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Show I 22 REPORT OF THE 1 aid in their cultivation; but, unfortunately, most of the crops were this year destroyed by the grasshopper and other insects. Many of the numerous depredations upon the emigrants have, doubtless, been com-mitted by them in consequence of their destitute and desperate condi-tion. They have at times been compelled to either steal or starve ; but there is reason to be apprehended that in their forays they have often been only the tools of the lawless whites residing in the Territory. In some of the worstoutrages of this kind, involving the lives as well as the property of our emigrants, the latter are known to have partici-pated. That this was the case in the atrocious and dreadful massacre at "Mountain Meadow," in September, 1857, the facts stated in the report of the superintendent, in regard to that occurrence, leave no room for doubt. The lives of from one hundred and fifteen to one hun-dred and twenty peaceable emigrants, of all ages, and both sexes, were inhumanly and brutally sacrificed on that occasion; some young chil-dren, only, being spared. These children, seventeen in number, were afterwards, under instructions from the department, found and taken possession of by the superintendent; and, Congress. having made an appropriation to defra the expense, fifteen of them have been brought back and restored to t%eir relatives in Arkansas. The remaining two are now probably on their way in. The presence of the military in the Territory during the last two years has, doubtless, tended materially to check these outrages; yet they still, and will continue to occur, so long as the administration of the criminal laws shall depend, in any degree, upon the fanatical and vengeful people whocomprise the population of the Territory, who con-temn and disre ard our laws, and are, therefore, practically in a state of rebellion; an f yet whom the presence of the army is absolutely eurich-ing. Until some means shall be devised for the certain and prompt punishment of the perpetrators of crime, it will be impossible to protect the emigrants from being murdered and plundered by the lawless and fiendish whites and Indians; and I know of none that would be effect-ual for that purpose but declaring.martia1 law, and placing the admin-istration of affairs entirely in the hands of the military. I regret extremely to have to report the existence oY an entirely un- - satisfactory condition of things in this branch of the public service in California, and that the Indian reservation policy, as it has there been pursued, has almost n~holly failed to accomplish the beneficent pur-poses for which it was inaugurated. It is difficult to trace this failure to the true cause mhich has preventedits success ; perhaps it may justly be attributable to several, not the least of which is the fact that the reservations are within the limits of a sovereign State, and neither the Government nor California recognizes any right in the Indians of that State to one foot of land within her borders. An unnecessary number of reservations and separate farms have been established ; the locations of mauy of them have proved to be unsuitable, and have not been sufficiently isolated ; too mauy persons have been employed to aid and workfor the Indians, instead of their being thrown moreupon their own resources and required to labor for themselves ; while all the operations seem to have been more or less characterized by want of system, administrative ability and faithfulness on the part of the prin- |