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Show REPORT OF THE OOMMISSIOFER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 143 183,000 acres of land in the Creek and Cherokee nations. The Chero-kee Oil and Gas Company on March 29, 1901, filed with the Depart-ment a supplemental petition relative to its applications. By Depart-ment direction of July 11 all of the parties in interest, so far as lands in the Cherokee Nation were concerned, were advised that they would be accorded thirty days from that date within which to make such showing in writing as they deemed proper. The parties notified were the Cherokee Oil and Gas Company, Hon. T. M. Buangton, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation; Richard C. Adams, delegate representing the Delaware Indians, and hia attorney, Walter S. Logan. July 30, 1901, the Department dcrected this office to advise the parties in inter-est that they would have until September 11 in which to file writ-ten briefs and arguments. The office is informally advised that the parties in interest were informed by the Department that the time could be further extended until October 7,1901. The matter has not, therefore, been finally passed upon by the Department. Some few parties have been granted temporary permission to mine coal on Cherokee lands. Where coal is mined under this tempora~y permission the operators are required to pay a royalty of 8 cents per ton, mine run, which is placed to the credit of the nation. Creek leases.-The Creek agreement, ratified by the act of Congress approved March 1, 1901, was, except section 36, confirmed by the national council of the Creek Nation May 25. This agreement con-tains no provision relative to the leasing of lands for mineral purposes in that nation, and section 41 specifically declares that section 13 of the Curtis Act shall not in any manner whatsoever affect the lands and other property of the Creek tribe of Indians or he in force in the Creek Nation after the ratification of the agreement. Prior to the adoption of the agreement several parties had been granted temporary permission to mine coal on Creek lands. July 19, 1901, the o5ce recommended that Inspector Wright, who, with the, consent of the Department, had granted these temporary permits, be instructed to cancel them. This recommendation was made, believing that the interests of the citizens of the Creek Nation in the matter of the distribution of their landed estate under the provisions of the Creek agreement would be hest subserved by preventing the mining of coal in or under the land until such time as the estate should be finally dis-tributed. This recommendation was approved by the Department - July 23 and the inspector instructed accordingly. September 4, 1901, Inspector Wright transmitted a communication from E. H. Brown, agent for the Kansas and Texas Coal Company, requesting permission to mine coal on certain lands in the Creek Nation. Mr. Brown had, since September, 1899, mined coal on the land in ques-tion under temporary permission issued by the inspector, which permit the inspector, acting under Department instructions of July 23, had |