnrchased, after that time, improve-ments which bad been made before. Some of the persons whose im-provements were appraised had been officers and employ& of the Indian Department at the time settlement was madeor theimprovements pni-chased. The contracts for the purchase of improvements were not made, among other reasons because Snperintendent McIntosh was in doubt as to the rights of these parties. March 4,1870, this report was submitted to the Department with , request for the direction of the Secretary in the premises, in order that . ' the Superintendent might be properly instructed in the course he ~hould pnrsne in making contracts for the improvements of settlers npon the reservation, and with recommendation that the President be requested to. issue an executive order for the enlargement of the Round Valley Reservation. On the 30th of Jlarch the President issued the execu-tive order requested, and on April 1,1870, the papers were returned without remark upon the request for instruction' as to the settlers. |