UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES ROBERT ERNEST COWAN DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. REPORT OF THE BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS, APPOINTED BY THE PEESIDENT AGREEABLY TO SECTION FOURTH OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CURRENT AND CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF THE INDIAN DEPARTMENT FOR 1869, BEING RESULTS OBTAINED FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATION AND INSPECTION OF THE INDIAN TRIBES OF KANSAS, INDIAN TERRITORY, NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, AND ALASKA. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1870. 58 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS- A. DEPABTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, May 26, 1869. GENTLEMEN : You have been solicited by the President, under the provision of the fourth section of the act of Congress, approved April 10, 18G9, entitled " An act making appropriation for the current and con- tingent expenses of the Indian Department," &c., for the year ending June 30, 1870, for the purpose of enabling the President to exercise the power conferred by said act, and being authorized by the same to exer- cise, under the direction of the President, joint control with the Secre- tary of the Interior over the disbursement of the appropriations made by said act, or any part thereof that the President may designate, and hav- ing been convened in the city for the purpose of organizing for the exe- cution of your duties, and believing that, in common with the President and other officers of the government, you desire the humanization, civ- ilization, and Christianization of the Indians, I very respectfully, after consultation with the honorable Secretary "of the Interior, submit the following questions, which, with a view to proper and intelligent action in the future relation of the government with the Indians, I deem it im- portant should receive your early consideration and suggestion, viz : A determination or settlement of what should be the legal statii_o~fciM*' Indians; a definition of their rights and obligations under the laws of the United States, of the States and Territories and treaty stipulations ; whether any more treaties shall be stipulated with the Indians, and if not, what legislation is necessary for those with whom there are existing treaty stipulations, and what for those with whom no such stipulations exist; should the Indians be placed upon reservations, and what is the best method to accomplish this object ; should not legislation discrim- inate between the civilized and localized Indians, and the united roving tribes of the plains and mountains ; what changes are necessary in ex- isting laws relating to purchasing goods and provisions for the Indians, in order to prevent fraud, &c.; should any change be made in the method of paying the money annuities ; and if so, what. Great mis- chief, evils, and frequently serious results follow from friendly Indians leaving the reservations, producing conflicts between the citizens, sol- diers, and Indians. At what time and point shall the civil rule cease and the military begin? Is anj~ change required in the intercourse laws by reason of the present and changed condition of the country ? I respectfully suggest that inspection should be made by your com- mission of as many Indian tribes, especially the wild and roving ones, as the time of the honorable commissioners will permit, and their condi- tions and wants be reported on, with any suggestions that each case may seem to require. Also, the accounts of superintendents and agents 4 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. should be examined, and the efficiency or inefficiency of those officers should be reported upon. All suggestions, recommendations, and reports from the commission should be made to the honorable Secretary of the Interior, to be by him submitted, when necessary, to the President and Congress. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, B. S. PAEKEE, Commissioner. Addressed to Hon. Win. Welsh, John Y. Farwell, George H# Stuart, Eobert Campbell, Wm. E. Dodge, E. S. Tobey, Felix E. Bruuot, Nathan Bishop, Henry S. Lane. B. EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, I). (7., June 3, 1869. A commission of citizens having been appointed, under the authority of law, to co-operate with the administrative departments in the man- agement of Indian affairs, consisting of Wm. Welsh, of Philadelphia; John V. Farwell, Chicago; George H. Stuart, Philadelphia; Eobert Campbell, St. Louis ; W. E. Dodge, New York ; E. S. Tobey, Boston ; Eelix R. Brunot, Pittsburg; Nathan Bishop, New York; and Henry S. Lane, Indiana the following regulations will, till further directions, control the action of said commission and of the Bureau of Indian Af- fairs in matters coming under their joint supervision : 1. The commission will make its own organization, and employ its own clerical assistants, keeping its u necessary expenses of transportation, subsistence, and clerk-hire,' when actually engaged in said service," within the amount appropriated therefor by 1 Congress. 2. The commission shall be furnished with full opportunity to inspect the records of the Indian Office, and to obtain full information as to the conduct of all parts of the affairs thereof. 3. They shall have full power to inspect, in person or by sub-commit- tee, the various Indian superiutendeucies and agencies in the Indian country; to be present at payment of annuities, at consultations or councils with the Indians ; and when on the ground, to advise superin- tendents and agents in the performance of their duties. 4. They are authorized to be present, in person or by sub-committee, at purchases of goods for Indian purposes, and inspect said purchases, advising with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in regard thereto. 5. Whenever they shall deem it necessary or advisable that instruc- tions of superintendents or agents be changed or modified, they will communicate 'such advice, through the office of the Commissioner of In- dian Affairs, to the Secretary of the Interior ; and, in like manner, their advice as to changes in modes of purchasing goods, or conducting the affairs of the Indian Bureau proper. Complaints against superintend- ents, or agents, or other officers, will, in the same manner, be forwarded to the Indian Bureau or Department of the Interior for action. 6. The commission will, at their board meetings, determine upon the re- commendations to be made as to the plans of civilizing or dealing with the Indians, and submit the same for action in the manner above indicated ; and all plans involving the expenditure of public money will be acted upon by the Executive or the Secretary of the Interior before expenditure is made under the same. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 5 7. The usual modes of accounting with the Treasury cannot be changed ; and all the expenditures, therefore, must be subject to the approvals now required by law and by the regulations of the Treasury Department, and all vouchers must conform to the same laws and re- quirements, and pass through the ordinary channels. 8. All the officers of the government connected with the Indian ser- vice are enjoined to afford every facility and opportunity to said com- mission and their sub-committees in the performance of their duties, and to give the most respectful heed to their advice within the limits of such officers' positive instructions from their superiors ; to allow such commissioners full' access to their records and accounts ; and to co-ope- rate witli them in the most earnest manner, to the extent of their proper powers, in the general work of civilizing the Indians, protecting them in their legal rights, and stimulating them to become industrious citizens in permanent homes, instead of following a roving and savage life. 9. The commission will keep such records or minutes of their proceed- ings as may be necessary to afford evidence of their action, and will provide for the manner in which their communications with, and advice to, the government shall be made and authenticated. U. S. GEAXT. C. PITTSBURGH, November 23, I860. SIR: The commission of citizens appointed by the President under the act of Congress of April 10, 1869, to co-operate with the adminis- tration in the management of Indian affairs, respectfully report : Pursuant to notice from your department, the commissioners met in Washington, on the 26th of May, and organized by electing William Welsh, of Philadelphia, chairman, and Felix E. Brunot, of Pittsburg, secretary. The board indicated their willingness to accept the duties proposed in the act, and adopted the following minute : " The commission, under the authority of the President, considers itself clothed with full power to examine all matters appertaining to the con- duct of Indian affairs, and, in the language of its original letter of ap- pointment, to act both as a consulting board of advisors, and through their sub-committees as inspectors of the agencies, &c., in the Indian country." "The commission also expresses its readiness to assume the additional responsibility indicated in the act of Congress, so far as the^ President may designate.'" With a view to the better performance of these duties, the board di- vided into three committees, for the purpose of visiting the Indian agen- cies and reservations. The regions inhabited by Indians was corre- spondingly divided into three districts. 1. The northern, comprising all Indians in and east of Xebraska and Dakota, was allotted to the care of William Welsh, J. V. Farwell, E, S. Tobey. 2. The southern, including all in and south of Kansas, to Felix E. Brunot, Xathan Bishop, and Hon. Win. E. Dodge. 3. Western division, to Eobert Campbell, George H. Stuart, and Hon. H. S. Lane. The board appointed Messrs. Stuart, Farwell, Campbell, and Dodge, 6 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. a committee to co-operate with the government in the purchase of goods and supplies for the Indian department. Important recommendations were also made, which have been already submitted. On the 3d of June the President of the United States issued an ex- ecutive order confirming the powers of the commissioners, and defining their duties as indicated and accepted at a personal interview during the session of the board. Subsequently to the adjournment the chair- man addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, which it is proper to say did not meet with the concurrence of the other members of the commission. The board have entire confidence in the design of the administration to carry out the system of reform in the management of Indian a ft airs upon which it has entered. Nor do we deem it expedient that the com- mission should be charged with the expenditure of any portion of the Indian appropriations, or any responsibility connected therewith, further than is involved in their general advisory powers. On the 29th of June Mr. Welsh resigned his office of commissioner. The board held no meeting until the 17th of the present month, when, upon receiving offi- cial notice that the resignation had been accepted by the President, Felix E. Brunot was selected to fill the vacancy in the chairmanship, and J. V. Farwell elected secretary. Owing to the resignation of Mr. Welsh, the ill health of Messrs. Stuart, Tobey, and Lane, at the time when visits to the Indian country were deemed expedient, and the pressure of other duties upon the re- maining members of the commission, the southern district only was visited. The report of the sub-committee on that district has been adopted by the board, and directed to be incorporated in the present report. It is accordingly submitted herewith. Vincent Colyer, of New York, was appointed a member of the com- mission in July, and (without having had any opportunity to consult with the commission) is now absent on a visit of inspection to tribes on the Pacific coast. Owing to the fact that the spring purchases of Indian goods had been provided for previous to the organization of the commission, the com- mittee to co-operate in purchases could effect nothing in regard to them. The bids for the fall purchases were opened and the contracts awarded under the supervision of Hon. George H. Stuart, and the goods in- spected after their delivery under the same supervision. It is believed that in this case the government *and the Indians have received full value for the money expended. The commissioners are convinced that strict impartiality in the reception of bids, and the allotment of con- tracts, and a system of rigid inspection after the goods have been de- livered in a government warehouse, will, by inviting honorable competi- tion, securing a quality of goods equal to the samples offered for, and preventing frauds, save large sums of money to the government. It is not proposed to make this report either final or in any degree exhaustive. In its moral and political, as well as economic aspects, the Indian question is one of the gravest importance. The difficulties which surround it are of a practical nature, as are also the duties of the com- mission with reference to them. We cannot offer recommendations as the result of theorizing, but must reach our conclusions through per- sonal observation and knowledge,as well as testimony. The comparatively short period of the existence of the commission, and the preventing causes already mentioned, compel the board to pass over, for the pres- ent, some of the important points which have occupied their attention. Should the commission be continued, it is hoped that visits of inspec- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 7 tion to the reservations will, in each, case, be productive of benefits, and the aggregate of the information acquired will enable the board to make important suggestions, for which it is not now prepared. Should the commission be discontinued, it is hoped some other permanent super- visory body will be created, which, in its material, office, and powers, shall be as far as possible beyond suspicion of selfish motives or personal profits in connection with its duties. While it cannot be denied that the government of the United States, in the general terms and temper of its legislation, has evinced a desire to deal generously with the Indians, it must be admitted that the actual treatment they have received has been unjust and iniquitous beyond the power of word's to express. Taught by the government that they had rights entitled to respect; when those rights have been assailed by the rapacity of the white man, the arm which should have been raised to protect them has been ever ready to sustain the aggressor. The_ history of the government connections with the Indians is a shameful record of broken treaties and unfulfilled promises. The history of the border white man's connection with the Indians is a sickening record of murder, outrage, robbery, and wrongs committed by the former as the rule, and occasional savage outbreaks and unspeak- ably barbarous deeds of retaliation by the latter as the exception. The class of hardy men on the frontier who represent the highest type of the energy and enterprise of the American people, and are just and honorable in their sense of moral obligation and their appreciations of the rights of others, have been powerless to prevent these wrongs, and have been too often the innocent sufferers from the Indians' revenge. That there are many good men on the border is a subject of congratula- tion, and the files of the Indian Bureau attest that among them are found some of the most earnest remonstrants against the evils we are compelled so strongly to condemn. The testimony of some of the highest military officers of the United States is on record to the effect that, in our Indian wars, almost with- out exception, the first aggressions have been made by the white man, and the assertion is supported by every civilian of reputation who has studied the subject. In addition to the class of robbers and outlaws who find impunity in their nefarious pursuits upon the frontiers, there is a large class of professedly reputable men who use every means in their power to bring oil Indian wars, for the sake of the pruiit to be realized from the presence of troops and the expenditure of government funds in their midst. They proclaim death to the Indians at all times, in words and publications, making no distinction between the innocent and the guilty. They incite the lowest class of men to the perpetration of the darkest deeds against their victims, and, as judges and jurymen, shield them from the justice due to their crimes. Every crime com- mitted by a white man against an Indian is concealed or palliated ; every offense committed by an Indian against a white man is borne on the wings of the post or the telegraph to the remotest corner of the land, clothed with all the horrors which the reality or imagination can throw around it. Against such influences as these the people of the United States need to be warned. The murders, robberies^druukeu riots and outrages perpetrated by Indians in time of peace taking into con- sideration the relative population of the races on the frontier do not amount to a tithe of the number of like crimes committed by white men in the border settlements and towns. Against the inhuman idea that the Indian is only lit to be exterminated, and the influence of the men who 8 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. propagate it, the military arm of the government cannot be too strongly guarded. It is hardly to be wondered at that inexperienced officers, ambitious for distinction, when surrounded by such influences, have been incited to attack Indian bands without adequate cause, and involve the nation in an unjust war. It should, at least, be understood that in the future such blunders should cost the officer his commission, and that- such distinction is infamy. Paradoxical as it may seem, the white man has been the chief obstacle in the way of Indian civilization. The benevolent measures attempted by the government for their advancement have been almost uniformly thwarted by the agencies employed to carry them out. The soldiers, sent for their protection, too often carried demoralization and disease into their midst. The agent, appointed to be their friend and counsellor, business manager, and the almoner of the government bounties, fre- quently went among them only to enrich himself in the shortest possi- ble time, at the cost of the Indians, and spend the largest available sum of the government money with the least ostensible beneficial result. The general interest of the trader was opposed to their enlightenment as tend- ing to lessen his profits. Any increase of intelligence would render them less liable to his impositions ; and, if occupied in agricultural pur- suits, their product of furs would be proportionally decreased. The con- tractor's and transporter's interests were opposed to it, for the reason that the production of agricultural products on the spot would measurably cut off their profits in furnishing army supplies. The interpreter knew that if they were taught, his occupation would be gone. The more sub- missive and patient the tribe, the greater the number of outlaws infest- ing their vicinity ; and all these were the missionaries teaching them the most degrading vices of which humanity is capable. If in spite of these obstacles a tribe made some progress in agriculture, or their lauds became valuable from any cause, the process of civilization was summarily ended by driving them away from their homes with fire and sword, to undergo similar experiences in some new locality. Whatever may have been the original" character of the aborigines, many of them are now precisely what the course of treatment received from the whites must necessarily have made them suspicious, revenge- ful, and cruel in their retaliation. In war they know no distinction between the innocent and the guilty. In his most savage vices the worst Indian is but the imitator of bad white men on the border. To assume that all of them, or even a majority of them, may be so charac- terized with any degree of truthfulness, would be no more just than to assume the same of all the white people upon the frontier. Some of the tribes, as a whole, are peaceful and industrious to the extent of, their knowledge, needing only protection, and a reasonable amount of aid and Christian instruction, to insure the rapid attainment of habits of indus- try, and a satisfactory advance toward civilization. Even among the wildest of the nomadic tribes there are large bauds, and many individ- uals in other bands, who are anxious to remain quietly upon their reser- vation, and are patiently awaiting the fulfillment of the government promise that they and their children shall be taught to " live like the white man." To assert that " the Indian will not work" is as true as it would be to say that the white man will not work. In all countries there are non-work- ing classes. The chiefs and warriors are the Indian aristocracy. They need only to be given incentives to induce them to work. Why should the Indian be expected to plant corn, fence lands, build houses, or do anything but get food from day to day, when experience has taught him REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 9 that tlio product of his labor will be seized by the white man to-morrow ? The most industrious white man would become a drone under similar circumstances. Nevertheless, many of the Indians are already at work, and furnish ample refutation of the assertion that " the Indian will not work." There is no escape from the inexorable logic of facts. The Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Creeks, as farmers, com- pare favorably with the whites. They have each organized systems of government similar to our own, with legislative assemblies, judiciary department, and a good system of common schools. The agent, in his report of 1868, said, " The Cherokees are well advanced in civilization and refinement ; they have a number of citizens who would compare favorably with the politicians, statesmen, jurists, and divines of some of the States of the Union." The Seminoles have also made much progress in agriculture. When originally removed to the Indian territory, these tribes were among the least promising of all for the experiment of civilization. The progress they have made is in a great degree due to their comparative isolation from the whites, and that they have been exceptions from the rule of frequent removal. Eight years ago the Sioux of the northwest were engaged in cruel and relentless war against the border settlements ; to-day there is a band the Santee Sioux numbering about one thousand souls, living in log houses, cultivating the soil industriously, wearing civilized garments, and attend- ing church on Sunday like any other orderly civilized community. Another band, the Yanctons, 2,500 in number, have settled on their reservation and commenced to labor. A letter of J. V. Farwell, one of the commissioners, which is herewith transmitted, says of the Indians in Utah: "Colonel Head, the Indian agent of that Territory, in which there are some 25,000 Indians, said to me that he had demonstrated the fact that the Indians could be made to work and support themselves in a very few years, with proper man- agement. " One tribe, numbering 2,500, with the aid of $5,000, had this season raised $30,000 worth of crops ; another of 1,500, with $500 aid, raised $10,000; another of 1,000, with $500 aid, had raised $5.000 of crops; another of 500, with 8350 aid, had raised $1,000 worth of crops; another had four farms, upon which, with $500 aid, they had raised $7,000 worth of crops. One tribe has five thousand peach trees planted, and raised by themselves. All the above results have been reached in three years' work by the government." The reports of the Indian Bureau will be found to abound in facts going to prove that the Indian, as a race, can be induced to work, is susceptible of civilization, and presents a most inviting field for the introduction of Christianity. The policy of collecting the Indian tribes upon small reservations con- tiguous to each other, and within the limits of a large reservation, event- ually to become a State of the Union, and of which the small reserva- tions will probably be the counties, seems to be the best that can be devised. Many tribes may thus be collected in the present Indian ter- ritory. The larger the number that can be thus concentrated the better for the success of the plan ; care being taken to separate hereditary enemies from each other. When upon the reservation they should be taught as soon as possible the advantage of individual ownership of property ; and should be given land in severalty as soon as it is desired by any of them, and the tribal relations should be discouraged. To facilitate the future allotment of the land the agricultural portions of 10 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. the reservations should be surveyed as soon as it can be done without too much exciting their apprehensions. The titles should be inalienable from the family of the holder for at least two or three generations. The civilized tribes now in the Indian territory should be taxed, and made citizens of the United States as soon possible. The treaty system should be abandoned, and as soon as any just method can be devised to accomplish it, existing treaties should be abrogated. The legal status of the uncivilized Indians should be that of wards of the government ; the duty of the latter being to protect them, to edu- cate them in industry, the arts of civilization, and the principles of Christianity ; elevate them to the rights of citizenship, and to sustain and clothe them until they can support themselves. The payment of money annuities to the Indians should be abandoned, for the reason that such payments encourage idleness and vice, to the injury of those whom it is intended to benefit. Schools should be estab- lished, and teachers employed by the government to introduce the Eng- lish language in every tribe. It is believed that many of the difficulties with Indians occur from misunderstandings as to the meaning and in- tention of either party. The teachers employed should be nominated by some religious body having a mission nearest to the location of the school. The establishment of Christian missions should be encouraged, and their schools fostered. The pupils should at least receive the rations and clothing they would get if remaining with their families. The religion of our blessed Saviour is believed to be the most effective agent for the civilization of any people. A reversal of the policy which has heretofore prevailed, of taking the goods of the peaceable and industrious and giving them to the vicious and unruly, should be insisted on. Every means in the power of the government and its agents should bo employed to render settlement and industrious habits on the reservation attractive and certain in its rewards. Experience has already shown that this is the best mode of inducing the Indians to settle upon their reservations. The honest and prompt performance of all the treaty obligations to the reservation Indians is absolutely necessary to success in the benevo- lent designs of the administration. There should be no further delay in the erection of the promised dwellings, school-houses, mills, &c., and the opening of the farms and furnishing instructors. There can be no ques- tion or doubt as to the wisdom of the President in selecting Indian super- intendents and agents with a view to their moral as well as business qualifications, and aside from any political considerations. There should be some judicial tribunal constituted within the Indian territory com- petent to the prompt punishment of crime, whether committed by white man, Indian, or negro. The agent upon the reservation in which the offense is committed, the agent of the next nearest reservation, and the nearest post commander might constitute a court, all the agents being clothed with the necessary powers. The Indian treaties we have exam- ined provide, in effect, that proof of any offense committed by a white man against an Indian shall be made before the agent, who shall trans- mit the same to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who shall proceed to cause the offender to be arrested and tried by the laws of the United States. If the Indian commits an offense, he shall be given up to be tried by the laws of. the United States. It is a long process to get a white man tried; a shorter one for the Indian, in proportion to the dif- ference in distance*between the agency and the nearest white settlement REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 11 and tli at to Washington City j and in the trials the Indian never escapes punishment ; the white man rarely fails to be acquitted. Such further suggestions as the board is prepared to make will be found in the report of the sub-committee attached. The commissioners are gratified to believe that their views fully accord with the general policy announced by the President. They desire also to express their obligations for the uniform courtesy and cordial co-operation which has everywhere met them in the perform- ance of their duties. The papers herewith submitted are : first, report of sub-committee and appendix ; second, letter of J. V. Farwell, member of commission ; third, letter of Vincent Colyer, member of commission, on Indians in Indian Territory, New Mexico., and Arizona; fourth, letter of Vincent Colyer, member of commission, on Indians in Alaska. Eespectfully submitted. FELIX E. BEUNOT, Chairman. EOBEET CAMPBELL. H. S. LANE. W. E. DODGE. NATHAN BISHOP. JOHN V. FARWELL. VINCENT COLYEE. GEOEGE II. STUART. EDWAED S. TOBEY. Cl. OCTOBER 20, 1869. TV the Board of Commissioners : The sub-committee, charged by the board with the duty of visiting the Indians in the southern part of Kansas and the Indian territory, having performed so much of the duty assigned to us as our time would permit, respectfully report: The committee met in Chicago on the 23d day of July, and, after an interview with Brevet Major General Hartsuff General Sheridan being absent proceeded immediately to Fort Leaven worth, Lawrence, and Fort Marker, for the purpose of interviews with the military commander of the district, Superintendent Hoag, and Brevet Major General Ha /en, the last named having just arrived from Fort Sill. It was the design of the committee to visit first the agencies in Southern Kansas, but, becom- ing couviuced that the time at our disposal was too limited for the per- formance of all the duty intended, we decided to proceed at once to the reservations of the wild and roving tribes in the western part of the Indian territory. Leaving Fort Hays on the morning of the 30th of July, we arrived at Fort Dodge on the 3d of August, and Camp Supply on the 7th. After consultation with Colonel Nelson and Major Page, the military officers in command, it was decided to hold a council with the Arapahoes and Cheyennes, on Monday, the 9th, at Colonel Nelson's quarters, and messages were sent to both tribes to that effect. Camp Supply is situated near the junction of Wolf and Beaver Creeks, which together form the North Fork of the Canadian Eiver, a few miles east of the one hundredth parallel of west longitude. The post consists of low stockade cabins, roofed with timber arid earth for the officers' 12 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. quarters, and cabins partially dug out for the barracks and storehouses. The cavalry command of Colonel Xelson occupied tents. The camp is not within the limits of the reservation, as defined in the treaty of Medicine Creek Lodge, and is more than one hundred miles southwest of the place which has been selected for the agency. The Arapaho village, at the time of our visit, was about two miles from the post ; that of the Cheyennes about twelve miles distant. The number of the Arapahoes was stated to be 1,600; that of the Cheveunes, 1,800. On Monday the entire tribe of the Arapahoes carne to the post, but the Cheyennes did not arrive, and it was deemed inexpedient to postpone the council. On the 10th both tribes were assembled at the appointed hour. All the chiefs and warriors took part in the council, and gave indications during its progress, in their peculiar way, of deep interest and general satisfaction with the proceedings. Oh-lms-tee, or Little Raven, and Medicine Arrow, the chiefs and orators of their respective tribes, expressed very earnestly their determination to maintain the peace to which they pledged their people, and to follow the advice of the commissioners, and do whatever the government required of them. A report of the address of the commissioners and the replies of the chiefs was forwarded to General Parker on the 10th of August, to which you are respectfully referred, as properly forming a part of the present report. Medicine Arrow pledged himself to bring all the northern Cheyennes to Camp Supply, in consideration of which the commissioners gave him, in behalf of the government, a written promise of protection on their way and after their arrival. Some of those present understood Medicine Arrow to mean by the "northern Cheyennes," that part of his tribe still at war in Kansas. If he intended the entire band of northern Chey- ennes, and can fulfill his pledge, the result will be still more satisfactory. A baud numbering , being the same which was so severely pun- ished by General Carr, reached Camp Supply in September, and another party of about one hundred crossed the railroad forty miles east of Fort Hays in the beginning of the present month, on their way southward. The following is the report above alluded to : CAMP SUPPLY, August 10, 1869. DEAR SIR : I herewith send yon a copy of the minutes in full of the council held to-day with the Arapahoes and Cheyennes. The paper forming the concluding page is deemed of much importance, and if the chief of the Cheyennes has the power to accomplish his pledge, the result will amply repay for the expedition of the committee. Colonel Nelson is to give a small escort, and Medicine Arrow will at once send five of his principal men who will find their way to the northern Cheyennes, and it is hoped bo successful in bringing them to the reservation. At the close of the council the com- mittee distributed one thousand pounds sugar, five hundred pounds coffee, and about one thousand four hundred pounds hard bread, for reasons deemed important. The committee have agreed to recommend earnestly that ration, of coffee and sugar be regularly issued as a part of the ration of these Indians. We are, also, fully im- pressed with the belief that the reservation marked on the maps, as defined by the treaty, is in many respects unfitted for the Cheyennes and Arapahoes. They are will- ing to remain on the North Fork of the Canadian, occupying the country not too far eastward from Camp Supply. It seems to be a good country, capable of cultivation, and we are of the opinion that it would be unwise to force them away from it. Mr. Darlington, their agent, arrived here to-night with the Quaker committee, but we have not seen them ; after an interview in the morning, our committee propose to start for Medicine Bluffs. If it is decided to allow the Indians to remain on the North Fork of the Canadian, the location of the agency should at once be selected and preparations made for the winter. The carrier waits for my letter. Eespectfullv, your obedient servant, FELIX R. BRUNOT, Chairman Special Commission, tell the commissioners that they did not want to Vie understood as promising to make peace with their enemies the Pawnees and Utahs. We have made peace to-day in the pres- ence of the Great Spirit, in the presence of the Great Father's chiefs, in the presence of the soldier chiefs, and of our own soldiers. It will last always. Our young men would like to be glad. Your soldiers have a feast, they would like to eat with them and be glad. 14 EEPOKT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. He asked about their goods when they would come. In reply, he was told the com- missioners would only say their goods were kept away on account of the war. They must expect the Great Father to do right and send some goods as soon as it can be done. He wanted their rations of sugar and coffee to be given, even if bacon, and salt, and corn were taken away. In reply, he was told .we would tell the Great Father what he said. Mr. Bruiiot said : " Do the Cheyennes agree to Little Raven's words ? Does Medicine Arrow agree ? What does Medicine Arrow say?" MEDICINE ARKOW : ; ' His father always loved the white man. He was raised from his childhood to love the white man. He was brought up all his life holding the white man by the hand. But the white man, overrunning his country, made trouble. Only a short time ago, white men at Medicine Bluffs white men took his horses; and only lately, up at the north, the white men had destroyed a village of his people. \But not- withstanding all this, we have made peace this day. Whatever words the Arapaho has said, the Cheyenne takes them for his own. I am chief of all the Cheyennes, but more than half my people are in the north. I think they will all come in, and I will try to get them to come in and be at peace. They will all come some time. When all come, they may want some changes in the reservation. Some of his people were in prison; he wanted us to intercede for them. He also said that now, having made a lasting peace, ho wanted the right to trade for ammunition. They had very little, and they wanted to make their fall hunt soon. The commissioners replied, in regard to the prisoners they had nothing to say, but would carry the words to the Great Father. As to the ammunition, Colonel Nelson said they could not have it. " He (Medicine Arrow) said they were now ready to go with the Arapahoes. They did not come in as soon as the Arapahoes, but as soon as he was sent for he came to Colonel Nelson, and it seemed strange that as soon as the Cheyennes came in the ra- tions were changed. He wanted the commissioners to ask the department to give them coffee and sugar." Mr. Dodge said : " Brother of the Arapaho, and Cheyemies, we, the commissioners from the President, the Great Father, have come this long journey to see you and to let you know that the good white people love the Indians and want to do them good. We have come to see you and take you by the hand and say good words to you. We know there are some bad white men who have come among you and have cheated you and made you think the white man is your enemy. We want you to look at your present position and see that the white man is inclosing and surrounding you, and that rail- roads will be built through the country and will soon drive away the buffalo, and soon you will have nothing to depend on. We want you now to decide to settle down in one place, and each to select your home, cultivate the land, and learn to support your- selves, and become part of the American people, and children of the Great Father. There are a great many people east who love the Indians and want to do them good. They wish to save the Indian from ruin. They remember that many moons ago the red man lived where the white man now lives, but they are gone. The great tribes called the Narragansetts, Mohicans, Mohawks, Stockbridges, the Delawares, the Octei- das, Senecas, and Tuscaroras have passed away before the white man, while the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Creeks, who have gone on reservations, have lived and prospered. Now we want you to begin to live like the white men. Cultivate your laud, and we will send good men to teach your children to work, to read and write ; and then they will grow up able to support themselves after the buffalo has gone. You must not drink whisky if you want to do well. We are glad to see you here to- day, and hope all will be peace." Mr. Bruuot said that hereafter tKe Cheyennes and Arapahoes must not regard the stories of bad white men, who come to them with evil reports. They must go to Colonel Nelson, or the commander of the post, or their agent, and they will always tell them the truth. The commissioners invited Colonel Nelson to speak if he desired to do so. Little Raven then said his young men wanted to go against their enemies, the Utes, in a few days. Would Colonel Nelson give them a paper, so that when their young men went to war against their enemies they could show it, so as not to get into trouble with the whites. Colonel Nelson replied, that they must be at peace with all men while they were under the United States protection ; the United States will not allow them to go to war with any one, and will not allow any one to molest them. Medicine Arrow spoke : " It is a poor rule that will not work both ways. W T hy do your soldiers fight our Cheyenues in the north ? " Colonel Nelson said : " Because they fight our soldiers. If they will submit, as you have done, our soldiers will not fight them." Medicine Arrow said : " If the Washington Father's commissioners will promise pro- tection and peace to them, I will bring all the northern Cheyennes to this place to give themselves up to the United States authorities, with the lodges, women and children." REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 15 Whereupon the commissioners immediately assented to the proposal, and the follow- i u K paper was at once drawn up and signed, and a copy given to Medicine Arrow : "CAMP SUPPLY, August 10, 1869. " Whereas, Medicine Arrow, chief of the Cheyennes, has, in the presence of the com- mittee of United States special Indian commission, Colonel Nelson, and the officers of the garrison, and of all the chiefs of the southern Cheyennes and Arapahoes, pledged himself that if the commissioners would promise protection and peace to them he will bnng all the northern Cheyennes to this place to give themselves up to the United States authorities forthwith, with their lodges, women, and children : Now, therefore, the undersigned, commissioners and officers in behalf of the United States, promise the said north Cheyeuues the protection of the United States upon the Arapaho and Cheyenne reservation, as soon as they shall comply with the said pledge and place themselves under the protection of the United States. "FELIX R. BRUNOT, "NATHAN BISHOP, WM. E. DODGE, "Commissioners. "A. D. NELSON, " Brevet Colonel United States Army." From information received at Camp Supply, the committee deemed it important that the issue of coffee and sugar, as a part of the Indian ration, should be resumed, and advised the department accordingly by letter, August 10. The very low estimate they placed on the corn ration seemed to make it expedient that flour, rice, or soap should be substi- tuted in its stead. In the same communication the belief was expressed that " the reser- vation marked upon the map as being that defined in the treaty is in many respects unfit for the Cheyennes and Arapahoes. They are will- ing to remain upon the North Fork of the Canadian Eiver, eastward of Camp Supply. This seems to be a good country, capable of cultivation, and we are of the opinion that it would be unwise to attempt to force them from it." It is proper here to give some reasons for this con- clusion. The history of these Indians, since first brought into treaty stipula- tions with the United States, is one of almost unmitigated wrongs en- dured. In peace, they have been the frequent victims of murderers and marauders, and the constant prey of traders and agents. In war, their own barbarities have, on some occasions, been more than emulated by their white enemies. The simple narration of their story would compel, from mere feelings of commiseration, the most generous treatment on the part of the government, and it would be seen that no amount of generositj' now practicable would be sufficient to make just amends for the past. We do not propose to tell the story further than is involved in a mere -busi- ness statement of the land transactions between the parties. In 1851, September 17, a treaty was concluded which, while it did not deprive the Indians of the right of transit and hunting over any other land claimed by them, confirmed their title to the country within the following boundaries, viz : "Commencing at the Eed Buttes where the road leaves the North Fork of the Platte Eiver; thence up the North Fork of the Platte River to its source ; thence along the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains to the head waters of the Arkansas River ; thence down the Arkansas River to the crossing of the Santa Fe road ; thence in a northwesterly direction to the Forks of the Platte River ; thence up the Platte River to the place of beginning." Within these lines is in- cluded the largest and most valuable part of Colorado, a portion of Da- kota and Nebraska, and the western part of Kansas, equal in all to about one hundred thousand square miles. In consideration of their abandon- ment of all title to other lands, except their hunting, fishing, and transit 16 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. rights, and consent given to the United States to establish roads and military posts, the United States bound themselves "to protect the aforesaid Indian nations against the commission of all depredations by the people of the United States after the ratification of this treaty.'" They also farther agreed to pay to the Arapahoes and Cheyennes the sum of fifty thousand dollars per annum for the term of fifty years. After the Indians had signed the treaty, the United States Senate reduced the term for which the payment was to be made from fifty to ten years. To this change the Indians never gave their assent ; never- theless, with the change, the treaty was proclaimed and assumed to be operative by both parties. No one has ever pretended to aver that the Indians broke the treaty, nor, on the other hand, do we find any thing on record to show that the United States ever seriously attempted to com- ply with their agreement to protect said Indians against the commission of "all depredations by the people of the United States." The wonder- ful influx of population into Colorado, and the subsequent events, indi- cates the extent of protection afforded. The white man, in his greed for gain, robbed them of their homes and hunting grounds, and when he dared to complain, found justification only in the heartless and brutal maxim that "the Indian has no rights which the white man is bound to respect," a sentiment in which the government quietly acquiesced." In 1861, the United States having utterly failed to carry into effect the stipulations of the existing treaty, the Indians were induced, on the 18th of February, to make another, which designated their lands as fol- lows, viz: "Beginning at the mouth of the Sandy Fork of the Arkan- sas River, and extending westwardly along said river to the mouth of Purgatory River; thence along up the west bank of Purgatory River to the northern boundary of the Territory of New Mexico ; thence west along said boundary to a point where a line drawn due south from a point on the Arkansas River, five miles east of the Huerfano River, would intersect said northern boundary of New Mexico ; thence due north from that point on said boundary to the Sandy Fork at the place of beginning." It will be seen that by the new treaty the Indians yielded their right to the immense territory before confirmed to them, and accepted a com- paratively small district in the southern part of Colorado. In lieu of the lands conceded, the United States agreed to pay the two tribes $60,000 per annum for fifteen years, and to break up and feuce'lands, build houses for the chiefs, stock the farms with horses, cattle, &c., and supply agricultural implements, erect mills, and maintain engineers, millers, farmers and mechanics among them, and to protect them "in the quiet and peaceable possession " of their reservation. The savages, it is alleged, maintained inviolate their part of this treaty also, and in 1864 the government had commenced some of the permanent improvements promised. In April of that year, an officer of the United States, in command of forty men, attempted to disarm a party of Cheyennes, supposed to have stolen horses, and whom he had "invited forward to talk with him." (See report of peace commission.) This naturally brought on a fight between the parties. The small por- tion of Colorado still occupied by the Indians was too much for the cu- pidity of the inhabitants of the Territory, and they seized with avidity upon the pretext of this affair to set about their expulsion or extermi- nation. For the honor of humanity, it would be well could the record of their deeds in this behalf be blotted out. The entire history of In- dian warfare furnishes no more black and damning episode than the massacre of Sand Creek. