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Show I 8 REPORT OF THE CONMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. I tion to demand to be left in undisturbed possession of their countr~, and themoral sense of mankind would sustain the demand; but unfor-tunately the facts are otherwise. They are not now canable of seltlsuo- I port; they arc absolute peusioners of the (;overnmeni in the sun1 of'a million and a qoarter of dollnrs anuually above all aruonutsspecilird in treats-atipulutions. fai l~~troe r eceive Governn~eurt ;~tiousforn3 i11rlle season mbnld reduce them to starvation. They cannot, therefGe, demand to be left alone, and the Government, granting the large help which the Sioux are obliged to ask,is entitled to ask something of them in return. On this basin of mutual benefit the purchaseof the Black Hills should proceed. If, therefore, all attempts at negotiation have failed ou the plan of going first to the Indlans, I would respectfully recommend that legislation be now sought from Congress, offering a fair and full equivalent for the country lying between the North and South Forks of the Cheyenne River, in Dakota, a portion of which equivalent should be made to take the place of the free rations now granted. I SURVEY OF THE BLACK HILLS-THEIR VALUE TO THE INDIANS. I In orclcr to provide fur tile ~lurstiono f a fair eqo~ivalenft i ~trh is eoun-t r ~b,y direction of the l'resiclent, a topogrupl~icala nd grologieal sur-vev of the Black llills was ordered. t l ~~rel~io ~in;r~ernro rt of which. br alter P. Jenney, mining engiueeiiu c6arge, will" beLfonnd herewitc. It furnishes many interesting and important facts respecting a region hithertoalmost unknown. Professor Jenney and his assistants ace entitled to large credit for the couscientious diligence and thorongh-ness, which are apparent at every point in their work. The aid rendered by the War Department, by the courtesy of the General of the Army, and by Uo1.B. I. Dodge, commanding the escort, has been iuvaluable to the success of the survey. Without such aid, no satisfactory results could have been obtained, on account of the li~uitedf unds available for this purpose. The rep& confirms, in a large degree, the statements of travelers and explorers and the reports of Geueral Custer's military expedition of last year, and shows a gold-field with an area of eight hundred square miles, and around'this gold region, principally to the north, an additiolial area within the Black Hilla country of three thou-sand square miles of arable lauds, aud this latter e~nbracing along its streams an area enual to two hundred sunare miles finelv adauted to agriculture, wl~ilei 11e i~ilsli des and e~ev;;tious c o ~ ~ t i ~ utohueiie to are eclnally addptrd to purp(ldes of grazing, tu;lkillg the whole :wra ol three thous~nr~<ljt 1iore ~ i l eos@ tilnber,. -C raziu-e,. n ~ ~i~t rln l)lo1 ;111ncli Ereat \.illur - for agriculhral purposes. According to the findings of this report, if there were no gold iu this 1 conntrv to att,ract the white man. and the Iudiaus could be left to onndis. 1 t u r b e d " ~ e u ~ # o; f~ tth~oo B~l~iic k hllls, this rtgioll, n;~tnraIIya uited to axrieor\torz nnd henling, is the oue ul' all others withiu the buuuduries of the Sioux reservation best adapted to their immediate and para-mount necessities. I doubt whether any laud now remaiuing in the pos.session of the General Goverument offers equal advautages ; but it will be found impractic&ble to utilize the country for the Sioux. So long as gold exists in the same region, the agricultural country sur-rounding the gold-fields will be largely required to support the miners, and to attempt to bring the wild Sioux into proximity to the settlers and luinets mould be to invite nrovocatious and bloodv hostilitv. - 'L.hese h e r s respecting tl;e countrx wl~icl~~I I HS ~ I I Xse eti about to be eompelletl to surrru(ler, Sir the sake of pnj~notingt he miuiug ;rl;tl q r i - |
