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Show A 1 ad, /~ ; 'rTf REPlORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, I D E P A R O~E TTH E INTERIOR, O&ce Indim Affairs, November 6, 1858. Sw: I have the honor to submit, for your consideration, the usual annqal report on Indian affair& No change has taken place during the past year in our relations witd the various border and other tribes, with which we have for somd time had treaty engagements ; and the annual reports from this office for the last and several previous years having fully set forth all the material facts in regard to their location, condition, and circum-stances, I omit on this occasion the usual detail of particulars in rela-tion ito them. A mass of interesting information respecting them and their affairs will, however, be found in the accompanying reports of the superintendents and agents having them in charge. As heretofore reported, the whole number of Indians within our limi s is estimated to be about 350,000. These consist of one hundred and/seventy-five separate and distinct tribes and bauds, with forty-four of which we have treaty engagements. T h e whole number of ratified treaties with Indians entered into s i n ~ eth e adoption of the federal Constitution is three hundred and ninety-three, nearlyall of which contain pr0~isi0ns that are still in force, and the proper execution of which occupies a large portion of the time and attention of this o5ce from year to year. Most of them were treaties of cession, by which large bodies of land were acquired from the tribes with which they were made, for occupation and settle ment by our white population. It is estimated that the quantity of land thus acquired is about 581,163,188 acres, and that the entire eo~t~thereoifn,c luding the expense of fulfilling all the stipulations of the treaties, will be $49,816,344. From a considerable portion of the 4 e lauds the general government derived no pecuniary advantage, as dn the extinguishment of the Indian usufruct title they became the prolperty of the States within whose boundaries they were situated. Frob what has up to this time been sold of the others, it is estimated that there has been received into the federal treasury an amount which excteds the entire cost of the acquisition of the whole and the expense of suryeying and selling those disposed of by at least one hundred millions of dollars. The amount applicable for fulfilling treaty stipulations with the various tribes and for other objects connected with our Indian poliky, during the present fiscal year, was $4,852,407 34; of which sum $204,662 89 was derived from investments of trust funds in stocks of various States and the United States. The whole amount of trud funds held on Indian account is $10,590,649 62, of which |