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 17 After the expenditure of 30,000,000 in the prosecution of a war which, in the language of the late peace commission, was "dishonora- ble to the nation, and disgraceful to those who originated it," a treaty of peace was concluded at the camp on the Little Arkansas, October 14, 1865. This treaty deprived them of the remainder of their Colorado posses- sions, and designated for their occupancy a district of country bounded as follows, viz: "Commencing at the mouth of Eed Creek, or the Eed Fork of the Arkansas River ; thence up said creek or fork to its source ; thence westwardly to a point on the Cimarron River, opposite the mouth of Buifalo Creek; thence due north to the Arkansas; thence down the same to the beginning, shall be, and is hereby, set apart for the absolute use and undisturbed occupation of the tribes who are parties to this treaty.'' The United States also stipulated to expend annually, for the benefit of the Indians during forty years, a sum equal to $40 per capita ; and until removed to their new home, they were " expressly permitted to reside upon and range at pleasure throughout the unsettled portions of the country they claim as originally theirs, between the Arkansas and Platte Rivers." Article IX provided for the payment of all arrears accrued under former treaties. When the treaty went before the Senate for ratification, that body altered Article IX to read, "upon the ratifi- cation of this treaty all former treaties are hereby abrogated," and added further a proviso, that "no part of the reservation shall be within the State of Kansas," or upon "any reserve belonging to any other' Indian tribe or tribes, without their consent." The largest and best part of the reservation was " within the limits of Kansas," and the remainder within the reserve long before granted, and " belonging to" the Cherokees. Thus, by the process of two treaties, between the civ- ilized and the savage, the strong and the weak, the Arapahoes and Cheyenues were stripped of their magnificent possessions, larger than the States of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, and left with- out a foot of land they could call their home. They had still left to them the hunting and "roaming" privilege, between the Arkansas and the Platte Rivers. The sequel shows that even that was considered too 1 much for them. The breaking out of the Sioux war of 1866 in Minnesota was made the occasion tor suspicion that the Cheyennes and Arapahoes intended war also, and that suspicion was made the opportunity for driving them from their hunting grounds, where their presence was supposed to be "calcu- lated to bring about collisions with the whites." For the details of the origin of the war, and the manner in which ft was conducted, we respectfully refer to the report of the peace com- mission in January, 1868. On the 28th of October, 1867, the treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek was concluded by the peace commission, and is now in force. It designated the reservation by the following boundaries, viz : "Commencing at a point w r here the Arkansas River crosses the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude ; thence west on said parallel the said line being the southern boundary of Kansas to Cimarron River (sometimes called the Red Fork of the Arkansas River;) thence .down said Cimarron River ia the middle of the main channel thereof to the place of beginning." The country within these limits contains but little arable land, so almost destitute of timber, and has very little permanent fresh water. The numerous small streams of the map, it is said, are mostly either salt or such as usually dry up in the summer season. On the east it is joined by the Osages, the hereditary enemies of the Cheyennes, and the Ioc3- 2 18 REPOKT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. tion chosen for the agency is so near Kansas on the north as to render too easy the predatory excursions of both Indians and white men over their respective borders. The Indians themselves also urge these ob- jections to the reservation, and claim that they supposed when they signed the treaty, that their country extended to the main Canadian, and consequently included the North Fork. When they arrived at this point as the officers supposed on their way to the reservation they refused to go further, saying this river was on their reservation. Little Raven and Medicine Arrow, the chiefs, both assert that they never, until it was made known to them during the present summer, under- stood rightly the real bounds of their reservation. The mistake seems to have originated in the different names given to the streams by the whites and Indians respectively. The latter call the Canadian " Red Fork," or "Bed River," and were misled in the confusion of names, or the defect of interpretation. (See Appendix B.) To attempt to force the Indians to the reservation will, in all probability, result in driving them back to the plains again, while, on the other hand, consent to their occupancy of the banks of the Canadian will, we believe, greatly con- tribute to the perpetuation of peace and the success of the proposed measures for their civilization. The general provisions of the treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek give evidence of a wise and generous solicitude on the part of its framers to protect the Indians and secure their advancement in civilization, as well as to provide the means for their subsistence during the process, and it is important for economic reasons, in addition to those of justice and humanity, that the expenditures shall be made in a country which will give the best promise of a successful result. We earnestly recommend, therefore, that Congress be asked early in the coming session for such legislation as may be necessary to secure the permanent settlement of the Arapahoes and Cheyennes upon the North Canadian River. The agency and fort should be located some fifty or sixty miles further down the North Fork than Camp Supply. There are several points in that vicinity which we visited and think well suited to the purpose, and in making the selection some reference should be had to the conveuience of a road, via the new fort, from Fort Harker to Fort Hill. We suggest, also, for the consideration of your department, that the actual ownership of very large districts of country by the Indians is not expedient, and if, as is probable, the Arapahoes and Cheyennes are disposed to cede their right to their present reserva- tian in exchange for the country they desire to have, such an arrange- ment should be made. The country ceded will form a useful barrier to the nearer approach of the white settlers, and possibly some portion of it may hereafter be found suitable for the occupation of a smaller tribe. While the history of the Cheyenne treaties must convince every one interested in the subject that the United States, by their own acts, owe to these Indians at least the degree of justice we have recommended, it also forcibly illustrates the injudiciousness and iniquity of the treaty system as heretofore practiced. In its notable features it does not differ materially from the history of other tribes. The United States first cre- ates the fiction that a few thousand savages stand in the position of equality as to capacity, power, and right of negotiation with a great civilized nation. They next proceed to impress upon the savages, with all the forms of treaty and the solemnity of parchment, signatures, and seals, the preposterous idea that they are the owners in fee of the fabu- lous tracts of country over which their nomadic habits have led them or their ancestors to roam. The title being thus settled, they purchase REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 19 and promise payment for a portion of territory, and further bind them selves in the most solemn manner to protect and defend the Indians in the possession of some immense remainder defined by boundaries in the treaty; thus becoming, as it were, particeps criminis with the savages in resisting the "encroachments" of civilization and the progressive move- ment of the age. Having entered into this last-named impracticable obligation, the fact of its non-performance becomes the occasion of dis- graceful and expensive war to subdue their victims to the point of sub mission to another treaty. And so the tragedy of war and the farce of treaty have been enacted again and again, each time with increasing shame to the nation. The Indians at Camp Supply seem to be well disposed. The chiefs understand the situation, and will endeavor to keep their young men in the right path. Deprived of their accustomed mode of living by the chase, they are dependent upon the government for their daily subsist- ence; and unless the pangs of starvation shall at some time drive them to madness, it is believed that they will, if permitted to do so, remain permanently at peace. To suppose that there are not horse thieves, rioters, and murderers among them, who will with occasion ply their vocation, would be to count upon a degree of virtue hardly to be found in an equal number of white men taken indiscriminately anywhere on the border. There are also among the Indians, as among the whites, those who will desire and endeavor to bring on war; but it is confidently hoped that the time is gone by when the acts of a few individuals, however heinous they may be, could be deemed to warrant the involvement of the nation in a costly and dishonorable war. At Camp Supply the com- mittee had the pleasure to meet w r ith John Butler and Achilles Pugh, who had been sent out by the Society of Friends to visit the agents lately appointed from their body. They were also present at the coun- cil we held at Medicine Bluff. They corroborate our favorable opinion of the operation of the new policy. Leaving Camp Supply on the morning of the llth, we arrived at Medi- cine Bluff, or Fort Sill, 205 miles distant, on the 19th instant. The country through which we passed, with the exception of sixty-five miles along the North Fork of the Canadian, twenty miles at the end of the journey, and a small district near Fort Cobb, is of the same general character as that north of Camp Supply, viz., extensive plains and roll- ing or broken prairies, chiefly covered with buffalo grass and quite des- titute of timber, save where occasional streams are scantily margined with scrubby trees. There is nothing to invite settlement, and, except in small isolated patches on some of the lesser streams, nothing which promises the possibility of successful cultivation. The larger streams are usually margined for a width of several miles by sand hills. We are informed that the character of the country lying west of our route is still more barren, and this feature we deem to be an important advan- tage to the Indian occupation of the other parts of the territory, as pre- cluding the probability that it will ever become a thoroughfare for the white people to reach regions beyond. The country around Fort Sill is beautiful ; well watered and covered with luxuriant vegetation, and the timber along the streams is more abundant and of a better quality than we saw anywhere else on our route in the territory. In salubrity the region compares favorably with most other parts of the western country. The location of the new fort, the erection of which has been commenced, is believed to be the best possible selection, and there are points in the vicinity equally well adapted for the agency. (See Appendix B.) An 20 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. agency building and store-house have already been erected on a farm near the fort. About seventy acres of corn had been planted, which produced an abundant crop, and fifteen hundred acres of ground have been broken up in different parts of the reservation, which it is pro- posed to plant during the fall and coming spring. None of the promised houses have yet been erected for the Indian chiefs. The tribes belonging to the agency are the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Wichita, Waco, Towacaroe, Keechi, Caddo, and Anadaghco. The Kiowas, Coinancbes, and Apaches are confederated, and the others named are remnants of tribes affiliated with the Wichitas. The camp of the Kiowas and Comanches is at Cache Creek, some fif- teen mile's from the agency. The Wichitas and others are located about thirty miles distant, where they are cultivating small patches, of corn and " trying to walk in the white man's road." We were informed that several of the Kiowa and Comauche chiefs also had raised creditable patches of corn. One of the latter applied to the commissioners for the premium promised by the government for the best crop. Such premiums are provided for in their treaty, and can only effect their intended pur- pose if paid promptly when earned. The best crop was raised by a Comanche chief, who it is said had never been at a fort or Indian agency until last spring. The agent, Laurie Taturn, seems to be gaining the confidence of the Indians, and bids fail' by his energy and honest spirit to demonstrate the wisdom of the so-called Quaker policy. He is himself hopeful in regard to the future of Indians. On Friday, August 20, notice having been given to the chiefs by Agent Tatum, we met them in council at the agency. The principal chiefs present were, of the Kiowas, Santanta, (or White Bear;) Ta-ne-on-koe, (Kicking Bird;) To-han-san, (Little Mountain;) Cor-pe-ah, (Raven Lance;) Sy-tem-year, (Stumbling Bear;) Mah-yet- tem, (Woman's Heart;) Al-koe, (Timbered Mountain.) Comanches, of the Pe-ua-teth-ca or Honey-eater band, Es-sa-hab-et, (Milky way ;) Es- sa-too-yet, or Grey Leggins ; Yam-hi-re-coe, or Root digger band ; Boo- e-wa-too-yah, (Iron Mountain ;) Tip-pe-nah-bor, (Painted Lips ;) Hoe- we-oh, (Gap in the woods;) No-co-nie, or Wanderer band; To-ha-yer- qua-hip, (Horse back;) Que-na-hea-vey, (The Eagle;) Co-o-cho-teth-ca, or Buffalo-eater band ; Mow-way, (Shaking Head;) Pat-ro-o-kome, (He Bear;) Fitch-ah-ku-na, or Lewet band ; Kut-squi-ip, (Chewer.) Wacoes, Auch-tay-tu-dus, (Buffalo good,) chief. Wichitas, E-sad-a-wa, (Stingy,) chief. Dewe, chief of the Tawacarroes, and the second chief of the Wichitas and others. An account of the council, and the speeches of the chiefs was transmitted to General Parker on the 21st, as follows : FORT SILL, I. T., August 21, 1869. DEAR SIR : In behalf of the committee of the United States special commission now visiting the Indian Territory, I wrote to you from Camp Supply, on 10th instant, inclosing minutes of the council held with the Arapahoes and Cheyennes, recommend- ing the issue of coffee and sugar rations to be resumed, and, in reply to your letter of July, expressing the committee's approval of your change in the articles proposed to be purchased for the Arapahoes and Cheyennes. The committee reached this place on the morning of the 19th, and on the evening of the 20th held council with the Comanches, Kiowas, Apaches, Wichitas, Wacoes, Cad- does, and Tawacarroes, who were represented by their principal chiefs. A brief of the conference will be prepared by Mr. Findlay. secretary, and forwarded with this letter. The committee instructs me to urge upon the department the importance of imme- diately resuming the issue of coffee and sugar rations to these Indians. This part of the ration is more highly valued by them than anything else, and will be more effect- ive in holding them here in peace than any other measure which the government can adopt. EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 21 There is much reason to believe that the Kiowas and Comanches, in part, will again go to the plains if this measure is not adopted at an early day, and that the sugar and coftee will certainly hold them. The committee also approve fully of the change of blankets and the drillings in the proposed purchases, in lieu of stockings, &c., the lat- ter article being utterly useless to the Indian at present. We also recommend that for a part of the coats, and all the pants proposed to be pur- chased, there should be substituted a good article of saved list cloth for leggins, (blue- fast colors.) and some cooking utensils, such as wrought-iron frying pans, iron-tinned oups, Dutch ovens, or skillets, kettles, &c. We cannot too strongly urge the early purchase and shipment of the goods for these Indians at the earliest possible day, and also, that a special agent should be sent in charge, and the transportation from the railroad secured through the army Quarter- master's Department, and not by the ox train as heretofore. The corn meal rations is entirely xiseless to the Indians and ought to be discon- tinued, even if a good article could be had; they care nothing for it. As it is, they either throw it away, feed it to their ponies, or return it to the contractors for a trifle, to be re-supplied to the government and again issued, &c. Respectfully commending these subjects to your earnest and immediate attention, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, FELIX R. BRUNOT, Chairman. Hon E. S. PARKER, Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Report of a talk at the Kiowa and Comanche agency near Fort Sill, Indian Territory, be- tween the committee of United States special Indian commission and the chiefs and headmen of the Kioivas, Comanclies. Apaches, Wichitas, Wacos, and other small hands, August 20, 1869, in presence of Major General Grierson, commanding at Foi't Sill, and L. Tatum, esq., United States Indian agent. General Grierson introduced the commissioners by informing the assembled chiefs and hea>dmen, that these were the commissioners from Washington, for whose coming they had been anxiously looking. They were men specially selected by the President to visit them and make him a report of the true condition of things among them. He had sent these gentlemen, because he could rely on them, and on the report they would make. They had not come for money, which they did not need, but had come to try to benefit their own people and to do good to the Indians. He advised the Indians to listen well to what the commissioners would say to them, and assured them that the commissioners would faithfully report to the President what they (the Indians) should say. Mr. Brunot, as chairman of the committee, then stated that when the white peo- ple held a great council they always asked the great God and creator of all men to give them wisdom, and incline their hearts to speak the truth. Mr. Dodge then, opened the council with a short prayer, the chiefs rising and standing respectfully. Mr. BRUNOT then said that the commissioners had been sent by the great father at Washington to inquire into the condition of things in the Indian country, and to hear what the Indiaus had to say, and report all they could learn to the Great Father, in order that he might know what was best to be done for the benefit of both whites and Indians. He iirged strongly on the Indians the necessity of their remaining at peace and submitting quietly to the authority of the United States government, and of rely- ing on its good faith and kind intentions toward them, and exhorted the Indians to abandon their wandering and savage habits and learn to live like civilized people, as- suring them that the government would assist them in doing this, by aiding them in making houses and fields, planting crops, establishing schools for the training of their children, and would feed them as it was now doing, until they should have time to be able to support themselves, and would also give them clothing and goods, while they continued in the white man's road. He then invited the Indians to speak and said the commissioners would carry their words to the Great Father. ESSE-HA-HABIT, of the Pen-e-lath-cah band of Comanches, first spoke. He said : " To day my heart feels glad. I have long heard of your coming, and to-day I see you and hear your words, and hope now all will be straight. I am not an old man, but in the prime of life. I suppose you are great captains, and what you say is good. I want to walk according to your advice. I have been working with General Grierson and our agent trying to do what is good for my people. You can see now how we live, also the Wichitas and Caddoes, and can see that we are some way on the white man's road. But though I have been walking on this road some years I have not seen a house on it yet, though we were promised that some should be built for us; we are trying to do what we were told to do, but the promises made to us have not been fulfilled. Ithiuk those who promise and do not fulfill their promises are not much captains. Thero are 22 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. some white men who have lived among us for a long while and been of benefit to us ; we are desirous that they should continue with us. SAN-TAN-TA, Kio\va Chief, said : " To-day we meet the commissioners from Washing- ton, and our hearts are glad; all our women and children rejoiced when they knew you had come. We have heard your words to-day, and are glad of them. We have tried the white man's road and found it hard ; we iind nothing on it but a little corn, which hurts our teeth; no sugar; no coffee. But we want to walk in the white man's road. We want to have guns, breech-loading carbines, ammunition and caps. These are part of the white man's road, and yet you want us to go back to making arrow- heads, which are used only by bad, foolish Indians, and have always been a mark of what was barbarous and evil. We want to have civilized weapons to hunt with. You want us to go back to the savage ones. There are five tribes that we consider our brothers, the Comanches, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Wichitas, and Caddoes. All this country always belonged to us, all the way to the Arkansas, with all that is on it. But the white people have undertaken to divide it out to suit themselves. For some years, (it seems to me,) the great business of the whites has been to divide and appor- tion lands. I do not know that my heart feels good about this business. You say you come to do us good, and that the United States government wants to do us good. I hope this is so, and that they will show their liberality by paying us well for the land they have taken. As to the land that is left, (this reservation,) we love it and all the hills, woods and streams on it, and will never part with any of it. I have said this, not because I am angry, but because I wanted to tell you truly what is in my mind. " Last winter, Lone Wolf and 1 were arrested by General Sheridan and kept prison- ers. We were released and thought we should have some compensation, but have got nothing. Others of our people were carried far away, as prisoners. They are released now, but are very poor, and received no compensation. " The commissioners who made the treaty at Medicine Bluffs, proved that they came from Washington, and were chiefs, by giving us presents. I hope you will give us the same evidence that you are chiefs." BUFFALO GOOD, Waco chief, said : " I am glad to see my brothers. The Washing- ton has sent you a long way to see the red men. The Good Spirit is looking into our hearts, and I hope you will do what you say. You can see how poor the Indians are ; many chiefs have come from Washington, but we are all poorer now than when we first saw them. When my people first made peace with the whites, we lived in Texas, and had a reservation on the Brazos. Then the agents and those who had business with us were Texas people, and all their promises were kept ; since we left there we have been badly treated. We have been 011 the white mau's road a long while ; have always been friendly, and willing to listen to what you say to us. At first, the agents kept their promises to us, but they grew worse and worse, till we believe now they tell us nothing but lies. Our first agent (Major Neighbors) was the best one we ever had. All the land around here belonged to us ; our fathers lived and died here. Right where this house stands, some of our chiefs are buried. This is truth. The Great Spirit knows what I say, and would bring some judgment on me if I spoke falsely, as he did on one of our agents, who told so many lies. We have a good country, and get poor on it. When the Good Spirit gave us the country, he gave us corn the same as he did to tlie white man, but the white man seems to have more sense to make more out of the laud j but we have always planted and raised corn, and will continue to do so. " When we first made a treaty we were promised help to live like white people, to have houses built for us, schools for our children, &c., but we have not got any of them. I want to see some of them. When we ask our agent for anything he says he has no money. We get nothing but promises. During the war we had to go to Kansas ; an agent was sent to us there ; when we asked anything, he said he would write to Wash- ington, and that was all we ever got from him. They have taken the traders away from us, so we cannot buy anything. What have I or my people ever done that we should be treated in this way ? And you have taken away the ration of beef, as well as the sugar and coffee. You ask the Kiowas and others to settle down, but they will not do it on the ration you give them. Not long ago I asked Superintendent Hoag why something was not done for the Wichitas and Caddoes. He said these commis- sioners were coming from Washington, who would fix all these things. Now you are come it will be a good time to settle all about the ration, and the annuity goods which have been promised a long time, but have not come yet. These white men (interpre- ters) have been with us a long time and know these things are true. When we were moved out of Texas we were promised pay for our improvements and stock that was lost, but have never got anything. " I have said a great deal because you asked us to say what we had to say. You told us in the beginning what you would do ; I hope you will do it ; I had rather you had promised nothing than for you to promise and not perform." MAN-O-WA, chief of the Co-cha-tin-ka, or Buffalo band of Comanches, one of the EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 23 prisoners taken at Santa F6, and lately set at liberty at Fort Leaven worth, said : " There are a great many braves and chiefs, both Indians and whites ; they are all trying to find one good road; I hope you will succeed. My heart is like a woman's heart. I have little to say. My brother Esse-hah-bit has spoken for ns. I hope the houses will be built for him and for us. The country left is not large, but I know it is all we can get. We want to follow Esse-hah-bit's track, and do as he does, and we are ready to listen to General Grierson and the white chiefs, and do what they say." Mr. DODGE said : " We have come a great way from the east to see you. We are not Indian agents; we live at home and have our own business, but the Great Father sent us to see you. We have not come to make treaties, or to make presents. But the Great Father has heard many stories. There are good Indians and bad ones, good whites and bad ones. We are come to hear what you have to say, and will report it to the Great Father. He and all the good whites want the Indians to do well and to come and live here on their reservations, and they will be protected ; but if the young men wander oft' and go on the war path into Texas or elsewhere they must be punished. The Great Father does not want to give you guns or powder, but wants you to have clothing, food, and farming implements, and help you to raise corn and support your- selves. He will be careful to send you good agents hereafter, who will give you all that is promised. We promise you nothing; we did not come to give you anything, but will carry all your words to the Great Father. He wants you to cultivate your lands, and become a part of this great nation. I advise you not to drink whisky ; it has been the ruin of all the Indians who indulge in it, and will be yours if you do not keep away from it." Mr. BISHOP said: "When the Indians meet white chief in council they always like something good to eat and drink ; therefore we are going to give you some sugar and coffee, which you will get to-morrow when yon draw your rations. This is given you by the commissioners and is not part of your regular ration. When we go to Wash- ington we will ask that sugar and coffee be sent you for yonr rations every day. We do not promise you that it will be done, but we will ask for it." Mr. BRUNOT : " There is one thing I am afraid the chiefs do not understand : Wash- ington is very strong and has many soldiers. He wants you all to stay on your reser- vation, and if your young men will go into Texas or Kansas, he will send soldiers after them, and they will be killed. We are your friends and don't Avant this to happen. Some of the Cheyemies have been behaving badly, and some of them have been killed. Their chief has sent for them to come in and stay on their reservation where they will have peace, and we want you to keep on your reservation, and not leave it without permission from our authorities." Mr. DODGE said : " Mr. Tatum, your agent, has left his family and home to do you good. He is a good man, and we advise you to listen to him. He will tell you the truth and will not bring whisky into your country. Bad white men have given whisky to all the tribes in the east and they have all perished from it ; it is bad ; keep it away from you." Some remarks were made by Mr. Tatum, the agent, and by Mr. Pugh, of the Society of Friends, after which the council broke up. CHAS. FINDLAY, Secretary to Committee. It will be seen from the speeches that they are desirous to live in houses and have farms like white men. It is of the greatest import- ance, and we respectfully urge that houses should promptly be erected for Esee-hah-bit, Mow-wa, and other influential chiefs who have given proofs of their honesty of purpose, so that their example may induce others. To the Wichitas the promise of aid in the direction of civilization is an old story, and their past history is one which might well paralyze hope in stronger minds than theirs. They are not named in the Medicine Lodge Creek treaty, and, in consequence of the omission, are here, as they seem to think, on sufferance. Their ancestors inhabited the Wi- chita Mountains, where from time immemorial they were tillers of the soil, as well as hunters and warriors, and around which they claimed dominion over a large district of country. When visited by an officer of the United States in 1834 they were living in thatched huts, culti- vating corn, beans, melons, pumpkins, &c., and exchanging the prod- ucts of their prolific laud, and bows and arrows which they manufac- tured, with the Indians of the plains for mules, horses, and buffalo robes. 24 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. They subsequently removed their village to Bush Creek. When the government sent a party of engineers to mark the ninety-eighth paral- lel, the western boundary of the country given to the Chickasaws, the Wichitas were assured that the Great Father at Washington would pay them for the land he needed, and give them a home and take care of them; whereupon they guided and guarded the party with great kindness. The result disclosed the fact that their village was in the Chickasaw country. Soon after, their chiefs were induced by the United States officers at Fort Arbuckle to visit the Comanches on the plains to solicit the restoration of stolen stock, and to invite them to a peace council to be held with the officers at the Wichita village. The chiefs were successful in their mission ; and when a band of six hundred Co- manches reached the neighborhood of the village, they were surprised at daybreak by Major Van Dorn, with six companies of cavalry, many of them killed, and all their property taken or destroyed. Major Yau Dorn, it is said, had not been apprised of the arrangement. To escape the vengeance of the Comanches for their supposed treachery, the un- fortunate Wichitas fled from their homes and became wanderers. In 1854 General (then Captain) K. B. Marcy, with Major Neighbours, a special agent of the government, was sent to the Wichitas with the promise of a permanent home. They were also promised schools, in- struction in agriculture, implements, &c., and subsistence until they had become able to subsist themselves. They were accordingly settled on the Brazos Eiver. From thence they were again driven by the Tex- ans, and took refuge in the neighborhood of Fort Arbuckle and old Fort Cobb, where the beginning of the rebellion found them. True to the United States, they once more abandoned their homes, following the troops north into Kansas. After the war was ended, greatly re- duced in numbers by starvation and disease, they returned to the vicin- ity of their old home, Kush Creek. The treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek has given that home and the surrounding country the bones of their fathers and the bread of their children to others. With such experiences in the past, the Wichitas and affiliated bands are greatly disheartened and naturally incredulous as to the good inten- tions of the government toward them. They are nevertheless submis- sive and patient. They wish only to live in peace, and be permitted to own the ground they cultivate and occupy. It is believed that an arrangement can readily be made with the Kiowas, Comanches, and Apaches, by which the district the Wichitas occupy may be secured to them; and we recommend that immediate measures be taken to that end. There should be no delay in erecting the long-promised school-house, which is so earnestly desired by them, and in other ways redeeming the broken pledges of the government. We have been informed that the Wichitas claim a money compensa- tion for the extensive country said to have been owned by them and never ceded, and that the prosecution of their claim is in the hands of parties residing in Washington and elsewhere. However large a sum might be allowed, there is reason to believe 'but little benefit would accrue to the Indians. Assuming, as we do, that the proper relation between the government and the uncivilized Indian is that of guardian and ward, the government is the only proper custodian of the funds due or belonging to them. Whatever may be allowed to the Wichitas should be invested or held by the government for their proper education and maintenance. The present relative position of the Wichitas and the Kiowas and Cornaiiches suggests an evil demoralizing to both, which should at once REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 25 be corrected. The former being patient and obedient, are neglected and poor, and their lands are taken from them ; the latter being wild and troublesome, are made the recipients of the lands. It is rewarding evil and punishing good. The one lives under a sense of the injustice; the other is taught to think war profitable. In dealing both with the tribes and with individuals special pains should be taken to reverse this treatment. From Fort Sill the Committee recommended changes in the Indian ration, as at Camp Supply, and that the transportation of Indian goods be done by the Quartermaster's Department of the army, as tending to secure greater promptness and safety. Until the Indians are fairly settled in their reservations, and have been led to understand and believe in the good intentions of the United States, and that the vacillating policy, which has heretofore excited their contempt, is permanently abandoned, it is important that they should have before their eyes the evidence of the power of the government. Although the probabilities are now that they will remain in peace on the reservation, they are yet in a comparatively unsettled state, and are naturally impulsive and easily excited. There are and will be, necessarily, real or imaginary causes of discontent, such as the refusal of ammunition, impatience with government delays, the punishment of individual trangressors, &c., which the restless or bad spirits among them will greatly exaggerate for the purpose of inducing large bands to go to the plains or upon raiding expeditions. The presence of an adequate military force will greatly strengthen the peace and submissiou party, and prevent any serious outbreak on, or exodus from, the reservation. For these reasons we recommend that the military force should be increased at both reserva- tions, but especially at Fort Sill. In view of the location of the new mili- tary post and agency for the Cheyeimes and Arapahoes on the North Fork of the Canadian, and the opening of a new road, via that point, from Fort Harker to Fort Sill, the committee are of the opinion that Fort Dodge should be abandoned. It is probable that there are several more posts upon the railway which are no longer useful. The policy of concentra- ting the military force upon the reservations, and maintaining a more efficient surveillance, would probably be found better than to distribute them at so many, points as now. The necessity of the presence of troops among the Indians is greatly to be regretted, as presenting one of the most serious obstacles in the way of their elevation. The evil cannot be cured, but may be greatly palliated by the enforcement of such regu- lations as will secure, as nearly as possible, absolute non-intercourse between Indians and soldiers. The personal and moral character of the officers, it is hoped, will continue to be an important consideration in selecting those who shall be located in the Indian country. In locating agencies they should be not less than eight or ten miles distant from the fort. In employing farmers, mechanics, engineers, &c., and in the licensing of traders, the selection should be made as far as possible from married men, who will be accompanied by their families, and they should be in all cases persons of good moral, religious charac- ter. The regulation of trade with the uncivilized Indians is a subject need- ing attention, and is surrounded with difficulties. The success of the Hudson's Bay Company in retaining friendly relations and the confidence of the Indians, was in a great degree due to the fact that the articles allowed to be furnished by the traders, as well as their quality and price, were strictly defined, and were permitted to be exchanged only for peltries. (See Appendix C.) The United States government stands to their incompetent wards in 26 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. the relation of parents or guardians to minors, and should protect them against the trade which tempts them, with trinkets and sweetmeats, to part with the clothing, blankets, subsistence, or implements given to them. How far the purchase of mules and horses from the Indians should be permitted, or whether it should be prohibited strictly, is a question of importance. To furnish a market for them upon the reser- vation would certainly seem to encourage raids for their acquisition. The paramount importance of the enforcement of the laws against the introduction of spirituous liquors, need hardly be urged by the commit- tee. (See Appendix D.) The eiforts of Brevet Major General Grierson, commanding Fort Sill, and of Colonel Nelson, at Camp Supply, in this direction, challenge our commendation. The Indians need to be managed in. a kindly and benevolent spirit, yet with firmness and without fear. They should be allowed to gain nothing by threatening or bad conduct, and much by submission. Every treaty obligation of the government should be observed to the letter, and they should be taught that like good faith on their part will be expected and enforced. Patience and moderation are eminently neces- sary for their successful control. Brevet Major General Hazen, who had charge of the Kiowas and Comauches under the orders of the War Department, managed the affairs of the agency wisely, and it is hoped that his successor will be fur- nished with whatever funds may be necessary to carry on his judicious plans for their benefit. The military command of the reservation has been held by Brevet Major General B. H. Grierson. The efficient and discreet manner in which he has performed important duty in collecting and controlling the Indians, and our conviction that he is peculiarly adapted to this command, leads us to express the hope that he will be retained in it. The militarv headquarters should continue at Fort Sill. The plan of collecting these Indian tribes into the Indian territory with a view to civilize, educate, christianize, and elevate them to the privileges of citizenship, meets our hearty approval. The location of both reservations is in several particulars the very best that could be found. We look forward to success in the effort to civilize the nomadic tribes with confidence, notwithstanding the many difficulties and obsta- cles which interpose; but their elevation can only be the result of patient, persevering, and long continued effort. To expect the civiliza- tion and christianization of any barbarous people within the term of a few short years, would be to ignore all the facts of history all the experiences of human nature. Within the term of your administration their condition may be greatly improved, and the foundations laid broadly and firmly of a policy which the newly-awakened sense of jus- tice and humanity in the American people will never permit to be aban- doned until it has accomplished the intended result. The committee left Camp Supply on the 23d, and arrived at Fort Harker on the 4th of September, taking the route through the Arapa- hoe and Cheyenne reservation, and passing by the location which had been selected for the agency. In passing through, our opinions of the propriety of changing the location were confirmed. Several buildings had been erected under the direction of General Hazen, and a consider- able amount of Indian goods stored in anticipation of their coming. There was also a herd of several hundred cattle in readiness for their subsistence. We had already advised Agent Darlington to leave the reservation and remain with the Indians, and we learn that the stores have since been removed. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 27 k We desire, in conclusion, to express our obligations personally, as well as officially, to the United States military officers at Fort Leaven- worth, Fort Hays, Camp Sully, Fort Sill, and Fort Harker, for many courtesies and attentions. Bespectfully submitted. FELIX B. BKTJNOT, Chairman. NATHAN BISHOP. WM. E. DODGE. Appendices to C 1. In 1819-'20 Colonel Long, of the United States Topographical Engineers, on his return from the exploration of the Missouri River, and the country lying Between that stream and the head of the Arkansas, undertook to descend the Red River from its sources. The colonel, in speaking of this in his interesting report, says: "We arrived at a creek, having a westerly course, which we took to be a tributary of the Red River. Having traveled down its valley about two hundred miles we fell in with a party of Indians of the nation of ' Kaskias' or ' Bad 'Hearts,' who gave us to understand that the stream along which we were traveling was Red River. We accordingly continued our march down the river several hundred miles farther, when, to our no small disappointment, we discovered it was the Canadian of the Arkansas instead of Red River that we had been exploring." "The Mexicans and Indians, on the borders of Mexico, are in the habit of calling any river, the waters of which have a red appearance, ' Rio Colorado' or Red River, and they have applied this name to the Canadian, in common with several others; and as many of the prairie Indians often visit the Mexicans, and some even speak the Span- ish language, it is a natural consequence that they should adopt the same nomencla- ture for rivers, places, &c. Thus, if a traveller in New Mexico were to inquire for the head of Red River, he would most undoubtedly be directed to the Canadian, and same would also be the case in the adjacent Indian country. These facts will account for the mistake into which Baron Humboldt was led, and it will also account for the error into which Colonel Long and Lieutenant Pike have fallen in regard to the sources of the.streani which we call Red River." B. The following extract from a report of Brevet Major General B. H. Grierson to head- quarters of department of Missouri, made July 14, 1868, describes more fully the loca- tion of the fort : " I am decidedly of the opinion that for the purpose of controlling the Indian tribes inclined to be lawless and troublesome, preventing marauding parties so often visiting northwestern Texas, and of protecting the Chickasaw and Seminole borders, and the peaceable tribes still further west, who are endeavoring to fulfill their obligations to the government, from molestation by the wild bands, a new post to be garrisoned by cavalry should be at once established west of Fort Arbuckle. ****** I gave particular attention to the selection of the best location for such a station. ******* "At a point eight miles north and seventy miles west from Fort Arbuckle, the most practicable route being about seventy-five miles, I found what I considered, on the whole, the best location for a military post in the southwestern portion of the Territory. " It is a tract of high level prairie land, containing about two hundred acres, situated just at the base of the range of hills which are the eastern extremity of the Wichita Mountains. Mount Scott, the highest peak of the Wichita chain, is seven or eight miles west by north ; a perpendicular cliff of trap rock, known by all the Indians as Medicine Bluff, is a mile and a half in the same direction ; and immediately west of the plateau, and thirty feet lower in level, are three or four hundred acres of level prairie laud. The northern boundary of the plateau is a beautiful pure stream of good size, running in a deep pebbly bed from springs in the mountains north and west of Mount Scott, and skirting the foot of the cliff mentioned, called Medicine Bluff Creek. "In passing the plateau the stream joins the main Cache Creek, which from the junc- tion flows at the northeast and east sides, there being between the creek and the high ground a meadow of two or three hundred, fully fifty feet lower, but dry, never over 28 KEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. flowed, and of remarkable fertility. To the southward, traversed only by ravines, dry watercourses, and Cache Creek, with its branches, the high prairie extends to the Red River. The water of the creek, than which none could be more pure and healthy, is abundant for the men and animals of a large command. There are also, within a short distance, a number of fine never-failing springs, some having strong mineral properties. Timber suitable for building purposes is not at all abundant anywhere in the south- western portion of the Territory, but there is more oak of different kinds, cottonwood, walnut, cedar, ash, elm, hackberry, mulberry, and china upon Cache Creek and its branches than anywhere else. "Excellent stone for building, of several varieties and in unlimited quantities, can be easily quarried Avithin a short distance. Good limestone is also abundant. The graz- ing in this section surpasses anything I ever saw. The varieties of grass are numerous, and among them are buffalo, mesquite, and gramma grasses, all abundant and especi- ally nutritious. Buffalo, cattle, and horses graze here the year round, keeping in excel- lent condition. While old Fort Cobb was garrisoned, all the hay used was made here and hauled almost forty miles to that post. The climate is delightful, and can hardly be otherwise than healthy. I examined the country in all directions, and found no standing water or moist bottoms; all is high and dry." C. At Camp Supply the price paid for a buffalo robe is from seven to ten cups of sugar, and two to five cups of coffee, according to quality. " Porcupine robes," which is the designation for robes finely ornamented with quills, sometimes command as high as fifteen cups of sugar. A cup of sugar contains about three-fourths (f ) of a pound. A cup of coffee, half (^) a pound. D. [General Orders No. 5.] HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT INDIAN TERRITORY, Camp Wichita, Wichita Mountains, April 1, 1869. The introduction of spirituous liquors or wine into the Indian country, or the dis- posal of the same therein, by sale or otherwise, is prohibited by act of Congress. Officers and enlisted men, as well as all civilians, are hereby notified that the law will hereafter be rigidly enforced within the limits of this command. Commanding officers of posts, garrisons, and detachments are hereby specially charged with the detection and arrest of all offenders at or in the vicinity of their respective stations. They will at once prefer charges against persons in the military service, and will hold citizens in confinement, subject to orders from these headquarters, or the demand of the proper civil authorities. Liquor or wines, except for medical purposes, in the hands of the properly authorized persons, will be seized wherever found, and turned over to the nearest medical officer of the army. By order of Colonel and Brevet Major General B. H. Grierson : R. H. PRATT, First Lieutenant Tenth Cavalry, Brevet Captain, A. A. A. G. 02. CHICAGO, November 4, 1869. DEAR SIR: I will attend the meeting called for the 17th, unless some- thing unforeseen should occur to prevent. In regard to my giving you the result of my observation and inquiry while on my recent trip to Cal- ifornia, I will simply state a few general conclusions, without going into any details, or at least but a few facts. First. I think the only correct basis for the government to act upon in dealing with Indians is, that they are simply wards, and not inde- pendent sovereignties. Second. Such a basis fixed, to compass the settlement of all difficul- REPORT OP THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 29 ties that exist, or may arise hereafter, the government should fix perma- nent locations for all the tribes, grouping them according to circum- stances, in the southern territories now occupied by Indians, in which stock-raising and farming can most easily be made successful. This will be the work of years, but should be entered upon at once. Third. If such a policy is inaugurated, it must be done by large ex- penditures of money, and the general management of its execution should "be in the hands of some one thoroughly competent to deal with Indian character, from a knowledge of it practically, and who has influence , with the leading men among at least some principal tribes. Fourth. The expenditure of money should be made with the end always in view of providing permanent individual homes, without which the in- stitutions of civilization or religion can never be established among them. The Indian now thinks that the government is seeking his ruin. He must be made to feel that it is seeking to benefit him as a race, by raising him above his present mode of life. Fifth. The expense of such a course, in my judgment, will not be one- halt' the amount that a hostile policy would entail, while it would end in making the whole race self-supporting. Probably all will agree that the rapid development of our western Territories, by which the Indians have been gradually driven from one reservation to another, together with dishonest management, and execu- tion of treaties by bad agents, have caused most of our Indian wars. Brigham Young stated to me that the Mormons had never had any serious difficulty with the Indians, from the fact that they had always con- sidered it cheaper to feed than to fight them, and had therefore treated them kindly, learning them to cultivate the soil and raise stock. Colonel Head, the Indian agent for that Territory, in which there are some 25,000 Indians, said to me that he had demonstrated the fact that the Indians could be made to work and support themselves, in a very few years, with the proper kind of treatment. One tribe of 2,500, with the aid of $5,000, had this season raised $30,000 worth of crops. Another of 1,500, with $500 aid, had raised $10,000 worth of crops. Another of 1,000, with $500 aid, had raised $5,000 worth of crops. Another of 500, with $350 aid, had raised $1,000 worth of crops. Another had four farms, and with $500 aid had raised $7,000 in crops. One tribe had five thousand peach trees that they had planted and raised. All the above results were reached in three years' work by the gov- ernment. I am convinced that our commission can do nothing, and it will be worse than useless for them to spend their time, and the government's money, in taking observations, unless active measures are at once taken to concentrate them as tribes, and then individualize them, by making them feel that each one must have a home, and a responsibility of his own. With great respect, I am yours, very truly. JOHN V. FAEWELL. Hon. FELIX E. BRUNOT, President of Indian Commission. 30 KEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. C3. Report of the Hon. Vincent Colyer, United States special Indian commis- sioner, on the Indian tribes and reservations of Eastern Kansas, Indian Territory, Northern Texas, New Mexico, Northeastern Arizona, and Southeastern Colorado, obtained by personal observation and inspection among these tribes during the year 1869. DEAR SIR : As the facts contained in this report were obtained under the auspices and at the expense of the United States Indian Commis- sion of New York, without cost to the United States government, and previous to the organization of our board of Indian commissioners, and my appointment thereon, it will be necessary, for an intelligent under- standing of the present extensive movement on behalf of the Indians, that I shall briefly refer to the doings of that association. Two years ago we received from Hon. E. D. Morgan, then United States senator from New York, a copy of the report on the condition of our Indian tribes, made by the joint committee of Congress, at its ses- sion in 1807. The distribution of this report and its perusal by the Christian philanthropists of our country, led to the formation in the city of New York of the organization referred to. A list of the officers of the commission, appointed at a large public meeting held in the Cooper Institute, on the 18th of October, 1808, and a copy of their first memo- rial addressed to Congress, will be found in the Appendix A. In this memorial reference will be found to the kind-hearted action of General Sherman towards the Indians, and our association made earnest effort to have a portion of the Indian appropriations of 1868 and 1869 placed under his supervision. The United States Senate soon after this appropriated half a million of dollars, to be expended under General Sherman's direction, and the Gen- eral selected Generals Hazen and Harney, and gave them control over the two great reservations in the southern Indian territory and Northern Dakota, with funds sufficient to commence the experiment of restraining and civilizing the more troublesome tribes of these territories. As the public generally seemed quite indifferent to the condition of the Indians, and our representatives in Congress, officers of the Indian Bureau, and of our array, gave this as the reason why they were unable to effect any permanent reformation on their behalf, our commission felt it to be their duty to endeavor to remedy this evil. To this end circular letters containing selections of the more startling facts contained in the congressional report of 1867, at first referred to, and an address to the people, prepared by our president, were published in nearly all the great newspapers of the day, and widely circulated. Early in January, 1869, the commission received a letter from Major General Hazen, (see Appendix B,) dated in November past, avsking that one of our number be sent to examine personally and report upon the condition of the tribes under his care at Camp Wichita, Indian ter- ritory. The commission promptly responded to this, and I was selected for the duty. Our commission having subscribed the necessary funds to defray expenses, with the understanding that I was to receive no pay for my services, and securing from General Grant an order providing me an escort and transportation whenever necessary, (see Appendix C,) in the middle of February I started on my journey. A heavy snow-storm which met me at Fort Leavenworth, a prolonged interview with Brevet Colonel (now General) G. A. Forsyth, then in the REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 31 surgeon's care at that post, suffering acutely from wounds which he had received in his encounter with the Indians on Big Sandy Creek, in Sep- tember, 1868, and some very loud curses which greeted me as an "Indian peace commissioner" by a Kansas official, reminded me that 1 was not on a "pleasure excursion." I first visited the half-civilized tribes along the southeastern border of Kansas the Sacs and Foxes, Chippewas or Christian Indians, the Senecas, Shawnees, Quapaws and Osages. I wished to see the effects of advancing civilization upon their condition, and to compare them with white people under similar circumstances. Their situation ap- peared to me deplorable; while in nearly every respect, as to cleauli- iiess of person, decency of appearance, character of their habitation, condition of their fields, fences, out-houses, stock, and crops, they com- pared favorably with the majority of their white neighbors. There was a sadness of look, a settled melancholy of tone in their manner and . words that was as depressing as unmistakable. Under the prevailing im- pression that it is the Indian's fate to depart, and the white man's destiny to displace him, nearly all these tribes had been induced to sell their lands, either to gigantic railroad corporations private, yet powerful speculators or to squatters, who had located themselves on their reservations, without even the pretense of a right. Powerless alike against the one, the other, or all combined, these worthy people, who, under a more Christian, just, and humane treatment, might have been redeemed and made citizens, were once more being driven from the lands assigned them, from their farms and their cabins, and forced to seek new homes in another country, probably to be, at some future day, driven from that country also. The Osages, who number over four thousand souls, I found to be in a state of almost complete destitution. Their extensive tract of land, containing about eight million acres, nearly one-third of which is as good as any land in Kansas, they had been induced to part with, at a price so low (nineteen cents per acre) that the transaction had become a public scandal. For some time past the War Department had been feeding them at a cost to the treasury of nearly thirty- four thousand dollars for the winter. (See Appendix D.) Believiug this purchase to have been an outrage, and the ratification of the treaty confirming it, by the United States Senate, would be a public calamity, I sent a telegram east, which was widely published in the associated press, calling general attention to its unfair character, evil effects, and the starving condition of the Osages. Our executive committee in. New York promptly followed up this notice by a petition to the Senate, which will be found in the Appendix marked E, remonstrating against the passage of the treaty. That the Osages, who are a warlike tribe, and less civilized than some of the tribes near them, should have remained peaceful, under their ill treatment and poverty, speaks volumes for their general good character. It is a dangerous condition of things, however, and at any moment we may hear of robberies, and their attendant evil fruits, of murder and devastation in their country. (See Appendix E, No. 1.) THE CHEROKEES, CREEKS, SEMINOLES. CHICKASAWS, AND CHOCTAWS. These nations so nearly resemble each other, that I include them in one group. They are by far the more civilized of all the tribes in the southern Indian territory. They owe their civilization to the justice 23 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. and humanity of the United States government, and pre-eminently to the missionaries, who have most efficiently and faithfully labored among- them for the past half century. These missionaries have been supported by the liberal contributions of the Christian people of the States. With the exception of the excellent mission among the Osages, Mr. Sehoenmaker's, which is Roman Catholic, they are all Protestant missions. Presbyterian, Moravian, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, have all united in the good work. THE CHEROKEES BRIEF HISTORY. This tribe originally inhabited the southwestern portion of Virginia, and extended into South Carolina, as far as the Atlantic Ocean. By some it is supposed thatPowhatan, the father of Poeahontas, was a Cherokee, upon the general assumption that we have no record of any other tribe thereabout. Bancroft speaks of them as the " mountaineers of America." The first record which we have of an eflfort to civilize them was by Rev. Mr. Blackburn, an independent missionary who acted upon his own volition. This was about 1808. The first systematic effort was made by the Moravians of Salem, North Carolina, Avho in 1818 established schools at a station called Spring Place, then in the old Cherokee country, now in the State of Georgia, under the charge of the Rev. Mr. G-ambold. The Moravians of the same branch of the church continued their work unto this day ; the Rev. James Mack being their efficient and faithful representative at a station of the same name, Spring Place, in their present locality west of Arkansas. