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Show This contract was executed by Mr. Thompson and Mr. Leet on the 27th day of May, 1865, and a copy, one of three originals, only reached this office from Mr. Thompson in the month of hg-ost, just before I left this city on public business. I at once disapproved the contract, and directed Mr. Leet to be in-formed of such disapproval. But, upon more careful examination since my re-turn, I am satisfied that in case you concur in my views of the nature of the transaction, some active steps should he taken to prevent a groas injustic?. I cannot see, in the letter of instructionsreferred to, any satisfactory reasons for selling the mill. On the contrary, the fact that it had cost a great deal of money appears to me the greater reason why it should have been put at work at the earliest day possible, for the benefit of'the agency, upon the large stock of logs already provided. Neither can I appreciate the reasoning in the case of the Indians referred to, (however it might apply to others,) that they should be required to remove back from the line of the railroad. On the contrary, heing willing to labor, as was sllown by their industry in constructing the irrigating canal referred to above, they could have secured employlnent for a long time upon the railroad work. The sale appears to me to amount to little more than g~vingM r. Leet the mill, with timber of immense value with wbieb to run it for ten years. But, even if it had been proper to make this safe, it seems strange that a superintendent should be sent from Minnesota, where his services were needed, to Nevada, at ereat exuense, to effect it, when it could have been done ~d wvll by llie agent ili Care& Ciry, or the snperintt-ndent of Califimia. I confeiiu lhat 1 an1 gropingeomewliat in thedark ilr conaidering this sohjrrt, hut I am sure I cantlot be wronc in cl~erkinrt he consnmrni~tiono f th~n. roicrt : and I have instructed the sgperintendent'io take immediate possession oI' tha mill and logs, and all property purporting to have been sold; and, unless other-bwise directed by your department, I shall in no manner recognize this singular transaction. Special Agent Burch, who had charge of the Humboldt and other Indians, 3 with agency at Ruby valley, gave assurance last year, on the part of his In-dians, (numbering about two thousand,) and of the Pannakies, fnrtber to the north, that they would not molest the travellers who pere expected to crowd the emigrant rontes from California to Idaho and Montana, and it is presumed that they have kept their promise, as no complaints have reached this office. When Agent Lockhart was here he represented that a portion of the Carson Valley Indians, who had given up their lands without receiving any considera-tion therefor, and who were eaceable and indnstrions, obtaining their living by labor about the towns and Jggings, naked that a small tract of land might he given them, upon which they might have'a right to settle their families, as they had not a foot of land of which thev had an unmolested occuoation. This mode~rte quest was granted, and action taken by requesting ~o;ernor Nye to make the necessary selections, the department also directina the selections thus mads to be respected at the district land office. - Allusion is elsewhere made to the fact that the Pai-Utes, to whom Mr. Sales was senb $8 special agent by Superintendent Irish, of Utah, at the instance of settlers in Meadow valley and the vicinity, were, by tha placing of the bonnd-ary of Nevada one degree further east, thrown mostly into Nevada. Meadow valley ia in Nevada, and is nnderatood to be the centre of a rich mining die trict, where, if we are to credit the accounts given to Mr. Sales, fabulous amounts of gold and silver are to be found. B what routes the hardy and adventurous miners have found their way thither &ea not appear, though it was Mr. Lock-hart's opinion that they had come from the northwest, by way of Esmeralda. I t seemed very desirable, in order to prevent d%culty between the settler8 and the Indians, that a special agency should be established at or near Meadow val-' ley, but it was impossible to decide whether, for facility of comm~nication,t he agency ahodd report thmngh Utah eastward, or through Nevada, via Sun |
