OCR Text |
Show am informed that he was 20 miles below the bridge over Marys River on the 5th of June, that the indians met with were friendly, that he had made them presents, and that himself and party were well and making good progress. His absence in official duty will I presume satisfactorily account for the no transmission of his report, since in traveling and camping far from mail routes, entirely precludes making up and forwarding important documents. Your letter of May 19, acknowledging the receipt of any accounts and etc. for 4th Quarter of 1854, came to hand on the 28th inst. The drouth and insects of last summer cut-off of the indians engaged in farming and the severity of the past winter precluded the customary pursuit of game, which is extremely scarce at best. These circumstances will account, for the absolute necessities of furnishing an unusual amount of provisions to the starving red men, who otherwise must have perished through lack of food; and even then many would have dide had not the whites voluntarily contributed much larger aggregate amounts of provisions which has been invariably the case in all our settlements since they were made. It is obvious that aid to the Utah indians should be more liberal, for it is not presumable that Government'expects her citizens to continually sustain them by donations. Trusting that my report and accompanying papers will be found satisfactory, and in due form, and that my constant and strenuous effort, to properly and economically carry out that pacific policy |