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the Bap- tist Home Union, and the Methodist Episcopal, about 1819, commenced their work among the Cherokees, and as early as 1807 some of the Cher- okees came west and settled on the St. Erancis River, in Arkansas, a short distance above Memphis; from there they came to the Arkansas River, near Dardanelle. The first treaty of which we have record, acknowledging on the part of our people the rights of the Cherokee Indians to these lauds, dates as far back as 1783, under the confederation, and secured to the Indians all that extensive tract of land lying within the limits of the present States of Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Tennessee, guaranteed them protection, and accepted their allegiance to our government. The first treaty recognizing the rights of that portion of the tribe which had settled on the Arkansas River was made in 1817, and fore- shadowed the policy of the removal of the others east of the Mississippi. The western Cherokees, in 1828, exchanged the country about Bar- danelle in Arkansas for the extensive country they now occupy west of that State. The Eastern Cherokees early experienced the oppressive power of their white neighbors. Before they were sufficiently civilized to cope with them, they were overrun, the State of Georgia distributed their lands by lot to the white citizens in 1835, and these citizens immediately en- tered into and took possession of their houses, farms, &c. The house of the late John Ross, who was for many years the honored and most able chief of this nation, was thus appropriated, and on his return from a mission in behalf of his people, he found himself a tolerated intruder in his own house and on his own bed. The believers in retributive history, in verification of their theory, point to the fact that General Sherman has since " marched to the sea" over that same tract of country, and the REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 33 descendants of the same intruders have been cast out with violence, if not as equally unjust at least quite as irresistible. In 1835 the treaty removing them to the west of the Mississippi passed the United States Senate by one majority, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of a majority of the tribe, the Cherokees were re- moved at the point of the bayonet, under General Scott, to the home of the western branch west of the Arkansas, their present location. They have had a written form of government, constitution, laws, &c., since 1828. The tribe numbers about fourteen thousand (14,000,) which includes one thousand (1,000) Dela wares now incorporated among them and 1,500 colored people who are citizens. They suffered greatly du- ring the late war, the tribe being fiercely divided, two regiments faith- fully standing by the Union, and one going with the rebels. In no part of our country was the war waged with greater destruction of property or loss of life ; nearly one-quarter of the people died, either from wounds received in battle, or, as in the case of the women and children, large numbers of whom perished from starvation. On every hand the traveler sees the charred and blackened remains of ruined homesteads ; and the swollen graveyards at Neosho, Missouri, Dry Wood Creek near Fort Scott, at the Sacs and Fox agency, Kansas, to which place the people fled for safety, and at Fort Gibson, Cherokee country, tell the sad story. From this brief sketch of the history of the Cherokees let us now turn to the present condition of these people, and also to that of their neighbors, the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE CHEROKEES, ETC. The present condition of the Cherokees, Choctaws and Creeks, requires in an eminent degree the care of government to prevent not only gross violations of our national faith, but to save them from being over- whelmed and destroyed. In their present country they support them- selves by agricultural labors and stock-raising. Many thousand cattle were exported from these nations annually before the war. A consider- able number still are, and much larger numbers will be, as soon as the wounds of war are healed. The lands now reserved for them are no more than sufficient for their support. Any further invasion of them would drive them to starvation or pauperism. Much of the land now held by them is rocky and only suitable for timber or pasturage. Three-fifths of the area of the present Cherokee country is of this kind. There are two classes of interests threatening the happiness of these wards of the government. First, railroad companies, who, entertaining the hope that the government may despoil these people of their prop- erty or, what is the same thing, take it for a nominal price expect by the proposal to build a road through their country, to make vast profits out of lands or other property thus seized, on pretext of developing the country. It is well known that there is, at present, more speculation in the West in building roads than in running them. By claiming to develop the country, these corporations are clamorous for the speedy destruction of these Indian governments that stand in the way of their schemes. The other class, a very large one, comprises those who wish to occupy their lauds. In the West an immense business has sprung up by which squatters make a living, not by cultivating the soil, but by dealing in inchoate titles. To this class of frontiersmen, an Indian reservation is a God-send. The desire to keep good faith with the Indian has maintained its integrity long enough to give it value. It is then 3 34 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. either seized by some company at a nominal price say from a few cents to a dollar an acre, and the profits used to build a railroad or, on the plea of justice to squatters, those who have intruded on it in violation of law and the rights of the Indian are permitted to keep it, sometimes as homesteads, for nothing, or for $1 25 per acre, they realizing by their illegal act froin $5 to $10 per acre, selling out to some industrious settler who comes after them, and again pouncing on some coveted reservation, and clamoring to the government for a fresh violation of public faith. (See remonstrance of Cherokee chiefs, Appendix F.) The avowedjpoljrvj}f the government, so far, has been to keep cer- "tatff reservations, and among them the Indian territory south of Kansas, intact for the use of the Indians, and to use the more civilized to elevate them by degrees to be self-supporting by new habits of life. In this emergency, it behooves the government to look at the matter candidly. If it is contemplated to let railroad corporations get foothold in the country, which would further interest them in destroying Indian gov- ernments that they may find purchasers, or passing a territorial bill under cover of which there will be a lawful or lawless invasion of Indian rights, it would be better at once to dismiss the former plan and frankly say to the Indians that the government of the United States e found for the evils that surround them. I will further say that practi- cal missionaries of good moral character, who should be young and active, of the fol- lowing avocations, farmers, house-builders, gardeners, fruiterers, and cattle raisers, .with such aids as will enable them to instruct in all these branches, can do much in the cause of humanity, and assist greatly in solving the true problem of Indian amelioration. Very respectfully yours, W. B. HAZEN, Breret Major Gen. U. S. A,, Commanding Southern Indian District. Hon. PETER COOPER, President of U. S. Indian Commission, Xeiv York City. APPENDIX C. Authority and protection from General Grant. FEBRUARY 8, 1869. Commanders of troops in the Department of Missouri will please give Mr. Vincent Colyer facilities, wheu necessary, transportation and escort to reach Fort Cobb, and such other military posts as he may desire to visit in the Indian country. U. S. GRANT, General. APPENDIX D. FORT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS, February 23, 1869. DEAR MORGAN : Please let me know about what it will cost to feed the Osages from the time you commenced * till the 1st of April ? Mr. Colyer wants to know. Yours, M. V. SHERIDAN. Reply. Between thirty-three and thirty-four thousand dollars, ($33,000 and $34,000.) M. R. MORGAN, Chief Commissary of Subsistence, Dep't Mo. APPENDIX E. NEW YORK, February 25, 1869. To the Senate of tfo United States : The petition of the executive committee of the United States Indian Commission respectfully shows that your petitioners have heard, with grave apprehensions, that a certain agreement with Indians for eight millions of acres of laud, commonly called Osage Indian treaty, now pending before your honorable body for continuation, is likely to obtain the assent of the Senate. * About 1st December. 58 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Your petitioners respectfully ask, on behalf of the association that we represent, that said treaty be rejected by your honorable body, for the following and other palpable reasons : First. Because said treaty has been formally denounced as " a pretended treaty," im- properly obtained, and as "an outrage on the rights of the Indians," and as urjust in other respects, which denunciation fully appears in the report No. 63, presented by Hon. Sidney Clarke, from the Committee on Indian Affairs of the House of Represent- atives, and ordered to be printed June 18, 1868. Secondly. That the Osnge Indians are reported by our own agent to be in a condi- tion of extreme destitution, and therefore should not be prevented, as they inevitably would be by the confirmation of this pretended treaty, from realizing the full value of any land they may be obliged to sell. Whether the damaging allegations and current- reports are true or otherwise, they tend to bring dishonor upon the country, and are of themselves sufficient reason for the rejection of this treaty; and that its passage through the Senate, under all the circumstances, without full inquiry by disinterested and incorruptible parties into all the facts and interests involved, will tend to the dishonor and injury of the nation. Your petitioners, therefore, respectfully but earnestly appeal to your honorable body to reject said treaty, and to take such other measures as may bo necessary to protect the national honor, as well as the rights and interests of the Indians, who, in the absence of political power, must be regarded as the wards of the nation. PETER COOPER, President. WILLIAM T. BLODGETT, BENJAMIN N. MARTIN, LE GRAND B. CANNON, EDWARD CROMWELL, VINCENT COLYER, Secretary, BENJAMIN TATHAM, Treasurer. Executive Committee. DAVID DOWS, ESQ., Rev. H. W. BEECHER, JONATHAN STURGES, ESQ., Rev. H. CROSBY, D.D., HENRY BERGH, ESQ., Rev. E. H. CHAPIN, D.D., JACKSON S. SCHULTZ, ESQ., Rev. E. A. WASHBURN, D.D., JAMES A. ROOSEVELT, ESQ., Rev. THOMAS ARMITAGE, D.D., GEORGE C. COLLINS, Rev. STEPHEN H. TYNG, JK., Rev. JAMES M. BULKLEY, General Committee. E 1. The reports of agents in the Osage country represented that white settlers, to the number of over two thousand, had trespassed upon the Osage lands, and during the absence of the tribes on their hunt last summer, had occupied their cabins, taken pos- session of their corn-fields, cattle, hogs, &c., refusing to move find threatening the lives of the Indians if they troubled them. One agent writes as follows : " Have received no mail yet. I heard two days since that No-pa- wa, chief of Little Osages, had just arrived at his town on Elk River. Two men were in last evening to see me had come direct from the mouth of Walnut to report the threatening attitude the Osages had assumed out there. It seems that Hard Rope and Chetopa are there, and have notified all the settlers to leave, creating much alarm. I think those men expected to obtain encouragement and protection, or permission to remain. If so, they were disappointed. Hard Rope will probably settle the disputes in the valley when he returns, if something is not done before that time. A young, industrious half-breed was in yesterday, with two of his friends, representing that he had built a cabin, and" had inclosed and cultivated several acres of ground ; had been there four years. Now the whites have surrounded him, and one has built within a few yards of his own house, and threatens his life if he does not leave his houses; don't allow him to cut timber for rails, &c. There is no language used among Friends that fully describes the meanness and ingratitude of some of those settlers ; at least I am ignorant of the terms. I went to see another case last week. The man came last spring ; found a full- blood living on a very desirable piece of ground. He told the Indian if he would let him build a cabin by him he would plow his ground for him, and do many other good things for him. The Indian took him in, and now he threatens the life of the Indian if he comes on the claim. I reasoned the case with him, but to no purpose ; told him to pay the Indian a, reasonable price for his improvement, or he must get off the claim. He refused to do either. In conversation with the Indian, I asked him if he felt like taking revenge. He answered that he was trying to live a good Catholic, or he would not take such injustice. This is a sad case otherwise, for as they were going out to the hunt, this Indian's wife's brother (a lad) accidentally shot dead an Indian man. The lad's life was only saved by this Indian's giving ten ponies, which was all he had, to the dead Indian's family. So he was unable, for the want of ponies, to continue on the hunt, and returned to find the torpid serpent he had taken in, warmed to life and ready to kill him." REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIES. 59 APPENDIX F. The Cherokee chiefs themselves say, on the proposal to give their nation a territorial government, a subject which was attracting the attention of the Cherokees while I was there, and is now daily increasing in interest hefore Congress: The Indian living for more than a hundred generations where the supply of game was inexhaustible ; his clothing, what little custom or climate rendered desirable to a great extent the result of his sports ; under circumstances which rendered it unde- sirable and utterly impossible to accumulate wealth ; a state of existence in which each day provided for itself has been developed into a type of man, as peculiar as the circumstances which have surrounded him, a type in which the idea and consequently the habit of accumulation is entirely dormant and undeveloped; but through all the long ages past there lias been no protection against neighboring hordes, except his activity, his cunning, and his valor. Hence the development of the warlike traits of his character. That character has been made what it is by the laws of nature, as universal and inexorable as those of gravitation. The people of Holland, for instance, have been for many generations developed under extremely dissimilar circumstances. A dense population on*a small territory render toiling industry and frugality neces- sary to their well-being. Hence accumulation naturally comes to be the ruling idea of their lives. Trained for many generations under a well-regulated government and iu a country monotonously flat, the Hollander is mild and peaceable. The Indian is called indolent; and so he is, for lack of a motive which can arouse his peculiar development. Place an Arapaho and a German on the plains alone; make revenge or friendship the motive ; and a school-boy can tell you which would display the most unconquerable energy ; braving fatigue, hunger, danger, and death itself. Change the scene to Washington. To labor for hire the German would toil day and night, while the Indian would not earn his bread would sleep and prove worthless. Such is the difference between the red and white races, as we now have them. The difference in their developments cannot be effaced by an act of Congress, nor can the result of peculiar training through a hundred generations be entirely changed by one generation of a different training. The Cherokees are now, by a forward movement through two generations, far in advance of the Arapaho, but equally far behind the white races in that industry, habit, and energy of character which is the result of the development of the idea of accumulation. To mingle the Cherokees and white men together in the same community would result in the white men soon owning everything, the Indian nothing; and he becomes a worthless outcast in the country which was once all his own his home. We wish to avoid this. Will a generous and great nation deny to a weak and de- fenseless people existence ? We know that all the varied forms of territorial government are but an initiatory step to crowding white settlers among our people. We are told that it would- make uo difference how we are secured and protected so it is effected, and that it would be done as effectually by legislation as by treaty; but to 'us it appears that Avhen once cut loose from our treaty moorings, we will roll and tumble upon the tempestuous ocean of American politics and congressional legislation, and ship wreck be our inevitable desti- nation. We now have our moorings. We have the protection of this powerful gov- ernment to look to ; its pledges to rely upon. Need we apologize for thinking that the government of Washington and the Adamses is still generous and honorable i The Cherokees wish to build and own, by such company of Cherokee citizens as shall be organized under the authority of the Cherokee National Council, the railroads crossing their own lauds, meeting and connecting with such roads as approach their border. They wish to do this for reasons above all pecuniary considerations. They know that to have the roads contemplated through their country owned by capitalists who are strangers to them, who will only look upon their nationality as an iucum- braiice, and, perhaps, their presence, in any form, asa nuisance, would result in the loss of their lands and destruction of their people. They have the means to build their roads, as above indicated. By allowing them to do so a nation will, perhaps, be saved. By refusing the privilege to them the first successful experiment in the civilization of the Indian will be checked and cut off in the midst of its success, and the last eager hope of a race extinguished. For the lands in the Indian territory, the last and only spot in North America owned and controlled by Indians, and it has been fondly hoped should finally be the last refuge of the remnants of all the tribes exterminated by operation of natural laws before referred to. Do Cherokees ask too much when they ask for existence ? Cannot they be allowed those conditions necessary to existence ; especially when all they ask interferes with the rights of no livjug man ? Have the Cherokees anything claimed or owned by any other man ? Whom do they wrong ? They ask the privilege to live on and enjoy" their own lands, which the United States have given them its most solemn pledges to protect 60 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. them in. Do they ask too mvich T They believe the government will be faithful fulfill all its pledgee. Do they wrong the government or the people in believing this? LEWIS DOWNING, Principal Chief Cherokee Nation. WM. P. ADAIR. ARCH. SCRAPER. SAMUEL SMITH. J. P. DAVIS. C. N. VANN. APPENDIX G. Public schools of the Cherokee Nation, March, 1869. Names of the districts. No. of children neach district. Condition of school- houses. Names of teachers. Qualificat'n of teach'rs. Amount paid to teach- ers per month. Average attendance' of scholars. No. of males. No. of females. No. of orphans attend- ing seluml. Total No. of children. 1 Se 1870. MAJOR : I have the honor to make my monthly report of the Southern Apache agency, for the month of December, 1869. Since the 8th of November, 1869, I have been giving these Indians corn in small quantities, and since December 6 have is- sued beef at the rate of one-half (or less) ration, and shall continue to do so until I re- ceive instructions to the contrary. I found this small issue necessary, in order to pro- tect these Indians from great suffering, and, in some instances, starvation. I assumed this responsibility, as it was the only way I could see to keep these Indians together. I hope my action will meet the approval of the department. I hoped to receive definite instructions in regard to the treatment of these Indians ere this. Not receiving any, and construing the instructions I have received from the department to warrant me in using every legitimate measure at my command to bring about a permanent peace with the Southern Apache Indians, is the reason of my action thus far. I have been successful beyond my greatest hopes in treating with these Indi- ans, and if I can only have support in carrying out the few promises I have made them, I have no doubt that these Indians, who for a long number of years have been the ter- ror of this country, can be made to live on a reservation, and leave New Mexico in com- parative peace. On the 1st instant I visited the camp of these Indians and remained three days, and had talks with Loco, Victore, Salvadore, and the other principal men of the Mirubres and Mogollon Apaches. They seem to thoroughly understand the feelings of the gov- ernment, and they frequently spoke of their readiness to comply with all the require- ments made of them. The most of the Indians in my charge are of the Mimbres tribe, (except the Mo- gollons, about forty m number, under Chastine.) I should judge the number to be over three hundred, all recognizing Loco as their head chief. 68 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Before visiting their camp on the first instant, I was informed that several horses and cattle had been stolen from San Jose", and that the citizens accused Loco's people of being the thieves. On my arrival at the camp I informed Loco of the fact. He de- nied any knowledge of the case, and took measures at once to find out the truth of the matter sent Salvadore, a son of the chief Mangus Colorado, and ten or twelve others to look for the trail. On the following day, Salvadore reported to me that he had fol- "lowed the trail of the stolen cattle, and that he was convinced that Navajoes, or Mex- icans, stole the stock, and if I would go with him, or send some one, he would track them to their camp, in order to show that the Apaches did not have anything to do with it. Being satisfied, I made no further inquiries. Mexican thieves are continually stealing from the citizens along the Rio Grande, and then start in pursuit of the Indi- ans. This is a notorious fact ; and time and again they have been exposed in their vil- lanous efforts to saddle their rascality on the Indians. These thieves hang around the camp of the Indians and see what marks and brands are on their animals, and then claim them as their property. This trick has been exposed on two occasions, and gives me a great deal of trouble, and requires careful dealing with the Indians, in order to keep down misunderstandings. While on this subject I shall state that, in my opinion, the Indians in my charge have committed no depredations on the citizens along the Rio Grande since I held the first interview in September last, and if any confidence in their professions of friendship can be taken into consideration, I cannot doubt but what they will comply with all their promises. They certainly have done so thus far, and their anxiety to be placed on a reservation is proof of their acting in good faith. I cannot too earnestly call your attention to the necessity of doing something for these Indians at once. In September last they promised to wait until the 10th of January, 1870, for the gov- ernment to take some action in their case, and notwithstanding many urgent reports I have made on the subject, I am yet without definite instructions. They are growing more uneasy and restive every day. They ask for a place to be set apart for them to plant and raise corn and wheat, for tools to cultivate with, hoes, axes, &c. Spring is approaching, and in two months time they want seed and a chance to plant. Food and clothing are indispensable, and if they do not get them soon, they will be compelled to disperse in small bands in search of game. I have issued in small quantities, but the amount has been insufficient to feed them all. But with Avhat they could kill, there, has been barely sufficient to support them. They have repeatedly informed me that they only wished to be treated as the Navajoes are ; with this they would be perfectly satisfied. They are well posted in regard to the Navajoes, and know all about the reservation , system. Loco informed me that Cochif, chief of the Gila Apaches, who is known to be the most daring robber and blood-thirsty of the Apaches, had said he would come in and join him as soon as a treaty was made, but he wishes to be satisfied that there is no treachery about it, and that if he comes in will not be betrayed and killed as his peo- ple have been in times past. Loco, thinks that several thousand Indians could be got together in a few months, if they can have the assurance that they will be cared for, and furnished clothing and food, and implements to cultivate the soil. They are particularly anxious to have the limits of the reservation properly defined, and to know that they are safe from molestation by " Posses," organized under General Order No. 1, of which they seem to be in constant dread. Scouting parties from Chihuahua, and who are paid a premium for Indian scalps, are also allowed to hunt for Indians in this Territory. A party from Hamas, Chihuahua, a few days since threatened to attack these Indians. They were warned by General Mason, commanding Fort Bayard, not to do so, but they left the Minibres, with the avowed intention of attacking the camp. I was informed of this by Major Shorkley, commanding this post, who received notice from General Mason, and I remained in their camp two days to prevent such an outrage. It seems to me that some measures should be taken at once to prevent citizens of another government, with whom we are at peace, from committing outrages upon people that are looked upon by this government as its wards. If allowed to hunt Indians at all in this country, they should be made to know that Indians on a reservation are not to be molested. It will be impossible to establish a permanent peace with these Indians if straggling bands of citizens from old Mexico are suffered to roam through at will and attack these Indians whenever and wherever found, and under any and all circumstances people, too, who hunt Indians only for the few paltry dollars they receive for the scalp. These people care not a straw for the depredations committed in this or any other country ; they work for the money a scalp brings, and one from a friendly Indian is worth as much as one of any other. I call your attention to this fact, as it may even- tually lead to an endless amount of trouble if allowed to go on. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 69 I cannot close this report without again urging you to give me definite instructions in regard to these Indians. They are naked ; how am I to clothe them ? They want blankets ; where and how ani I to get them ? They have nothing to live on saVe the stinted ration I have given them, which is not sufficient to feed half the Indians under niy charge. Most of those found in camp are women and children, and their destitute condition Should not fail to excite the commiseration of any who sees them. If I could issue to the Indians I now have here, and who have been patiently waiting four months for something to be done with and for them, blankets, clothing, and farming utensils, I feel safe in assuring you that I could and would have in a few months three or four times as many as I now have. These Indians are jealous of the Navajoes ; they think them better treated and cared for than they are, and, like children, they think they ought to have the same ; and, if they do not get it, think they are badly treated, and suspect they are being trapped into some place to be slaughtered; treatment of which they have had bitter experience in time past. All of which is respectfully submitted. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, CHAS. E. DREW, First Lieutenant United States Army, Agent Southern Apaches. Major WILLIAM CLIXTOX, U. S. A., Superintendent Indian Affairs, Santa Fe, Xew Mexico. OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT OF IXDIAX AFFAIRS, Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 13, 1870. Respectfully forwarded. Lieutenant Drew was instructed, October 6, 1869, to issue food in small quantities to his Indians, which instructions he must have received, as he quotes the authority on his vouchers for November and December. I fully agree with Lieutenant Drew that these Indians should be attended to as soon as possible. I suppose it is now too late to get farming implements from the States in time to be of service for this year's crop. But a reservation should be laid off for them and tools furnished, so that they could prepare their farms for the next year, and when tools are furnished, I would recommend that only such tools as they understand work- ing with, viz : hoes, grubbing hoes, axes, and spades, be furnished them at present. Captain Bennett, agent for the Navajoes, complains that he has quite a number of broken plows, harrows, grain drills, &c., &c., which he can make no use of, as the Indians do not understand working with them. I have furnished General Getty with a copy of so much of this report as refers to Mexicans crossing into our country. WM. CLINTON, Major U. S. A., Supt. of Indian Affairs for Xew Mexico. APPENDIX P. OFFICE SUPERIXTEXDEXT OF IXDIAX AFFAIRS, Santa f, X. M., January 5, 1870. CTD .**#***** I would further state that a copy of your communication of the 92d ultimo, in which you inform me that a requisition has been made for $2.500 for the purpose of subsisting those Indians, has been forwarded to Lieutenant Drew, with instructions that he ascertain for what prices corn and beef, the principal articles they stand in need of, can be furnished them. # * * *.* # * * These bands of Indians have for a long time kept the whole of the southwestern part of this Territory, and also the southeast part of Arizona, in a state of constant alarm. Cochise, the chief spoken of. is now said to be ranging about the Apache Pass, to the dread of all who have to travel that way. This Cochise has the reputation of being one of the bravest Indians in the country, in short, a. man Avithout fear. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. CLINTON, Major U. S. A., Supt. of Indian Affairs for Xew Mexico. Hon. E. S. PARKER, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington, D. C. 70 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. OFFICE SUPERIXTEDKXT INDIAN AFFAIRS, Santa Fe, N. M., October 6, 18(59. SIR : Your communication of September 29, 1869, has been received, and will be for warded to the department for instructions. I have not money sufficient on hand t do anything of any account for them in the way of clothing them, nor do I think it ad visable that they should be clothed until you are satisfied that they intend to settle on a reservation. At the same time, I would issue food to them in small qualities, for which purpose you should have money enough on hand for the present, and you can make a requisi- tion for more should you stand in need. In making your requisition, you wiH bear in mind that the amount I have on hand is very small. Very respectfullv, your obedient servant, WM. CLINTON, Major U. S. A., Superintendent. Lieut. C. E. DIIEW, U. S. A. Indian Agent, Fort McEea, N. M. D. WASHINGTON, D. C., June, 1869. GENTLEMEN: In compliance with your request I take great pleasure in submitting for your consideration the following views regarding what I conceive to be the wisest policy that can be pursued toward the Indians at the present time. The civilization of tbe natives is a subject that has engaged the attention of philanthropists and Christians ever since the discovery of America; yet we seem to be to-day nearly as remote from an acknowledged satisfactory practical solution of the question as Columbus was when he landed upon the island of San Salvador, three hundred and seventy-seven years ago. Among the prominent causes of failure in the efforts that have from time to time been made to reclaim the American savages from a state of barbarism may be mentioned the salient fact that no consistent, just, and benignant national policy has ever been inaugurated and persistently adhered to for any great length of time. Numerous treaties have been made with the different tribes, and the negotiations attended by the observance of all the diplomatic forms and ceremonies practiced among independent, absolute national- ities. In some instances, however, these treaties, before they were rati- fied and carried into effect, have been so altered and amended as to very materially change their original signification, and this without 1 the sanc- tion or knowledge of the Indians. In other cases the failure of appro- priations, or the malfeasance or negligence of unscrupulous or unfaith- ful agents, has prevented a strict adherence to treaty stipulations, and this has, of course, occasioned dissatisfaction among the Indians, as they expect every promise to be fulfilled to the letter, and when this is nol done they regard the non-compliance as a willful violation of good faith and integrity. No excuse or explanation of unavoidable accidents, or delays contravening the possibility of a literal fulfillment of a compact, has the slightest weight with them, and for this reason no pledges should be made to Indians when there is not an absolute certainty as to the power of executing them. The policy adopted toward the aborigines by the early colonists of New England, Virginia, and Georgia was eminently humane and praise- worthy, and the preliminary labors of missionaries among them were attended with results decidedly favorable. Unfortunately, however, the ultimate success of their efforts to civilize and elevate the moral EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 71 character of the Indians was then, as has often been the case since, thwarted by the machinations of avaricious and designing white men, who*, for the accomplishment of their own selfish purposes, have incul- cated and practiced among these simple-minded children of the forest all the vices that disgrace civilized society ; and these baneful adverse influences have generally preponderated over the teachings of better men, and the Indians have retrograded upon the scale of human progress to a position far beneath that which they occupied before they came in contact with the pale faces. A wide diversity of opinion exists among the masses of the thinking- people of the United States at the present day in regard to the wisest course to be pursued by the government toward the prairie tribes. That these merciless freebooters have often made war upon our people without any sufficient cause and have cost us many valuable lives and a great expenditure of public money during the past three years, is unquestionable. Those who have come in contact with them and suffered from their lawless and diabolical propensities very naturally entertain feelings of implacable hostility towards them and advocate a war of extermination as the only effectual means of settling the perplex- ing question, while the benignant impulses of others who have but little knowledge of the idiosyncratic nature of these particular tribes dictate the more benevolent and conciliatory policy of purchasing their good will with annuities and presents. The exclusive adoption of either policy is, in my judgment, unwise and inadequate to meet the present exigency of the crisis. It is probable that we might in time, with a large force and a heavy augmentation to our already gigantic pecuniary national liabilities, an- nihilate the Indians ; but this would be a slow process, as they are inured to war and are familiar with all the arts and subterfuges necessary to prosecute a successful partisan campaign, and with their numerous fleet and enduring horses they are at all times, except in winter, enabled to elude pursuit upon the vast expanse of the great prairies, every inch of which is familiar to them. Moreover they are well supplied with fire- arms and ammunition, so that the discrepancy between them and our soldiers is nothing like as great now as it was when their only weapons were the bow and arrow and the lance. To act against an enemy who is here to-day and far distant to-morrow 5 who at one time stampedes a herd of animals upon the head-waters of the Arkansas, and when next heard from is in the very heart of the populated districts of Mexico, lay- ing waste haciendas and carrying devastation, rapine, and murder in his steps ; who leaves his women and children concealed in a locality far distant from the theater of hostilities, and has neither depots nor magazines to defend, nor lines of retreat to cover ; who draws his rations and clothing from the country he operates in, and is not incumbered with a noisy moving town on wheels, in the shape of a baggage-train ; who never comes into action without the advantage of numbers or posi- tion, and disperses and vanishes whenever the issue of a battle is against him; and who, under a preconcerted arrangement, assembles again at a point far distant with such an enemy extermination would be a slow and exhausting process, exceedingly difficult of execution. The humane peace policy would, in my opinion, be equally inadequate to accomplish the object desired, provided no other means were adopted but that of giving annuities and presents ; for so long as the Indians are permitted to lead a roving life they will, whenever game fails to afford them sustenance, be cojnpelled to steal or take from their neighbors. This policy has been thoroughly tested during the past twenty years, 72 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. but has not thus far been attended with anything like satisfactory re- sults. The Indians of the plains do not seem to have the most distant conception of the sentiment of gratitude, and appear unable to compre- hend the motive which inspires an act of benevolence or charity, and they (unlike their brethren who once occupied the eastern States, who were said to have been grateful for favors received) invariably attribute it to fear or the expectation of reward. When they make a present it is with a view of getting more than its equivalent in return. The Indian practice of giving and receiving presents, as well as their diplomatic attributes, do not seem to have undergone any great changes from the customs of their ancestors. When William Penn arrived among the Indians living upon the present site of Philadelphia, he wrote a letter to his friend, Robert Boyle, in which this paragraph occurs : "In treaties about land or traffic I find them (the Indians) deliberative in council, and as designing as I have ever observed among the politest of our Euro- peans. 1 have bought two large tracts, and had two presented to me, which cost me alike." D'Iberville, the first governor of Louisiana, in 1702, in a manuscript memorial on the subject of Indian policy, the original of which is in the archives at Paris, says: "It is imprudent to accustom the savages to be spoken to by presents, for, with os many, it would cost the King more than the revenue derived from the trade. When they come to us it will be necessary to bring them to subjection, make them no presents, compel them to do as we wish, as if they were Frenchmen." In my humble judgment, the practice which has existed for many years of licensing white traders, who for the most part are of the most dissolute and unscrupulous order of humanity, is unwise in the extreme, for the reason that they exercise a most pernicious and controlling influence over the savages. They sell them whisky, debauch their women, furnish hostile tribes with arms and ammunition, and all their energies are exerted to perpetuate their traffic, which would be so dimin- ished as to become unprofitable if the Indians had fixed habitations and cultivated the soil. D'Iberville wrote to the authorities in Paris in 1702 : " 'No Frenchmen (traders) should be allowed to follow Indians on their hunts, as it tends to keep them hunters, as is seen in Canada, and when they are in the woods they do not desire to become tillers of the soil." A very powerful influence has, without doubt, been wielded by Indian traders for many years past, but it has only been about forty years since their claims against the Indians for goods sold them have been recog- nized or provided for in treaties. On the 7th day of December, 1835, a conversation took place at Fort Snelling between the commanding officer and the Sioux agent, (a very excellent and honest man, by the by,) which goes to show that the traders were not without influence in those days. Speaking as to the probabilities of a new treaty being made, the agent said: "I do not know but such a treaty might take place. It is desirable on the part of the traders of the American Fur Company that a treaty should be had with the Sioux. The treaty of 1830 first indicated a disposition to cause the United States to pay for lost credits. I then defeated their object; for I view the allowance of all such claims as a fraud committed upon the treasury, although legalized by a treaty. The company are much opposed to me on this ground and fear me, and would be glad to have me out of the country. I know too much, and they are fully aware of my independence. I am determined at some future day to address the President. He abhors iniquity and deception, and he will protect me." REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 73 General Z. Taylor, who served a long time upon the western frontier, and saw a good deal of Indian traders, did not entertain a very exalted opinion of their morals. In the year 1830 he was one of the commis- sioners for making a treaty with the Indians at Prairie du Chien. For some reason the traders interposed such obstacles to the consummation of the proceedings, that the general, in a letter written at that time, said: "Take the American Fur Company in the aggregate, and they are the greatest scoundrels the world ever knew." But to return to the subject of the prairie Indians. Until within a few years the Comanches, Kiowas, Cheyennes, a portion of the Sioux, and other nomadic tribes, have lived exclusively on buffalo meat, many of them never having tasted bread in their lives, and up to this very day not one of them ever planted a seed. Thirty years ago they roamed at will over all that vast district of country lying between the eastern base of the Eocky Mountains and the Missouri Eiver, and it was only at rare intervals that they came in contact with a white man. The few white men who crossed the plains were traders, trappers, or adventurers, not sufficiently numerous to molest the game or otherwise disturb the Indians, who for the most part continued peaceable and well disposed. The condition of Indian affairs is, however, very differ- ent now. Eich gold and silver mines have been discovered and devel- oped within the last two decades. Towns, Territories, and States have, like mushrooms, sprung up throughout our vast mountain ranges, and the hunting grounds of the Indians have been encroached upon and in- tersected in every direction by numerous roads that are annually trav- ersed by thousands of immigrants, who kill and disperse the buffalo and come into continual conflict with the savages. Hence the Indians have learned to look upon us as enemies who are crowding them on all sides, and depriving them of their means of subsistence, and war to the knife has been the result. I do not for a moment suppose that the itinerant warlike propensities of the prairie tribes can at once be eradicated, and a disposition for peafteful agricultural avocations substituted therefor. Their instincts, education, and habits of life, from time immemorial, have been in direct antagonism to those of civilized peoples. Predatory warfare, with its concomitants of horse-stealing, kidnapping, pillaging, assassination, scalping, and other barbarities, instigated by their savage nature, and sanctioned and commended by their moral code, has been carried on for too many generations to render it probable that they will at once lay it aside and adopt our ideas and customs. It can scarcely be expected that the young men of the present generation, who from infancy have been taught to believe that war is the only honorable profession, and that the occupation of a farmer is degrading in the extreme, should ever be prevailed upon to work in the field and become husbandmen. On the contrary, it is presumed that when their tribes are placed on reservations they will often steal away on war or raiding expeditions in spite of all the efforts of our authorities. Indeed, such has already been the case with some of the Indians who were located south of the Arkansas. They have committed depredations in Kansas, and this fact has been adduced by the enemies of the colonization scheme to prove the experiment a failure ; whereas, in my judgment, this is nothing more than what might have been expected ; and I believe that with the as- sistance and encouragement it will be in the power of the government to afford these people, the women and children, who are industrious and capable of performing a great amount of labor, can be induced to work in the field, and after two or three crops have been raised they will per- 74 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. eeive that their condition is so much improved that it does not seem un- reasonable to predict that the next generation of men will prefer the certain and abundant products of agriculture to the precarious and meager results of the chase. The prairie Indians having recently felt the power of the govern- ment and received a sound chastisement from Generals Sheridan and Ouster, will not be likely to forget it soon, and the majority of them will probably be glad in future to remain upon their reservations. As a check upon the lawless propensities of refractory young warriors the chiefs should be held responsible for all the acts of their followers, and when any of them commit depredations they should be required to give up the perpetrators to our authorities to be dealt with according to law. Many persons are fully impressed with the honest conviction that the Prairie Indians cannot be civilized, but this I believe to be fallacious, as will be apparent from an experiment that was tried some years since with the southern Comanches. It will be remembered that when the republic of Texas was annexed to the Union the State was permitted to reserve the' exclusive proprie- tary tenure and control over all the vacant domain within her extended boundaries. In 1853, the legislature of the State appropriated a small fraction of this land in perpetuity for the colonization and use of the In- dians upon her borders, authorizing the United States authorities to lo- cate this land upon any part of her vacant territory. In accordance therewith I was ordered, in 1854, to select and -survey the reservations, one of which was located on the Clear Fork of the Brazos Eiver, and was designed for two bands of the southern Comanches, known as Senaco's and Kelumsee's bands. The greater part of those Indians went upon the laud, and an excellent agent, (Major Neighbors,) who had their welfare at heart, was appointed to take charge of them. Farmers and mechanics, with all the cattle, agricultural implements and tools necessary for instructing them in the rudiments of husbandry, were lib- erally supplied by the government, and they were assured that this lo- cality would be their permanent home for all time. Up to that period they had been exclusively a hunting people, having never raised a crop or even put a seed in the ground ; yet they mani- fested a perfect willingness to try the colonizing experiment, and cheer- fully submitted* to their new manner of living. Their women and chil- dren and some few of the men worked well, and under the teachings of the farmers they made commendable progress, so that in the course of two years they fenced and cultivated very respectable little farms and were in a fair way of speedily becoming self-sustaining. Moreover, they seemed to be gradually acquiring an attachment to their novel method of life, and encouraging hopes were entertained that they would ulti- mately become civilized ; but, unfortunately for the successful consum- mation of the experiment, some of those numerous outlaws on the west- ern borders of Texas happened to get their eyes upon the improvements, and believing it an object to acquire possession of them, they levied a large force of their confederates, marched in the night to the reserva- tion, and without the slightest provocation or excuse made a sudden de- scent upon the unsuspecting and unarmed Comanches and indiscrimi- nately slaughtered a large number of men, women, and children. Those that succeeded in making their escape wandered off into the plains with the firm conviction that the entire white race w r as treacherous and in- imical toward them, and as a necessity they resumed their nomadic life and commenced a retaliatory war upon our people, so that the col- onizing scheme had to be abandoned with them. I understood that KEPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 75 their lands and improvements were seized by the filibusters, and, for aught I know, they may still have possession of them. Major Neigh- bors, who unhesitatingly gave expression to his opinion regarding the turpitude of the proceedings, was a short time afterwards inhumanly murdered by one of the cowardly gang, who shot him in the back, but was, of course, never punished for it. Where the Indians have been allowed to occupy their lands per- manently, as in the cases of the Choctaws, Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Creeks, the most satisfactory results have been obtained. These tribes, through the persistent and continued efforts of the government authori- ties and the missionaries, have gradually cast off the habits of the hun- ter and adopted those of the agriculturist, so that now we find them oc- cupying comfortable habitations, and possessing well-tilled grain fields, with horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, more than sufficient to supply all their necessities. They also have churches and schools, that are well attended, and they have adopted a form of government similar to that of the United States. They elect their presidents or chiefs periodically, hold their legislative and court sessions as regularly as with us, and previous to the rebellion were eminently prosperous and increasing in numbers. Indeed, their condition, both politically and socially, would bear favorable comparison with that of the white settlers upon the borders of Texas and Arkansas, and laws were more respected and better enforced among these people than they were among their white neighbors. These gratifying results have been mainly brought about, as I remarked before, through the agency of a few zealous and good men, who have labored faithfully among the Indians for many years, and taught them, besides agricul- ture and the arts, to reverence the principles inculcated by our holy re- ligion. Some of them are educated and accomplished men and wealthy planters, and a few of them are ministers of the gospel. I have mentioned these facts somewhat in detail, in order to show the fallacy of the opinion entertained by many that the wild Indian is in- capable of being civilized. The time must soon come when game will fail to afford subsistence to the nomadic tribes of Indians, and, as they have no knowledge of agriculture, they will soon be, unless the govern- ment provides for them, forced to the alternative of depredating upon the border white settlements or dying of starvation. The government will soon be driven to the necessity either of making continual warfare upon them until they are exterminated, feeding them perpetually, or of placing them upon reservations and teaching them to till the soil, and thus in time enabling them to become self-sustaining. The disposal of these people in such a manner as to