OCR Text |
Show 10 REPORT OF THE COMMISS~ONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. UE reported last year, 1,021. Owing to the inadequate n~~mboefr agents pro-vided for Owon, Aeent Barnhart.. a ~ ~ o i n t efodr Washine-t on Territorv, is as- signed to duti at thys agency. Warm Springs reservation, in the northern part of the State; agent, ~ o ~ a n , (recently deceased;) the Wascoes and others, 1,066. Grande Ronde reservation, in the northwe~t; agent, Harvey; havmg in charge fragments of numerous tribes or bands, estimated a year ago at 2,300. Szletz agency, and Alsea sub-agency, along the Pacific coast, in charge of Agent Simpson and Sub.agent Collins, and numbering at the laat accounts about 2,800 in all. EZamtJu and Modocs, under charge of Sub-agent Applegate; a treaty hav-ing been made with tbem last year, bnt which has not yet been acted upon by the Senate. This proposed reservation is in the southern part of the State, near the Oalirnia line: thev number about 2.000. Besides the above, &ere are tribes of Snakes or Shoshoneea in the son6heast, 1 with whom a treaty has recently been made, and other tribes of various names. supposed to number about 1.000 in all. In relation to affairs in Oregon, two important report8 have reached this office since its last anuual report, in reference to which allusion sbonld be made. Under date of June 22, 1864, instrnctions were sent to Superintendent Huntington to proceed to the negotiation of a treaty with the Klamaths, Modocs, Snakes, &c., in the southern part of the State,and the sum of $10,000, being one-half of an a propriation made by Oongress for the pur ose, was placed at his disposal. On %eing advised by the supefilltendent that alf of the tribes referred to could not be comprised in one treaty arrangement, he was directed to proceed with the Klamaths and Modoes alone, and the halance of the appropriation was sent to him to use in his negotiations with the other tribes. The treaty with the Klamaths, kc., reached this office too late for wtion by the Senate last winter, having been transmitted to your department February 24. By it the Indiana cede their claims to about twelve million acres of land, and concentrate upon a reservation of moderate but sufficient extent. This treaty, aa will be seen by Superintendent Huntington's report, has been negotiated at avery small expense, and much below the amount placed at his diaposal. Its provisions are regarded as very favorable to the United States, and the appropriations re nired being small, it is hoped that the treaty will be ratified, and the means 0% carrying it into effect provided at an early day; at all events, in time for spring operations on the reservation. In regard to the treaty with the Snake Indians, full particulars will be fonnd in the superintendent's annual report in an appendix to the accompanying doeu-ments. The other subject referred to above is that of providing a small appropria-tian to enable the snperintendent to make a treaty with the Indians comprised within the Siletz agency and Alsea sub-agency along the Pacific coast. Some years ago a treaty waa made with these Iniliaus, by which they agreed to cede a large body of land under certain conditions. They did give up the possession of their lands, and retired within limited boundaries at two points of their old wnntry, where they have received from time to time some assistauce from gov-ernment. But the treaty referred to was never ratified by the Seuate, though the Indians fulfilled their promises strictly. I t now appears that it is import-ant to the interests of the white population, while it will be no prejudice to the Indians, that the former should obtain access lo, and possession of, the country nbout.the Yaquina bay and river, where tbere ia a good harbor and site for a commercial town; it and the neighboring region being comprised within the Alaea sub-agency. A very fall report from the snperintendent, submitted here-with, proposes to make a treaty with the Indians referred to, under which the four tribes about Yaqnina bay will be concentrated at a point further north, and |