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Show Eighty-three claims were filed within the six months provided for in the act, said claims aggregating $24,210.81. These claims were trans-mitted to the Department on November 30, 1895, with recommenda-tions in the several cases. The total amonut allowed was $5,675.67. Twelve claims were entirely disallowed, the same being either fraudu-lent or without merit. There was only the sum of $5,074 available for the purpose of paying this list of claims, a deficiency,it will be observed, of $601.67. In set-tling these claims the Treasury Department therefore paid each claim-ant his pro rata share of the amount available. Of the 944 claims iuvestigated by Special Agent H. R. Pease in 1890-1892, for the payment of which an appropriation was made by the act approved August 15,1894 (28 Stat. L., 286), a number still remain nnsettled. Doubtless t.hese claimants are either den6 or they are mla-ware that their claims have been finally passed upon and that provision has been made to pay them the amounts found due. This n~a yb e at least partially accounted for by the fact that several Sears elapsed after the speciill agent?s investigation before provision was made for the pay-ment of the claims. DIGGER INDIANS IN CALIFORNIA. In my last annual report I stated that a tract of land adapted to gardening and agriculture had been provided for the Digger Indians in California, and that the work of settling Indians thereon was in progress. Itnow appears that they are not somuch inclined as was first supposed to avail themselves of theopportunity for homes thus oftered them. In hisreport of February 10,1896,Agent Cosby speaksof Indians who came to these lands utterly destitute, the women and children bare-footed and in rags. He put them in comfortable houses convenient to firewood,furnished them provisions, and paid them for any work per-formed. A8 soon as they got a few dollars abead they were eager to return to their old haunts and their former vagrant life of idle~~ess, want, and beggary. Others have done likemise. Those who have remained there from the first seem satisfied, and such as are able to work dofairly well, but apparently none of them appreciate the favors shown them or the protision made for them by the Government. To quote from Agent Cosby's report: From personal iuterviews and from what the Indimshave told me as well as their white sasooiatetes, I hoped and expected that a great many, especially the old and decrepit, would, as Boon as the acorn season was over ant1 the wintor storms set in, avail themselves of the offered homes and food; but they have not done so. Many have visited and stayed for same days with those here, and during their stay were well housed and fed. When these returned to their wretohod l~ovelsa nd told those who hlld not come, how attractive the plsee was, that all tile promises made had been kept, that they had goad houses and plenty to eat, and could come and go at will, I was confident that they and the others would aame, or leave the desolate spots where for years they have only knowu want and exposure. |