afford a reason- able guarantee for permanent security, both to the white man and Indian, is a problem that has engaged the attention of both our civil and mili- tary authorities for many years, ancl numerous experiments have been resorted to in colonizing them on reservations of public lands, and attempting to instruct them in the rudiments of agriculture; but, for the reasons that have already been stated, and for the additional reason that they have, in most instances, only been allowed to occupy these reservations for a few years, after which they have been forced further and further back until they ceased to take much interest in the lands allotted them, and returned to their roving habits, the experiments have, in many instances, proved abortive. To insure success in civilizing wild Indians, I regard it as absolutely essential that they should have per- manent locations which they can call their own, and in the possession of which they should be protected by the government from molestation 76 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. by designing and unprincipled border white men ; and this can best be accomplished in a region of country that the military authorities can control, which is not frequented by the whites, and as far removed as possible from the great routes of travel over the plains. Another con- dition indispensable to a good Indian reservation is, that it should be suited to agriculture. All the arable lands west of the Missouri Eiver, in the direction of New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana, through which the tide of immigration to the mineral districts is annually setting, is rapidly being taken up and cultivated by our adventurous pioneers, and there is no suitable resting place in this direction for the Indians. If they were located anywhere in this section of country, they would, there- fore, be in continual conflict with the white settlers, and would soon have to be removed somewhere else, so that we should only gain a tem- porary respite from the difficulties that now confront us with some of the tribes. One example, w r hich has come under my own observation, will suffice to show the unwise policy of establishing Indian reservations on the track of immigration and settlement. When I first visited Wisconsin, in 1833', the Winuebago Indians were located in. the country surrounding Fort Winuebago, where they had lived for generations in prosperity and happiness. Soon after this that section was wanted for the extension of our white settlements, and the Indian chiefs were invited to visit Washington. Believing that the motive was to prevail upon them to sell their lands, they at first objected to going. They were answered, as I was informed, that no such purpose was contemplated, and that they would not be asked to dispose of their country. Upon this pledge some of the minor chiefs were prevailed upon to accept the invitation, but the greater part of the principal men remained at home. When the delega- tion reached the capital they were at once importuned to dispose of their lands, but they declined upon the ground that they had no authority for negotiating a treaty ; on the contrary, that they were specially instructed by the tribe before they left home to make no treaties whatever. Not- withstanding this, they were detained at Washington a long time, until at length they became so homesick, and so anxious to return to their people, that in order to get away they were finally induced to sign a treaty disposing of their reservation, and although the compact never received the sanction of the tribe, they were held to it, and under its stipulations were removed to Turkey Kiver, fifty miles west of Prairie du Chien, and this they were assured would be their permanent abiding place for all time. Although the arrangement was far from being satis- factory to the majority of the tribe, yet there was no alternative but to submit, and they went to work improving their new homes, not antici- pating any further molestation ; but to their astonishment, they were soon encroached upon here by the white pioneers, and were again forced to remove to Minnesota under a new treaty. In a few years another treaty was brought about with them, and a third removal ensued to a different part of Minnesota, and similar causes operating there shortly afterwards, caused them to be removed to a reservation on the Upper Missouri, above Fort Kandall, where game was scarce, and where the soil was so arid and barren that but little grain could be cultivated, and it became necessary to subsist them from day to day upon rations issued by the government. The consequence was that the Indians soon became dissatisfied, and many of them deserted the reservation and scattered in small parties over the country, search- ing for spots where they could cultivate corn and find game. The course that has been pursued toward these Indians, and which REPOET OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 77 may have been the result of circumstances without the control of the government, has proved most disastrous to them, causing such a rapid* diminution in their numbers that there is now only a miserable reinnanfr of half-starved beggars remaining. The history of the Winnebagoes presents a correct type to that of many other tribes which were once numerous and powerful, but which, from similar causes, are now almost totally annihilated. The contrast between the present condition of the remnants of tribes that formerly lived in the Eastern States and that of the Indians I have alluded to west of Arkansas is most striking, apd affords a key to the solution of the troublesome question as to the wisest policy to be pursued toward the red man. As I said before, the insurmountable difficulty we have heretofore en- countered in carrying out the colonizing policy, has resulted from the fact that the Indian reservations have been required for the extension of our white settlements, and the Indians have been forced to give way ; but if a section of country can be found where the white settlers would not be likely to intrude* and which possessed the requisites that have been mentioned, that, it seems to me, would be the place to locate the prairie Indians. On the 30th of September, 1830, a treaty was entered into with the Choctaw tribe, wherein the United States ceded to them all that vast tract of territory included between the Canadian and Red Rivers, extending from the western boundary of Arkansas to the 100th meridian of west longitude, embracing an area of about 30,000 square miles, and equal in extent to the entire area of the States of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and more than a square mile for each and every man, woman, and child in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. The Choctaws a few years since ceded to their neighbors, the Chickasaws, a portion of the southeastern part of their reservation, but these two tribes only occupy the eastern borders of the tract, their sparsely populated district not extending much beyond the ninety-sixth meridian of longitude, thus leaving some twenty thousand square miles of territory which they have no use for, and which they have leased to the United States for the colonization of other tribes, and it is upon this tract that our authorities have recently placed the Comanches, Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes. The tract embraces the Wichita Mountain range, which is about forty miles in length, and intersected with many fertile valleys, abounding in excellent wood, water and grass. Besides this there is a great extent of other desirable farming lands, which are elevated and gently undulating, interspersed with prairie and timbered lauds, and bountifully supplied with streams of pure spring water. The soil here is exceedingly rich and productive, and everywhere covered with a heavy coating of rich nutritious grass, admirably adapted to stock raising and the culture of cereals. The climate is highly salubrious and eminently calculated to promote the health of laborers. , The original Choctaw reservation embraced nearly all the arable lands lying between the Red and Canadian Rivers. West of this the country is arid, barren, and almost destitute of woodland. The available portion of the reservation will be ample for all the tribes that are now being collected upon it, and probably sufficient in extent also for the numer- ous bauds of Sioux in the country bordering the Upper Missouri, should that section prove unsuitable for agriculture. In my opinion, the ex- treme aridity of the soil upon the waters of the Upper Missouri, with the destruction to vegetation resulting from the annual raids of innumerable multitudes of grasshoppers that have swept over that 'entire section for the past four years, will render this anything but a desirable agricul- 78 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. tural locality. E ver y vesti ge of a crop for fifteen hun dred miles over which I traveled last summer in the Sioux country, including the settlements along Red Eiver, in the Hudson's Bay Company's territory, had been devoured by grasshoppers. The portion of the Choctaw reservation set apart for the wild tribes does not lie in the track of immigration, as upon the south and west it juts up to the border of the great American desert of the Llano Estacado, over which roads cannot be made on account of the entire absence of wood or water, so that all travel from the east toward the mining districts, and California, must of necessity deflect to tbte north or south of this. The consequence is that there is not a road passing over it west of Fort Washita that is traveled by white men except for military and Indian purposes. Hence you will perceive that Indians located upon this tract will be removed from contiguity with the border white settlements, away from the great overland thorough- fares, and with an intermediate connecting link of civilized Indians who are friendly to both races, and whose prosperous condition and example would doubtless have a good influence upon th wild tribes, exhibiting most clearly to them the great benefits to be derived from husbandry and the culture of the arts of civilization. Until the Indians are taught the rudiments of agriculture they will, of course, have to be subsisted by the United States; but in the section of country under consideration, corn and beef are cheap, and when it cannot be procured from the civilized Indians it can be had at low rates in Arkansas and Texas, and transported during the high stages of water up Eed Eiver to near the reservation. In conclusion, I remark that, in my humble judgment, the system of Indian affairs as recently inaugurated by the government will, if carried out and perpetuated in the same benevolent spirit that it was conceived, result in more lasting benefits to the red men than anything that has ever before been done for them, and I believe that the appointment of agents from the philanthropic disciples of William Penn, who, ever since the first treaty with the Indians at Philadelphia, have maintained the kindest disposition toward them, will prove eminently wise. Even the wildest Indians possess as keen an appreciation of right and wrong as any other people, and they understand perfectly well that they have often been defrauded by dishonest agents, and this knowledge has con- tributed more than all otHer causes combined to destroy their confidence in our authorities, as well as to incite them to hostilities; and if the "Friends" pursue their usual just and honorable course in their dealings with the Indians it will doubtless tend greatly toward the restoration of confidence, harmony, and good feeling. Payments of annuities and distribution of presents were, previous to 1849, made to the Indians by army officers, and I have yet to learn of the first complaint having been made by the Indians against them, or of the first dollar ever having been withheld from the Indians ; and it was rare in those days that we had any trouble with them, and in those instances the difficulties invariably grew out of their hostility to being removed upon new reservations. Do not these facts afford a cogent argument in support of the wisdom of returning to the old system of disbursements, with a reasonable guarantee for future fair dealing ? The Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Cherokees, who have evinced a desire to aid in the work of civilizing their untutored brethren of the plains, might be able to render very efficient service as farmers and instructors in husbandry. If the white missionaries, instead of searching for heathen in foreign lands, would practice the maxim that "charity begins at home," and turn a greater portion of their attention to the savages on REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 79 the prairies, who, up to this moment (with the exception of some of the Sioux) have not the remotest conception of the first principles of the Christian religion, they might, in co-operation with good agents and farmers, accomplish important results. The zealous and disinterested labors of Father De Schmidt among the tribes about the head- waters of the Columbia and Missouri Eivers, and the successful results of the efforts of the Protestant missionaries with more eastern tribes, conclu- sively show this. The large tribe of ISTavajo Indians, numbering about seven thousand eight hundred souls, who have recently, at their own urgent request, been returned from the Pecos River to their old haunts in the moun- tains west of the Eio delNorte, are kindly disposed, and anxious to become civilized. Their men and women are eminently industrious and willing to work in the fields, but unfortunately their lands upon the Pecos, on account of .the alkali in the soil, did not yield much grain. The northern part of their present reservation,- as well as the adjoining country upon the head- waters of the San Juan and Los Aniinos Eivers, which is occupied by the Capote and Weininuche Utes, is one of the very best grazing and stock-raising sections I have ever seen. The best quality of grass grows most luxuriantly all over this country, it is well watered with numerous spring brooks, and there is a great abundance of pine timber. Animals can subsist here during the entire winter upon the grass in the sheltered valleys. The soil is rich in many of the valleys, and the fre- quent showers during the summer mouths would probably obviate the necessity of irrigation in the cultivation of grain. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. B. MAECY, Inspector General United States Army. Messrs. WELSH, BRUNOT, AND OTHERS, Commissioners for Visiting Indians, &c. ALASKA E. REPORT OF THE HON. VINCENT COLYER, UNITED STATES SPECIAL INDIAN COMMISSIONER, ON THE INDIAN TRIBES AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS IN ALASKA TERRITORY, FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATION AND INSPECTION IN 1869. UNITED STATES STEADIER NEWBERN, Alaska Territory, November, 1869. DEAR SIR : I received my appointment from the President as a mem- ber of the board of United States special Indian commissioners, on the 23d of July, 18G9, while you were absent on your tour of inspection to the southern Indian territory. I had already visited the Indians in Eastern Kansas, Indian territory, Northern Texas, New Mexico, North- eastern Arizona and Southern Colorado, of which I have reported to you. Knowing that the commission had arranged to visit the other portions of the old Territories of the United States previous to my appointment, and that Alaska was not included in your program me, and that there were reported by General Halleck to be over sixty thousand Indians in that Territory, I thought it clearly my duty to visit Alaska. As neither letter nor telegram could reach you in time to secure a reply that would be in season to allow me to accomplish anything after receiving it, I had to leave without other communication than simply notifying you of my departure for that Territory. I crossed the continent by the Pacific railroad, and from San Fran- cisco went by steamer up the coast to the Straits of St. Juan del Fuca, and thence by the inside passage to Alaska. Our steamer stopped at Victoria, on Vancouver Island, and at the United States post on the island of St. Juan. The earnest desire of the people of British Colum- bia for annexation to the United States, and the manifest probability of their obtaining their wishes at an early day, make it necessary that I should give some account of the Indian tribes of that Territory. THE NATIVES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA LIVING ON THE STRAITS BETWEEN VICTORIA AND S1TKA. It was the latter part of August (27tk) when we entered the Straits of Fuca. The morning was clear and mild, and the Indians were out in their wooden canoes fishing. The canoes were hewn from the solid log, varying in size from fifteen to twenty feet, with a raised prow and stern. The men were dressed like our fishermen, with the exception of the hat, which was a broad brim running down in one unbroken convex sweep from the flat top to the outer rim. It was decidedly Chinese in its form, and was made, either of cars-ed wood, thin and in one piece, or plaited of grass and painted. Their dwellings along shore were constructed of split boards tied together, clapboard fashion, with strips of sapling on upright poles. Both canoes and dwellings resembled the pictui es given in Vancouver's description of 1794. Some of their houses were of colossal dimensions, one which I measured being 80 feet wide by 200 feet long. They are subdivided within into smaller apartments for families. There are about five thousand of these Indians scattered a'ong the 6 82 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. shores of these straits from Victoria to Portland Channel, the boundary line between British Columbia and Alaska. There are the Nanaimos, 400 ; Cape Mudge, 100 ; Minkish, 200 ; Fort Bupert, 100; Nahwittis, 200; Quatsinas, 150; Wykenas, 100; Bella Bella, 300 ; Ketyagoos, 100 ; Hydahs, a large tribe extending up into Alaska, 2,000 ; Kit Kats, 100; Ket a Mats, 200. (See Appendix A 1.) THE SCENERY AROUND THESE INDIANS. The scenery through Johnstone Straits, Finley Channel, Hickish Narrows, Frazer's and Mackay's Reach, is like that of the highlands on the Hudson, only the mountains are loftier and more densely wooded. It is one continued panorama of grand and beautiful pictures; moun- tains 2,500 to 4,000 feet high, rising directly out of the water at an angle of from 45 to 70 ; covered at the base with a heavy growth of pine, cedar, and sprnce, and festooned between with a drapery of hanging moss. The highest peaks are bald, with gigantic masses of dark slate and granite towering up into the sky, and crowned with snow ; streams of water glisten like lines of molten silver from the lofty ravines and break into sparkling cascades at your feet. The cold of the upper air, appropriate to this latitude, and the warmth of the warm waters from the Japan Sea current below, make rapid con- densation so that cloud and sunshine alternate. At one hour fogs and heavy clouds draggle their dreary mists over the gloomy abysses, and at another the sun breaks through warm and golden, lighting up the quiet stream, wooded hillside, and snow-capped peaks with life and beauty. The retreating clouds, filled with the iris of the rainbow ; the wild moun- tain sheep, grazing on his elevated pastures ; the eagle, sweeping down upon the leaping salmon ; and the Indian quietly cooking his evening meal, complete the picture. THE INDIANS OF ALASKA* TONGAS. The first place at which we stopped in the Territory of Alaska was Tongas, an old Indian village near which the United States govern- ment has built a new post. It is located on one of the islands on the coast, near Portland Channel, the boundary line of British Columbia, being the first practicable harbor found on this lower extremity of Alaska. INDIAN HOUSES AT TONGAS. I regret that we cannot engrave the picture of this Indian village at Tongas. The village contains about sixteen houses, which are well built of hewn plank, one story high, and have both doors and windows, the latter of glass, the sashes and glass for which are obtained from white people trading on the coast. The houses are about 40 by 50 feet square, and each house is subdivided within into smaller apartments resembling ships' cabins.t * See Appendix A. t These interior apartments were, doubtless, copied by the Indians from ships' cabins, as these were the kind of habitations mostly seen by the natives on board the ships so frequently visiting their coast. By the way, this illustrates quite remarkably the ability of these Indians to improve, and the quickness and skill at imitation, and the map, drawn from memory only, by the old gentleman, Mr. Ebbitts, chief of the Tongas, particularly illustrates it, marked in red on back, No. 5. In pictures Nos. 3 and 4, you will see interior views of their houses. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 83 These cabins, or private sleeping rooms of one family, are seen in Sketch No. 4, built on raised platform. They are as neatly finished as most whaling ships' cabins, and have bunks, or places for beds, built on the inside around the sides. They vary in size, being usually about 10 by 20 feet, with ceilings seven feet high. Some of the young men are quite skillful mechanics, handling carpen- ters' tools with" facility, and if you will closely examine the sketch you will see that there is a floor and raised platform of boards neatly fas- tened together, below the private cabins or rooms spoken of, so that the amount of carpenter work about one of these houses is considerable. They have a large opening in the roof, through which the smoke of their fire passes, as seen in No. 4. Usually, this opening in the roof is covered with loose boards, which are placed on either side of the roof, according as the wind may blow, always with an opening left, through which the smoke passes out. Sometimes they build a large wooden chimney, like a cupola, over this opening, but more commonly it is only covered with boards, as described. (See Appendix B ; reports of H. G. Williams, Leon Smith, and W. Wall.) SUBSISTENCE AJTO TRADE OF THE EASTERN COAST INDIANS. They subsist mostly on fish, which they catch in abundance with but slight effort; salmon ulicum, or caudle fish, a small fish somewhat like sardines, full of oil, which when dried, will burn like a candle ; hence its name. These fish they clean and dry in large quantities both for their own use and for trading with the Indians in the interior for furs, bear and deer meat, &c. (See Appendix e,are at Wrangel, which place I will describe directly, one day's sail further north. These paintings have an allegorical meaning, and fre- quently represent facts in'the history of the chief or the tribe. In front of the entrance there is usually a porch, built with railing, to prevent the children from falling off, and you will notice the round hole for the entrance. They are covered, inside, with heavy wooden doors, securely fastened within by large wooden bars, as if for safety against attacks. The doors are usually about four feet in diameter, and their .circular form resembles the opening of the " tepe" or tents of the tribes of the plains so nearly that the mind naturally concludes that the habit of stooping to Center their houses was adopted in earlier ages, when the tent was the habitation. The Pueblo Indians, in their adobe houses, in m"ew Mexico, require a stooping posture to enter their doors. In frout of most of the cabins of the chiefs, large poles, elaborately carved, with figures imitating bears, sea-lions, crows, eagles, human faces and figures, are erected. These are supposed to represent facts in the history of .the chiefs, as well as being heraldic symbols of the tribe. By referring to Picture No. 1, you will see the poles standing in front of the-eabiois 5 in another sketch not engraved is an enlarged copy of these poles, and on 2S"o. 5 are some very curious colossal frogs, a bear, and war-chief, with his " big medicine-dance" hat on. All of these things show a great fondness for art, which, if developed, would bear good fruits. It also shows that these Indians have the time, taste, and means for other things than immediately providing the mere necessities ot existence. In the carving of their canoes they display great skill, making them STo. 3. SKILLAT, THE CHIEF'S HOUSE AT WRAXGEL, ALASKA. No. 4. INTERIOR OF INDIAN IIOUSK AT WKAXilKL. ALASKA. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 85 entirely by the eye. They are as accurately balanced and beautifully modeled as possible. A copy of a canoe, with a group of Indian women dressed in their highly-colored blankets and calicoes, you will find in Sketch No. 10, (not engraved in this edition.) DRESS OF THE WOMEN. The women dress neatly, being fond of bright-colored calico, muslins, woolens, &c., as usual with Indians. They are quite pretty, and their ignorance of any law regulating the relations between the sexes makes their too open licentiousness have a less consciously degrading influence on their outward demeanor than with our white women of the same degree of vice. The old chief of the Tongas or "Tont-a-quans" tribe, Quack-ham, or his English name, Captain Ebbitts, a sketch of whom you will find marked No. 11, is an intelligent and kind-hearted old man. As we were leaving his house, the daughters called to him as " he was going with the Boston men," as they call all Americans, "not to drink any whisky."' This warning proved plainly enough that the Indian women, like our own poor wives and daughters, fully appreciate the curse of strong drink. (See Appendix D.) HOW LIQUORS ARE BROUGHT INTO ALASKA. Among other goods lauded from our steamer, the United States gov- ernment quartermaster's steamer Newbern, were a number of cases of champagne, porter, ten barrels of ale, and five barrels of whisky, rum, and brandy, directed to A. A. Q., post trader at Tongas. As the order of President Johnson, under act of Congress, (see Appendix H,) expresslyjcommanded that all distilled spirits should be sent to depart- ment headquarters at Sitka, subject to disposal of General Davis y I inquired by what authority it was landed. The commander of the post showed me the papers, which said it was "for tlie use of the officers of the post" which he explained as being simply a " form of expression." As there were but four officers at this post, and the Indian village is not more than five hundred yards from it, and the Indians do most of their trading with this post sutler, I thought it clearly my duty to speak of this. PROXIMITY OF UNITED STATES POSTS AND INDIAN VILLAGES. This brings me to consider the near proximity of the posts in Alaska Territory to the Indian villages at Tongas, as well as at Wrangel, Sitka, and Kadiak, the commander of the department has located the posts within five hundred yards of the Indian villages, so that the soldiers as well as some of the officers use them, as you can easily imagine. The post at Tongas, a sketch of which I inclose, (not engraved,) is within three hundred yards of the Indian village, (not engraved.) Though they are on opposite sides of the island, the consequence is you cannot visit one of these Indian villages without meeting some soldiers or sailors wandering about. That their presence tends to demoralize the Indians, and nowise better the soldiers, is undeniable. One or the other should be removed. As the Indians are the oldest settlers, the post has been placed there recently, and the Indians perfectly peaceable, I think the post, and not the Indian village, should be removed. In a communication which I received at Sitka, October 25, from the 86 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. United States medical director of the department of Alaska, Dr. E. J. Baily, he says : " I am satisfied that little or nothing can be done nntil they (the Indians of Alaska) are placed under more favorable influences. A greater mistake could not have been committed than stationing troops in their midst. They mutually debauch each other, and sink into that degree of degradation in which it is utterly impossible to reach, either through moral or religious influences." (See report, Appendix E.) WRANGEL. This village is about seventy miles north of Tongas, and located on a tongue of land and curve in the shore of Wrangel Island. On the opposite side of this curve, or on the other horn of the crescent, the government post is located, about five hundred yards distant, with its guns commanding the village. There are thirty-two houses in the village and five hundred and eight inhabitants. Of these one hundred and fifty-nine are men and three hundred and forty-nine are women and children. (See Appendix Z.) Of the men about one-half are capable of bearing arms, (as with us,) and they have a few old flint- lock muskets, of Russian make, as they mostly live by trading with the Indians of the interior. There is one company of United States troops at the post. (An engraving of post of the Indian village at Wrangel is inserted, No. 1.) LIQUORS BROUGHT TO WRANGEL. As I have reported at Tongas, so it was at Wrangel. A quantity of porter and light wines, ten barrels of ale, and five barrels of distilled spirits, (whisky, brandy, &c.,) were hoisted up from the hold of the Newbern, marked for Leon Smith, post trader at Wrangel. As I had called the attention of the revenue officers to the violation of President Johnson's order in landing the liquors at Tongas, the officer command- ing the post at Wrangel asked me my opinion of the business. I called his attention to the wording of the papers permitting the shipment of the liquors from San Francisco. It was the same as at Tongas for the " use of the officers at the post." The captain read this, reflected a moment, and then said that he would not permit it to land. The beer and porter was landed and taken into Leon Smith's store, and the whisky, brandy, rum, &c., was carried up to Sitka. At Wrangel, as at Tongas, there is no medical attendance, nor care or supervision of any kind whatever, other than military, over the Indians. It was the same at Sitka, at Kadiak, and indeed all through the Terri- tory, until I complained of it to General Davis, when at my request he promptly and most kindly provided medical supervision at Sitka and Kadiak. Wrangel Harbor and the Indian village are very picturesque and interesting places. I made careful sketches of all objects of import- ance, which I inclose. THE STYCH1NE RIVER. As this river is the most important channel of trade with the interior in southeastern Alaska, I arranged with Mr. Harry Gr. Williams, of Phila- delphia, who contemplated making an ascent of it, to give me an account of the river and the condition of the Indians along its banks. This he has done, and I take great pleasure in submitting it. (See Appendix REPORT OP THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 87 B.) As also a report on the same subject from Leon Smith, post trader at Wrangel, and another on the Stychine tribe and village at Wraiigel, by W. Wall, interpreter, will be found, marked Appendix B 2, B 3. SITKA The present headquarters of the department, and former residence of the Russian governor. We were most cordially welcomed by General Davis, and every assistance which both himself and the officers of the department could be given to further the objects of our visit was extended toward us. The liquor received from Wrangel was landed and placed in charge of the revenue officers, and the steamer Lincoln was dispatched promptly by the collector of the port for the five barrels which had been landed at Tongas. The promptness of sending for this liquor was owing, in part, to the suspicion that a large quantity of liquor, in addition to the five barrels landed, had been smuggled ashore as molasses. This suspicion was unfounded. A large quantity (nine hundred gallons) of pure alcohol, marked "coal oil," and directed to the care of the post traders at Sitka, was landed at Sitka from our steamer, the Newbern. This fraud was detected by Inspector Andrew lieed, and the liquor was confiscated by Collector Kapus. Liquors thus confiscated are kept in the storehouse a certain length of time, advertised, and then sold at public auction by the collector of the port. Of course, so long as this practice prevails the law of Con- gress, as a means for preventing the Indians from getting liquor, is a farce. For it is thus scattered broadcast over the Territory. Medical Director Bailey, in his report (Appendix E) before alluded to, says : " Whiskey has been sold in the streets by government officers at public auctionjand examples of drunkenness are set before them almost daily, so that, in fact, the principal teaching they are at present receiving- is that drunkenness and debauchery are held by us not as criminal and unbecoming a Christian people, but as indications of our advanced and superior civilization. These Indians are a civil and well-behaved people. They do not want bayonets to keep them in subjection, but they do need honest, faithful, and Christian workers among them, who will care for them, teach and instruct them in useful arts, and that they are responsible beings. MEDICAL ATTENDANCE FURNISHED BY GENERAL DAVIS. Passing up the street at Sitka (there is but one) I met a crowd col- lected around an Indian girl. She was moaning, in great pain, and lying uncared for on the sidewalk. I asked " why they did not take her to the hospital," and was informed that " there was no provision made for Indians at the hospital." General Davis happening to pass at that moment gave me permission, and, assisted by two Indians, I carried her to the United States hospital. She was placed in a wretched, tumble-down part of the building, and medicine given her. The next day General Davis humanely issued an order detailing Doctor J. G. Tonner to act as surgeon in charge of the Indians near the town. On my return from the west, six weeks later, Dr. Tonner gave me a 88 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. copy of his own excellent first report on the sanitary condition of the Sitka tribe of Indians, which will be found in the Appendix E. The Indian village up to this time had received no sanitary super- vision. Its proximity to the town would seem to require this for the Indian, without considering the claims of humanity. As the Indians supply the town with most of its provisions, (see report of ex-Mayor Dodge, Appendix L,) the condition of the place where they met the whites at the gate of the stockade dividing the two peoples attracted my attention. It was a wet, filthy, broken down old shed, and as soon as the commanding general's attention was called to it he ordered a new and convenient market-house built. The Sitka Indians, who number about 1,250 souls, are admitted through the gate of the town at sunrise and move around at pleasure through the day. Many of them are idle and waste their time in gambling in the recesses of the houses of the whites. They paint their faces with black and red, looking hideously. EAGERNESS OF THE SITKA INDIANS TO IMPROVE. Hearing a difference of opinion concerning the willingness of the Indian to change his habits, I called a meeting of their chiefs at the headquarters of the commanding general of the department of Alaska on last Tuesday. General Davis, Col. Brady, Dr. Bailey, and Captain Mclutyre, of the army, and Madame, the widow of Michaloff, late chief of the Sitkas, were present. Messrs. David Shirpser, Sukoff, and William Phillips acted as interpreters. The object of the meeting Avas to ascertain if the Indians would care to have schools established among them; a sanitary supervision exercised OA~er their village, and a hospital and medical attendance provided for them. To all of these proposals the Sitkas gratefully assented, promising to use their best endeavors to secure the attendance of their children and unemployed grown people at schools, and to find help to aid the sanitary superin- tendent in his efforts to cleanse and improve their village. They con- sented also to a grant of laud on the hill-top for the erection of a new market for their benefit and the people's convenience, and agreed to remove such of their dead as might be in the way of the new enter- prise. When the question was asked if they wished for a freer traffic in Avhisky for their tribe, they said most emphatically that they did not, and gave that as the cause of a riotous disturbance in their village the night before. The interview was a most agreeable one, and " pot latching" or entertainment was not resorted to. The chiefs reprobated the habit of some of their "more ignorant," as they called them, Indians painting their faces; and for the habit of gam- bling and loafing, they gave the same reason as that given by the 2savajoes in New Mexico, that the young men wouldnot obey the chiefs, and that the chiefs had no power to enforce their orders. They said they would be glad if our officers would break up the gambling habits, Avhich Colonel Brady, commanding the post, with his characteristic energy and ability, proceeded the next day to do. UNPUNISHED MURDER OF A CHILOAT INDIAN. On my way up in the steamer, Mr. Frank K. Louthan, post trader at Sitka, told me of the killing of a Chilcat Indian, visiting Sitka, by a young man named J. C. Parker, employed as clerk in his store. "The Indian," he said, "was in company with several others, standing leaning REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 89 against a show case in his store, in March last. The Indian, in leaning on the glass, either intentionally for the purpose of stealing', as Parker claims, or accidentally, as many assert, broke the glass. Parker, who it is claimed has an old grudge against Indians, came toward the In- dian, who, becoming alarmed, immediately ran out of the store toward the Indian village. Parker stepped back into the store, took a Henry repeating rifle, followed after the Indian and shot him, so that he soon died." On my arrival at Sitka I inquired of General Davis what had been done with Parker, as I had been introduced to him as United States inspector of customs at Tongas. The general told me that Parker had been tried by military court-martial and acquitted, and frankly handed me a copy of the trial. I introduce it in the Appendix E. In looking over the evidence of Mr. Louthan, in that trial, it will be seen that he knew " nothing," while in his letter to me, in Appendix 0, he distinctly states in writing, that this young man killed the Indian. As this 'report was going to press I received a letter from Dr. J. G. Towuer, at Sitka, informing me that this same miscreant, Parker, had shot another Indian in the streets of Sitka, in the early part of January, 1870. It seems that Parker had been relieved as revenue officer at Ton- gas and appointed policeman at Sitka, and one morning early, seeing an Indian passing around a corner, deliberately took up his gun and shot. As in the first instance, Parker trumps up a story, the Indian looked as though he was about to steal something. This is the legitimate fruit of the farcical military court-martial re- ported in Appendix E. And it is because there is, apparently, no cessa- tion of abuses like the above, that it becomes our duty to state unre- servedly many disagreeable facts which we would otherwise gladly have omitted. KADIAK. On the 18th of September we left Sitka for Kadiak ; Generals Davis, Thompkins, and Ihrie, with Judge Storer and Mr. Murphy, editor of Alaska Times, and other officers and gentlemen as fellow-passengers. We found a center for a large number of Indian villages. The Indians come in their skin canoes, or Mdarks, from all parts of the island and ad- jacent coast to trade. For their names and numbers, see Appendix M. There are only three traders at Kadiak, but these supply the natives with goods at fair prices. The practice of the old Eussian fur company was to advance supplies to the Indians, and take their furs the succeed- ing season for pay. . This habit is still popular with the natives, and in the hands of selfish traders works as injuriously with the Indians as with every one. One of the methods used was for the trader to purchase and own all the bidarkas or skin canoes, without which the native can- not catch the sea otter, or fish. The residents at Kadiak are mostly Creoles, or half-breed Indian and Eussian, while in nearly all the other villages in the vicinity they are full-blooded Aleutes. WOOD ISLAND. At Wood Island, about five miles from the village of Saint Paul, or Kadiak proper, there is a settlement of Aleutes, who are employed by the Arnerican-Eussian Ice Company of California. As this company have extensive ice houses on the island, and rely for nearly all their heavy labor upon the Aleutes, I was glad to hear the superintendent say 90 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. that the company intended to do considerable toward advancing the natives here in comfort and education. There is much need of it. Little or no care is shown in the laying out of the village, construction of the dwellings, or education of the people. With the means at the command of this company, the reputation of its officers for liberality, and the advantage which must return to it in a generous policy toward its employes, one can readily believe that it will soon effect the much needed reforms. At present the houses are small, poorly ventilated, carelessly tossed together huts. There is no school-teacher, missionary, resident physician, or medical supervision. The only store on the island belongs to the ice company, and the natives can trade there, or row over to Kodiak for their sup- plies. The prices charged for goods was about one-third more than at San Francisco. Below Kadiak about a mile, we found a settlement of Kolosh Indians, from the neighborhood of Sitka. They were living in well- constructed log houses, built above the ground, with glass windows and battened doors and shutters. They said that they were captured when young in the waters of British Columbia, sold into slavery by their captors, and brought down here by the Russians to save their lives. It is said to be the practice, occasionally, for tribes to offer up living sacrifices on the death of their head chiefs. General Davis is said to have saved the life of one young slave from this fate, and the Russians appear to have done the same thing in the case of these Indians. As the Aleutes build their houses mostly under ground, these high and dry, stout and clean log houses of the Kolosh Indians contrasted favorably for the latter. It illustrates what I have elsewhere stated, that the Kolosh Indians, if properly cared for, surpass the Aleutes. The natives from the neighboring villages at Kadiak earnestly im- plored me to visit them, and I deeply regretted my inability, for want of time, to do so. They said that they had many sick and poor at their houses, and now that the Russian government had ceased its paternal care over them, they had no one to see to their wants. This I found to be a general source of complaint along the coast of the Aleutian Islands. MONOPOLIES. Several of the large American trading firms, eager to obtain the trade of these poor people, are endeavoring, with unscrupulous energy, to assume control over them, but as there is no supervising power with proper responsibility to whom they are to account for any abuses, the Aleutes would be wholly at their mercy. Messrs, flutchiuson, Kohl & Co., who bought whatever rights the old Russian company may have had left when the Territory came into our possession, have assumed the largest amount of control over the Aleutes, but at Kadiak, Bellskoffsky, Unalaska, and St. Paul Island, where I personally inspected the operations of this firm, and at other places where I had evidence from reliable witnesses, I found no indications of any other relationship than that of traders with the Indians. I would not have referred to them here but that a bill was passed through one of the houses of Congress last year, and similar acts are now pending there, which virtually place the Indians of Alaska, and reduce them, to a condition of serfdom, in the keeping of this or another large com- mercial firm. For the sake of humanity, I trust this will not become a law. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 91 Before leaving Kadiak Island we were destined once more to see the workings of " pay-day in tbe army." It was the same here as down in the Cherokee country, at Fort Wingate, and at Sitka. The day after the men were paid many of them were beastly drunk, and while in that condi- tion the natives had a hard time of it. The officers tried in vain to re- strain them. I passed by one Creole cabin at Kadiak, from the inte- rior of which issued the shouts of the drunken soldiers, while at the porch stood a little Indian girl the very picture of despair and distress. The day after the paymaster left, one drunken soldier stabbed another and came near killing him. The commissioners will please bear in mind that these soldiers are the only police or representatives of law and order there are in the Territory. When they act in this way it is easy to conceive in what a condition the people must be. OUKAMACK ISLAND. Ascertaining from a trader that there was a small band of Aleutes on Oukauiack Island, who were likely to starve to death this winter if some one did not visit them and supply their necessities, 1 applied to Gen- eral Davis for provisions to help them, and, as usual, the general gen- erously responded. (See Appendix Z.) Captain David Evans, of the United States revenue steamer Lincoln, with characteristic kindness, sailed nearly thirty miles out of his course to stop there. Oukamack is a large island destitute of wood, though covered with rich verdure, and lies southwest of Kadiak about two hundred and twenty miles. It is said to have been a penal colony under the Eus- sians, and is now chiefly famous for its marmot robes, which are worn so much by the Aleutes. The chief, a short, stout, intelligent-looking man, came out to the bay to meet us in his " bidarka," and seemed very anxious at our arrival. The Indians are so entirely at the mercy of large ships' crews arriving on their coast that it is no wonder they are solicitous. On landing and making known our errand they were overjoyed. One venerable Aleute, too feeble to rise, gently pulled my face down to his, and then touched first one cheek and then the other to his, pointing upward and saying, " Jesus Christus." I gave them a new American flag, which they run up on a flag-staff near at hand, with cheers. There were over a hundred of them, with a native priest at their head, who reads Eussian. They had plenty of salmon and squirrels, but nothing else not a gun, axe, or tool of any sort, or piece of twine, or any useful thing. They said that the old Eussian American Fur Company, for whom they formerly worked, came and stripped them of everything when they left. They were intelligent and industrious, and if some enterprising and just business man were to go there and set up a salmon preserve or ice house, (there are two large lakes of clear, fresh water,) he would doubtless make money, and could benefit these worthy people. From Oukamack Island we went to Bellskoflfsky, passing Ounyi and the famous cod fisheries on our way. Some of the officers of the steamer said that on their former trip, in passing these fishing banks, last season, there were over thirty vessels engaged in the business. BELLSKOFFSKY. At Bellskoffsky we found the natives about to build a new church, after a design which they had sent for from San Francisco, California. 