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Show 46 REPORTS OF AGENTS IN COLORADO. ' Wnlm Rrvw, GOLO., Auzust 31, 1877. Sm: I have the honor to submit the following as my report from the White River Indian ageoc.y, Colorndo, for tho year endiue August 31, 1877. The Indians of wllich I hsve oharge are mostly those known under treaty as the yampa; Grand River, and Uinta hands of Confederstod Utes. They are living at preaent under tr~.aty of 1868. Their home is upon s reservation in Weatern Colorado. There are three age :oies situated upon the reserve, in charge of different agents. The most northern, and located upon White River, is the one in my enre. The provisions of the treaty under which they are living provide the Ute Indians with annuities, and upon these they depend for part of theirsuppart. , They are in no sense a y t u i t y , hat 8 price received in exchange for lands old to the United Statea. A portion of t ess annuities come to the White River aeeuov. - - - ~~ ~ ~~~. ~ ~ ~ The number of l!ldiau~h eluupinx to tLis agenrp, who remain uirh me quite ~tradilyn, ud who seldom viiir eather of the other [Ire agrr~cier. ia shuur ti5J. In additioln ro illere. thcro sn: shout 250 who n,ovc irom one. nerner to auatber. who are w;rh mr about aue-balf of the year, remaining s month or six week; st time, and tor whom I am obliged to provide when they are bere. Last year I reported the number to a family as ~veraginp5 or 54; this year I ~vouldr eport the average to he nhaut 4f. The average is reduced by the marriage of quite a number of young men who were formerly oauntad as children of others, and who BOW constitute e distinct family by themselves. Amons the Indians there ia a slieht excess of females. There has bean little orno increase among them during the year, and in this raspect I think the tribe is about stationary. THE DISPOSITION TOWARD AND THEIH RELITlONS WlTH WBlTE NEIGHBORS. Notwithetanding some minor complaints that hsve been mnde agsinat eomeof the Indians I think I may justly say that they are disposed to be friendly with the white settlers in this neiahhorhood. During the past year no white person hae been either kliled or injured by Indians, to my knowledge; while I have learned of four eases where Indians hsve heen assaulted and ininred hv white oersons. scd the Indian and his friends have not retaliated bg doing personil violehe. ' The depredations of firing nnaae~pied cabins is not proven beyond qnestion ngainst Indians; 8nd the fires over the =ountry in grass and sage-hruah, complained of by nome, am spoken of as a beoe6t by others, and as likely to he ,'set ant" by white persons as by Indians. I am setiefied that some of the complaints originate in the desire of certain parties to create a sentiment unfavorshle to the Indisn, and preoipitste s trouble which may he made the oeeaaion of d'spriving the Iodisna of some of their rights. On the other hand, the Indians have alresdy had reason to he apprehensive that their country is coveted and threatened by the whites. A number of parties seeking settlement and "prospecting " for gold have viaited this valley and other parts of the reserve this year. I have thus far been suooessfrcl in sending them swlry. Their number, however, will increase, I am afraid, another season, and perhaps trouble cannot he prevented in the future without the presence of s military force, devoted as much to the interests of the Indians as to those of the whites. This apprehension has led me to recommend the eatsbiishment of a past or outpost in the Besr River Valley, to act as a restraint to keep the Indians upon their reserve, and to protect the reserve from the inroads of white settlers and "pmspectors." INDIAhS OPF THEIR RESERVE-CAUSER. ETC. An onusual number of Indians have been off their reservation during the past year, and have remained sway for some time. There are several reasons for this. The enmities and supplies furoished these Indians smouot to, at s liberal estimste,not over ooe-ha f that requiredfor their support. None of their annuity goods (and but part of their supplies) have reached this sgsney during the year. Goods purchs~ed in August of last year have been lying in the railroad de ot, 176 miles away, since November last,s period of over n~ne months. Flour the tirst of June is still st Rswlina. No olathiog,hianket, tent. implement, or utensil of any kind has been issued at this agency for nearly two years; no flour, except once, 15 pounds to a family, since last May. In addition to the usual propor-tion of their subsistence, which the Indians provide far themselves, they have had this great deficiency to make up, in whole or io part, some way. With the exception of a few familien, the onl-y way. in w hich the Indians here know how to provide for themselves is by honting. By peremptory regulation of the Department, the sale of arms and smmuoition upon the reserve has been prohibited. At the bame time the Indians have had only to go off their reserve to obtao all the arms sod ammunition, both " loose" and " fixed," which they desire, s numhar of trading-pasts being accessible, and no white mso refusing to furnish these srtioles to the Indiso-a very good svidsnco, when there is no feeling in the community against it, that the people do not stand iu any great fear of the Indians. Many of the settlers have made it their oriuciosl husinoss to t r d e with these Indians during the past yew, and have ofiered every iiduce'ment far them to leave their reserve. PROGRESS IN CIVILIZATION. But very little advancement has been made during the year in the mstter of getting the |