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Show L REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. has been deemed expedient to abolish that agency as an independent agency, and to place the Tule River Indians under the care of the agsnt for the Mission Indians in the same State. The Yuma Indians, numbering about 1,200, live on both sides of the Colorado river. It wae intended some years since that they should live upon a reserve assigned them in Arizona and be under the charge of the Colorado River agency ; but the land wasfound tobe sounprodnctive and difficult of irrigation, that only about SO0 were willing toremainin Arizona. Theothersinsistedon returning acrossthe riverintoCalifornia, where a reservation, which is saicl to be well suited to their wants, has beenbet apart for them adjoining Fort Yuma. This fort is an abandoned military post, which is now utilized as an Indian indnstrial boarding school for Yuma children. The Ynmas are peaceable and industrious. Their California land is fertile and easily irrigated, and they deserve and ought to have some attention and cnco~~ragemef~rolmt the Gov-ernment. The Colorado River agency is too remote and difficplt of access to have thv oversight of their interests, and it has therefore seemed wise to place the Yuma Indians also under theMission agency. The consolidation of the Tule River and Mission agencies and the transfer of the Yumas to the charge of the latter agency was effected in Augnst last. These changes will result in a saving of some $700 per annum in the salaries of agents and will otherwise benefit the serv-ice. I have recommended 'that the headquarter8 of the consolidated agency be located at Banning, Cal., as a place most central and easy of access. Nothing has yet been done in that direction, nor have any steps been taken in the interest of the Yuma Indians, but both will be attended to at an early day. In regard to the sanitary condition of the Indians, there is little to be said which has not been contained in previous reports. A table is pre-sented on page 396, which shows the number of patients treated and the prevalence of various forms of disease on the several reservations. Mak-ing allowance for effects of climate and location, which are felt by red as well as white men,it may safely be said that at many agencies there has been some real improvement in the healhh of the Indians. The medical corps of the service numbers 77 physicians, located at agencies and schools, and their sanitary reports give a small death-rate compared with the number of cases attended, which would in! dicate gratifying success in the methods of treatment. The increase in the number of eases treated is due both to the energy displayed by many physicians in looking up cases and persuading the Indians to re-ceive proper treatment, and to an increasing confidence among the In-dians in white physicians and a consequent disregard of native medi-cine men. The marked eontraat between the white man's treatment of the sick and that of the old native medicine man, especially in cases re- |