92 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. They were paying for its erection themselves, in sea-otter skins, thirty of which, worth twenty-live dollars each, gold, they had already con- tributed. This shows their ability to support themselves and bear tax- ation. There were two stores at this place, Hutchinson, Kohl & Co., and the American Kussian Ice Co. The village is badly located, on a plateau close to the sea. The anchorage is exposed to the high winds from three-quarters of the compass. There is a better harbor, west of this, near at hand. From thence we sailed to Unalaska, where I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. L. A. LaGnmge, to whom I am indebted for the account of Unalaska. (See Appendix Q.) BT. PAUL'S ISLAND THE LANDING. We arrived at the island of St. Paul, in the Behring Sea, on the morn- ing of the 8th of October, 1869. A strong current to the westward car- ried us out of our reckoning over twenty miles. As we dropped anchor in Southwest Bay, the wind died away and there was a light surf breaking on the beach. There is no harbor on either St. Paul or St. George's Island, and vessels have to wait upon the course of the winds to make successful landings. There is good anchorage in several bays, and so long as the winds remain favorable, vessels can load and discharge cargo without difficulty. Captains have to keep watchful care, however, to avoid being caught in unfavorable gales. Along the shore of St. Paul's Island the fur-seals were gathered in great herds, called rookeries. They were evidently excited at the approach of our steamer, and their bellowing resembled the sheep and cattle in the great sale markets near our large cities. The noises were varied. The young pups at times bark like a dog, though their more common cry resembles the bleating of a lamb; the older ones bellow like a cow. As their motion is slow over the ground, and the animals smell strong, they are not unlike a herd of swine, though much less offensive, and incomparably more attractive and interesting. While the officers from the island were assorting their letters and exchanging congratulations with their friends on board our steamer, the captain lowered a quarter boat, and arranged for the passage of the interpreter, Colonel Wicker, and myself, to the shore. On our way thither the young seals assembled around us in large numbers. They appeared delighted at the presence of the boat, the movement of the oars, and the fluttering of our United States revenue flag, and after looking at us with their dark hazel eyes, large and beautiful as those of the gazelle, raising their heads erect and stretching their necks as far out of the water as they could, they would dive down only to again appear and take another look. At last they got into regular order and motion on either side of us, turning somersaults like porpoises, and, forming an escort, accompanied us to the shore. PRIVATE INTERVIEWS WITH THE ALEUTES. Having provided myself with an interpreter in whose ability, honesty, and truthfulness I could rely, while the officers walked up to headquarters on the island, I went into the cabins of the Aleutes. As this interpreter had previously resided on the island, the Aleutes warmly welcomed us, and w r ere at once very frank in their communications. They said that they were doing about as in years gone by ; that they were now killing REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 93 seals three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays ; that they usually killed between two and three thousand on each of these days, or about eight thousand per week ; that there were at the present time about sixty thousand skins in salt on the island ; that these skins were stored in four salt-houses on four different points on the island ; that one of these salt-houses was near at hand ; another a short distance across the village, on Southeast Bay ; a third about five miles to the northwest of the village, on Southwest Bay; and the fourth fifteen miles to the northeast, on Northeast Point. As the revenue officer in charge on the island, in coming ashore with us in the long-boat, had said that there were only thirty thousand seals killed this season, and only that number of skins now on the island, the above statement of the Aleutes, doubling this amount, arrested my attention. The Aleutes further said that they received forty cents per seal for killing, skinning, &c., and that they usually averaged fifty skins per day to each man, though experts could capture one hundred animals ; that they received pay either in goods from the store or in cash, as they chose. The killing commences some years as early as June, and con- tinues in a fragmentary way during July, and is at its height in August, September, and October, during which latter two months by far the larger number of skins are taken. It will be seen by the above that the season averages not more than sixteen weeks, and, at these rates, an able-bodied Aleute can support his family comfortably. THE ALEUTES. There are about two hundred and fifty natives on St. Paul's Island, and one hundred and twenty -five on St. George. Of the two hundred and fifty on St. Paul, not more than fifty are relied on as active hunt- ers. The women assist liberally, both in carrying the skins to the salt- houses and in waiting on the men, carrying water, &c. All the Aleutes are nominal members of the Russo-Greek church. A few of the more intelligent can read and write, but these are very few. All of them are intelligent, peaceable, generally industrious, and ambitious to im- prove. There are about forty houses, or huts, built of turf and grass on a frame- work of timber, like the sketch opposite. They are about twenty feet long by fifteen feet wide, with roofs not over seven feet high. They resemble the huts our soldiers erected for winter quarters during the war, and, like them, while warm and comfortable, are often over-crowded, and lack both light and ventilation. The light is admitted through a transparent skin or bladder, and the door-ways are usually so small and low that you have to stoop to pass through them. The furniture is scanty : a few wooden chairs or stools, a broad bunk of boards raised about a foot from the ground, on which is usually laid a mattress of grass or straw, with a blanket or two for sleeping ; two or three mar- mot-skin frocks from Oukamok Island ; some Behring Sea duck-skin shirts; water-proof jackets, made of the intestines of the seal ; a harpoon, bunch of arrows and bow for sea-otter hunting; occasionally a flint-lock musket, and a copy of the Russo-Greek and Aleutian Island dialect trans- lation of St. Matthew's Gospel, comprehend the whole of their posses- sion!. The Aleutes were silent at first when I inquired if they were treated kindly by -their employers, though they frankly acknowledged that they were better off than when under the rule of the Russian Fur Com- 94 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. pany, and their houses were improved, but as that was a condition of serfdom it was not saying much. The price they paid for goods and provisions was not high, consider- ing the distance they were brought, it being about one-third more than at San Francisco. Several of the children could play skillfully on the accordeon, and this I found to be a favorite instrument among them. The women are very handy with the needle, some of their embroidery and sewing being as good as that done by any. MONOPOLIES. The men said there were two sets of employers for whom they worked on the island, though of late they had put the seal skins of both firms in one store-house, and all things appeared to be in common. These two firms obtained from Mr. McCullough, late Secretary of the Treas- ury, permission to. place two men on the islands, ostensibly to take care of their buildings only. All other persons or firms are forbidden to land, the act of Congress of last year expressly prohibiting the killing of any fur-seals. (See Appendix X.) This apparent partiality in favor of the two above-named firms pro- vokes wide-spread dissatisfaction on the Pacific coast, and probably ac- counted for a great deal of the scandal, so general among the people out there, in regard to the reported irregularities supposed to be prac- ticed on those islands. Having noted the above statements of the Aleutes, I left them and went to call on the officers and present my letter of introduction from. General Davis and authority from the President. I met the lieutenant, the revenue officer in charge on the island, in company with Colonel Frank W. Wicker, in the salt-house. They had just come down from headquarters. Colonel Wicker asked the lieutenant how many skins were in that salt-house. I understood the lieutenant to say, in reply, about twenty-eight thousand. Colonel Wicker then asked if that was the only house in which skins were stored. The lieutenant replied that there was one other at the other side of the village, in which there was about two thousand skins. Colonel Wicker then said, "And that is all there are at present on the island ? " The lieutenant answered, " Yes." It was then near dark and we left the store-house, took our yawl and went on board the steamer. The wide discrepancy between these two statements of the lieutenant and the Aleutian Islanders caused me to report the same to Colonel Wicker, and that there might be no misunderstanding I put them in writing and officially addressed the note to the colonel. It had been our intention to leave the next morning, but these con- tradictory statements caused the colonel and Captain Evans to remain another day and make an examination of the island. The next morning, Saturday, October 9, we landed through a very heavy surf, and Colonel Wicker commenced making his examinations, asking me to assist in the measurements, the lieutenant in charge of the revenue on the island and Captain Evans, of the Lincoln, being present. We measured one pile, carefully counted the number of skins in it, took that as a standard, and then measured carefully the other piles. THREE SAILORS DROWNED. While we were engaged in examining the two houses near the village, word came that two vessels, a schooner and a bark, were hover- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 95 ing off the island. This called away Captain Evans. Colonel Wicker and myself completed the measurements. We had hardly finished this part of our work before we heard the cry that one of our boats with a crew of five men in it was capsized in the surf, and we hurried down to the beach only to see them struggling helplessly in the surf an eighth of a mile away. Captain Evans and a crew of ten volunteer Aleutes were vainly endeavoring to get near them in the only boat at hand. Above the roar of the tumultuous seas could be heard the piteous cries of the drowning men, and there was no adequate means at hand to save them. The Aleutes, after several narrow escapes from swamping, gave up the effort, and, rowing behind the ledge of rocks toward which the drowning men were drifting, leaped from their boat, and at the risk of their lives went through the breakers and brought the bodies ashore. The officers of the government and the agents of the traders on the island were unremitting in their efforts to save the lives of the men, but three of them were dead, and we had great difficulty in restoring to life the two others. THE FUR-SEALS. This painful incident occupied us for several hours, and it was afternoon before we were able to start across the island to visit " Southwest Bay House," five miles distant. Our party was Colonel Wicker, Joseph, the interpreter, an Aleute of the island as guide, and myself. We walked over, and found the path led along by the shore through half a dozen large seal rookeries. From a count and measurement we made we must have passed by on this shore, five miles long, nearly a million of seals, and yet this is not one-half of the space they occupy on St. Paul's Island. They were of all sizes, from the young pup, about as big as a very large cat, to the old males, as large as a cow. Their color varies from a gray-brown of the old ones to a dark- brown in the young pups. The females seem shorter in the neck, and had the wide pelvis common to the sex. They meas- ure, by guess, about five feet in length. The male seal is much larger, measuring seven or eight feet in length, and weighing over a thousand pounds. Some of these were on guard, others were in the water. I saw nothing of that systematic herding of families by the old males referred to by the Eussian authorities, probably because it was so late in the season. The bachelors, ;*s the young males of four or five years are called, were swimming along shore, and moving with the crowd of old and young on the plateaus above. Some of them could be seen for half a mile on the hill-tops inland, three or four hundred feet above the sea. These plateaus extend from the base of the hills to the sea, a dis- tance of five hundred yards. As the islands are volcanic, the sand is broken at intervals with black volcanic rock cropping out. The seals appear to like these stones, and clambered over them with great facility, considering the peculiar formation of their flippers. The assertion that the fur-seal eats but little food from June to September may be true ; certainly there was little or no offensive excrement even in October, when I believe it is acknowledged that they do get some food from the water. There were myriads of young pups along shore and in the water, and they are most beautiful animals. They will not always run at your approach, though generally, if they are between you and the water, they will hurry oft' to the water. We saw but few sea-lions. Our guide in- formed us that they frequented the northeast point more, though there had not been as many there as usual. The Aleutes seemed to regard 96 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. their absence as an ill omen. It seems that some years since all the seals left these Pribilov islands and went to Behring and Copper islands, on the Russian coast. As the Russians reserved these two islands in the sale of Alaska, there is some solicitude lest the seals should get frightened away and go there again. The old sea-lions are regarded as the pioneer or picket guards of the fur-seal, and their absence is looked upon with distrust. The skin of the sea-lion, as well as the flesh, is highly prized ; the former for covering bidarkas or canoes, and the latter for food. These huge animals are usually killed with a musket ball. The seal pup is born usually in the months of July and early part of August, about a fortnight after the mothers have arrived on the island. The males arrive about the middle of June, and the yearling pups fol- low their mothers the latter part of July. The young pups are said to be in no hurry to go into the water, the parents having to force them in at first, when their elder brothers, the bachelors, take charge of them and teach them to swim. In killing the seal, the two and three-year old male pups are chosen, both for the quality of their fur, lightness of the pelt, and to preserve the supply. The hunters get between the herd and the water, which is a very easy thing to do, and drive them a short distance inland toward the salt-houses, when they select their animals, and with a hard wooden club tap them a light blow on the nose or head, and so kill them. Care has to be taken in the driving not to overheat the animals, so as to loosen the fur and ruin the skin ; generally they are allowed to rest awhile before the killing commences. The guide explained to us that in the skinning all the Indians had a common interest, each Aleute doing his best and sharing the receipts ; the chief receiving an extra portion. On our way we passed' a number of the slaughter places. They were much nearer the rookeries and the shore than the descriptions, and the much-talked-of necessary precautions against frightening the animal, would lead you to suppose. In some cases they were not a hundred yards from the rookeries, and the dead bodies were within easy reach of the rambling bachelor seals. Large quantities of meat were wasted, and in many instances even the fat was not cut off. The meat of the seal is of excellent flavor I should think quite equal to mutton. Our sailors eat it with relish, and I have no doubt that it could be salted, preserved, shipped in casks, and soon find a marliet. As it now lies rotting on the fields, the smell is most offensive, and as one of the slaughter pens is immediately near the village, the marvel is that it has not bred a con- tagious disease. In some places where these seals have been thus killed, and the car- casses allowed to rot for many years, I should think the soil would be as valuable a fertilizer as guano. The great rank grass grows above these slaughter places in rich luxuriance. As ballast it might pay to transport to the southern ports. We found quite a large lot of skins in this "Southwest Bay" house, and the guide assured us that the building had been full and emptied about a mouth before, the skins having been carried on board a steamer. The skins were packed in piles with the fur turned inwards, and salt put in between each skin. After being allowed to remain awhile, they are taken up, refolded, and with fresh salt made ready for shipment. A large surf boat, made of the skins of the sea-lion, is used to carry them out to the vessels. On our return we passed by a lake of beautiful clear, cold water, from which the natives obtain the supply for their village nearly a mile REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 97 distant. Half of this distance they carry it in boats by water. When St. Paul Island and its immense source of income is properly cared for by our government, an aqueduct of simple construction should be built to convey this water to the town. There was no school worth the name on the island. The Eussiau foreman of one of the traders professed to call a class of five or six together at irregular hours j but I found he thought but little of it, and the natives regarded it of still less value. They asked for schools and teachers earnestly. The priest, who officiates in a neatly-built church, receives one hundred and thirty dollars per annum. He is not in orders, and hardly ranks as a deacon in the church. The priest from Unalaska occasionally comes up and administers the sacrament. The chiefs, of whom there are two, get forty dollars a month extra pay, and the workmen are divided into three classes of different degrees of expertness or character. Thieving and misdemeanors other than drunk- enness are unknown among the Aleutes. On our return we found our guide greatly agitated at the prospect of punishment, which he feared he would receive from the United States officials on the island for showing us the path over to the remote salt- house. We assured him that his fears were groundless, but this did not quiet his anxieties. There were some cattle and sheep on the island, and we found good grazing ; plenty of grass as far as we went, or could see. There are no trees, and the hills are not generally steep. A few of the highest, at a distance, I should say were not over two thousand feet high. They appeared covered with verdure to their tops. The cattle and sheep are reported as doing well. FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE FUR-SEAL FISHERIES. The whole management of these islands, and the obtaining from the fur-seal fisheries a handsome income by our government, is a very simple affair. One capable and honest man with one or two assistants on each of the two islands, and a force of a dozen men well armed, under fixed regulations, forbidding the killing of over one hundred and fifty thou- sand seals annually, restricting the killing for the present to the Aleutes, paying them a liberal compensation, providing for the sale of the skins either on the island, at San Francisco, or New York, and exacting se- vere penalties for all violations of the law, would regulate it. The officer in charge should be a first-class man, with a liberal salary and under heavy bonds, as his life will be an isolated one and his temp- tations to dishonesty great. The proposal to lease the islands has the objection that it revives the old fur company monopolies, and our people will not be likely to tolerate this ; and as it will require the same amount of governmental watchfulness and consequent expense to protect the lessors in their rights, as it would for the government to manage the concern itself, it would seem practical economy for our government to take charge of the business. Last spring the Chamber of Commerce at San Francisco appointed a committee to ascertain the facts in relation to the fur seal fisheries of Alaska, and report. This report so plainly gives the view which is taken by a large number of people in California that I inclose it. See Appendix U. A letter from Adolph Muller, on the prices for furs ruling in San 98 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Francisco last October, I append, C, though other furriers assured me that Mr. Midler's prices were altogether too low. But to resume my narrative. On Sunday, the 10th, we buried our three sailors, Richard Livingston, Lewis Garlipp, and John Beck, with funeral honors, on the island. The last rites had hardly been celebrated before three Aleutes, of their own accord, brought forward three tall wooden crosses, and placed one at the head of each of the graves. That afternoon we held a talk with the Aleutes, in the presence of the officers of the island and of the steamer, and were confirmed in a con- clusion which we had arrived at long since in our intercourse with In- dians, namely, that they will not state any of their grievances in public in presence of the powders that are set over them. In this they re- semble most poor and dependent people. In the private interviews held with them two days before, five of the Aleutes complained that they had been brought from Kadiak Island by the agent of one of the firms on the island, for a limited period ; that the contract had expired some time since, but that the firm had since placed a hundred dollars each to their credit, and now claimed to hold them another year against their will. The lieutenant commanding St. Paul and St. George Islands, having heard of this statement through Colonel Wicker, in a letter to the colonel denied it, and declared that the Kadiak natives had acquiesced in the arrangement. VESSELS SAILING FOR SANDWICH ISLANDS. One of the men complained that he had been shipped as a sailor to come to these islands, and return home, but that when he arrived here the vessel sailed for the Sandwich Islands, where he did not wish to go. This last statement was not denied by any one present. If our steamer could have stopped at Kadiak on our way home, I would have asked permission to take this man home, and have arranged the best I could for the others. As it was, I could only commend them to the considerate care of the United States officers on the island. This meeting, as well as the burial service of the sailors, was held in the open air. The sun was shining clearly, and the weather was so mild half of the officers and men had no overcoats, and yet it was the 10th of October, and we were on an island in the Behring Sea. CITIZEN ALEUTES. As we were walking down to the shore to embark, a number of the chiefs and head men of the Aleutes gathered around me, and in private asked me about our form of government, and whether it was true " that all men were free and equal," and whether they would be allowed to vote for the President, or the " emperor," as they called him, thinking of their former Russian government. I said yes, I hoped so. They shook my hand warmly, and when we left the shore gave us three slow but very loud cheers, which our officers and men returned with a will. We then sailed for the "Northeast Point," fifteen miles away, to make the final examination of the skins stored in that salt-house. All along this eastern shore, as on the western, which we had passed the day be- fore, myriads of fur-seals were congregated, so that we could not but conclude there was a large million and a half on the island. The surf ran high as we landed, and the men, remembering their loss of the day before, shook their heads doubtingly as they dashed us through it. We thought more about the heavy taxes of the people, and whether REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 99 the Aleutes, or our officers on the island, were the more accurate in counting seal-skins. We carefully measured the piles of skins in the salt-house, counted up the figures, and found the Aleutes were right. There were over sixty thousand skins on the island. As if reluctant to leave the three brave sailors who had sacrificed their lives to duty, our good ship Lincoln " missed stays," turned her face to the island, remained immovable for a few minutes, and then slowly obeying her helm, steamed off toward our home on the other side of the republic, six thousand miles away. HOMEWARD BOUND. With all sails set and under a full head of steam, we went booming along on our return trip to Unalaska. The air was chilly, and as we approached the volcanic mountains surrounding Illalook Harbor they loomed up ghostly white in snow through the thickening gray fog of the gathering storm. We anchored that night in the snug harbor, and the next morning was as clear and quiet as a May day at home, not a sign of fog or cloud remaining. Before midnight, however, the wind began to blow a gale, and by morning we had dragged both anchors and were stern-up high on a reef. We had to lie there till the turn of tide, and it was as much as our propeller could do to head the vessel off the reef against the gale, though the harbor is not half a mile wide and moun- tains around are two thousand feet high. The storm lasted thirty-six hours, and cleared off as suddenly as it arose. No steamer should allow its steam to get down while lying in that harbor at this season of the year. What dangers the Aleutes or the missionaries have to encounter in such a country, where all the highways are on the sea, you can imagine. OF THE TRIBES AND COUNTRY AROUND BRISTOL BAY. , The country was reported to be like that about Cook's Inlet, on the southerly side of the Alaska Peninsula, an account of which from Gen- eral George P. Ihrie is appended. It is said to be a level and extensive farming country, where vegetables in abundance and cattle and sheep can be easily raised. The natives are said to be healthy and in as good condition as any on the coast. An account of them in general terms will be found in the report of Frank Mahoney, who has visited them, which will be found in the appendix. COOK'S INLET AND KENAI PENINSULA. For the following brief sketch of this interesting portion I am indebted to General George P. Ihrie, who went up there from Kadiak while I went westward, and who afterwards rejoined us at Sitka: DEAR COLYER : Inclosed I give you some rough notes from my private journal: 1869 Tuesday, September 28. Commences pleasant and cloudy. Off at daylight for Fort Kenai, situated on the eastern shore of Cook's Inlet, near the mouth (right bank) of Kenai River, and distant about two hundred miles. Passed Barren Islands, which are most appropriately named, and had a fine view of Point Douglas, about sixty miles to westward, covered with snow from its apparent base to its summit, and estimated to be about seven thousand feet high. At 6 p. m. came to anchor in English Bay, one hundred and ten miles from Kadiak. At the entrance is a fur trading-post, now con- ducted by Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. ; used to belong to the Russian Fur Company, which sold the best of the buildings to H. K. & Co., and turned over the poorest to the United States ; and this seems to have been their rule throughout the Territory. Ends dark and rainy. Wednesday, September 29. Commences cloudy and windy. Off at 6 a. m., with head 100 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. sea arid, wind, and came to anchor at 3 p. m., in Cook's Inlet, about six miles from the fort. The officers soon came off to visit us, and tell us we can cross the bar at high tide with sixteen feet of water. Saw two lofty volcanoes to-day, each about twelve thousand feet high, and one in active operation, emitting a cloud of dense black smoke. In fact, the whole western coast of Cook's Inlet, down through the Aleutian Islands, and across (but submerged) to Asia,is nothing but a mass and chain of volcanic moun- tains, forming the connecting link between Asia and America. It is the wildest and most chaotic scene I ever witnessed. The volcanic western coast of Mexico and South America is dwarfed by Alaska. And what tends to heighten the awful grand view is the scattering of glaciers in the gorges of these volcanoes, some of which infringe upon the waters edge. The eastern coast of the inlet is almost the antipodes of the western. For Alaska it is a strip or belt of flat alluvial laud, originally a sand-spit and covered with tim- ber. About twenty miles eastward, however, is a chain of snow mountains from two thousand to five thousand feet high. This side of the inlet contains numerous ledges of lignite coal, with more or less resin in it, which generates too much caloric for steamboats and railroads. The Riissian Fur Company attempted to develop these veins, but found it wouldn't pay. Some of their shafts are still visible at and near English Bay. Ends cloudy, with rain. Thursday, September 30. Commences cloudy but pleasant, with stiff breeze. Crossed bar about 11 a. m., and came to anchor in Kenai River, mooring to stationary anchors. Find a current of seven knots an hour here at the ebb and flood of the tide, and sand all around us ; pleasantly located. Went ashore and found the fort on a level bluff about one hundred and fifty feet above the waters of the inlet, and covered with coarse grass and small trees. It is the only piece of arable land larger than a garden I have seen in Alaska, and grows the hardy esculents, but not in perfection. We were shown salmon caught in Kenai River, four of which filled a barrel! The meat is of a rich red color and acceptable flavor. None of the Alaska salmon, however, can com- pare in flavor, according to my palate, with the salmon of the Columbia River and the southern coast of Oregon. Dined with the officers on wild geese and ptarmigan, in which Alaska abounds, and were shown the skin of a monster brown bear, just killed by the Kenai Indians. Any quantity of black and brown bears in the mountains to the eastward. Looking to the west you behold a perfect nest of sleeping volcanoes of all heights and sizes, with glaciers of cerulean blue ice melting among them. Grand sight, this chaos ! Americans can no longer have a good excuse for going to Europe sight-seeing. A summer's trip to Alaska, from say 1st of June to 1st of October, will be more interesting than a dozen trips to the Alps or Himalayas. The weather here to-day is simply superb, all that heart could desire, and yet we are in the latitude of Cape Farewell, the southernmost point of Greenland ! It lasts, I am informed, to the end of October, when it grows very cold, the mercury going down to thirty or forty degrees below zero, and the inlet becomes full of floating ice. lionday, Octobtr 5. A continuance of the genuine October weather of the Middle States, and the road from wharf to the post very dusty. Steamer almost discharged, and a certainty of getting off to-morrow. On duty on a board of survey, to inspect some of the buildings for which the United States paid two hundred thousand gold dollars to the Russian government. We were shown a lot of very old log hovels, and recommended they be used for firewood if possible. The best of the late Russian buildings are claimed and occupied by Hutchiusou, Kohl & Co. There has been barefaced swindling, sufficient in connection with the transfer of the " buildings " to make a saint swear. The long and short of the business is, the agent of the Russian Fur Company disposed of the best of the warehouses and residences to H. K. & Co., and to private individuals, for "a mere song," and then turned over to the agent of the United States the balance, which, with very few exceptions, for appearance sake, are fit for firewood only. Ugh ! Visited the Indian village, about one mile from the post, and found them and their houses like all the rest on the coast. These Indians are like all the others in Alaska, semi-civilized, peaceful, docile, friendly, and anxious and willing to work. Justice, kind treatment, and prompt payment for services rendered will, in the course of time, change them to law-abiding and good citizens. They are far superior in habits and industry to the crafty, marauding, and wandering Indians of the plains, who scorn to do anything but fight and hunt, leaving their squaws to do all other kinds of work. At midnight witnessed the most gorgeous curtain aurora borealis eye ever beheld. A rich green and purple undulating curtain seemed suspended in the sky as far south as twenty degrees, and forming a perfect arc. At the west end of the curtain were two perpendicular columns of light, which rapidly traversed the curtain from west to east, and rice versa, giving to view every possible shade of the two colors, and making the rays fairly dance in and by their own light. Such a celestial sight Avould aloue compensate one for a trip from Europe to Alaska. Tuesday, October 6. Another lovely day. We bid adieu to Keuai, which is the most desirable place to live at, I've yet seen in Alaska. \ REPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 101 GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS OF ALASKA. Of the general character of the Indians of Alaska I have collected evidence from many sources. It is wholly from those who have visited the Indians at their homes in Alaska, and who speak from personal observation and knowledge. Coming from such men from traders, trappers, merchants, and officers of the government it will command that respect which its origin deserves. First among these in extended experience comes Mr. Frank Mahoney, who has been among them for the last sixteen years. Mr. Mahoney says of the natives of the interior, from the Yukon to the Copper River, num- bering five thousand souls : "They are a peaceable race, and respectful to the white man, looking upon him as a superior. There is no doubt but that in time they could be shaped into useful citizens." Of the Aleutian islanders, numbering seven thousand souls, he says : "They are a very quiet race, and nearly all Christians," (members of the Russo-Greek church.) Of the Indians at Cook's Inlet he says : " They are a very sociable race of Indians." They number about eight hundred, and are called Kaneskies. East of Cook's Inlet, down on Prince William's Sound, there are "about four hundred ]Suchusks," while those "on the Copper River are called Xadnuskys." These, together with the Koloshans of the southeastern coast, numbering eleven thousand nine hundred, he considers warlike. For /he remainder of Mr. Mahoney's report, which is full of interesting infornc.^ion, see appendix C, Xo. 2. Hor... >\ 7 illiam S. Dodge, ex-mayor of Sitka, says of the Alaska Indians, as a whole, "that they are not at all to be compared to the Indians in- habiting the interior of our country, or even to those living on the bor- bers of the Great Lakes. They are of a very superior intelligence, and have rapidly acquired many of the American ways of living and cooking. Their houses are clustered into villages, very thoroughly and neatly built, and far more substantial and pretentious than the log houses usually con- structed by our hardy backwoodsmen." In this description Mr. Dodge includes the Stycknies, Kakes, Kootze- noos. and the Koloshan tribes generally. Of the Sitkas Mr. Dodge says: " They supply Sitka with its -game, fish, and vegetables, such as potatoes, turnips, beets, and radishes, and they are sharp traders." Mr. Frank K. Louthan, post trader at Sitka, says of the Sitkas: "They are industrious and ingenious, being able to imitate admirably almost anything placed before them." He tells of their " chopping and" deliver- ing one thousand cords of wood for the United States quartermaster, under many disadvantages, as well, if not better, than it would have been done by the same white labor, under similar circumstances." Mr. Louthan further says : " That our Indians are susceptible of a high standard of cultivation I have no doubt." "This can only be done by the aid of industrial and educational schools. The missionary is work- ing to good advantage at Vancouver Island and at Fort Simpson, in whose schools can be found men and women of high culture and refine- ment, fit to grace almost any position in life." "The Koloshaus, our own Indians from Tongas to the Copper River, are quite as intelligent and easy of culture, needing only the same liberal system of education to, in a very short time, utilize them for every purpose of government and usefulness." (See full report of F. K. Louthan, Appendix C.) 102 REPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Of the natives on the river Yukon Captain Charles W. Raymond says: " The Kaviacks and Mahlmutes are healthy, vigorous, fine looking men." Of the coast Indians near the Auric River he says: "They are kind, peaceable, generous, and hospitable without an exception ; their guest can ask 11,0 favor which they deem too great ; the warmest bed, the most comfortable corner of the room, the largest dish, is always for the stranger." And then he tells a beautiful story of their hospitality to his party, for which I refer you to his interesting report. I might multiply extracts, but must not lengthen my report too much, OF THE INDIAN LAW OF MEMBERS OF A FAMILY AVENGING THE MURDER OF THEIR RELATIVES. Mr. Frank K. Louthan gives us in his report an instructive account of the Indian method of avenging the murder of their blood relations. He says : The failure to promptly pay for a real or supposed injury is at once the signal for retaliation. I can but look with great favor upon the system on the part of the govern- ment of adapting itself to the one idea "immediate settlement" with their people for all wrongs of magnitude, (whether on the part of the military or the individual,) entirely upon estimated value. This is the time-honored custom of the red man in Alaska, and pertains to all alike, wherever dispersed throughout the vast Territory. At present it is more than folly to attempt to induct him into any other way of look- ing at a wrong or injury. Authority, with definite instructions to our rules, whether civil or military to in this way settle all disputes, especially when life has been taken will always keep him (the Indian) peaceable and friendly, and in the end save to the government many notable lives and a large expenditure of treasure. I am led to these reflections by observing that in this way the Hudson's Bafy ( >mpany and the old Russian American Fur Company have for nearly a century lived in Xnpara- tive security among the Pacific Coast Indians, failing in but five instances a confidence betrayed, property or life endangered. Again, my own personal experience is a powerful example of the system of such a course. Last New Year's eve a difficulty occurred at the market-house in Sitka, between a Chilkaht chief and a soldier sentinel, which re- sulted in the imprisonment in the guard-house of the chief, and through some unaccount- able manner the death by shooting, in a day or two afterwards, of three Indians. For full account of these early difficulties I refer you to a report of General J. C. Davis, made about that time. Among the Indians killed was one Chilkaht, one Kake, and one Sitka. The Kakes very promptly sought the usual remedy ; but failing to satisfy themselves, adopted their extreme remedy, ".an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth;" meeting two white men near their village, promptly dispatched them, and thereby lost all of their village, burned by order of the general commanding. Hence the so-called '"Kake war." For nearly five months no coast or interior Indians appeared among us, to the great detriment of trade, the Chilkahts especially keeping themselves aloof from us all winter. Well knowing the chief and the most of his people I determined to pay them a visit for pur- poses of trade, and to restore friendly relations. With a small schooner I reached their village in May last, and found them sullen and listless, and effected but little in any .-.hape for several days. At the end of the fourth day our little vessel was suddenly boarded by about seventy-five well-armed men, bent on satisfaction, either in prop- erty or life, for the man killed at Sitka nearly five mouths previous. The exigencies of my situation required prompt and immediate action. Asking from our closed cabin an audience, and it being granted, I stepped out among them with my interpreter, an Indian, and whilst protesting against their wish that I should pay for what had been done by our military chief at Sitka, satisfied them by giving them a letter to the general commanding, asking him for the sake of trade and security to life to pay for the man killed, giving my promise to the Indians to pay for the dead man if the general refused. The general refused to listen to the delegation waiting on him with my letter. I returned with my vessel again to Sitka and to Chilkaht, when I promptly paid the price asked, thirteen blankets and one coat, amounting in value, all told, to about fifty dollars coin. I feel quite sure that in this simple settlement I arrested serious trouble to myself, and probably to the government. 1 made afterward a similar settlement with the Chilkahts in Sitka for one of their men, killed by a young man in my employ. I can safely say that, dealt with in this way, there need never be any serious complication of Indian affairs in this territory. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 103 THE SCENERY OF ALASKA. f (The sketches referred to in this article are not engraved.) On the eastern coast the thickly wooded foot-hills are covered to their tops with the Douglas, Menzies, and Mertens spruce, trees varying from 100 to 250 feet in height, and stout in proportion ; white cedar, sometimes 150 feet high ; large leaved maple, and others, while there and to the westward, on the Keuai Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands, and the coasts of Bristol Bay, strips of low land skirt the base of the mountains, and on these cattle and sheep browse and fatten. It is this variety of lofty mountain, gently undulating lowlands, and clear, deep streams, lake, or sea, that makes the scenery of Alaska so attractive. The sketches Nos. 13 and 20, Wrangel Harbor, Alaska, and No. 14, Moonlight in Sitka Harbor, will give you but a poor idea of the beauty of the scenery, yet you can easily see what a chance there is in such a country for an active, enterprising, intelligent race of people. The Indians of Alaska, considering their slight opportunities, surpass all others on this continent except the Pueblas of New Mexico, and deserve our most considerate attention. Some idea of the purity of the atmos- phere when the fogs clear away may be formed by referring to sketch No. 15, view of Mount Fairweather, taken at sea 124 miles from its base. Few places in the world could allow of objects being seen with distinctness at such a great distance. You will notice under this sketch the names of General Davis and other officers of this department, vouching for the uncommon phenomenon. Some travelers assure us that they have seen these mountains as far as Ungi, 200 miles. No. 18 is a sketch of a cascade near Tongas, as beautiful a little gem of a waterfall as can be seen anywhere. LOCATION OF INDIAN VILLAGES. Indian villages are generally located on these low hills, at the base of high mountains, as seen in sketches 16 and 17, and their appearance is picturesque in the extreme. Being close by the water, all their jour- neying is done by canoes, in the management as well as the construc- tion of which they are adepts. To see them by the dozen plying with skill their short, broad paddles, and sending their light and graceful looking bidarkas so swiftly through the water, is a sight to remember. FISHERIES OF ALASKA. The Indians bring halibut, codfish, flounders, salmon, clams, sinelt, J whortleberries, wild currants, venison, bear skins, marten, mink, lynx, fox, and other skins for sale. At Sitka or Wrangel they sell a halibut, large size, for 50 cents, a salmon, 25 cents, or 5 for $1 ; deer, $2 ; smelts, a peck for 25 cents, and so on. This country is truly the fisherman's paradise, and the Indians are experts at the business. The salmon caught here are so large that five of them fill a barrel, and sometimes only three are sufficient, and they are so plentiful that you can kick them with your foot ashore at the mouth of shallow mountain streams, up which they are trying to swim to deposit their eggs. The smelt come ashore in such quantities that you can run out on the beach, as the surf recedes, and scoop up a bushel basket full in ten minutes. Our second mate put down his line from the steamer at Kadiak for half an hour, and caught ten large codfish. At TJngi, on the codfish banks, near Chemogau Islands, there are now as many 104 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. as thirty vessels seen at a time engaged in fishing for cod. (See, for re- port on fishing, by Carlton and otlters, Appendix F.) Educate the Indians of Alaska, and they will supply the United States with fish and furs. DEMORALIZING EFFECT OF THE NEAR PROXIMITY OF SOLDIERS AND INDIANS. I have spoken of the ill effects of the near proximity of soldiers to the Indian villages, and of the demoralizing effects upon both. It is the same in all Indian countries. It appears to be worse here because more needless. Nowhere else that 1 have visited is the absolute use- lessness of soldiers ?o apparent as in Alaska. The only communication being by water there are no roads by land it follows that vessels suit- able for plying up the inland seas, manned by a few revenue officers or good, smart sailors, will do more toward effectually preventing lawless- ness among the Indians, and smuggling or illicit trade with the whites and Indians, than, five hundred soldiers located at post. Nearly all the United States officers that I have conversed with agree on the above, and recommend a reduction in the force in this Territory. There are five hundred here now, when two hundred would be ample for the whole Territory. The soldiers will have whisky, and the Indians are equally fond of it. The free use of this by both soldiers and Indians, together with the other debaucheries between them, rapidly demoralizes both, though the whites, having the larger resources, and being better cared for by the government in houses, clothing, and food, endure it the longest. Wondering how it was that so much liquor found its way into the department, I addressed a letter to the collector of the port of Sitka, as well as to the captain of the revenue cutter Eeliance, inquiring what was the cause. The letter with the two replies I inclose, marked in order, Appendix G. You will notice that both of these officers recom- mended the use of small steam revenue cutters to ply up the bays and inlets of the coast. Neither ask for more troops. How much such vessels are needed, and how grossly the law of Con- gress against the introduction of liquors into this Territory is violated, may be seen by the communications from Captain Henriques, relating to liquor landed from schooner General Harney, marked D, and the letter from Carl Osche, relating to the doings of the ship Cesarowitz, marked D. I sincerely trust that when our commission meets it will recommend the sending of two small revenue steam tugs, of the kind spoken of by Captain Selden and Collector Kapus, to this Territory, and also recom- mend that the law of Congress prohibiting the introduction of liquor into the Territory be made more stringent or be more strictly enforced, and the introduction of liquor be as completely suppressed in Alaska as it finally was in the Indian Territory. (See present law, Appendix H.) INTERVIEWS WITH CHIEFS. Thinking it well to show the chiefs such respect as might be in my power, I invited the chief of the Tongas and his wife on board the New- bern, and having taken him through the vessel, showing him the machinery, &c., I invited the couple to dine with me. They were evi- dently much pleased. I did the same at Wrangel and Sitka with the two principal chiefs of the tribes, with this difference, that on these occa- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 105 sions the captain and ladies invited us to join them at the regular table, instead of having a separate table provided for us as in the first in- stance. The chiefs ate with their forks; when it came to the pud- ding they used their spoons, and on having the almonds and raisins placed before them they used their fingers, the same as those around them. In all they behaved with perfect propriety, and the most fas- tidious could see nothing in their demeanor to find fault with. I men- tion these trifles to show their wish and ability to imitate white men. I was much pleased when I visited the headquarters of Major General Davis, at Sitka, to see the large reception hall in the old Eussian gov- ernor's house, where the chief officers of the Eussian government re- ceived and entertained the Indian chiefs on their occasional and annual visits to them. RETURN TO SITKA. At Sitka we again met the United States steamer Newbern, and re- turned with her to San Francisco. ABUSE OF INDIANS AT WRANGEL. On my return trip while stopping at Wrangel, October 29, Leon Smith, assisted by two half drunken discharged soldiers, assaulted an Indian who was passing in front of his store. Mr. Smith , ex-confederate officer, said that he was under the impression (mistaken, as he afterward admitted) that the Indian had struck his little boy, and he only shook the Indian. The drunken soldiers standing by then, of their own accord, (unsolicited, Mr. Smith says, by him 7 ) seized the Indian, brutally beat him, and stamped upon him. I had been taking a census of the village that afternoon, and hearing the shouts of the party, met the Indian with his face badly cut and bleeding coming toward his home. I immedi- ately went to the post and suggested to the commandant that he should have the drunken soldiers arrested and retained for trial. He sent a lieutenant, with two or three men, "to quell the disturbance," the Indians meanwhile having become excited, and to " use his own discre- tion about arresting the men." Lieutenant returned soon after without the drunken soldiers, and gave as his reason that " the Indian struck Mr. Smith's boy," which, as I have said, was disproven. The drunken men belonged to a party of over one hundred dis- charged soldiers who had come down on our steamer from Sitka, and were on their way to San Francisco. Some of them had been drummed out of the service for robbing the Greek church at Sitka, and for other crimes. I had informed the commandant of their character the morning after our vessel arrived, and suggested to him the propriety of prevent- ing any of them from landing and going to the Indian village. He replied that he had no authority to prevent any one from lauding. I was surprised at this, as I supposed Alaska was an Indian territory, and that the military had supreme control. The day after the assault upon the Indian, the commandant came on board the Newbern and asked very kindly my opinion about the pro- priety of attempting to arrest the two drunken soldiers, but as there were over one hundred soldiers on board, and the affair had occurred at near twilight, so that it would be impossible to recognize the men, the impracticability of doing this at that late hour was apparent. The news of the bombardment of this post by the commandant reached us as we close report. (See Appendix Z, No. 1.) 106 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. DANGERS OF NAVIGATION IN ALASKA AVATEES. "You ought to see Duncan's mission before you leave the Pacific coast," said many people to me on the journey. It is at Metlacatlah, twelve or fifteen miles above Fort Simpson, near the British bound- ary line, with Alaska. "It is really astonishing what he has done for the Indians in a short time," said they. He has a large school for boys and girls; a chapel for religious meetings; a market-house for the neigh- boring tribes to trade in; a prison for malefactors; a police made up of Indians only, &c., &c. " Oh, you must see it," said they. " Well, Cap- tain," said I to Captain Freeman, the obliging commander of the United States steamer Newbern, "I suppose it would not be possible for you to stop there on your way down the coast." " No, sir ! " said he, with empha- sis. I had tried to get a canoe while at Tongas to row across Nast Bay, but we had not time going up, so I thought I should have to let it go. As we were leaving Wraugel Harbor coming home, the wind increased to a gale, and we had promise of what sailors call a " dirty night." We turned into our berths with serious misgivings of danger. The straits in which we were tossing were narrow, the vessel high out of the water from lack of cargo, and the night pitch dark. We soon forgot it all, however, in sleep ; when suddenly we were awakened by the ship com- ing to a full stop, a tremendous crash against a rock, which nearly threw us out of our berths. A brief prayer, a quiet putting away in dressing of all gold, watches, and other heavy things that might encumber us in the water, and we went on deck. The storm was raging wildly the rain and sleet swept horizontally past us ; the roar of the breakers could be heard all about us, but we could see nothing. We had two hundred souls aboard, and not enough small boats to carry fifty, nor would they have been of much use if we had more. The pilot said the water was coming in the ship rapidly, but that so far the pumps were keeping pace with it. So we went down below, out of the way of the faithful officers and men who managed the ship. The storm lasted two days, and then the captain said he would have to beach the vessel at Fort Simpson, and while she was being repaired, I would have time to visit Mr. Duncan's Indian mission at Metlacatlah. ME. DUNCAN'S MISSION AT METLACATLAH. Through the kind aid of Mr. Cunningham, the head man of the Hud- son's Bay Company at Fort Simpson, a large canoe and a crew of picked young men were secured to take me fifteen miles up the coast to the mission. The morning we started was rainy and the sea rough, but the men managed the canoe so skillfully that we shipped but little water. The sun soon came out clear, and though we had a few heavy flurries of hail and the wind was right in our teeth, we had one of the most enjoy- able excursions of my life. We arrived at the mission at three o'clock, having started at eight. Mr. Duncan was away on a visit to another mission which he looks after up in Nast Bay. We landed at a well-constructed stone wharf, built for canoes, and passing up this about one hundred feet ascended a flight of steps and entered the market-house. This market-house is a neat, well-built house, of about forty by eighty feet, dry, clean, and comfortable. A number of Indians were in it, sitting beside their heaps of ulicaii boxes, piles of bear and deer skins, fish, &c., and seemed as contented, cheerful, and enterprising as many white people I have -seen in like places. Ascending from, the market place a REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 107 flight of about twenty steps, which are lengthened out on either side along a terrace two hundred feet, you come to the plateau on which the mission village is located. The two streets on Avhich the houses are built form two sides of a triangle, at the apex of which the church, mission-house, trading store, market and "lock-up" are erected. The church is octagon in form, and looks like a locomotive depot. There was a pebble floor, and benches, with room to accommodate five hundred people ; small windows around the sides and light above, but no stove or other provision for heating that I could see. The store was well furnished with substantial articles of daily neces- sity, and at fair prices. Tip stairs there was a good stock of marten, mink, fox, bear, and beaver skins, which Mr. Duncan had received in exchange for the goods. The missionary's own residence is simple and commodious. But the chief interest is in the construction and condition of the dwell- ings of the Indians. In these Mr. Duncan has shown much practical good sense. Taking the common form of habitation peculiar to all the Koloshan tribes along this coast, he has improved upon it by introduc- ing chimneys, windows, and doors of commodious size, and floors ele- vated above the ground. For furniture he has introduced chairs, tables, bedsteads, looking glasses, pictures, and window curtains. In front he has fenced off neat court-yards, and introduced the cultivation of flowers, while in the rear of their dwellings are vegetable gardens. Al- together the village presents many instructive and encouraging features. Mr. Duncan is invested with the powers of a civil magistrate under tbe colonial laws of Great Britain, and is thus enabled to settle disputes, and nip all petty misdemeanors in the bud. He has organized a police of Indians and they are said to be well disciplined and effective. There is a small "lock-up" or caboose built of logs in a picturesque form, in which the disorderly are temporarily confined. It will be noticed that Mr. Duncan- is thus invested with the powers of an Indian agent, teacher, missionary, trader, and justice of the peace, and as he is considered an honest man, and his books of record are open to inspection, among a primitive people as Indians are, he can be a most efficient officer. OTHER INDIAN MISSIONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. At Xanimo there is another most successful Indian mission, under the care of Rev. Mr. White, for the Wesleyan Methodists of Canada. This mission has a day school and chapel, and whenever a family have shown an encouraging desire for better quarters than their Indian huts afford, the society build cottages for them, and to avoid pauperizing them, take a small annual payment until they can gradually be released from the obligation. In some cases they present the cottage to the In- dians outright for services performed; in others, they furnish them with the timber and nails at reduced prices. There are now some eight or nine neat cottages built near the chapel, and about fifty or sixty children and young people attend school and the church meetings. Several na- tive teachers are employed, and in a short time many more will be suffi- ciently educated to assist. The only evening I had at Naiiimo during the brief stay of our steam er to coal, was very rainy, yet at the ringing of the chapel bell over forty of the scholars attended, and sang and recited with most credit- able bility. The contrast of their advanced condition neatly dressed, 108 KEPOKT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. educated, and companionable with that of the native Indians in their primitive condition, of half nakedness, black, painted faces, and squalor, was encouraging. These opposite conditions are in close proximity, the mission being established in the heart of the village. Captain Freeman speaks of an island not laid down in the United States charts. (See Appendix S.) CLIMATE OF SITKA, ALASKA. To give you an idea of the climate of Alaska, I inclose you a copy of a meteorological register, given by Dr. Tonner, of the Indian Hospital at Sitka. (See Appendix I.) By that record you will see that there were but seven days of snow in 1868, while there were one hundred days fair, one hundred days rainy, and the remainder cloudy. The thermo- meter at no time was lower than eleven degrees above zero in winter, nor higher than seventy-one, Fahrenheit, in summer. (Appendix B, 3.) You will perceive that the thermometer varies much less than with us, and that, though there is much rainy weather there, there are also many clear days. And Sitka, where this record was kept, is the most subject to rains of any place in the Territory. NAMES OF TRIBES AND THEIR NUMBERS. Major General Halleck's nomenclature I have already given. His estimate I believe to be the nearest correct of any. In all cases where I counted them the number exceeded the published estimates. I did not find, however, that marked difference between the Kolo- shians, Aleutes, and Kenais, as to the " one being peaceable, the others wild, warlike, &c.,' 7 which the general speaks of. The Aleutes, like our Cherokees, were fortunate in having faithful Christian men to work for their christianization and civilization. The Koloshians as yet have not been so favored; but of the two my observations lead me to conclude that the Koloshians are the more capable. To sum up my opinion about the natives of Alaska, I do not hesitate to say that if three-quarters of them were landed in New York as coming from Europe, they would be selected as among the most intelligent of the many worthy emigrants who daily arrive at that port. In two years they would be admitted to citizenship, and in ten years some of their children, under the civilizing influence of our eastern public schools, would be found members of Congress. RECOMMENDATIONS. * * In conclusion, I would recommend that, in all our dealings with the Indians, we shall " do unto them as we would they should do unto us;" and as the glorious fifteenth amendment is now virtually secured we should prepare the Indians to receive its beneficent protection. Securing to them, beyond the possibility of failure, (other than the fail- ure of our government,) all their rights, tribal and individual, to lands or moneys due them, with capable agents and teachers to guide them, we should provide schools, mechanical tools, agricultural implements, &c., everywhere. The wild tribes should not only be placed upon reservation, but amply provided for and protected when there. Either the civil law of the United States should be extended over all REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 109 the Indians, or a code of laws at once adopted defining crime and pro- viding a judiciary and a police force to execute it. Magisterial power should be giveu to the agents on reservations, and he should have control of the trading posts and be held responsible for the business on his reservation. The pay of these agents should be in- creased from the present fifteen hundred dollars to two thousand dollars per annum. The present pay is not sufficient to secure such a class of men as we ought to have over the Indian reservations. As a rule, they should be married men. With the employes of the agency, also, pref- erence should be given to married men. We should endeavor to teach the children the English language, rather than to develop a taste for their native dialect. Wherever a good agent has been removed under the recent general changes I think he should be restored ; as, for example, Rev. Mr. Wil- bur, of the Yakhama reservations. There are too few such men for us to be able to lose their services. , IN ALASKA TERRITORY. The fur-seal fisheries of St. Paul and St. George Island are the key to control all the resources of northern and western Alaska and the forty thousand Indians thereon. Whichever party the government or the monopolists get control of those fisheries, with their assured income of half a million of dollars yearly, and the commercial power which accom- panies it, will be virtually masters of both the trade and the Indians for the next ten or twenty years. No such monopoly would stand, how- ever, that length of time in this country; the profound feeling against it which exists on the Pacific slope, where it is best understood, would sweep it, and the political party that allowed it, out of power in half that time. But it is to be hoped that Congress will not be betrayed into introducing any such system of virtual serfdom over so large a portion of these wards of our government. One general superintendent at department headquarters, and four local agents, one at each of the points of Tongas, Sitka, Kenai, Una- laska, and on the Youkon River, should be appointed, and an appropria- tion of one hundred thousand dollars be made for schools, medical at- tendance, and general industrial development of the natives. The Russo-Greek church should be protected, and its teachers encouraged. As all the traveling is done by water, the superintendent and agents should be allowed free passage on all government vessels in Alaska waters, wherever their duty requires it. In my journey of over ten months' duration and twenty thousand thousand miles of travel, through the least frequented Territories and among the Indian tribes reported to be the most warlike, I have been uniformly treated with the utmost kindness by these neglected, misun derstood, and greatly abused people, thfully, yours, VINCENT COLYER, United States Special Indian Commissioner. Hon. FELIX R. BRUNOT, Chairman Board of Indian Commissioners. 