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Show XLVIII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF IXDIAN AFFAIRS. BESERVOIflS AT THE HEADWATERS OF THE MISSISSIF'PI. Recommendation was made last year that Uongress be requested to appropriate a certain sum of money to reimburse certain bands of Chip. pcwa Indians for the damage and injury sustained by them in the con-struction of these reservoirs. It is hoped that the recently appointed commission, in its negotiations with there Iud'ir~8, has arranged a sat-isfactory basis upon which full compensation may be made them for every injury they may have sustained by reason of the construction of said reservoirs. ' NORTEEEN QEEYENNES IN MONTANA. The disposition of these Indians, located upon the Tongue and Rose-bud Rivers, has been a matter of grave concern. The reservation on the Rosebud, created by Executive order of November 26,1884, did not include the lands occupied by the Indians on Tongue River. The extension of the reservation was strenuously opposed by the citieens in the vicinity, and the reservation was indefinite in its boundaries, and filled with settlers having rights existing prior to the date of the order. The removal of the Indians to some other location did not Beem to he feasible, even if desirable. Under this conditioa of affairs it was determined to make an effort to locate them upon separate tr& nuder the provisions of the homestead laws. Preliminary to this work it was necessary to have the lands on the Tongue and Rosebud Rivers in the vicinity of the reservation prop-erly surveyed. This is nowbeing done under the direction of the Qeu-era1 Land Offlce. When the surveys are completed the Iudians will be properly located, if possible, upon homesteads, aud the remaining lands on the reservation will be restored to settlement. WINNEBAGO RESERVA!ClON IN NEBRASU A strong opposition has been recently developed among the Winne-bagoes to the passage of the bill now pending before Congress (S. 715) providing for the sale of a portion of the reservation. On February 4 last this offlce received, by Department reference, a letter from thirty-niuc members of the tribe requesting that the influence of the Depart-ment be exerted to defeat the passage of the bill, and stating that the tribe had never consented to such sale, but desired that assiguments of land in severalty be made to sneh of its members as had not received any, and further stating that, if all are provided for, there will be no good land to spare, as fully one.half of the reservation is too broken and rough for eultivation. In consequence of the opposition to such sale manifested in the letter referred to, on the 26th of same month I ad-dressed a communication to the Depnrtmeut recommeudiug that the chairman of tbe Senate Commitee on Indian Affairs be requested to see that no final actiou be taken on the bill in the Senate until the re-port of the Department should be submitted thereon. |