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Show REPORT OF THE COMMI88IONEB OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. XI11 Several of the agents report that their Indians are earnestly asking for allotments, which hare hitherto been delayed for the want of an a p proprietion to survey the reservation. The bill to increase the quantity of land to be allotted the Nez Per& and Willamette Indians, to which reference was made in my last Annnal Report, passeil the Senate at the last session of Congress, but no action was taken by the House. The general allotment bill also passed the Senate in a form generally acceptable to this Office, but received no action frnm the House. It is hoped that favorable action may be taken upon both these bills by the House of Representatives at the next ses- S~OII. SURVEY OF INDIAN RESERVATIONS. The first appropriation of auy consequence in ten years for the survey of Indian refiervations was made at the last session of Congress, when the sum of $50,000 was appmpriated "for survey and subdivision of In-dian reservations, and defining by surveys the boundaries of reserva. tions and of lands to be allotted to Indians." The act provides that $5,000 of this amount, or so much thereof as may be necessa,ry, shall be used for surveying and defining the boundaries of the Nava.10 Indian Reservation. Altsltongh the sum appropriated is but half the amount estimated for, it will do much to relieve the service of one of the most serious embarrassmellts with which it has had to contend. It will en-able this office to rerun and remark the lines of certain reservations which have heretofore been surveyed, ant1 possibly to inaugurate some original surveys, so that the work of allotment will probably be eon-tinued during the year to a greater extent than heretofore. It is the in-tention to use this money where it is most needed, and rely upon Con-gress for further appropriations to accomplish the surveys in other places. The want of a proper definition of reservation boundaries has been for years, and is still, one of t,he most fruitful causes of contention and dis-orderknown totheDepartment, and itis to be hoped that the full amount of my estimate for surveys for the ensuing fiscal yea,r may be provided, in order that existing disputes may be speedily settled, and a subdi: vision of lauds within the reservations made, wherever required and deemed advisa,ble, for the settlement of the Indians in individual homes. LEASING OF INDIAN LANDS. Since the date of my last annnal report, numerous applications have been receivedfrom partiesdesirous to leaseIndianlands, heldby ordinary occupancy, by tenancy, or by sufferance, mainly for cattle grazing pur-poses. To allsach, answer, baseduponDepartment ruling onthequestion in the Fenlon case, April 25,1883, has been returned that no authority of law existed for themaking of such leases or agreements by the Indians or by this Department, and that the Department would not approve them. |