110 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. APPENDIX A. [From Major General Halleck's report to tlie Secretary of War, 1869.] NAMES OP TRIBES AND THEIR NUMBERS. Indian population. Most writers make four general divisions of the natives of Alaska . 1st, the Koloshians ; 2d, the Kenaians ; 3d, the Aleutes, 4th, the Esquimailx. These are again subdivided into numerous tribes and families, which have been named some- times from their places of residence or resort and sometimes from other circumstances or incidents. 1. The Koloshians. This name is given by the Russians to all the natives who in- habit the islands and coast from the latitude 54 40' to the mouth of the Atna or Cop- per River. The Indians of the northern islands and northern coast of British Colum- bia belong to the same stock, and their entire, population was estimated by the early explorers at 25,000. The Koloshiaus in Alaska, at the present time, have been subdi- vided and classed as follows : The Hydas, who inhabit the southern part of Alexandria or Prince of Wales Archi- pelago. They have usually been hostile to the whites, and a few years ago captured a trading vessel and murdered the crew. They number about 600. These Indians are also called Kaigauies and Kliavakaus; the former beiu >; near Kaigan Harbor, and the latter near the Gulf of Kliavakan. In the same archipelago are the Hennegas, who live near Cape Pole, and the Chat- sinas, who occupy the northern portion ot the principal island. They are said to be peaceful, and to number about 500 each, in all about 1,000. The Tongas, who live on Tongas Island and on the north side of Portland Channel. A branch of this tribe, called the Foxes, now under a separate chief, live near Cape Fox. The two branches together number about 500. The Stikeens, who live on the'Stackinc River and the islands near its mouth. Al- though represented, as at the present time, peaceable, a few years ago they captured a trading vessel and murdered the crew. They number about 1,000. The Kakus, or Kakes, who live on Kuprinoft* Island, having their principal settle- ment near the northwestern side. These Indians have long been hostile to the whites, making distant warlike incursions in their canoes. They have several times visited Puget Sound, and, in 1857, murdered the collector of customs at Port Townsend. They number altogether about 1,200. The Kous, who have several villages on the bays and inlets of Kou Island, between Cape Division and Prince Frederick's Sound. They are represented as generally un- friendly to our people. They are dangerous only to small unarmed trades. They num- ber, in all, about 800. The Koutznous or Koushnous, who live near Kootznere Head, at the mouth of Hood's Bay, Admiralty Island. They number about 800. The Awks, who live along Douglas's Channel and near the mouth of Tako River. They have a bad reputation, and number about 800. The Sundowns and Takos, who live on the mainland from Port Houghton to the Tako River. They number about 500. The Chilcates or Chilkahts, living on Lynn Channel and the Chilkaht River. They are warlike, and have heretofore been hostile to all whites, but at present manifest a disposition to be friendly. They muster about 2,000. The Hoodsua-hoos, who live near the head of Chatham Straits. There are also email settlements of them near Port Frederick, and at some other points. They num- ber about 1,000. \ The Hunnas or Hooneaks, who are scattered along the mainland from Lynn Canal to Cape Spencer. Their number is about 1,000. The Sitkas, or Indians on Baronoff Island, who were at first opposed to the change of flags, but have since become friendly. These are estimated by General Davis at about 1,200. If we add to these the scattering families and tribes on the islands not above enu- merated, and the Hyacks, who live south of Copper River, we shall have from 12,000 to 15,000 as the whole number of Koloshians in the Territory. 2. Ihe Kenaians. This name, derived from the peninsula of Kenai, which lies be- tween Cook's Inlet and Prince William's Sound, has been applied to all the Indians who occupy the country north of Copper River and west of the Rocky Mountains, ex- cept the Aleutes and Esquimaux. The employ6s of the telegraph company repre- sent them as peaceful and well disposed. They, however, are ready to avenge any af- front or wrong. I have not sufficient data to give the names, locations, or numbers of the several tribes of these people. Their whole number is usually estimated at 25,000. 3. The Aleutes. This term more properly belongs to the natives of the Aleutian Islands, but it has been applied also to those of the Schoumagin and Kadiak groups, and to the southern Esquimaux, whom they greatly resemble. They are generally REPORT OP THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Ill kind and well disposed, and not entirely wanting in industry. By the introduction of schools and churches among these people the Russians have done much toward reduc- ing them to a state of civilization. As might be expected from the indefinite charac- ter of the lines separating them from the Esquimaux, the estimates of their numbers are conflicting, varying from 4,000 to 10,000. Probably the lowest number would com- prise all the inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands proper, while if we include the other groups and the peninsula of Alaska, and the country bordering on Bristol Bay, the whole number may reach as high as 10,000. 4. The Esquimaux. These people, who constitute the remainder of the population of Alaska, inhabit the coasts of Behring's Sea and of the Arctic Ocean, and the inte- rior country north, and including the northern branches of Youkon River. The Keua- ians are said to hold the country along the more southerly branches of that river. The character of the Alaskian Esquimaux does not essentially differ from that of the same race in other parts of the world. They are low in the scale of humanity, and number about 20,000. These estimates make the entire Indian population of Alaska about 60,000. Eeport of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Robert N, Scott, United States Army. IKDIANS LIVING OK AND NEAR THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND THE RUSSIAN-AMERICAN TERRITORY RECENTLY CEDED TO THE UNITED STATES. Chimpsains. Living on Chimpsain Peninsula. Their principal village is at Fort Simpson, where a Hudson Bay post (the largest on the coast) has been located for some 30 years. There are about 900 ludians at this point, living in large, strongly-built lodges; about 600 of this tribe are at Metlakahtla, a missionary and trading village about 15 miles to the southward of Fort Simpson, on Chatham Sound. Fort Simpson is a large stockade fort, armed with eight four-pounder iron guns, but there are now but three or four whites at that station. Naas Hirer Indians. Naas River empties into Portland Channel at about 55 north latitude, and about 30 miles to the northward and eastward of Fort Simpson. Mr. Cunningham (the Naas E River trader for Hudson's Bay Company) was at Fort Simpson while I was there, and kindly furnished such information as I possess in reference to tribes on that and Skeena River. He estimates the total number of Naas ludians at 2,000. The Kakes, Foxes, Hydahs, Tongas, and Stikeens trade on the Naas for Onlicoon oil and other articles. The Naas Indians go into Portland Channel near its head to catch salmon, which are said to be very abundant. There is a tribe of about 200 souls now living on a westerly branch of the Naas near Stikeen River; they are called " Lackweips," and formerly lived on Portland Channel ; they moved away in consequence of an unsuccessful war with the Naas, and now trade exclusively with the Stikeens. The Hudson's Bay Company is making strong efforts to reconcile this feud, in order to recover their trade.* Skeena Birer Indians. Skeeua River empties into Port Essington, about 35 miles below Portland Channel ; its source is not far from the head-waters of the Naas. The total number of Indians on the river and its tributaries is reliably estimated at 2,400, namely : Kitsalas 400 Kitswingahs 300 Kitsiguchs 300 Kitspayuchs , 400 Hagulgets 500 Kitsagas 500 Kitswinscolds 400 The last named tribe lives between the Naas and the Skeena. They are represented as a very superior race, industrious, sober, cleanly, and peaceable. Kltatels. Living on the islands in Ogden's Channel, about 60 miles below Fort Simp- son. They number about 300 persons, and are not considered very trustworthy. These people trade at Metlakahtla. Hydahs. This name is given to the Indians on the northern shores of Queen Charlotte's Islands and to all of our Indians on Prince of Wales Islands, except the Hermegas and Chatsinahs. The British Indians living along the shore from Virago Sound to North Point and Cape Knox number 300. Those at Masset's Harbor are also estimated at 300. The American Hydahs are called Ky-ganuies or Kliavakans. They number about *I embrace under this heading all Indians who are within easy access to Portland Channel, coming there to trade, &c., or within an area of 60 miles north and south of that inlet. 112 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 600 souls, and are scattered alon the shore from Cordova to Tonvel's Bay. Quite a number of the men from these tribes are employed about Victoria and in the saw-mills on Puget Sound. A few years ago some British Hydahs captured the schooner Blue Wing off Seattle, Washington Territory, and murdered all the crew and passengers some five or six persons. Tongas. Not many years ago this was a warlike and numerous tribe, and now num- bers not more than 200 souls. They hunt, fish, and trade among the islands and on the northern shores of Portland Channel. Their principal village is on Tongas Island, to which reference is made elsewhere. There is no Indian bureau with attendent complications. There is no pretended recognition of the Indian's " title" in fee simple to the lands over which he roams for fish or game. Intoxicating liquors were not introduced among these people so long as the Hudson's Bay Company possessed the monopoly of trade. Prompt punishment follows the perpetration of crime, and from time to time the presence of a gunboat serves to remind the savages along the coast of the power of their masters. Not more than two years ago the Fort Rupert Indians were severely punished for refusing to deliver certain criminals demanded by the civil magistrate. Their village was bombarded and completely destroyed by her Britannic Majesty's gun- boat Clio. As the result of such a policy we find trading posts, well stocked with everything tempting to savage cupidity, safely conducted by one or two whites among distant and powerful tribes. There is "not a regular soldier in all British Columbia, (excepting marines on shipboard and at Esquiinault,) and yet white men travel through the length and breadth of the province in almost absolute security. Yet the total number of Indians in the colony is estimated at 40,000, and there are not more than 8,000 whites. f Dr. Tolmie informed me that Captain Howard, of our revenue service, had stated in Victoria that no one would be allowed to sell arms or ammunition to the Indians in our Territory. This policy, provided it could be carried out, would simply deprive these people of the means of gaining a livelihood. They nmst have guns, not only to get food, but to secure the furs, skins, &c., of the northwest trade. But these Indians iri/7 get arms and ammunition. If our own traders are prohibited from furnishing them, they can and will get them from British Columbia, and in this event they would naturally look upon the British as their best friends. The consequences of such a state of feeling, as affecting our trade and intercourse with them, may readily be imagined. Inasmuch as most of our trading intercourse with Alaska will be by small vessels running through what is called the " inside passage" along the coast of British Columbia, I deemed it advisable to collect such information as could be obtained in reference to Indians living on and near that route. For convenient reference I submit herewith a copy of the letter of instructions received from Major General Halleck. (Inclosure A.) Very respectfully, your obedient servant, ROBERT N. SCOTT, Brevet Lieut. Colonel and A. D. C. Brevet Major General JAMES B. FRY, Adjutant General Military District of the Pacific. APPENDIX B. Report from Harry G. Williams. THE STACHINE INDIANS. FORT WRANGLE, ALASKA TERRITORY, October 30, 1869. DEAR SIR : Immediately after leaving you on board the steamer Newbern, I was snugly stored away as a guest of the post surgeon, in his quarters. H. M. Kirke, acting assistant surgeon United States Army, gave me a very interesting account of the nature, customs, means of livelihood, occupation, and also of the diseases and manner of their treatment among the Stachine Indians. Of their nature he says, they are very docile and friendly, ingenious, and labor well and faithfully, but by being brought into contact with unprincipled white men, are soon found to adopt and imitate their manners and ways. In their customs they still maintain the most of those originally observed by their nation. However, many of them take great pride in imitating civilized ways of dress, which in their opinion renders them equally as good as a white man. Their means of livelihood is chiefly by salmon fishing, which they catch in immense numbers and pre- pare for winter use by drying and smoking, after which they are stored away care- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 113 fully. Many of them use flour, but prefer hard bread and crackers when they are able to obtain tliem. They are very fond of coffee, sugar, and molasses, and like all other Indians easily become fond of ardent spirits, to obtain which they will sometimes sac- ririce nearly everything in their possession. In this manner they are imposed upon by those who know no principle or law, who have been known to sell them essence of peppermint, Stoughton's bitters, and absinthe, charging them four dollars a bottle, (holding one pint.) Absinthe is a compound which, if used as a constant beverage, soon unseats the mind, produces insanity, and sometimes death. Dr. Kirke tells me that he can find none among them who are entirely free from the indications of some foim of disease. A large number of them are more or less inoculated with the different forms of venereal diseases, which, had they proper protection, could be avoided. But I regret to say that men cannot be blamed for following examples set by their superiors, the consequence of which is, the Indian women become mere concubines, at the will of those whose duty it is to try .and elevate and not degrade them. These women are never known to seek any such degrading intercourse, but permit it merely for the pecu- niary gain it affords them. Justice, honor, and manhood point the finger of scorn, and cry shame to such. Men with virtuous, noble wives and children, even to stoop to such acts! Thank a kind heavenly Master, there will be a time when such men can be seen in their true character, and be made to feel the power of an avenging hand. I ain , fully convinced that by kind and careful teaching, this great evil could be remedied and the Indian race again restored to its former virtue and honor, and gradually be- come an intelligent, industrious, and educated people. THE STACHINE RIVER. After remaining at Wrangel one week I procured an Indian guide, purchased a canoe and sufficient provisions to last three mouths, and Monday at half past one p. in., Sep- tember 13, started on a tour of inspection up the Stachiue River, the mouth of which is about ten miles north from AVraugel Island. We reached main land about four p. m., and after luncheon again resumed our journey, overtaking a number of Indians during the afternoon. These Indians were from Wraugel, and on their way to the interior, where they go every fall to trade for the furs of more distant tribes. A systematic form of exchange is carried on from one tribe to another until it reaches the Coast tribes, thus bringing many valuable furs many hundred miles from the interior of a vast and unexplored country. As we advanced, day after day the general appearance of the country gradually as- sumes a better appearance. The scenery along the river is far beyond my power of description. Immense mountains, whose snow-crowned heads pierce the dome of heaven in solemn and majestic grandeur, rise in every direction. COAL, IROX, AND COPPER. In many places on these mountains could be seen huge masses of coal, looking as though a little push would set them tumbling down its side. Iron and copper abound in many places, and gold can be found in every direction, very thinly scattered. As yet no dis- coveries have been made that would warrant a speedy acquirement of wealth by mining, but the indications are very good that at no distant day very rich mines will be found. A strong party of prospectors left Victoria in May last, for the purpose of exploring the entire interior westward, and are daily expected to make their appearance somewhere along the coast. Many are ready and waiting to embrace any new discoveries they may have made in their long journey. As we advanced to the interior we found a greater change in the condition of the Indians. They being removed from the coast, had no idea of wrong or evil actions. . They are far more honest than the same number of white men would be under the same circumstances. You can form an idea of this from the fol- lowing, which I learned from an eye-witness: In 1862 a large immigration of miners to this coast was caused by the discoveries of gold about two hundred miles up the Stikine River, at a bar named after the discoverer, (Mr. Chockett, nicknamed Buck,) hence the name "Buck's Bar," which was worked but one or two years, (owing to the diffi- culty of getting provisions,) and then, nearly all of them returning, mauy left their entire kits of tools and working utensils and goods of every variety ; some hung them up on trees, others stowed them away in caves and niches in the rocks and abandoned them. The Indians are continually passing them, and have been known to replace them when their fastenings would give way and let them fall to the' ground, thereby showing not even the existence of a wrong thought in the iniud.s of these red men. The only thing they have ever been known to appropriate was a few potatoes and about five pounds of flour belonging to one of the- miners there, and this they were almost forced to take from inability to procure sufficient food to sustain life. This in stance can be multiplied by many more of the same nature were it necessary. Fifty miles up the river is an abandoned house, once used by the Hudson's Bay Company for trading with the Indians. 114 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. THE GLACIER OF THE STYCHIKE. Opposite this place is an immense glacier, about four miles long and an unknown width, extending westward between two large mountains, until it is no longer discernible. It varies in depth from one to five or six hundred feet, commencing near the water and extending along its course. The top is furrowed and cut by the rain into every variety of shape, only needing a small addition to form correct images of houses, towers, giants, caverns, and many other forms. Viewed from the east side of the river, when the sun is shining full upon it, it presents a most beautiful appearance, its innumerable points glistening like burnished silver, and its caverns becoming more dark by comparison. Toward sunset the effect of the day's sun causes it to crack, which makes a deep rumbling noise that can be heard for ten or fifteen and sometimes twenty miles. Immediately opposite its center, across the river, is a boiling spring, bubbling up in eight or ten places, whose water is so hot that it will crisp a person's bpots in a very short time, as many incautious persons can testify. It seems as if nature must have been on a frolic during her stay here, a,nd becoming chilled from the glacier, came across the river and found this warm stream in which to sport. Along the river are four other smaller glaciers, but, compared with this one, they be- come mere snow-balls. Seventy-rive miles from the mouth of the river is located the trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, in charge of their agent, Mr. Chockett, known throughout the country as "Buck;" he is esteemed very highly by the Indians, from the fact that his dealings have been uniform, and his promises always faithfully redeemed, thus gaining a firm place in their estimation. At the time of my visit he showed me over eight hundred .marten, one thousand beaver, and a large number of many other kind of furs ; this being about the middle of the trading season with him. He has been two hundred and seventy-five miles from there up the river into the inte- rior prospecting for gold. Sixty miles from there you reach an immense canon, ninety miles long, extending through the Coast or Chigmet mountains. The current in this place runs so rapidly that you can form no idea of its speed. It reminds you of a huge gun, as you see fragments of trees and logs iiy along in its .angry foaming waters. In some places the rocky sides gradually incline inward, until at a distance of two or three hundred feet above the w r ater they come so close that a good jump will take you across the yawning chasm below. In the spring, when the ice breaks up in the river, the water rises from forty to sixty feet in^this canon, and you may imagine its appearance then. After crossing the mountains, you reach a beautiful prairie, well watered and plenty of fine timber. Here are found deer, bear, antelope, mountain sheep, beaver, and nearly every variety of game, excepting the buffalo. The gold continues about the same, and is found to a small extent in river bars. No quartz existing precludes the idea of any large deposits in this vicinity. The change in the climate is more striking than that of the country. It is clear, bright, and invigorating, with but very little rain. The atmosphere is so pure that you can see much further and more distinctly than in any other climate. The nights are almost as bright as the day ; so bright that you can easily read coarse print. The In- dians in this vicinity have almost an Eden to live in game and fish in endless num- ber seem to be only waiting their will. These tribes make annual journeys overland southward, and meet those coming from the coast, thus rinding a ready market for their furs, for which they obtain ammunition, guns, axes, buttons, cloth, and tobacco ; also many other small notions. But very little liquor ever reaches them, and thus they es- cape the great source of degradation and corruption which soon sweeps away nations, power, and happiness. I do not wish my readers to think that I am a rigid temperance man, for I am not. I regard liquor the same as any other article of drink or food ; that is, if it is properly used, it will not injure any one ; but abused, it becomes a scourge and lashes hardest those who embrace it most, degrading them even below the brute creation. Its effect on the Indian is much different and more dangerous than on the white man. When an Indian becomes intoxicated, he becomes wild, reckless, and cruel, not even hesitating to kill any one who may meet his displeasure. They will continue drinking as long as they can procure liquor, thus showing how rapid would be their course toward a fearful end. At the time of my leaving Philadelphia, my opinion was like the masses who had never seen or inspected the Indian in hia own native power and country ; i. e. " that he was incapable of ever being civilized or becoming of any importance whatever." Since my journey and inspection of the different tribes whom I met, and observing the change produced in them by association alone, every item of doubt regarding it is turned to a certainty, that they can, under honest, faithful instruction, be advanced far beyond our imagination. After running up the Stikine, I then entered one of its tributaries, about one hun- dred and fifty miles up, called the Clear Water River. It was named by a party of miners, from the fact of its water being much more clear than the Stikine. The Clear Water runs southeast. It is a very rapid stream indeed, and in many places very shal- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 115 lovr. It can be navigated with difficulty about fifteen or twenty miles in canoes, where rapids occur so frequently that no one cares to risk life and property by braving them. Here the climate is very fine and healthy, inhabited by the " Stick" or Tree Indians. These Indians partake of the same descriptions and traits as those along the Stikine. We left our canoe moored in a small side stream in full view of a trail in constant use by this tribe, and during a week which I spent in traveling from there in every direction, not a single article was disturbed by them. I frequently met them, and would ask them in their own language (" Mika manick, mika canin ?") " Did you see my canoe ?" They would say (" Moitka") " Yes ;" and on returning I could see their trail pass it, but no indication of their approaching. I prospected in many places for gold, and found but. very little difference between the deposits here and elsewhere, with one exception. About ten miles from camp, and five miles up a large creek (coming in from the northeast) called Boulder Creek, deriving its name from the amount of large bould- ers found along its course, is a fall of about five or six feet, at the foot of which are some small deposits of coarse gold buried among huge boulders of many tons' weight. It is not in sufficient quantities to warrant an investment in mining tools, &c., neces- sary to overcome these obstacles and remunerate any one for time and trouble. Becoming fully convinced that there was nothing in this section sufficient to recom- pense me for the sacrifice of home and its surroundings, I determined on returning to them as soon as possible. Accordingly, October 21, all things being in readiness, at day-break I bid farewell to our old camp and its pleasant surroundings, headed the canoe down stream, and began a journey of nearly five thousand miles homeward bound. In the first day's travel we run about eighty miles, encountering many dangerous places, but coming through them all safely. Many times, in spite of bur united eiforts, the current would sweep us against its rocky boundary, and almost smash our canoe. Again in trying to avoid huge trees (left in the river at high water) we would be forced to head our boat directly for them, and with a silent prayer wait the result. The canoe being gradually rounded from its bottom up to a long sharp bow, and driven ten or twelve miles an hour by the strong current, would strike the tree and seem to leap out of the water over it, as if it was running from some fearful danger. The next day's run we reached the Great Glacier, and camped in the old house, re- maining there one day to overhaul our goods and feast our eyes on the beautiful scenery. After tramping over a large mountain and shooting some grouse and squirrels I returned to camp, and next morning determined to reach Wrangel again. It was a long and hard pull of sixty miles, the river having become much wider and the current ran from four to six miles an hour. We reached there about 9 p. m. tired and hungry, and were welcomed back and well entertained. Our friends were about sending a canoe up after us, fearing that we would not survive the dangers of the return trip. We were disappointed at not finding any letters from home there for us. Thursday night we were awakened by the signal gun of the Newbern, and our hearts gave a great bound of joy at the prospect of a speedy return to the dear ones far away. If in this simple, unpretending letter you find anything instructive or interesting I shall be amply re- paid for this attempt at a description which, in good hands, would fill a large volume, every item being of interest. As it is I must endeavor to double the- " one talent " given, that it may be well with me. For the kind Christian advice given, me by you on our way up from San Francisco I thank you most earnestly, for through it I have been greatly benefited. Although I may never repay you, your reward awaits you in heaven. May God's blessing ever rest on you and your efforts is the wish of Your devoted friend, HARRY G. WILLIAMS, Philadelphia, Po VINCENT COLYER, Special United States Indian Commissioner. APPENDIX B 3. Letter from Leon Smitk. WRANGEL ISLAND, A. T., October 30, 1869. DEAR SIR : In answer to your questions of yesterday, permit me to say the number of Indians at this point is estimated to be about 500. Since my arrival here, the 1st of March, 1869, I have found them to be quiet, and seem well disposed toward the whites. They live on fish (smoked salmon) and game, and they provide themselves with clothing from the furs they gather, either by trade or trapping. Twice a year most of the Indians make a trip up the Stikine River to Talyan, at which place the Stick tribe reside, and trade with them for interior marten, mink, beaver, bear, wolverine, lyux, land otter, and some other skins. They take up salmon, 116 REPORT OP THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. fish-oil, blankets, domestics, red cloth, beads, molasses, flour, and in fact every other article suitable for Indian trade. They give about ten yards of print for one prime marten ; three and a half pounds of salmon, three gallons of molasses, for the same 7 and for other skins in proportion. The Stick tribe are a very honest tribe, and partial to the whites. I will now start from this point and go with you to Talyan, on the North Fork. We leave here and go about seven miles to the mouth of the Stikine with, say, five Indians in my canoe. The current is rapid at all seasons. We reach the glacier, thirty-five miles from the mouth, in two days ; from there we proceed to the Hudson's Bay Company's post, two miles above the boundary line between Hudson's Bay Company and Alaska, a distance of thirty miles, in two days four days from the mouth. From here we find the cur- rent very rapid, and we tow our canoe along the two banks ; we send three of our men on shore to tow, and keep one in the bow and stern. We tug along about ten miles a day until we reach Shakesville, named after the chief of the Stikine tribe, with whom you are acquainted. We reach Shakesville in about five days, about fifty miles from the Hudson's Bay Company, being about one hundred and thirty miles from the mouth. From here we tug along twelve miles to Buck's Bar, at which point, or in its vicinity, some eleven miners are at work on surface digging. They average about three dollars a day, and generally come to the mouth to winter. The men do some trading in furs. They here find silver, copper, coal, and iron, but, with the exception of coal, not in large quantities. The coal near the North Fork is of good quality, the vein being some thirty feet. We now leave Buck's Bar, bound to Talyau, a distance of twenty miles. We work hard for three days, and at last make fast to the banks at Talyan. We are received kindly by the chief, Nornuck, and by all the tribe. The tribe remain away from home, and at their hunting grounds, about six months out of the year. They do their trading with the Stikiues ; the Hudson's Bay Company sends goods up, and in fact do most all the trading. **#**** I spoke to you of Mr. Charles Brown's farm and waterfall. Ho tells me that he has raised about fifteen tons of potatoes, two tons of cabbage, four tons of turnips, and a large quantity of beets, lettuce, peas, carrots, &c. He has a turnip weighing six pounds. Potatoes average well ; some came aboard yesterday. The lake is about one mile wide, and two and one-half long ; the fall is about forty feet, with water enough to run forty saw-mills. Mr. Brown has been living at that point about two years ; it is about ten miles from here. Out of six pounds of seed Mr. Brown tells me he raised four hundred and fifteen pounds of potatoes. Mr. Hoglan, a miner at Buck's Bar for two years, tells me that the altitude of the country will not permit them to raise vegetables ; the country is broken, mountainous, .and swampy. Of the other tribes of the Territory I know nothing. Hoping you will excuse this hurriedly penned memorandum, I am, sir, very re- spectfully your obedient servant, LEON SMITH. Hon. VINCENT COLYER, Special Indian Commissioner. APPENDIX B 3. Letter from W. Wall. FORT WRANGEL, A. T., November 8, 18G9. DEAR SIR : The Stikine Indians live at present on a small bay, near the northern extremity of Wrangel Island, and within about seven miles from the mouth of the river Stikine. They number altogether about three hundred, and are divided into nine tribes, each tribe having a chief, and all subject to one chief. The present chief is Shakes ; he does not possess by any means the authority and influence which his predecessor did ; the principal reason is he is very poor, and an- other is he reports to the commanding officer all the misdeeds of the village. He is well disposed, and his only fault is his fondness for whisky, which is the cause of his poverty. The majority of these Indians are very industrious, and are always. anxious to get employment, but, like all the Indians on the coast, are passionately fond of whisky. Such is their desire for it that they will dispose of their most valuable furs at a most extraordinary sacrifice to obtain it. However, since the country came into the posses- sion of the United States they have not as many opportunities as formerly of gratifying their passion. It is a well known fact, that the sale of whisky to Indians on this coast, (and to the interior Indians through these on the coast,) has reduced their numbers, caused petty REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 117 feuds, idleness, theft, and predisposes them to disease and mortality, reducing them to the level of the lowest brute. They are artful and cunning, and to gain a point will tell lies in a most bare-faced manner; at the same time they look upon a respectable white man as incapable of telling an untruth ; and if a white man once deceives them by telling an untruth, or otherwise, they look upon him as below caste, and will avoid as muchrfis possible all future dealings with him. It is also a well known fact that immorality among the Indian tribes is not so gen- eral as when they associate with the white population. Both male and female seem to suffer alike by the association, and the natural consequence is quite evident disease and a remarkable decrease in population. The principal sustenance of these Indians is fish, berries, fish oil, seal oil, venison and mountain sheep. Potatoes and turnips they are very fond of, and buy them in considerable quantities from the Hydahs, who live further up, and seem to understand their cultivation. The soil and climate here are well suited for the growth of potatoes, turnips, cab- bage, carrots, parsnips, bee,ts, &c.; but both from the want of knowledge and of imple- ments, the Indians never make an earnest attempt ; they simply cultivate a few potar toes in a most indifferent manner. The fur-bearing animals on the coast are numerous, and good of their kind, viz., bears, mink, and hair seal; and it is strange how these Indians neglect, in a great measure, this very important source of wealth. I can account for it in this way : their appliances for procuring the means of subsistence are so indifferent, and their total neglect of raising any vegetables leaves them in that condition that they really have neither the time or the independence to go out for a two or three months' trapping expedition. However, there are some exceptions which go to prove the statement which I make. I know one Indian who last winter killed twelve large and eight small bears, about thirty minks, and a number of hair seals ; he had besides a small patch of potatoes; this Indian had only his wife to assist him. In conclusion, I have no hesi- tation in stating, (after nearly three years' experience in their means and ways,) that these Indians, if properly instructed, and advantage taken of the resources of the country, they might not only become comfortable, but by the sale of furs and their other produce become comparatively wealthy. I have much pleasure in offering you these hurried remarks, hoping you might find them useful in assisting you in the good work you have undertaken. I am, sir, yours, most respectfully, W. WALL. Hon. VINCENT COLTER, United States Special Indian Commissioner. APPENDIX B 4. Mr. William H. Dalla's general description of Southeastern Alaska is so full of valu- able information that I append it to Mr. William H. Smith's and Mr. Wall's account of this district : THE SITKAN DISTRICT. " This district extends from the southern boundary to the peninsula of Alaska, in- cluding the island of Kadiak. " The surface of this portion of the Territory is rugged and mountainous in the ex- treme, the northern part only affording any appreciable amount of level and arable lands suitable for cultivation. Small patches occur here and there where small farms might be located, but, as a rule, the mountains descend precipitously into the sea, with their flanks covered with dense and almost impenetrable forests. These rise to the level of about fifteen hundred feet above the sea. Here and there a bare streak shows where an avalanche has cut its way from the mountain top to the waterside ; and oc- casionally the shining front of a glacier occupies some deep ravine, contrasting curiously with the dense foliage on either side. "The canals and channels of the Alexander Archipelago form the highways of the country, and so intricate and tortuous are they, that they afford access to almost every part of it without setting foot on shove. + " Soil. The soil is principally decayed vegetable mold, -with substrata of gravel or dark-colored clay. "The soil of Kadiak and Cook's Inlet is of a similar character, but from an admixture of volcanic sand thrown up by the waves, and abundant sandstone strata, it is lighter, drier, and better adapted for cultivation. " Climate. The climate of the southern portion of this district is intolerably rainy. The annual rain-fall at Sitka varies from sixty to ninety-live inches, and the annual 118 REPOKT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIES. number of more or less rainy days varies from one hundred and ninety to two hundred and eighty-five. In Unalaska the annual number of rainy days is about one hundred and fifty, and the annual fall of rain (and melted snow) is about forty-lour inches. This last est imate, is probably not too low for the island of Kadiak and the eastern part of Cook's Inlet. The annual means of the temperature about Sitka are by no means low, in spite of the rainy summers. The following table will indicate the means for the severe seasons during the year ending October 31, 1868, from the United States Coast Survey observations : "SITKA METEOROLOGICAL ABSTRACT. Season. Moan Temp. Rain- fall. Fair days. Cloudy dnys. Rainy days. Snowy days. Serin 1 25 ; cross and red fox, from 25 cents to 50 cents ; wolver- ine, 37-^ cents; bear, black, 50 cents to $1 50; be'ar, grizzly, 50 cents to $1 50; bear, brown, 50 cents; beaver, 20 cents to 40 cents ; land otter, 50 cents. These they exchange with the trader at an advance of from two hundred to four hun- dred per cent, for such articles as they require. The traders' tariff may be quoted : For imuts and sheeting, 25 cents per yard ; tobacco, $1 50 per pound ; molasses, $1 per gal- on ; powder, $1 50 per pound ; shot, 50 cents per pound ; blankets, (assorted,) $3 to $6. Steel traps, knives, vermilion, flour, hard bread, beans, rice, and some few articles in the way of clothing, pants, shirts, (cotton and woollen,) blue cloth caps with glazed covers, shoes, and some minor articles. The trading prices for skins are: Marten, $2 to $3; inink, 25 cents to $1 50; bear, black, $1 50 to $3 50 ; bear, grizzly, $1 to $3 10 ; bear, brown, 50 cents to $2 50 ; fox, silver, $4 ; fox, cross, $1 50 to $2 ; fox, red, 75 cents to $1 ; beaver, 80 cents to $1 per pound ; laud otter, $1 50 to $2 ; hair seal, 8 cents to 10 cents ; deer skins, 15 cents to 20 cents. The above may answer for the Indians from Chilkaht to Portland Inlet. Of the Ta- koos, the same may be said as of the Chilkahts and tribes above Stephen's Passage. On the east of Admiralty Island are the Koot-se-noos. They have but few furs, but collect considerable hair seal and deer skins. They also raise quantities of potatoes of good quality and fair size. Coming east through Pearl Straits to Sitka are the tribe of that name. They are employed in trading with the other tribes, hunting, and fishing, and are employed as porters and laborers about the town of Sitka. They also cut nearly all the cord wood that is used by the citizens. They may be considered very useful adjuncts of the town citizens, as they are the chief purveyors, supplying them with all kinds of fish and game, such as ducks, geese, venison, grouse, &c. Going south arouud Baranof Island, and up through a portion of Chatham Straits, we come to the Rat tribe on Kyro and Kespriano Islands. They catch some furs, such as lynx, bear, and hair seal, besides trading with some of their neighbors. Their trade has fallen off considerably since the occupation of the Territory by the Americans. They formerly were in the habit of getting their trading goodd from small crafts from Victoria, but at present the Indians north, south, east, for two hundred miles, either come to Sitka or get their wants supplied from small crafts that load or are owned by Sitka merchants. Passing east and south through Frederick's Sound, we come to Wrangle Island and the mouth of the Stityne River, where are the villages of the Stikine tribe. They were some years ago a numerous tribe, but liquor and its concomitant vices materially lessened their numbers. They collect considerable marten, mink, bear, and lynx. They have formerly carried on considerable trade with the interior tribes, but since the discovery of gold in 1862, the competition of the whites has lessened their trade. The furs that are collected in this section are principally disposed of at Fort Wrangle. To the west and south of Prince of Wales Island is an off-shoot of the Hydah or Queen Charlotte Island Indians. They number some three hundred and are called An-e-ga. They, it may be said, are the onlylndiaus from Behring Bay to Portland Inlet that speak a different language from the rest. They raise considerable quantities of potatoes, trap mink, bear, and beaver. They also go up the Naas River in March for the collection of the hoolicon or candle-fish oil, which, when pressed, is as well flavored as leaf lard. In Clarence Straits and adjacent islands they are the connecting link between the Kolosh race and Simpsians on the British side. They speak the Kolosh, Simpsian, and Hydah tongue. They catch considerable mink, bear, beaver, wolverine, and some sea otter. The An-e-gas collect large quantities of caudle-fish oil or grease. It is put up iu tight cedar boxes, from fifty to eighty pounds, and taken north as far as Chilkaht, and brings good prices in furs. The Indians from Puget Sound to the northwest catch and dry large quantities of salmon; the further north the better the salmon. In Cook's Inlet the salmon commence running in June and deteriorate in quality as they go south. July and August are the months about the latitude of Sitka, and grad- ually later as they go south, so that at Puget Sound in September and October they are the most plentiful, and not as good flavor. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 125 Take the Indians of the coast of the Territory they are as well supplied with the necessaries of life as the aborigines of any country in the world. The forests are rilled with game, the waters with h'sh, and the beach and rocks with clams and muscles. They are a healthy and vigorous race; both men and women can hack very heavy loads. The men and women are more on an equality than the Indians of Puget Sound and east of the Cascade range. They are steady and good workers for a short time say one month when they like to knock off for about the same time. The writer thinks that it would be an impossibility to turn the Indian from his vagabond life. The change to order, with laws and schools, might last for a short time, but the novelty would wear off. and they would fall back into their old ways. They soon pick up the vices with none of the virtues of the whites. It is the opinion of the writer that it would take a generation to shape them into useful citizens, although a partial success has been ob- tained by Mr. Duncan a short distance below Fort Simpson with the Chimpaians, and still they faU off. The writer is not at all prejudiced against the Indians. Wherever he has come in contact with them, which has been much in the last sixteen years, he has endeavored to show them the bad policy of their predatory ways : show them advantages which can accrue by industry, that this may act as a stimulant. Respectfully yours, FRANK MAHONY. Hon. VlXCEXT COLYER, Special United States Indian Commissioner. APPENDIX D. Inquiry as to causes of violation of liquor law. SITKA, ALASKA, September 14, 1869. DEAR SIR : I find that a large quantity of Avhisky gets into the hands of the ludiars in Alaska. In a conference with several of the chiefs this morning I learn that this AV.-IS the cause of a riotous disturbance in their village at this place last evening, and these chiefs earnestly requested that its introduction might be stopped. Of course you are aware that the traffic in this article is interdicted by special act of Congress. Will you inform me what in your opinion is the reason that so much of this pernicious poison escapes the vigilance of the revenue officers and finds its way into the Territory ? Very respectfully yours, VINCENT COLYER, Special United States Indian Commissioner. WILLIAM KAPUS, Esq., Collector of Customs, Distinct of Alaska. Eeply of Collector Kapus. CUSTOM-HOUSE, SITKA, ALASKA, September 14, 1869. SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of to-day, requesting me to inform you what, in my opinion, is the reason that so much spirituous liquors seem to escape the vigilance of the revenue officers and finds its way into this Territory. In answer, I would state that great inducements are offered to unprincipled men for bringing liquor into this country, as they can purchase from the Indians for one bottle of whisky more furs than rive times the value of the whisky in money would procure. The Indian's fondness of intoxicating liquor is well known, and white men, actuated by the desire of making all the money they can, and not caring about the means by which they reach this end, take advantage of this unfortunate taste, visit their villages and fisheries and deal out to them the poison, which has almost in every instance been at the bottom of our Indian difficulties. The question arises, how is this liquor brought into this Territory without the knowl- edge of the revenue officers? On your trip to this port you will have noticed the pecu- liar formation of the coast all the way from Pnget Sound it is one continued archipel- ago, the island being separated by narrow but mostly deep chanrels ; small vessels can run through these channels and into the numerous bays making iato the coast, and land their cargoes without running hardly any risk of being caught by the revenue officers. These small vessels, schooners, and sloops go to Fort Simpson, Queen Char- lott's Island, and other English trading posts, and smuggle liquor across our line. The cutter Lincoln is now in pursuit of a man by the name of Charles Stevens, who has 126 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. been reported to me as being in our waters -with a full cargo of liquor on board of his vessel But this traffic is not confined to white men ; Indians, too, visit, in their canoes, our English neighbors ; they will travel hundreds of miles to procure a supply of this liquid tire. Another mode of introducing it into this district is to smuggle it into this port, and from thence ship it to the different points Avhere it is wanted for purposes of trade with the Indians. Only day before yesterday I discovered such an attempt, and seized ninety-two cans of alcohol, of five gallons eah, which had been packed in coal- oil boxes, and was sought to be landed as coal oil. What is wanted in this district is a small steam cutter of say from twenty-five to fifty tons burden, of light draught, but great speed ; a vessel that would be able to run through all the channels and into all the bays ; with such a vessel I could intercept all the crafts engaged in smuggling liquor, and follow and arrest all traders violating any of the laws pertaining to, and intended to prevent, this traffic. With the means now at my command I am almost entirely helpless. The cutter Reliance, being a sailing ves- sel, is unable to make her way through the islands with any degree of speed or safety, and the steam cutter Lincoln is prevented by her size and draught of water from being effective in this service. Since I entered upon the discharge of the duties of my office, July 1 last, I have made numerous seizures of liquors brought into the Territory in violation of law ; but I am satisfied, had I had a vessel of the above description under my control, my success would have been greater. