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Show By the fourth article of the treaty of February 113, 1867, with the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands of Dakotaor SiouxIndians (I5 Statutes, 605) the boundaries of the Devil's Lake reservation are described as follows : Beginniog at the most eaaterly point of Devil's lake; thence along the watersof said lake to the most westerly point of same; thence on adirect line to the near-estpoint on the Cheyenne river; thence doyn said river to a point opposite the lower end of Aapen island, and thence on a, direct line to the plaoe of beginning. The present boundary lines of this reservation were run in 1875, and their correctness and accuracy were not questioned until 1883, when the agent in charge of that agency discovered that the western boundary , line did not trike the Cheyenne river at a plwe nearest themost west- .erly point of Devil's lake. A survey by the General Land Office in that year also disoovered a point farther west on the Che~enneri ver, which is abont 24 miles nearer the said most westerly point of Devil's Iake than the place to which the western boundary line was run in 1876. By the error in the snrvey of 1875 some 64,000 acres were eliminated from the reservation, or rather a reserration was established which contains 64,000 acres less than that provided for in the treaty, and as to which, had the points nalnecl in the treaty been followed by the surveyor, there would now be no question. In view of the fact that a large number of settlers had in good faith gone upon the lands lying west of the reservation line as established by the snrvey of 1875, believing them to be a part of the public domain, and had acquired rights thereon, the Department decided in 1883 that no change would be made in the western reservation line as already established; but it did not pass on the justness of the claim made by the Indians to this 64,000 acres of land. I have examined carefully the claim of the Indians to this land, and believe it to be jnst,'but from the fact that the United States has parted with the title to a large portionof the tract in question, it can not now be added to the reservation. Some action, however, should he taken by Congress with a view to compen-sating the Iudians for the loss thereof. The matter will be made the subject of a special report at a later date, for the pnrpose of submitting it to Congress. SEMINOLE INDIANS IN FLORIDA. In March last, A. M. Wilson, esq., of Miakka, FIa., was appointed a special agent for the purpose of making further efforts to locate the Seiniuole Indians of Florida neon homesteads, as contemplated by the act of July 4,1884 (23 Stats., 05). He was appointed in place of Frank C. Etagan, esq., who was unable to undertake tbe nark. From his re. ports i t appears that 11c Iras mado son~ep rogress, but it, is very doubt-ful if available racaut Ii~iltls call be found t1p011 mbicl~ these Indians will be milling to locate. Il'suuh should fioally prove to be the case, I |
