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Show to inspire them with confidence in me, and great friendship for the Government, I feel assured of their amicable disposition and feeling at present. I have given you, as minutely as possible, an account of my expedition, and given as nearly as I could, the substance and language of the Indians on all the most important matters. In my last annual report I gave it, as my opinion, that it was very important to the peace and safety of the travel on this route, that Government should establish a post on these rivers, without which, I firmly believe that there will be no safety to emigration, the road is lined with trading posts, from California, they station themselves at every point where good feed is to be found, their stock in trade consists principally in liquor, scarcely an article is found, such as the emigrants stand most in need of, by their unkind treatment to the Indians, they make them unfriendly towards the emigrants, seisms arise, which they take advantage of and steal, and commit more depradations on the emigrants, than the Indians, all of which they manage to have charged to the Indians. I was told by the Indians, that propositions had been made to them by sound of these traders, to steal the stock of the emigrants, run them off into the vallies of Mountains, and afer the emigrants had ceased passing, they would come, being them guns, ammunition and blankets, and trade with them for the stock stolen. I endeavored to put a stop to this spicies of trade and traffic. I informed them that they were violating the laws, and subjecting themselves to fines and punishment, and that I should be compelled to put the laws in force against them, they laughed at me, they defied me and the laws, they told me, there were so many of them that they could and would do as they pleased, law or no law. As I had not a force, sufficient |