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WILLIAM KAPUS, Collector. Hon. VINCENT COLYER, Special U. S. Indian Commissioner, Sitka, Alaska. APPENDIX G. Letter from Captain Selden on evasions of liquor law. UNITED STATES REVENUE CUTTER RELIANCE, Sitka, Alaska, September 14, 1869. DEAR SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this date, requesting me to inform you what, in my opinion, is the reason that so much spirituous liquor gets into the hands of the Indians in Alaska, and escapes the vigilance of the revenue officers. In answer I must confess that large quantities are brought into the Territory and peddled to the Indians along the whole extent of water-line of this Territory, and I feel assured it will continue so until we are furnished with small steam-vessels for the inland channels. I have every reason to believe that the most of this liquor is brought to the Territory by small vessels, trading all the way from Victoria, Vancouver Island, to some point near this port. What we want to break up this traffic is two steam-tugs or launches of light draught of water, so arranged that they can burn either coal or wood. They would not require a large force to man them, and they would be found very effective in protecting the revenue. At the present time we have two cutters in this district : the Lincoln, a steam-ves- sel of four lumdred tons, kept cruising through the season in Behring's Sea, and to the westward; the Reliance, a sailing-vessel, which cannot cruise inland, owing to the strong tides and intricate channels ; and in fact a sailing-vessel is of no earthly use in these waters. With such force as we have at our command it is unreasonable to ex- pect us to prevent illicit traffic. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. M. SELDEN, Captain United States Revenue Marine. Hon. VINCENT COLYER, Special United Slates Indian Commissioner. Letter from Collector Kapus on the sale of liquors by auction, at Sitka, in Alaska. CUSTOMS DISTRICT OF ALASKA, COLLECTOR'S OFFICE, Port of Siika, October 25, 1869. SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 18th of Sep- tember, 1869, making certain inquiries concerning the recent illegal importation of spir- ituous liquors into this Territory, and in reply, that the alcohol referred to in my letter of the 14th of September last was brought here in the United States steamer Nov/bcrn. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 127 As the value of this liquor exceeded 8^00 I seized the entire invoice of the shippers, Messrs. Kiukead & Louthau, amounting, according to the appraiser's report, to $6,664 50, aud have reported the case to the honorable Secretary of the Treasury for his orders. Messrs. Kinkead & Louthan have offered, in addition to the forfeiture of their goods, to pay to the government the sum of 500 as a line, in full discharge of all liabilities they may have incurred in the premises. I have recommended that this otter be accepted, as it is the full penalty of the law, and I am satisfied that nothing would be gained by throwing the case into court. Colonel Frank N. Wicker, the special agent of the Treasury Department for this dis- trict, has, joined me in this recommendation. I did not seize the ship, because she was a United States transport, audit would have been a mere farce for the government to have confiscated its own property; but I did arrest the captain, W. Freeman, jr., and placed him under $10,000 bond to appear before, and deliver himself up to, any court of the United States that may be designated by the Secretary of the Treasury. In regard to the probable disposal of this liquor I will quote from my report to the department of September 18, 1869 : " I would also ask, in case the course above recom- mended be adopted, that I be authorized to send the alcohol and spirituous liquors to San Francisco and have them sold at public auction. To sell and deliver this class of goods here would virtually be an evasion of the la\v ; aud if they are sold on condi- tion that they be shipped out of the Territory, they would not bring near their true value." The liquors that were seized by me in the month of August from on board the steam- ship Active were sold at this port on the 14th instant, but were delivered to the pur- chasers only in limited quantities for the use of the white inhabitants, and, as the law requires, upon the written permits of the general commanding the department. Wishing you safe journey to your home in the eastern States, and earnestly request- ing that you will use the influence of your position to bring the many disadvantages under which we are laboring in this remote comer of the Uuion to the attention of the proper authorities, I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WILLIAM KAPUS, Collector. Hon. VINCENT COLTER, Special United States Indian Commissioner, Sitka, A. T. VIOLATION OF LIQUOR LAW. UNITED STATES REVENUE STEAMER LINCOLN, Sitka, August .30, 1869. SIR : Upon leaving the vessel on the 17th of July, 1869, in Bristol Bay, accompanied by Dr. Mclntyre, special agent, I proceeded to the settlement on the Neuchegac River. We boarded and examined on the way up the schooner General Harney, M. Levi, mas- ter. Captain Levi was then at the settlement. We landed at the village about 5 p. in., and found three persons grossly intoxicated; two Russians (traders) and native, (acting priest.) We accused Captain Levi of having sold liquor to the natives; he said that he had sold nothing more than nine (9) bottles of ale, at the same time he had a bottle of whisky in his possession, which he said \vas for his own use. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, M. A. HEALY, Second Lieutenant, United States Revenue Marine, Captain JOHN H. MENRIGUES. Official : SAMUEL B. McINTYRE, First Lieutenant Second Artillery and Bet. Capt. U. 8. A., Acting Assistant Adjutant General. VIOLATION OF LIQUOR LA\V BY COAST TRADERS. UNITED STATES REVENUE CUTTER LINCOLN, Sitka, Alaska Territory, August 30, 1869. SIR : This steamer in cruising during the present summer visited Neuchegack River, Bristol Bay, arriving at that place July 17. It became a necessity to obtain a pilot for the navigation of Bristol Bay and Neuch- 128 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. gack River, and a boat was accordingly dispatched tinder an officer to obtain one the vessel being at anchor in bay, and not arriving at anchorage in Neuchgack River until morning. Second Lieutenant M. A. Healy was the officer in charge of boat, Special Agent Dr. H. H. Mclntyre accompanying him. They went up to trading post, and remained until arrival of steamer, coming on board the following day. I am informed by these parties that three persons were found drunk on shore, two being Russians, the third a native, (officiating priest.) This liquor I am satisfied was furnished by the schooner General Harney, Marquis Levi, master, lying at anchorage in the river. I have every reason to think Captain Levi traded with these people while in this condi- tion. It is quite certain that no liquor was in the place until the arrival of the General Harney, and Captain Levi has admitted that the persons named did get drunk on his vessel, saying, however, it was by accident, he inviting them on board as guests, and they getting drunk at his table. I respectfully submit the above for your consideration and action. I am, sir, very respectfully, yours, JOHN A. HENRIQFES, Captain United States Revenue Marine. Major General J. C. DAVIS, Commanding Department of Alaska. Official : SAMUEL B. McINTYRE, first Lieutenant Second Artillery and Bvt. Capt. U. S. A., Acting Assistant Adjutant General. VIOLATION OF THE LIQUOR LAW BY THE AMERICAN-RUSSIAN ICE COMPANY'S SHIPS. UNALASKA, August 19, 1869. In the month of May the ship Casarowhitz landed at Bilkofsky, in Alaska Territory. The day after its arrival there were brought ashore two small kegs of rive gallons whisky ; the inhabitants were assembled and were made drunk. Then Captain Sand- man showed them a paper with a large seal affixed, and told the natives that it was a permit from General Davis to land the whisky, and furthermore told them that they were not to trade with any company but his. A day or two after that about forty gallons of whisky and eight casks of California brand were lauded from the same ship Casarowbitz ; during the night-time there was a ball and the natives again had a drunk. The day before its departure the ship lauded about forty gallons more of whisky. I am certain that he told those Aleutes that for each sea otter brought to the store of that company a bottle of brandy would be given. He bought for a bottle of brandy a small sea otter from a certain Kaudrat of Kazutin. Every feast day he gives the Taye (chief) a bottle of brandy, as also to others, and one may see any day drunken Aleutes about the store. In May, 1868, the brig Olga came to Bilkofsky, and got the Aleutes drunk. The Taye was told that the Russian company would punish him if he traded with any other concern, (than his,) and the natives believe that they will be punished. CARL OSCHE. True translation of original : S. C. KELLOGG, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel U. S. A., Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF ALASKA, Sitka, Alaska, September 17, 1869. A true copy : SAMUEL B. McINTIRE, First Lieutenant Second Artillery and Brevet Captain U. S. A., A. A. A. G. APPENDIX E. Medical Director Bailey on intemperance and debauchery. SITKA, ALASKA TERRITORY, October 25, 1869. MY DEAR SIR : I inclose for yonr information the report of Acting Assistant Surgeon John A. Tonner, United States Army, in medical charge of the Indians in this vicinity, in conformity to instructions given him by me. A copy of the same is inclosed. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION OX INDIAN AFFAIRS. 129 This report is instructive and contains important suggestions which, if carried out, would go far towards improving their condition. I am satisfied that little or nothing cau be done until they are placed under better and more favorable influences. A greater mistake could not have been committed than stationing troops in their midst. They mutually debauch each other, ami sink into that degree of degradation in which it is impossible to reach each other through moral or religiqus iniiueuces. Whisky lias been sold in the streets by government officials at public auctions, and examples of drunkenness are set before them almost daily, so that in fact the principal teaching they at present are receiving is that drunkenness and debauchery are held by us, not as criminal and unbecoming a Christian people, but as indications of our advanced and superior civilization. These Indians are a civil and well-behaved people; they do not want bayonets to keep them in subjection, but they do want honest, faithful, and Christian workers among them ; those that will care for them, teach and instruct them in useful arts, ami that they are responsible beings. I look upon the different military posts in this department as disastrous and destructive to their well-being ; they are not, and can never be, of the least possible use; they are only so many whisky fonts from whence it is spread over the country. If we ever have trouble with them and become involved in war, it will be found to arise from these causes. From the nature and character of the country, posts never can render the least influence afford protection against contra- band trade ; this can only be done by armed vessels, in command of choice men. To go into detail on all points would require pages ; you have seen enough to satisfy your- self; and in giving you the inclosed report I only want to add my testimony against what I conceive to be a most grievous error in the management of the Indian affairs in this Territory. When you go home send us honest, faithful, Christian workers; not place-seekers, hut those who want to do good work for Christ's sake and kingdom. Send men and women, for both are wanted. When yon cau do away with the evils spoken of, and which are so evident, and adopt this latter course, then there will be hope, and nonintil then. Sincerely vour friend, E. J. BAILEY, Surgeon U. S. A., Medical Director Department of Alaska. Hon. VINCENT COLYER. ORDERS ESTABLISHING HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL ATTENDANCE. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF ALASKA, MEDICAL DIRECTOR 's OFFICE, Sitka, Alaska Territory, September 15, 1869. DOCTOR : In taking medical charge of the Indians, in accordance with the instructions given you, you will ascertain as near as possible and report to this office the number of males, females, and children ; their present sanitary condition ; whether any efforts have been made or are being made to improve it ; what has been the nature of the medical assistance they have received heretofore ; nature and character of disease among them, in tabular statements, giving percentage, character of their clothing and food, their means of procuring it, to what extent liquor has been and still is being introduced among them ; kind and condition of the houses they occupy. You will report what provisions and arrangements you have made to carry out your instructions. On every Tuesday you will forward to this office a report of the previous week, giving the number treated, (males, females and children, ) with disease, and where treated. You will also report upon all points of interest touching their condition, with such sug- gestions as you may think proper and practicable that will advance their improve- ment. As you have been chosen for this duty it is hoped you will appreciate its importance, and enter upon it with your usual energy, and in a true Christian spirit. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, E. J. BAILEY, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel and Surgeon U. S. A., Medical Director Department of Alaska. Dr. Tonner's report on sanitary condition of the Sitka Indians and their village. SITKA, ALASKA TERRITORY, October 20, 1869. SIR : In compliance with your instructions of September 15, I have the honor to make the following report : After waiting until now the return of the Indians engaged in fishing I have taken 9 130 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. the number of those now here, and find three hundred and sixty-five men, two hundred and ninety-six women, and two hundred and sixty children, making a total of nine hundred and twenty-one now in village, while they state there are three hundred and thirty still absent fishing. These all live in forty-four houses) built of plank set upright and roofed with bark. The floors are planked, except a bare place in the center where the fire is built, the smoke passing through an opening in the roof. The buildings average forty feet in width and sixty in depth and twenty in height to the ridge. Small sleeping apartments line the sides, and measure generally, six by eight feet. Some have bedsteads and feather beds ; a blanket serves the majority. Cleanliness and neatness is generally wanting in their abodes, although there are a few who in both respects are excellent models for the rest, and also the majority of the Russians now here, who live much worse than these Indians. The latter claim as an excuse for their want of cleanliness, the worse condition of the Russians and the want of interest shown in them previous to our arrival and possession of the country. The chief has displayed a very commendable spirit in improvement of his ow r n house and person, and urging npon his tribe to do likewise ; but more he was unable to do, as his authority is merely nominal. A very filthy practice prevails among them of blacking their faces simply to conceal other traces and protect from the effects of the sun. I have been able to lessen the practice by requiring clean faces on all those prescribed for. Medical attendance has been furnished them by the post surgeon ever since the arrival of our troops here, but without compensation, while the labor at limes was greater than that required by the troops, and at all times more trying. The diseases most- common among them are syphilis, rheumatism, and conjunctivitis. The first is much aggravated and diffused by unrestrained intercourse with the troops, and affects both sexes equally. Its constitutional form is more rare than among the troops, partially owing to the implicit obedience to instructions given them for cure. Rheumatism is confined to those past middle age, who, too old for active exercise, suffer from the natural effects of this climate upon those so situated. Conjunctivitis and corneitis are very common, owing to the constant atmosphere of smoke in their houses. Those able to come are prescribed for daily at nine a. m. at the post hospital dispensary ; those unable, at their houses. For the latter a hospital is necessary in order to treat them properly ; but there being no provision for feeding or nursing such, I am unable to take them in. There are two rooms at the post hos- pital which by a little labor could be soon arranged comfortably for them ; then the authority to issue a ration to each patient, and provisions made for the payment of ;v nurse, their needs in that direction would be supplied. A blanket supplies the unchanging article of dress, although the females now gene- rally wear calico, and the men drawers and shirts, besides others in our dress when procurable. Most of them have money from the sale of wood and basket work, besides supplying the market with venison, fish, and berries, for which they obtain twice as much as when the Russians held the country. Their food consists chiefly of smoked venison, salmon, with candle fish oil, and salmon berries; they are now acquiring a taste for rice, beans, and biscuit and molasses. It is impossible to prevent their obtaining liquor ; although its sale to them is prohib- ited here, still the low Russians obtain it without hindrance, and retail to them by the drink ; yet I have seen very little drinking among them, and no disturbance caused by it. Their moral condition is low, and rendered worse by the proximity of the whites, as evidenced by the superiority of the tribes in other parts of the Territory whose rela- tions have been less intimate with us. This is at the lowest ebb here, being near the largest town. Some efforts were made by the Russians for their improvement, by building a church and school-house. They have services in the former monthly, but the latter is closed since our occupancy, as no provision or teacher was furnished for its maintenance. It is a good buildng, and only wanting a competent soul-loving teacher to fill it at once with as bright, apt children as can be found anywhere. At least one hundred and fifty are of the proper age, and with these only can we hope to improve their condition ; those who have attained maturity being too fixed in their habits and vices to make much impression, (or improvement,) while the other material is plastic, and being very imitative are adopting our evil courses, without a knowledge of our good ones. An eminent, devoted chaplain or missionary at this place, who will take an interest in these beings as immortal souls, with one or two equally devoted teachers, are needed ; the latter for these neglected ones, the former for all of us. Trusting that God will bless your efforts for good in this community, I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. A. TONNER, Acting Assistant Surgeon. United States Army, Post Surgeon. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel E. J. BAILEY, U. S. A., Medical Director Department of Alaska. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 131 APPENDIX F. Letter from 0. B. Carlton. FISHERIES OF SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA. UNITED STATES QUARTERMASTERS' STEAMER NEWBERN, November 15, 1869. DEAR SIR : I will reply to your inquiries concerning the fisheries of Alaska Territory in the order in which you presented them. KINDS OF FISH. The most of my experience in the fisheries of Alaska have been in the vicinity of Sitka, and as far as this enables me to judge, and from what I hear, salmon are the most numerous. Halibut are common here, large numbers are taken by the Indians with their mde apparatus. With more improved implements the halibut could be taken in sufficient quantities to make the pickling of the napes and fins very profitable. Herring of the choicest quality are found throughout the Territory ; in the month of April can be caught by the hundreds of barrels with the usual herring nets. I also think mackerel will be caught in these waters by following the same course pursued on the Atlantic coast. I, with others, in 1857 proceeded to Cape St. Lucas, Lower California, where, from a passing school, we caught some ten barrels ; thence to South Barbara shores, where we caught five hundred barrels ; thence to St. Craps Island, two hundred barrels, and from thence north to Point Keys, fifty barrels, when, from a combination of circum- stances, the enterprise was abandoned. I have not resumed it .since, being otherwise employed. But from the fact that they are found in the south, as also the case on the Atlantic coast, and I have seen in Alaska waters such other fish as usually school with them, I am confident they may be found here. BY WHOM TAKKN. Last season I employed American labor, but found it to be expensive both in trans- portation and wages to make it pay. This year I employed Russians mostly, and find the expense about one-half of last season, but find them too indolent to employ to ad- vantage. Next season I shall employ Indians altogether, except coopering, and I have no doubt but they can also be taught that trade. I found them willing and industrious, and kind when properly treated. They will work for less pay than Americans or Russians. ARTICLES REQUIRED. The usual outfit, such as barrels, salt, nets, and cans for curing them fresh ; these have been taken from San Francisco, but the barrels may be made on the fishing-ground, as there is plenty of lumber for that purpose. THE BEST MARKETS Are San Francisco, Sandwich Islands, and New York. The price of salmon (with cod, halibut, and mackerel have had nothing to do of late) ranges from five dollnrs to ten dollars a barrel, owing to quality and quantity in market at time of sale. I have had nothing to do with canning, but salmon preserved in this way are a great delicacy and an important article of commerce. Salmon are taken near Sitka in June, July, and August, and some few in September. Very respectfully, O. B. CARLTON, Superintendent of Company's Fisheries. VINCENT COLYER, Esq., Special United States Indian Commissioner. THE FISHERIES OF ALASKA. [From the Sitka Times.]- Among the many industries natural to the coast of Alaska none is more prolific of wealth to the enterprising merchant of the Pacific or eastern slope than the fisheries the cod, halibut salmon, and herring, which abound in immense quantities from Ton- gas in the south, to Behring Strait in the west. It was one of the strong reasons set 132 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. forth for the purchase by Mr. Sumner in his magnificent speech "on the cession of Alaska." Notwithstanding the fabulous statements made by him in relation to the fisheries, statements which many affected at least to disbelieve, the truth of all has been proven, and testimony is ample, derived since the transfer, and by our own peo- ple traders, who have engaged in the fur seal and other fur interests. We who live at Sitka, and thence down by way of the Stikiue, Cassan, and Tongas, know the prolificness of the salmon fisheries, and its ultimate importance and value. The American-Russian Commercial Company, one of the few associations of men who have shown enterprise, have an extensive establishment, O/ersky employing some twenty men in constant service from March to October. Last season, owing to bad nets and nets unsuitable for the catch, they only put up eiglit hundred barrels of salmon. This year, although the season is not ended, they have put up and prepared for the Atlantic market about one thousand barrels of salmon. Baronovitch, at Cassan, last year, with the aid of only four men, put up, in splendid order, seven hundred bar- rels of salmon, and had to cease the catch ere the season was half over, he having no more barrels to fill. On the 7th of August, last year, the Sagiuaw, Captain Mitchell, called at this place. Baronovitch had ceased work some three weeks before, but at Mitchell's request he took his two boats and seines to catch a supply for the ship, and in fifteen minutes returned with them loaded to the guards with beautiful salmon. He felt confident that had iiis barrels not failed ho could have packed seven hundred more. A new method of putting up salmon has recently been experimented on by the Co- lumbia River fishermen, and this year we understand they are putting up great quan- tities of them in cans, the same as oysters, lobsters, &c. This course might be pursued here with great advantage, and the facilities for its successful prosecution are abundant. We hope some of our citizens will engage in it another season. Fish are plenty, labor is iibundant and cheap, transportation below is low, and the price of fish remunerative. It will help the prosperity of the town, give work to our needy Russian population, and will give still more character to the worth of the Territory. There are besides a hundred other fisheries of salmon, where, added to splendid loca- tions for buildings, are- good anchorages for vessels. Hundreds of fresh-water rivers come leaping down the mountains into the sea, and into these in the summer the salmon rim, and so thickly, that often they blacken the water. Let us make known these facts to the world, for once known and believed, capital will surely seek an investment and acquire in this honest pursuit the reward it merits. Again, the halibut fishing is immense. Westward from Sitka to Kadiak, Kenai, and even to the Peninsula of Alaska, these fish abound, and they are immense. Every per- son who comes down from the coast speaks of this fishing. As yet there are none that we know of engaged in this pursuit, but if there be a way of preserving these fish for the San Francisco market, an enterprise of that kind must prove a success. The ex- perience of our own people prove that, with ordinary precaution, all work of drying or pickling can be done as well on the adjacent islands as further below. But the cod fisheries of Alaska are of the most moment and importance to us as a peo- ple and a nation. It is a fact well known that for years the cod fisheries of the Atlaiftic coast have been failing, until now that branch of industry is merely nominal. More than one- half of the great fleet of vessels formerly engaged in it are now lyingidle in the harbors of Boston, Salem, Lynn, Newburyport, and Marblehead, or they have gone into the busi- ness of carriers. There is to-day a hardy population of fishermen who are cast adrift upon the world, earning a livelihood in ways illy suited to them, and all because Othello's occupation is gone. The vessels have proved, and are proving, a ruinous in- vestment to their ow r ners, not earning enough to pay a reasonable interest on their cost. Again, this industry has been invaluable to Massachusetts. It was one of her great sources of wealth, and it built up nearly all her seaport towns. Lately the question of procuring some treaty stipulations with Great Britain has been urgently pressed by those immediately interested whereby the United States can have the right of fishing for cod on the coast of Labrador, and it is confidently expected by many that this right will be soon secured. But why obligate ourselves to a foreign nation to secure that which we already have at home ? As fine cod fishing banks as exist in the known world lie all along the coast of Alaska, from the Peninsula of Unalaska through Norton's and Kotzebue's sounds into Behring Strait. Oue great difficulty which always existed on the Newfound- land banks is the great depth of water, which ranges from seventy to ninety fathoms. The banks along our coast only average from thirty to fifty fathoms. The fish, too, are of equally as fine a quality, and of good size. There are, we believe, this season some or twelve vessels, formerly Cape Ann fisher- men, which have been brought around the Horn, engaged in the cod fisheries along the coast of Alaska. We know they will do well. Recently one little vessel has ar- rived at Port Towusend from the East. There is no reason why the idle fleets on the REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 133 eastern coast cannot be profitably employed on this coast. They are generally calcu- lated for a freight capacity of one hundred to two hundred tons, and can easily load with freight at Boston or New York for San Francisco, and thus earn enough to pay running expenses ; starting in' the summer or early autumn they can reach San Fran- cisco in season to procure an outfit, and proceed on their cruise by March or April. It is only changing the base of operation. Instead of the East supplying the West, it will be vice versa. The price of fish shipped by steamers will be but nominally increased, while we shall, as a people, have the satisfaction of being independent of all foreign powers for a supply of one of the great staples of food. We trust that the eastern fishermen will make up to the importance of the industry and exhibit that energy which has always characterized New England, by sending out to Alaska a fleet of vessels to engage in this certainly lucrative business. ' The market is the world. We are on the highway of the Eastern aud Western hemispheres. Not only is the United States to be supplied, but China and Japan, with their millions of people, stand ready to buy. All hail, then, to the speedy inception of this enterprise. Then will not only Alaska prosper, and the country in general be benefited, but we shall feel proud that we are so opulent in our own resources of strength, and have on the Pacific coast, as well as on the Atlantic, a brave set of men ready to man our naval fleets in case hereafter there be another insurrection or a foreign war. APPENDIX H. ACT OF CONGRESS REGULATING THE INTRODUCTION OF LIQUOR, FIRE-ARMS, &C., INTO ALASKA. The law governing the sale of spirituous liquors is as follows : " SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the President shall have power to restrict and regulate or to prohibit the importation and use of fire-arms, ammunition, and distilled spirits into aud withiu the said Territory. And the exportation of the same from any other port or place in the United States when destined to any port or place in said Territory, and all such arms, ammunition, and distilled spirits exported, or attempted to be exported, from any port or place in the United States and destined for such Ter- ritory, in violation of any regulations that may be prescribed under this section ; and all such arms, ammunition, and distilled spirits landed or attempted to be landed or used at any port or place in said Territory, in violation of said regulation, shall be for- feited ; and if the value of the same shall exceed four hundred dollars the vessel upon which the same shall be found, or from which they shall have been landed, together with her tackle, apparel, and furniture, and cargo, shall be forfeited ; and any such person willfully violating such regulation shall, on conviction, be fined in any sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than six months. And bonds may be required for a faithful observance of such regulations from the master or own- ers of any vessel departing from any port in the United States having on board fire- arms, ammunition, or distilled spirits, when such vessel is destined to any place in said Territory, or if not so destined, when there shall be reasonable ground of suspicion that such articles are intended to be lauded herein in violation of law ; and similar bonds may be required on the lauding of any such articles in the said Territory from the person to whom the same may be consigned." APPENDIX HI. LIQUOR AT GOVERNMENT POSTS. A writer in the Washington Morning Chronicle, of February 6, says : " Fifteen miles from Simpson is the federal Fort Tongas, situated on Portland Inlet, the dividing water between British America and our own Territory, the latter consti- tuting the most southern portion of Alaska. At Tongas are stationed a company of troops, who have already had several quarrels with the Indians. The Hudson's Bay Company have never had a soldier at one of their posts, and up to a very late date have had no trouble with the Indians. Mr. Cunningham says he has had considerable difficulty with some of the Indians since the erection of Fort Tougas, on account of their procuring liquor from the United States troops. From Fort Tongas to Fort Wraugel it is seventy miles. Wrangel is also garrisoned by a company of troops, who have had serious difficulties with the Indians upon several occasions. It is situated at the mouth of the Stikiue River." 134 KEPOKT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. APPENDIX I. Summary of winds and weather from January I, 1868, to August 31, 1869, at Sitka, Alaska' Ten-itory. Months. "Warmest days. Coldest days. Amount of rain. Number days cloudy. Number days fair. Number days rain. Number days snow. 1868. January 36 50 45 51 58 60 62 58 57 58 52 48 47 43 48 48 58 56 57 56 46 51 53 60 64 71 68 61 60 59 52 53 41 47 53 56 70 69 69 68 39 45 49 44 48 59 57 61 60 59 48 47 51 59 45 51 54 55 61 57 14 11 32 32 35 50 52 52 38 38 25 20 29 24 29 39 41 47 48 52 30 28 35 49 41 54 54 51 57 42 31 34 32 40 37 38 49 50 53 57 17 12 32 36 36 49 50 52 46 36 26 22 37 25 41 36 40 45 49 50 7.00 4.35 5.72 1.37 7.55 1.93 4.20 4.01 6.81 7.27 9.38 6.69 10.14 14.80 6.30 8.99 6.87 4.99 3.20 3.84 12.33 20.00 26. 33 21.33 22.00 18.33 28. 00 24.33 20.00 27.66 25.00 20.00 18.66 9.00 4.66 8.66 9.00 11.66 3.00 6.66 10.00 3.33 5.00 11.00 3 12 5 3 12 4 10 9 11 14 16 10 3 4 February . March Mav June July August September October November December.. . 1869. January 275.31 100.63 109 7 28.66 24.33 21.66 24.33 25.66 24.33 24.66 22.33 2.33 3.66 9.33 5.66 5.33 5.66 6.33 8.66 10 13 6 8 6 7 5 6 1 3 1 February March April Mav - . . June July August APPENDIX L. General Davis's account of the Kdkc war. The following is General Davis's account of the same affair. He says in his report of the 5th of January last : " The Indians within the la.st few days have exhibited some signs of growing trou- ble, but I think I have succeeded in checkmating them in their designs, at least for the present. The principal chief of the Chilkahts has been here for some weeks with a party on a trading visit. He is a very haughty and imperious man, and has been ac- customed to having things his own way heretofore, wherever he went, both among the whites and Indians. This is his second visit here, during both of Avhich he has been treated with kindness and consideration ; but this kiud of treatment he seems to have evidently misconstrued into fear or timidity on our part, and became more imper- tinent from day to day, until New Year's day, when he and a minor chief undertook to disarm the sentinel at the main entrance into the Indian village. I ordered the guard, under an officer, to follow him into the village and arrest him and his party. He re- sisted by opening a fire upon the guard. The guard returned it, but finding the In- dians too strong for them retreated back into the garrison. As the chief himself was reported probably killed in the melee, and the whole tribe of Sitkas, among whom ho was staying, was thrown 'into a great state of excitement, I thought it prudent to order a strong guard out for the night, and to take no further action until morning, as the night was very dark, thus giving them time to reflect. " I called the principal Sitka chiefs together and they disclaimed any participation in the affair, and said they did not desire to fight either the troops or the Chilkahts, and that they had already hoisted white flags over their cabins. I then demanded the sur- render of the Chilkaht chief, who, after considerable delay and some show of light on the part of about fifty of his warriors, came in and gave himself up. A few minutes' talk with him sufficed to convince me that he was bent on war, and I would have had to fight but for the Sitka's refusing to join in his design. 1 confined him and his princi- pal confederates in the guard-house, where he still remaius. Cholckeka is known as the most powerful and vindictive chief oil this coast. Knowing his history and power, I have watched and treated him accordingly. No one tribe of the Indians in Alaska Ctin endanger the safety of the troops or the citizens here ; united, pf course it would be different, but we must look out and present, if possible, such a union of tribes. There REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 135 were two Indians killed in this affair ; one soldier was very severely wounded, but will recover. The steamer Sagiuaw arrived in due time here and rendered all the assistance which I desired. The revenue cutter Reliance (which is commanded by Captain Hen- riques) was lying out in the harbor at the time ; he and his officers were very prompt and efficient in giving assistance. " Thinking the general commanding would like to learn all the particulars of this our first difficulty with the Indians in this department, I have gone more into details than would otherwise seem necessary. "JEFF. C. DAVIS, Commander:' APPENDIX M. Letter from William S. Dodge, ex-mayor of Sitka, on affairs in Alaska generally. ON BOARD UNITED STATES STEAMER NEWBERN, November 10, 1869. SIR: Your communication of the 1st ultimo, making certain inquiries of me, was duly received, and I will now answer them in detail, so far as I am able, either from per- sonal knowledge or from information deemed by me reliable, received from others. 1. "'What is the number of Indians in Alaska, as far I know ?" Personally, I know nothing as to number with certainty. Prince D. Metrooskoff in- formed me, when I first came to Alaska, that their records, compiled from time to time, place the Indian population proper at about fifteen thousand, covering the territory from Portland Canal on the south to Mt. St. Elias on the north, and embracing all the Indians on the islands and the coast of the main land, as well as the upper tribes of the Stachines, Chilkaht, and Tarken within the borders of Alaska. From Mt. St. Elias west- ward along the coast to Kollzertra and Norton Sound, and thence up to the Polar Ocean. The Russian American Company consider the people as Esquimaux, with, of course, various tribal differences. These people are considered very numerous, being estimated, upon statistics gathered as a basis, at from fifty to sixty thousand. The islanders are considered as a distinct race of people, purely Mongolian in origin, and are denominated Aleutians. These people, including the Creole element, have been determined by actual census to be between seven and eight thousand. All these people were considered by the Russian government as civilized, they being for the greater part members of the Greek church, living like civilized people, and all, or nearly all, being able to read and write the Russian language. Of this latter statement I have the truth, personally having seen more than two hundred of them in my official capacity write, and with a remarkable degree of nicety in penmanship. These distinctions are not recognized by the military authorities in the department of Alaska without distinction. I do not coincide with this opinion, and deem it unjust as well as unsound. As to the "tribal names," your second inquiry, I know very few, and will not trouble you with a repetition of names which I know you now possess. 3. Their general character ? I can speak generally from actual observation ; and, in brief, none of the tribes in that section of the country, which I consider Indian, are at all to be compared with any of the tribes inhabiting the interior of our country, or even with those bordering the great lakes. One peculiar characteristic of the Alaska tribes, such as the Hydahs, Stikiues, Sticks, Kakes, Kootznov, and Sitkas, is their individual intelligent inde- pendence. It is true they live to a great extent on fish and game, but these are to their taste, the crops of grain and corn, &c., to the former. For half a century educated into traders by the Russian American and Hudson's Bay Companies, as well as by small traders, who trade.contraband, they have become keen, sharp-witted, and drive as hard and close a bargain as their white brothers, and since the federal occupation of tho country this fact is more apparent. They arc of a very superior intelligence, and have rapidly acquired many of the American ways of living and working. Their houses are universally clustered into villages very thoroughly and neatly built, and far more substantial and pretentious than the log-houses usually constructed by our manly backwoodsmen. The Coast Indians do not themselves, and out of their own local resources, furnish much commer- cially. The Sitkas supply Sitka with its game, beets, and radishes. They, as well as the other coast tribes, kill a goodly number of the hair-seal, selling to the white traders the peltries and the oil which they extract from them. But as a rule they stand as tho immediate agents between the white traders and the interior Indians, and in this exhibit a jealousy worthy the Jews. Many purchase from the whites hard bread, rice shoes, blankets, &.<;., and take these together with salmon, which they cure themselves up the various rivers to the interior tribes, with whom they in turn trade for mink , 136 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. martin, lynx, fox, bear, and other skins. Returning to the whites, these Indians again exchange for articles of traffic. They never allow the upper country Indians to come to the white settlements to trade with the Chilkahts and Tarkens; death would follow the attempt. Hence is evinced a monopoly powerful and extensive in character. Nor will the Coast Indians permit any white man to pass to the upper country to trade the peualty they threaten is the same. All trade must be made with and through them. As to the next inquiry, " What means have been undertaken, if any, by the military or other United States authority for their improvement ?" I need say but little. No sys- tem has as yet been adopted by any of the United States authorities tending to the improvement of the Indian tribes. General J. C. Davis has frequently, in intercourse with the Indians, explained to the chiefs the American ideas of justice and right, and how practically they are carried out, calling their attention to the fact that the good would be protected, and the wrong- doer punished, exemplifying the teaching by illustrating it in this way : When a soldier does wrong they would know it, as he was worked on the roads and guarded by another soldier with a bayonet on his gun. If a Russian did wrong they would see ho was put in prison. If an Indian did wrong he would be punished the same. The Indians for a time observed this, and often said the "Boston man" was just, for everybody fared alike. One day a soldier, Russian, and Indian, all in prison together; no favor shown; white man treated same as Indian. This teaching, faithfully carried out, could not but have had a beneficial effect, and for a time it did. But, unfortunately, an event occiirred on last New Year's day which somewhat shook their faith. The military au- thorities, following in the footsteps of the Russian American Company, have, from time to time continued to instill into their minds a love for labor and general usefulness, and have encouraged them in it by giving them contracts for wood, &c. General Davis did much at one time to induce the Sitkas to abandon their custom of killing a slave to supply the wants of a departed chief, an occasion of that kind having arisen. I believe his influence was sufficient to save the victim, although it was done by freeing the condemned slave and bringing him into the town. We have always understood that no other was killed in his stead. Beyond this, and a few other similar examples and counsels, nothing has been done to ameliorate or better their condition up to the present time. The example set by the navy has never been favorable, but generally unfavorable ; especially during the cruise of the Saginaw, under a commander now dead, positively demoralizing. The custom authorities never exercised any influence, either for good or bad. To your last and most important question : " What causes are operating at the pres- ent time, or may have been used in the past, to demoralize them ?" much may be said. As a citizen of Alaska, I feel a delicacy in writing upon this subject, inasmuch as it compels me to tread upon unwelcome ground, and may be characterized as the prompt- ings of hatred, jealousy, and strife. However, as in this question lies the weal or woe, not only of the Indian, but the white race within this Territory, I shall express clearly, impartially, and frankly my views of the whole subject in all its bearings as they have been presented to me by observation and reflection. And here I am compelled to say that the conduct of certain military and naval officers and soldiers has been bad and demoralizing in the extreme ; not only contaminating the Indians, but in fact demor- alizing and making the inhabitants of Sitka what Dante characterized Italy: "A grand house of ill-fame." I speak only of things as seen and felt at Sitka. First. The demoralizing influence originated in the fact that the garrison was loca- ted in the heart of the town. Secondly. The great mass of the soldiers were either desperate or very immoral men. Thirdly. Some of the officers didnot carry out military discipline in that just way which the regulations contemplate. They gave too great license to bad men ; and the deepest evil to all, and out of which other great evils resulted, was an indiscriminate pass system at night. Many has been the night when soldiers have taken possession of a Russian house, and frightened and browbeaten the women into compliance with their lustful passions. Many is the night I have been called upon after midnight, by men and women, Rus- sian and Aleutian, in their night-clothes, to protect them against the malice of the soldiers. In instances where the guilty party could be recognized they have been punished; but generally they are not recognized, and therefore escape punishment. Fourthly. The conduct of some of the officers has been so demoralizing that it was next to impossible to keep discipline among the soldiers. Within six months after the arrival of the troops at Sitka, the medical director informed me that nearly the whole of the Sitka tribe, some twelve hundred in number, were suffering from vene- rial diseases. Many have died. This has engendered a very deep feeling among the Indians here, but the extent of it is only known to those traders with whom they can converse. Officers have carried REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 137 on with the same high hand among the Russian people, and were the testimony of citi- zeus to be taken, many instances of real infamy and wrongs would come to light. For a long time some of the officers drank immoderately of liquor, and it is telling the simple truth when I say that one or two of them have been drunk for a week at a time. The soldiers saw this, the Indians saw it ; and as " Ayas Tyhus" or " big chiefs," as they called the officers, drank, they thought that they too must get intoxicated. Then came the distrust of American justice when they fonnd themselves in the guard- house, but never saw the officers in when in a like condition. ORIGIN OF THE KAKK WAR. The Kake war arose out of a pure case of drunkenness. A soldier was on guard ; the chief passed out; the soldier kicked him as he passed out. That soldier's name is . A little Russian girl told me she saw the soldier kick the Indian. He was a Chilkaht chief, and it being New Year's day, he had been to General Davis's house and "potlutched " (treated) to a bottle of whiskey. He naturally felt insulted at a kick, and resented it by seizing the soldier's gun. Trouble ensued. Orders were given to prevent the escape of all Indians from the village, and a demand was made for the surrender of the chief. They declared for war, but the general did not wish this, and used commendable moderation. During the next day after, a parley ; the chief, together with an In- diau named Sitka Jack, surrendered. General Davis then issued an order counter- manding the previous one of ne exeat. The post commandant, who was drunk, either did not promulgate the order or afterward reissued the first order on his own respon- sibility, I know not which. Lieutenant C. P. Eagen, of the Ninth Infantry, was that day officer of the guard, and can tell exactly which occurred. I think the latter is the truth. At all events, the next morning, a canoe with some Indians started to leave the village to go wood-chopping, and the sentry on the wharf killed two of them. They had not been informed that they could not leave the .village. The order re- voking the ne exeat had been communicated by General Davis to Captain Mead, of the United States naval steamer Saginaw, jjnd Captain Henrique, of the United States revenue cutter Reliance ; so they paid no attention to the Indians until they saw the" firing by the sentry. Thinking the same new trouble had arisen, they made chase for the canoe. Afterward the (Kakes) Indians killed two white men in retaliation for the murder of the two ; hence the war with them. I do not know if the military reports of General Davis detailed these facts as I have stated them, but I do know that the officer through whose culpable action two white men met their death was never punished. He boasts " that there is not power enough to dismiss him from the army, let him do as he likes." This is all wrong, and such conduct is not calculated to ennoble any one, whether white or Indian. It is but justice to say, however, for the last four months, to my knowledge, the con- duct of officers has greatly improved in this respect. New officers have, to a great ex- tent, supplied the places of the old, and others, stinging under the smarting sensation caused by articles which have appeared in print, have reformed, at least outwardly. It is clearly of my opinion that troops in Alaska are to a great extent needless. At Sitka they should be stationed at Japauica Island, away from the town and the Indian villages. At Kadiak and Kenai there is no earthly use for them. At Tongas and Wrangle the causes of evil are at work. It seems to me if troops are needed anywhere they should be near Sitka, and per- ha psnearChilkaht or Youkon ; but with two good efficient gunboats carrying out the policy of British Columbia, punishing summarily and justly any outrage committed by the Indians, the Territory would be far better off, and the country, as a whole, advanced in prosperity. These vessels, too, could serve a double purpose as well, sur- veying our island channels, bays, and harbors ; thus would be accomplished a two-fold object, the preserving of peace and promotion of science. So far as I know the Indians have a keen sense of justice, and they approve all their actions by the rude code which exists among them. Let the policy of the government be such as to insure this, and trouble will be seldom indeed. Very respectfully, WILLIAM S. DODGE, Late Mayor of. Sitka. "n. VINCENT COLYER. APPENDIX N. rom Thomas Hurphy on citizenship for the Indians. KADIAK, ALASKA TERRITORY, DEAR SIR : September 27, 1869. mown as half-Uast Thursday I made nine citizens in this town of men who \ or, as we call them, " Creoles," and immediately the news 138 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. spread all over the town, and it was not long before a large number came after me to make American citizens of them also, and among the number of applicants was an In- dian chief who lives about one and one-half miles below this place. He told me he had got some considerable property well improved; and he also told me he wanted to be made a citizen, because he said he was afraid that if he was not a citizen, other parties would come and jump his ground. I infomed him that as the law was now he could not become a citizen, and tried to convince him that there would be no danger of any one interfering with his "property. This he seemed to be very doubtful about. I am told by those who know this chief in question, that he is quite intelligent, is :i Christian, as is the case with all Indians up as far as Atou Island, which is the most western island in Alaska. This Indian keeps his house as clean as any poor man's house you can find even in your own State. True, their stock of furniture is but limited ; still it suits their immediate wants, and if he were to be made an American, he would be the proudest man in the country. I was sorry I could not gratify the poor man ; but if I had my say on the subject, I would make him a citizen by all means, for I am satisfied he would be no disgrace to any American. This is only one case out of thousands we have got here in Alaska, and no doubt you will bear me out in what I state, as it is the truth. I have the honor to remain, vours, respectfully, THOS. G. MURPHY, Editor of the Alaska Times. Mr. VINCENT COLYER. APPENDIX O. Hon. William S. Dodge on citizenship. Of the Aleutian islanders and their prospective rights under our government, Mr. Dodge says : There are, as statistics from the Russian records fully show, seven thousand Aleutian and three thousand creole population. But, say our enemies, "the Aleutians are Indians, and not entitled to citizenship." Let us see: The treaty of cession between Russia and the United States guarantees, in article third, that " The inhabitants of the ceded territory, according to their choice, reserving their natural allegiance, may return to Russia within three years; but if they should prefer to remain in the ceded territory, they, with the exception of uncivilized native tribes, shall be admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States, and shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoy- ment of their liberty, property, and religion." Then again, in the same article, it says: "The uncivilized tribes will be subject to such laws and regulations as the United States may, from time to time, adopt in regard to aboriginal tribes of that country." Thus, in the treaty, it is clearly manifested that a distinction in government was to be made, and it shows that the Russian government observed jealous care in securing to all but the savages the rights of American citizenship. And the distinction between the civilized and uncivilized is most positively indicated in the "Russian memorandum marked A, A," draughted by Mr. Sewurd at his request of August 6, 1867, by the Russian minister of foreign affairs at St. -Petersburg, August 31, 1867. The Aleutian population, who are mostly inhabitants of the islands of Alaska, are of Asiatic origin. The Asiatic race is always classed among the civilized nations. These people reside in towns, and live principally from the products of the fur-seal, sea-otter, and fox. They have a language of their own, but from long association with the em- ploy6s of the Russian-American Company, they nearly all talk the Russian tongue. They have schools and churches of their own. Nearly all of them read and write. Around their homes, in their churches and schools, are seen many, if not all, the con- eomitants of ordinary American homes. Many among them are highly educated, even/ in the classics. The administrator of the fur company often reposed great confident in them/ One of their best physicians was an Aleutian; one of their best navigat/? was an Aleutian ; their best traders and accountants were Aleutians. Will it that such a people are to be deprived of the rights of American citizenship? Bishoj) of the Greco-Russian church has kindly furnished me with the iuforma^^ _ then were in Alaska, up to January 1, 1869, 12,140 Christians. During 1867 '68, there were confirmed in the rites of the church 2,384 men and Sj mal ing a total of 4,575. There were also professors of the Greek faith^uifo ] ar ,, confirmed 82 men and 23 women. The number of professing childrtj 773 boys and 716 girls. