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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. 13 instruments through which those engaged in these lawless forays dis-pose of their ill-gotten plunder. For the purpqse of exercising some degree of influence over, and as far as possible controlling them, a separate agent, located in their vicinity, is indispensably necessary. For like reasons, and for the better protection of our overland emi-grants to California and Oregon, a separate aqent is likewise required for the Indians on the upper waters of the Platte river. I therefore respectfully renew the recommendation of a former Commissioner of Indian AEairs, that this agency he divided and another agent a p pointed. Several topics of interest connected with the semi-civilized tribes of the southern superintendency are deserving at' special notice. During the past summer several of them, but more particularly the Cherokees and Creeks, sent dele ates to attend a general council, concerted among themselves, to be helf with the Comancher and other wild tribes of the ' prairies; the ohject of which was to compromise apprehended diffi- culties likely to arise out of. depredations and other outrages committed by the latter, and to come to some agTecmcnt lbr the establishment of peacehl relations between them in future. It was the intention of the more enlightened tribes to seize this opportunity of endeavoring to make a salutary impression upon tbeir \I-ilcler hrethren, by fully repre-senting to them theu relations to the United States, our power to chas-tise and punish them for their aggressions, and the consequent necessity of their remaining peaceable and friendl?-, as well with our citizens as with other tribes. High waters and other unfavorable circumstances preventing a full attendance fiom the v:~rious tribes expected to be represented, the meeting proved too insi,mificant to justify an expecta-tion of hny vcry flatterin? results ; set the escellent motive by which ( our border tribes n-ere nctuated that participated in this movement entitles them to the commendation of the government. A general council of this kind, and for like ohjects, under the immediate auspices and patronase of the government, is hirhly desirable, and I respect-fully recommend an application to Congress for a small appropriation for the purpose. The Cherokees, desirous of multiplying their already numerous schools, and thus to diffuse more widely and more rapidly the blessings of education, and ansious to discharge themselves of an onerous public debt-in part contracted, it is believed, for the above ohject-mani-fested a desire, in order to obtain means fbr those commendable pur-poses, to retrocede to the government the tract of eight hundred thou-sand acres of land, added to their former po~seasions h~ the treaty of New Echota; but the delegation fiom the tribe, afer sevcral interviews with the department last spring, withdrew the proposition. It is sup-posed, however, that it will be renewed during the approaching winter. This tract, which projects north along the western boundary of Mis-souri, lies detached from their country, and hm not been settled by them. It is not probable that they will ever have use for it ; their other lands being ample for all their purposes. Intelligeuce has recently been received of a most dastardly and inhu-man outrage perpetrated in the Cherokee nation ; Andrew and Wash-ington Adau, peaceable and unoffending citizens of the nation, having |