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 139 APPENDIX P. Letter from Captain C. W. Raymond, U. S. A., on the Youkon River and tribes, . " BRIG COMMODORE, Unalaslfa Harbor, October 6, 1869. DEAR SIR : I have just received your letter of this date, asking information concern- ing such of the Indian tribes of Alaska as have fallen under my observation. I am compelled to write wholly from memory, as my notes are inaccessible, and I feel that, under the circumstances, any information which I may be able to give you will be very meager and imperfect; nevertheless, I will attempt to answer your inquiries. With the exception of the Kalkurh Indians of Sitka, and the Aleutes of Unalaska and the Seal Islands, (tribes with whose customs, manners, and condition you are un- doubtedly much more conversant than myself,) the Indians of Alaska who have fallen under my observation may be divided into tAvo classes the Indians of the coast and the Indians of the interior.- INDIANS OF THE COAST. Of the first of these classes, those concerning whom I can speak from personal knowl- edge, are all situated between Behring Straits and the Upper Aphrou, mouth of the Kvichpak, or Youkon River. The general name of Maleinute seems to be applied to all the Indians on this por- tion of the coast, but more correctly there are several large tribes of which the Male- mute is one. The principal tribes seem to be the Kaviacks, the Malemutes, the Unalachlutes, and the Magamutes. The Kaviacks inhabit that portion of the coast which is situated between Behring Straits and Sound Galovniu ; the Malemutes are situated between this sound and the Unalachlute River ; the Unalachlutes at the mouth and along the banks of the river of that name, and the Magamutes are found from the Unalachlute River to the mouth of the Kvichpak. These Indians are often called after the names of the villages which they inhabit, but this nomenclature seems to be merely accidental, and has no connec- tion with their condition, character, or habits. They intermingle with each other to a great extent, having been brought together, dur- ing many years, by their trading interests at St. Michael's, and consequently there is a great similarity in their language, customs, character, and appearance. It is almost impossible to form an estimate of the number of their people, as they continually travel up and down the coast and are rarely met with in large parties. A Russian trader of long experience informs me that, in his opinion, they number about five thousand. During the winter these tribes live in their villages, trapping for skins in the vicinity, and making occasional visits to St. Michael's for trading purposes. In the summer they are more scattered, collecting stores of food for winter use. The Kaviacks and Malemutes, in their skin canoes, hunt the walrus and the hair-seal, and making then into the villages between the low Coast range, they kill the reindeer in great numbers. The Unalachluts during the summer are engaged in fishing for the salmon, and the Magamntes seek the lower waters of the Kvichpak for the same purpose. This fish is found in these rivers in enormous quantities. Most of these Indians seem to be vigorous and healthy, and among them are many very fine looking men. In these respects, the Kaviacks and Malemntes are far superior to the others, as might be expected from their more active and hazardous pursuits. Never- theless, I found among them many of the diseases incident to reckless exposure. Con- sumption, colds, asthma, and t;roup, were by no means uncommon ; of the last named disease great numbers of their children die yearly. The food of these Indians consists of fish,' fresh and dried, reindeer meat, walrus, and seal meat and oil. In the summer they trade in their bark and skin canoes, but in the winter their only means of transportation is by their dogs and sleds. These dogs they possess in great numbers, and the necessity of providing dried fish for dog food forms no small addition to their summer labor. Their villages contain from two or three to a dozen families, and consist of rude, low houses built of logs and slabs, and covered with earth. The door is simply a small round hole, placed near the ground, so that it is impossible to enter except 011 the hands aud knees. The fire is placed in the centre of the building, and the smoke makes way through a hole in the roof. Rude as these houses are, they are nevertheless tight and warm, and on more than one occasion, while making my way through this country, I have been glad enough to obtain their shelter. Their winter houses are completely under ground. These Indians are very unclean in their habits, but they are, nevertheless, much supe- 140 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. rior in this respect to the Kvichpak Indians, of whom I shall speak hereafter. Many of their habits are too disgusting even to mention. They have no idea of comfort, few artificial wants, and consequently little industry. Such a thing as virtue is unknown among their women. They axe all more or less acquainted with the use of intoxicating liquors, and the northern tribes obtain quan- tities of spirits from the whalers, and trade with them along the coast ; but, as in all my experience I did not observe a single case of intoxication, I do not believe them to be intemperate. Indeed I am often told that they resold spirits to the Russians, among whom the use of intoxicating liquors was carried to a great extent. HOSPITALITY. Finally, these people are kind, peaceable, generous, and hospitable without an excep- tion. Their guests can ask no favor which they deem too great. The warmest bed, the most comfortable corner by the fire, the largest dishs are always for the stranger, be he white man or red. One day, /while my little party was making a portage from the Auvic River to the coast, we came upon a hut of a Malemnte Indian hunter, who had made his camp in one of the numerous villages. He was very sick with the inflama- tory rheumatism, and, with his wife, was awaiting the coming of some of his own peo- ple to remove him to his own village. We were wet, cold, tired, and entirely out of provisions, and had eaten nothing for a day. He gave us all we desired from his stock of reindeer meat, and would have crawled from his bed in order to provide us with skins to sleep upon, had we permitted it. When we departed we offered to pay him for his meat, for we had taken by far the greatest portion of his store ; but he replied: "No; this is a present. To-day you are my guest, some other time we will buy and sell." Other and equally beautiful instances of the untaught courtesy of these people I would willingly enumerate, if time permitted. The Indians all wear skin clothing both in summer and winter. The paxa is a sort of long shirt of reindeer skin, the hair being worn outward in dry weather and inward in wet. It has a hood attached which forms a covering for the head, and which is usually trimmed with the cacayon or wolverine skin. In the summer they wear leggins and boots of reindeer skin, with " rnoclock," and are made with so much skill that they are completely water-tight. The under lip is usually perforated under the corners of the mouth, and through these holes pieces of bone, or bits of round stone, or metal are inserted. The women tattoo their chins in vertical parallel lines. These and the wolverine trimmings are the only attempts at ornaments I noticed among these people. The dress of the women so much resemble that of the men that it would be almost impossible to distinguish them from each other, were it not for the tattooing before mentioned. TRADE. Very little fish is sold by these Indians ; their trade with the whites consists almost exclusively of furs. The valuable skins that are found in this portion of Alaska are, as is well known, those of the marten or American sable, the mink, and the beaver. In the interior the black and silver gray fox must be added to this list. I am unable to state the amount of trade with the coast Indians, but it is small com- pared with the trade in the interior. The Indians in these parts of Alaska have no idea of a currency. For all skins they take goods in exchange. The price depends upon the quality of the skins, and is very valuable; the goods which are in the most demand among them are useful articles, such as needles, buttons, knives, kettles, axes, guns, lead, powder, caps, blankets, &c. ; tobacco and tea they have learned from the Russians, are also much sought for. Concerning the influence of the Russians and their church upon these people, I shall speak hereafter. The tribes which I have classed generally as Indians of the interior are all situated on the banks of the Kvichpak or Youkon River and its tributaries. It has been my fortune to travel for a distance of about fourteen hundred miles upon the waters of this grand and magnificent stream. Tlie Indian tribes are so numerous and varied in habits and character, that I am at a loss to do the subject any sort of justice in this brief article. INDIANS OF THE LOWER KVICHPAK. The Indians inhabiting that portion of the river and those tributaries which are situated between Nulato and the mouth may, perhaps, for a general description, be classified with sufficient accuracy under the head of the Indians of the Lower Kvichpak. Nulato is a small trading post, situated about six hundred miles from the mouth of the river. Beyond this point the Russian influence and trade extends but little. The principal tributaries which empty into this part of the river are the Auvic, whose mouth is about two hundred miles below Nulato, the Shagelook, which empties EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 141 into a largo slough of the same name, about thirty miles above Auvic and Sakaitski, which enters the main river about one hundred and fifty miles above the Anvic. The Indians of this part of the river may be subdivided into two great tribes, the Magainntes or Prinoski people, who extend from the mouth of the river to within about fifty miles of the Auvic, and the Ingeletes, who inhabit the remaining part and the tributaries. All these people much resemble the Magamutes of the coast in appear- ance, manners, dress, and mode of life. Drawing their entire subsistence, however, with little labor from the waters of the great river, they are much less active and energetic than the Coast Indians. They are cowardly and degraded to the lowest extent, and live in constant dread of the highland Indians, who inhabit the higher portions of the river. They are filthy in the extreme. Their persons and houses reek with grease, and swarm with vermin. Nevertheless, they are extremely honest, kind, good natured, hospitable, and generous. To the above remark I must except the Indians of the Shagalook River. These ladians I had no opportunity to observe personally, but I am informed that they are a very much superior race ; that they are warlike, enterprising, and intelligent, and that hunting is their chief 1 means of livelihood. My remarks with reference to trade with the Coast Indians apply as well to all these people. The language spoken by the Ingeletes is totally diiferent from that of the Coast Indians, Prinoski and Magamntes, and closely resembles that of the Kuyakunski, whom I next notice. From Nulato to the mouth of the Tunana River, a distance of about three hundred miles, the Indians have been by the Russians called by the general name of the Kuyakinchi. This name, however, properly belongs to the tribe which inhabit the banks of the Kuyakuk River, a large tributary, which enters the Kvichpak about twenty-five miles above Nulato. These people are more warlike, more treacher- ous, in brief, more like the traditional red man than the Indians which I have pre- viously described. No trouble has been experienced from them during late years, but in the year 185U they made a descent upon the Russian trading post at Nulato, killed nearly all the garrison, and completely exterminated an inoffensive tribe of Ingelets, whose village was near the forts. Among those who lost their lives in this massacre was Lieutenant Barnard, an officer of the English navy, who was engaged in the search for Sir John Franklin. In their habits, appearance, and trade, these people much resemble the Ingeletes. They are, however, great hunters. At the mouth of the great Tanana River, on the left bank of the Youkon, is a large level plain, called Nndncayette. This is the trading ground of the Tanana Indians. The Tanana deserve more than a passing notice. It is by far the largest tributary of the Youkon. No white man, I think, has yet ascended it, but it is believed that, making a large bend to the eastward, its head waters lie near those of the great river ; at its entrance into the Yukon it is at least half a mile wide, and its current is tremendous. The tribes on this river must be very numerous ; they assemble at Nuducayette every spring, when they meet the white traders. I esti- mate the entire yield of furs of the Youkou and its tributaries to be about twenty thou- sand skins yearly, and more than a third of these, I believe, come from the banks of the Tanana. Of these people I know little. They are a fine looking race, and are said to be active, intelligent, and enterprising; they are much addicted to the use of ornaments, such as beads and feathers, and their clothing consists almost entirely of tanned moose skins. These Indians, and the Indians of Fort Youkon, are occasionally met with between the Tauana and the Rumparts, a point where the banks of the river rise into mountains, and the current becomes extremely rapid. Beyond this point there are no Indians until we arrive at Fort Youkon. TRIBES AROUND FORT YOUKON. Fort Youkon has been, up to this time, the most western post of the Hudson's Bay Com- pany. The principal tribes which have been accustomed to trade at this post are the Kotch a Kotchins, (or lowlanders,) who live between the Porcupine and Youkon Rivers, near their junction ; the An Kotchins, or Gens-de-fiue, and the Tatanchaks, or Gens-de- wiz, who inhabit the Upper Youkon and the Porcupine, or Gens-de-ralt, who live upon the banks of the Porcupine, or Rat River. These tribes are composed of the finest Indians I have ever met. The women are virtuous, the men are brave, intelligent, and enterprising. Their clothing is of moose skin, with the exception of a few articles which they obtain by trade. They fish little, and are almost exclusively engaged in hunting the moose, which abound in these parts, and in trapping for skins. In trading, they de- mand useful articles; but beads, bright-colored -scarfs, and other articles of ornament are much sought. All the dealings of the Hudson's Bay Company with the nations seein to have been fair and equitable. The Indians are much attached to this company, and do not look with favor upon their departure. 142 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. MORAL, AND MISSIONARY EFFORTS. Although well aware that they were violating a treaty, the agents of this company have been for a number of years accustomed to trade as far down the river as Nucln- cayette, and have thus drawn great quantities of valuable skins from the Russian ter- ritory. The Russian trade on the lower part of the river must have been large ; but it was never prosecuted with that energy and vigor which distinguish the great English company. Neither company gave or sold ardent spirits to the Indians. Toward Chris- tianizing and civilizing the nations of northern Alaska little has been done. On the coast, and at different points on the lower Kvichpak, the Greco-Russian church has had for years its establishment and its priests, but I could see no traces of a good in- fluence, beyond a few Indians who had been in the service of the Russian company. But if this church has done little toward Christianizing this people, it must, never- theless, be confessed that there is among them a most remarkable absence of super- stition. They seem to me to present the astonishing appearance of a people totally without a worship and without a God. The Indians situated between the Nudota and the Ramparts have never been brought under missionary influence. Their superstitions are endless. Every tribe has its " medicine man," but I have never been able to obtain any correct idea of their be- liefs or worship. At Fort Youkon the case is far different. Here, for some years past, there has been a missionary of the Church of England. I cannot say that much has been accom- plished toward educating the natives, but to me the effect of Gospel teaching was very striking. By tradition these people seem to have been a warlike and quarrelsome race, but of late years they have lived at peace with the whites and among them- selves. The missionary preaches to them, and they worship in the native tongue. Of course, much of superstition mingles with their religion ; but the influence of the Gospel, as far as it has been extended, has been for their great good. The Hudson's Bay Company has ever pursued an enlightened policy with regard to the encouragement of missions among the Indians with whom they trade. Now that they are about to withdraw from our Territory, the English mission will doubtless be broken up. I cannot refrain from expressing the hope that, while American enterprise is so rapidly developing this new country, American religion will not permit its people to relapse into their original darkness, and allow a great work, so well begun, to cease. There are but two companies engaged in the Indian trade to any extent in northern Alaska. Hutchison, Kohle & Co., a large firm of San Francisco, have a number of posts at various points of the river, and another large company, which has no name, but is backed by one of the wealthiest capitalists of San Francisco, is established along the river and on the coast. This latter company have already placed a small steamboat on the Youkon, the first that has ever traveled in these waters. I regret that my limited time compels me to bring this letter to a close. The subject opens up as I write, and I would gladly continue. But although this outline sketch is so brief and imperfect, I hope that it may be of some slight service to the commission. Very respectfully, your most obedient servant, CHARLES WALKER RAYMOND, Captain of Engineers. Hon. VINCENT COLYER, United States Special Indian Commissioner. Mr. William H. Dall, in his interesting report to the Commissioner of Agriculture, 1869, says of the Youkon territory : SURFACE. The character of the country in the vicinity of the Youkon River varies from rolling and somewhat rocky hills, generally low, that is, from five hundred to fif- teen hundred feet, and easy of ascent, to broad and marshy plains, extending for miles on either side of the river near the mouth. There are, of course, no roads ex- cept an occasional trail, hardly noticeable except to a voyageur. The Youkon and its tributaries form the great highway of the country. This stream the Missouri, as the Mackenzie is the Mississippi, of the northwest is navigable in our territory through- out for vessels drawing not over four feet of water, and for many hundred miles for boats needing much more than that. The smaller rivers are not so deep, but many of them may be navigable for considerable distances. There are no high mountains, properly so called. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 143 SOIL. The underlying rocks in great part are azoic, being conglomerate, syenite, and qnartzite. The south shore of Norton Sound, and portions of the Kaviak Penin- sula, are basalt and lava. Trachytic rocks are found at several points on the Youkou. There are. on the northeast shores of Norton Sound, abundance of sandstones, and clay beds containing lignite. Sandstone is abundant also on the Youkon, alternating with azoic rocks. The superincumbent soil differs in different places. In some locali- ties it is clayey, and in such situations quite frequently covered with sphagnum, which always impoverishes the soil immediately below it. In others it is light and sandy, and over a large extent of country it is the richest alluvial, composed of very fine sand, mud, and vegetable matter, brought down by the river, aud forming deposits of indefinite depth. " In some localities fresh-water marl is found in abundance, and is used for mortar or plaster, to whiten the walls of log-houses. " The soil is usually frozen at a depth of three or four feet in ordinary situations. In colder ones it remains it-y to within eighteen inches of the surface. This layer of frozen soil is six or eight feet thick; below that depth the soil is destitute of ice, ex- cept in very unusual situations. "This singular phenomenon appears to be directly traceable to want of drainage, combined with a non-conducting covering of moss, which prevents the soil from being warmed by the scorching sun of a boreal midsummer. In places where the soil is well drained, and is not covered with moss, as in the large alluvial deposits near the Youkon mouth, I have noticed that the frozen layer is much further below the surface, and in many places appeared to be absent. I have no doubt that in favorable situations, by draining and deep plowing, the ice could, in the course of time, be wholly removed from the soil. "A singular phenomenon on the shores of Kotzebne Sound was first observed by Kotzebue and Chamisso, and is described in the narrative of the voyage of the Rurik, and afterward by Buckland in the appendix to the voyage of the Herald. This con- sisted of bluffs or high banks, (thirty to :-ixty feet,) apparently of solid ice, covered with a few feet of vegetable matter and earth, in which a luxuriant vegetation was flour- ishing. " Kotzebue's description of this singular formation is highly colored ; but the main facts were confirmed by Dr. Buckland and his companions, who made a careful exam- ination of the locality, although Captain Beechy had previously reported that Kotze- bue had been deceived by snow drifted against the face of the banks and remaining, -while in other localities it had melted away. . "It is reported by Bucklaud and later observers that the formation is rapidly disap- pearing, and the water in the sound is becoming shoaler every day, from the fall of the debris which covers the ice. " No explanation having been offered of this singular phenomenon, I venture to sug- gest that it may be due to essentially the same causes as the subterranean ice layer, found over a great part of the Youkou Territory. " It is quite possible to conceive of a locality depressed, and so deprived of drainage, that the annual moisture derived from the rain-fall and melting snow would collect between the impervious clayey soil and its sphaguons covering ; congeal during the winter, and be prevented from melting during the ensuing summer by that mossy cov- ering, which would thus be gradually raised ; the process annually repeated for an indefinite period Avould form an ice layer which might well deserve the appellation of an ' ice cliff,' when the encroachments of the sea should have worn away its barriers, and laid it open to the action of the elements. "The lesson that the agriculturalist may learn from this curious formation is, that a healthy and luxuriant vegetation may exist in immediate vicinity of permanent ice, bearing its blossoms and maturing its seed as readily as in apparently more favored situations ; and hence that a large extent of northern territory long considered valueless may yet furnish to the settler, trader, or fisherman, if not an abundant harvest, at least a very acceptable and not inconsiderable addition to his annual stock of food, besides fish, venison, and game. CLIMATE. "The climate of the Youkon territory in the interior differs from that of the sea-coast, even in localities comparatively adjacent. That of the coast is tempered by the influence of the vast body of water contained in Behring Sea, and many south- ern currents bringing wanner water from the Pacific, making the winter climate of the coast much milder than that of the country, even thirty miles into the interior. T he summers, on the other bawd, are colder than further inland, and the quantity of laiu is greater. The following table shows the annual temperature at St. Michael's Kedoubt, on the coast of Norton Sound, in latitude 63 28' north; at the missiouof the 144 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Russo-Greek church, on the Youkon River, one hundred and fifty miles from its mouth, in latitude 60 47' north ; at Nulato, about six hundred miles from the mouth of the river, in latitude 64 40' north, or thereabouts ; and at Fort Youkon, twelve hundred miles from the mouth of the river, and about latitude 67 10' north : St. Michael's. Mission. Nulato. F't Youkon. +29 3 + 19 62 o -i-29 3 +14 22 + 53.0 +59. 32 + GO 0? _l 59 67 +26. 3 +36 05 + 36 + 17 37 + 8.6 + 0.95 14 23 80 + 29.3 + 26. 48 +27. 8 + 16 92 "The mean temperature at Unalaklik, on the east shore of Norton Sound, for the winter of 1866-'67 was 0.33 ; but for that of 16G7-'68 it was only about +0. The mean annual temperature of the Youkon territory as a whole may be roughly estimated as about -(-25. The greatest degree of cold ever known in the territory was seventy de- grees below zero, but such cold as this is very rare, and has little effect on the vege- tation covered with eight or ten feet of snow. Running water may be found open oil all the rivers, and in many springs throughout the year. "The real opportunity for agriculture in a cold country cannot be deduced from an- nual mean temperatures alone, but is dependent on the heat of the summer months and the duration of the summer. " At Fort Youkon I have seen the thermometer at noon, not in the direct rays of the sun, standing at 112 ; and I was informed by the commander of the post that several spirit thermometers, graduated up to 120, had burst under the scorching sun of the arctic midsummer, w r hieh can only be thoroughly appreciated by one who has endured it. In midsummer, on the Upper Youkon, the only relief from the intense heat, under which the vegetation attains an almost tropical luxuriance, is the two or three hours while the sun hovers near the northern horizon, and the weary voyager in his canoe blesses the transient coolness of the midnight air. " The amount of rain-fall cannot be correctly estimated, from want of data. At Nulato the fall of snow from November to April will average eight feet, but often reaches twelve. It is much less on the seaboard. Partly on this account, and also because it is driven seaward by the winds, there is usually, even in spring, very little snow on the coasts near Norton Sound. " In the interior there is less wind, and the snow lies as it falls among the trees. Toward spring the small ravines, gulleys, and bushes are well filled or covered up, arid transportation is easy and pleasant with a good sled and team of dogs. The warm sun at noon melts the snow a little, forming a hard crust. Over this the dog-sleds can go anywhere, making from thirty to fifty miles a day, carrying full one hundred pounds to a dog, and requiring for each dog only one dry fish per diem, which weighs about a pound and a half, and which you can buy for two leaves of tobacco. Seven dogs are the usual number for one team. "The rain-fall, as has previously been remarked, is much greater on the coast than in the interior. Four days in a week will be rainy in summer at St. Michael's, although the months of May, June, and part of July abound in sunny weather. The last part of July, August, and most of September are very rainy. October brings a change ; the winds, usually from the southw r est from July to the latter part of September, now are mostly from the north, and though cold, bring fine weather. "The valley of the Lower Youkon is foggy in the latter part of the summer, but as we go up the river the climate improves, and the short summer at Fort Youkon is dry, hot, and pleasant, only varied by an occasional shower. The great pests in the spring, all along the river, are the mosquitoes, the numbers of which are beyond belief ; but they retire about the middle of July. On the coast they are not so numerous, but lin- ger until the fall. INHABITANTS. " The native inhabitants, curiously enough, are divided by the same invisible boundary that marks the vegetation. All along the treeless coast we find the Es- quimaux tribes; passing a few miles inland we come to trees and Indian lodges. This holds good all over the Youkon territory. The Esquimaux extend all along the coast and up the principal rivers as far as there are no trees. The Indians populate the interior, but seldom pass the boundary of the woods. In regard to habits, neither per- form any agricultural labor whatever, and the only vegetables, besides berries, used for food, are the roots of ffedysamm Mackenzii, Polygonum viviparum, and a species of /Irchangelica, and the leafstalks of a species of Ehmm or wild rhubarb. " A great delicacy among the Esquimaux is the stomach of the reindeer, distended REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 145 with willow sprigs, well masticated, and in a half-digested state. This ' gruesome mass' is dried for winter use; when it is mixed with melted suet, oil, and snow, and regarded by the consumers much as we regard caviar, or any other peculiar dainty. It is, no doubt, a powerful antiscorbutic. The Russian settlements in the Yonkon terri- tory were few in number. There were four on the Youkon, one on the Kuskoquim River, two on Norton Sound, and one on Bristol Bay. All of these were formerly provided with gardens. The number of Russians in the territory at no time exceeded forty, with double the number of half-breeds, assistants, or workmen. They were all in the employ of the Russian- American Company. Many of them left the country after the purchase, but the greater number remain in the employ of different American trad- ing companies. The Russian-born inhabitants Avere a very degraded class, almost without exception convicts from Siberia or elsewhere. The Creoles or half-breeds are a more intelligent and docile race, but lazy, and given to intoxication whenever stim- ulants are within their reach. " Natural productions. The first need of traveler, hunter, or settler, in any country, is timber. With this almost all parts of the Youkon territory are well supplied. Even the treeless coasts of the Arctic Ocean can hardly be said to be an exception, as they are bountifully supplied with driftwood, brought down by the Youkon, Kusko- quim, and other rivers, and distributed by the waves and ocean currents. "The largest and most valuable tree found in this territory is the white spruce, (Abies alba.) This beautiful conifer is found over the whole country, but it is largest and most vigorous in the vicinity of running water. It attains not unfrequently the height of sixty to one hundred feet, with a diameter of over three feet near the butt; but the more common size is about thirty or forty feet high, and about eighteen inches at the butt. The wood of this tree is straight-grained, easily cut, white and compact, and while very light, it is also very tough, much more so than the wood of the Oregon pine, (Abies Doittjla-m.) For spars it has no superior, but it is rather too slender for large masts. The bark is used for roofing by the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Youkon, and the roots, properly prepared, for sewing their birch canoes and dishes, by the Indians. I have seen log-houses twenty years old, in which many of the logs were quite sound. The unsound logs were said to be those Avhich had been used without being seasoned. These trees decrease in size and grow more spar- ingly toward Fort Youkou, but are still large enough for most purposes. The unex- plored waters of the Tananah River bring down the largest logs in the spring fresh- ets. The number which are annually discharged from the mouth of the Youkon is truly incalculable. It supplies the shores of Behriug Sea, the islands, and the Arctic coasts ; logs of all sizes lie in winrows, where they are thrown upon the shore by the October southwesters. " The wood is put to manifold uses : houses, Indian lodges, &c.. are all constructed of spruce. Soft, fine-grained, and easily cut, the Indians of the Lower Youkon spend their leisure, during the short winter days, in carving dishes, bowls, and other utensils and ornamenting them with red oxide of iron, in patterns, some of which, though far from classical, are very neat. " Sleds, frames for skin boats, fishing rods, &c., are made by the Esquimaux from spruce, and all their houses and casinos, or dance-houses, are built of it. Oue of these, on Norton Sound, about thirty by forty feet square, had on each side shelves or seats formed of one plank, four inches thick and thirty-eight inches wide at the smaller end. These enormous planks took six years to make, and were cut out of single logs with small stone adzes. "The next most important tree is the birch, (Betnla glandulosa.) This tree rarely grows over eighteen inches in diameter and forty feet high ; oil one occasion, however, I saw a water- worn log about fifteen feet long, quite decorticated, lying on the river bank near Nuklukahyet, on the Upper Youkon, which was twenty-four inches in diam- eter at one end and twenty-eight at the other. This is the only hardwood tree in the Youkon Territory, and is put to a multiplicity of uses. Everything needing a hard and tough wood is constructed of birch. Sleds, snow-shoes,, standards for the fish traps, and frames of canoes, which are afterwards covered with its bark, sewed with spruce or tamarack (Larix) roots, and the seams calked with spruce gum. The black birch is also found there, but does not grow so large. The soft new wood of the birch, as well as of the poplar, is cut very fine andmingled with his tobacco by the economical Indian. The squaws at certain periods wear birchen hoops around their necks; and neck-rings and wristlets of the same wood, with fantastic devices scratched upon them, are worn as a token of mourning for dead friends by the Tauauah Indians. "Several species of poplar (Populus baUamifwa and Populus tremuloides) abound, the former along the water-side, and the latter on drier uplands. The first-mentioned species grows to a very large size. The trees are frequently two or three feet in diameter and from forty to .sixty feet high. The timber is of little value, but the Indians. make small boards, for ditiereut purposes, out of the soft wood, and use the feathery down from the catkins for making tinder, by rubbing it up with powdered charcoal. " Willows are the most abundant of trees. They are of all sizes, from the slender 10 146 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. variety on the Lower Youkon, which grows seventy or eighty feet high while only six inches ill diameter at the butt, and with a mere wisp of straggling branches at the extreme rip. to the dwarf willow, crawling under the moss, with a stem no bigger than a lead pencil, and throwing up shoots a few inches high. Willows are almost inva- riably rotten at the heart, and are only good for fuel. The Kutchiu Indians make bows of the wood to shoot ducks with ; as its elasticity is not injured by being wet. The inner bark is used for making twine for nets and seines by the Indian women, and the Esquimaux of Behring Straits use willow bark to color and tan their dressed deer- skins. It produces a beautiful red-brown, somewhat like Russian leather. The inner bark or cambium of the alder (Alnus rubra) is used for the same pin-pose. " The other species rising to the rank of trees in this district are the larch, (Larix dahurica ?), which is found on rolling prairies, of small size ; a small birch, (lictula nana,) and several alders, (Alnus vindis and incana,) a species of Juniper, (Jtutipwus,) and numberless willows, (Salicce.) A species of pine (Piinis cenibra) has been reported from Kotzebue Sound, I cannot but think erroneously, as I saw no true pines in the Territory during a two years' exploration. The most northern point touched by the Pinus con- torta, at the junction of the Lewis and the Pelly Rivers, at Fort Selkirk, in latitude 63 north, longitude 137 west (approximate.) The Hudson's Bay men at Fort Youkon call the white spruce " pine." FODDER. " The treeless coasts of the Youkon territory are covered, as well as the low-lands of the Youkon, with a most luxuriant growth of grass and flowers. Among the more valuable of these grasses (of which some thirty species are known to exist in the Yonkon territory) is the well known Kentucky blue-grass (Poa pratensis,) which grows luxuriantly as far north as Kotzebue Sound, and perhaps to Point Barrow. "The wood meadow-grass (Poa Jiemoralis) is also abundant, and furnishes to cattle an agreeable and Inxiiriant pasturage. " The blue-joint grass ( Calamagrostis Canademis) also reaches the latitude of Kotzebue Sound, and grows on the coast of Norton Sound with a truly surprising luxuriance, reaching in very favorable localities four or even five feet in height, and averaging at least three. Many other grasses enumerated in the list of useful plants grow abun- dantly, and contribute largely to the whole amount of herbage. Two species of Elymus almost deceive the traveler with the aspect of grain fields, maturing a perceptible ker- nel, which the field mice lay up in store. " The grasses are woven into mats, dishes, articles of clothing for summer use, such as socks, mittens, and a sort of hats, by all the Indians, and more especially by the Esqui- maux. " In winter the dry grasses, collected in summer for the purpose, and neatly tied in bunches, are shaped to correspond with the foot, and placed between the foot and the seal-skin sole of the winter boots worn in that country. There they serve as a non- conductor, keeping the foot dry and warm, and protecting it from contusion to an ex- tent which the much-lauded moccasins of the Hudson's Bay men never do. In fact, I believe the latter to be, without exception, the worst, most uncomfortable, and least durable covering for the foot worn by mortal man. " Grain has never been sown on a large scale in the Youkon territory. Barley, I was informed, had once or twice been tried at Fort Youkon, in small patches, and the grain had matured, though the straw was very short. The experiments were never carried any further, however, the traders being obliged to devote all their energies to the col- lection of furs. No grain had ever been sown by the Russians at any of the posts. In the fall of 1867 I shook out an old bag, purchased from the Russians, which contained a handful of mouse-eaten grain, probably wheat : the succeeding spring, on examining the Ipcality, quite a number of blades appeared, and when I left Nulato, June 2d, they were two or three inches high, growing rapidly. As I did not return I cannot say what the result w r as. Turnips and radishes always flourished extremely well at St. Michael's, and the same is said of Nulato and Fort Youkon. " Potatoes succeeded at the latter place, though the tubers were small. They were regularly planted for several years, until the seed was lost by freezing during the win- ter. At St. Michael's they did not do well. Salad was successful ; but cabbages would not head. " The white round turnips grown at St. Michael's were the best I ever saw anywhere, and very large, many of them weighing five or six pounds. They were crisp and sweet, though occasionally a very large one would be hollow-hearted. The Russians preserved the tops also in vinegar for winter use. " I see no reason why cattle with proper winter protection might not fee success- fully kept in most parts of the Youkon territory. Fodder, as previously shown, is abundant. The wild sheep, moose, and reindeer abound, and find no want of food. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 147 *A bull and cow were once sent to Fort Yonkon by the Hudson's Bay Company. They did well for some time, but one day, while the cow was grazing on the river bank, the soil gave way, and she was thrown down and killed. Due notice was given of the fact, but for a year or two the small annual supply of butter in the provisions for Fort Youkon was withheld on the ground of there being '< cattle" (to wit, the bull) at that post. Finally the commander killed the animal, determined that if he could not have butter, he would at least have beef. It will be remembered that this point is north of the Arctic Circle, and the most northern point in Alaska inhabited by white men. FRUITS. " There are. as might be supposed, no tree fruits in the Youken territory suitable for food. Small fruits are there in the greatest profusion. Among them may be noted red and black currants, gooseberries, cranberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, saluionberries, blueberries, killikinik berries, bearberries, dewberries, twinberries, ser- vice or heathberries, mossberries, aud roseberries ; the latter, the fruit of the Rom cinnamomea, when touched by the frost, form a pleasant addition to the table, not be- ing dry and woolly, as in our climate, but sweet and juicy. " All these berries, but especially the salmonberry or " morosky" of the Russians (Rubus chamaemortts,) are excellent anti-scorbutics. They are preserved by the Esqui- maux in large wooden dishes or vessels holding five gallons or more ; covered with large leaves, they undergo a slight fermentation, and freeze solid when cold weather comes. In this state they may be kept indefinitely ; and a more delicious dish than a plateful of these berries, not so thoroughly melted as to lose their coolness, and sprinkled with a little white sugar, it would be impossible to conceive. " The Russians also prepare a very luscious conserve from these and other berries, relieving the sameness of a diet of fish, bread, and tea, with the native productions of the country." APPENDIX Q. Report of L. A. Lagrangc, on Unalaslfa. SIR : In reply to your inquiries concerning the Aleutes of Unalaska and their sur- roundings, I will answer in the order you have presented them. UNALASKA, the most important of the Aleutian Islands, is in about latitude 166 and longitude 54. Like the rest of this group it is of volcanic origin. Its surface, devoid of trees, is mountainous, interspersed with valleys, which I think, with proper culture, would yield good crops of roots and some of the cereals. There are many small lakes and streams of sweet water in the island, most of them inhabited by trout, and frequented by wild fowl ; aiid the priest of the Russian-Greek church told me of a lake over the mountains, about two days' journey from Iliouliouk, around which the Aleutes used to find amber, but he said no one had visited it lately, and that the Russians collected and sent away all that had ever been found. I have been told that in one arm of the bay is a bed of copper, but have never been able to locate it. This may some day be traced to the shore and worked to advantage. ELALUK, the chief settlement, is situated on a narrow level spot of land, which is formed by the bay on one side and a considerable stream of water on the other, which empties into the bay a short distance below the village. Back of the river the hills rise abruptly. The village, mostly of sod houses, contains about three hundred native in- habitants, three stores or trading posts, and a handsome Greek church. The place has been visited several times by earthquakes, and one, a number of years ago, destroyed a greater part of the village, which has been rebuilt further up the spit. The same convulsion deepened, or rather formed the inner harbor, which prior to that time ex- isted only as a shoal, but is now au excellent anchorage for vessels of every class. STORES, three in number, all find something to do. Two of them, belonging respectively to Messrs. Maylor and Beiidel, and Hutchinson, Kohl & Co., have established branches in other settlements at different points of the island. The third, with a small stock of goods, was opened by the schooner General Harney in August last. That of Taylor and Bendel was opened Mav, and Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. have had a post there since 1867-'68. 148 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. AGRICULTURE, as practiced by the Aleutes, without any beasts of burden, is in a small way quite suc- cessful. Small potatoes are grown without any care whatever except planting and gathering them. The dirt is thrown up in ridges or beds with shovels, holes made with sticks, potatoes dropped in singly and covered up, then left undisturbed by hoe or spade until harvest time. The planting is done during the latter part of May and the first of June, and the digging in September and October. With a little more care turnips of a superior quality are grown. The priest told me that the former bishop brought rye and barley to maturity near the village, but that wheat would not thrive. In the rich valleys before mentioned many grasses grow with a wild luxuriance and de- velop fully, but, owing to the mists which prevail, it would be difficult to cure large quantities of hay before the grasses were too old and strong for a prime article. This difficulty could be easily overcome, however, as there is a way of curing hay with salt known to farmers. The priest has two cows and a bullock, and the agent of Messrs. Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. a number of sheep and swine; these animals, all in fine condition, provide for themselves in summer, and receive but little care in winter. INDUSTRY OF NATIVES. The Aleutes are frequently employed as sailors, and are of great service to vessels loading or discharging cargo. They work faithfully and intelligently for a moderate compensation, the current wages being a dollar a day in coin. The men perform the outdoor labor, leaving the women to look after the house and children. The traders employ them to prepare their furs for market. They are uni- formly kind, friendly, and honest. Locks and keys, when sold among them, are more for ornament than security. INTEMPERANCE. Like most other Indians, most of them have an appetite for ardent spirits, and be- fore our government prohibited the importation of liquor into the Territory great bar- gains in furs were made with them for all manner of oil compounds by those who boast of this now. I do not think they obtained any liquors from traders during my resi- dence in Unalaska ; but each " prasnik " or holiday many men and women were drunk from the effects of quass. This quass is a fermented liquor made by themselves from flour, sugar, and a kind of whortleberry which grows on every hillside. In winter dried apples and raisins are used in place of the berries. This has a sour and, to me, nau- seating taste. Those who use it drink it by the quart and get very drunk, but I am glad to say this intemperance is by no means universal, there being many sober, steady men among them. Having already mentioned prasuiks I will here say a word concerning their RELIGION. All the Aleutes, as far as I have seen, are devoted members of the Greek church. Many of them come fifteen or twenty miles in their bidarkas, or skin canoes, (the uni- versal means of transportation,) to attend church service on certain holidays. The priest at Iliouliouk, an educated Aleute, pays an annual visit to all the islands of the group, and also to those of St. Paul and St. George. In former times these voyages were per- formed in bidarkas, five or six of which, lashed together like a raft and propelled by oar and sail, he informs me made a safe but not always convenient means of convey- ance. During the remainder of the year resident or " second " priests on the various islands attend to the pastoral duties. Latterly he has paid his annual visits in the vessels of the Russian- American Fur Company, and still later, in those belonging to Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. EDUCATION. I am not aware of any effort being made in Unalaska in this direction at present, except in individual cases. The Russians had an established system for the education of the Aleutes, but it has fallen into disuse. Most of them read and write, (Russian,) and many are good arithmeticians. The Aleutes generally learn very readily. One that I employed as house servant soon acquired enough English to act as interpreter on many occasions. He also displayed great skill in teaching me the rudiments of the Russian language. Give them to un- derstand American institutions, and they are better fitted to exercise all the rights of American citizens than many who are admitted daily to citizenship. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 149 FURS The only articles of commerce at present obtained in and exported from Uualaska are the skins of the sea-otter, fur-seal, and fox. Foxes, however, are not very plenti- ful, and are, I believe, of the uniform races. They are captured in winter. But few of the fur-seal are taken, either. Some of them come into the bay every year during the months of October and November and are captured. They have no "rookeries" or lauding places on this island, and when in the bay seem to have lost their reckoning \vhile on their way from St. Paul or St. George to no one knows where. The well- known imperial fur of Russia, the sea-otter, is the chief export of Unalaska, and, in fact, of all the Aleutian isiands. These animals are captured during the summer and autumn. Hunting parties of from ten to forty men go out in bidarkas and are gone from three to eight weeks. When a party comes up with an otter, if he is not asleep, (when he is killed at once,) they dispose of their forces in such a manner as to keep him under water as much as possible. This is effected by throwing darts (or spears) at him every time he appears on the surface. These darts are so arranged that the point readily loosens from the staff, but is still fast to it by a long strong cord. By this arrange- ment when the animal is struck the staff acts as a buoy when he dives and much em- barrasses his movements'; when at last he is so worried as to lie passively on the sur- face he is dispatched by a stroke on the head with a club. I know of one man of a party of twenty who returned from a three weeks' excursion with fifteen skins, for which he received from fifteen to fifty dollars coin each. He was one of their most skillful hunters, and owing to the opposition in trade in Iliouliouk his twenty-one days' work paid extremely well. FISHERIES. Fish of many kinds are abundant, the most important of which are the cod and sal- mon, but they have not yet hecome an article of commerce. The Aleutes have only been accustomed to labor under the direction of white men, and so far the whites have found the fur trade more profitable than the fisheries ; but when the fur trade begins to be overdone, and the Aleutes Americanized, the fisheries are bound to be developed, and to rival, if not surpass, those of the Atlantic coast. " Salmon are the commonest of common food" with the Aleutes. At one draught of the United States revenue cutter Lincoln's seine, while she lay in the harbor last June, two thousand five hundred salmon and hen-ings were taken. The herrings of this place are pronounced by judges to be of a superior quality, but I am told the salmon are inferior to those found in many parts of the Territory. A party of Americans attempted the cod fishing last summer, but owing to a lack of proper appliances, and the great distance of the " banks " from Iliouliouk, they abandoned the undertaking when they had caught about two tons. The fish were excellent. During the months of June, July and August whales of the variety known as the humpback come into the harbor in great numbers. Nine were killed last summer by the natives, in their frail bidarkas, with glass pointed lances. These points are chipped from broken bottles, and the lance is made after the manner of the otter spear, though somewhat heavier and minus the cord. They pull close to the whale and throw the lance into film with great force, near his vitals ; the point quits the staff as soon as it strikes, and they trust to the action of the whale's muscles to drive it home. One that has been well struck will (to use a whaleman's expression) turn flukes in two or three days. Besides those killed by the natives five more were taken by a part of the crew of the barque Mouticello, as she lay at anchor in the harbor, without a prac- tical whaler among them. I understand that certain parties in San Francisco intend to put up try- works near Iliouliouk, next summer, and make a business of whale fishing in the harbor. The enterprise will be a paying one. HARBOR COMMERCE. Iliouliouk, with the best harbor in Alaska Territory, and its not severe ciimate, lying in the direct route from San Francisco to all the important islands, bays, and rivers of the north, is the true commercial centre of the Territory. The commodious harbor, sheltered on all sides by lofty mountains, affords a secure anchorage to all-kinds of shipping. At one time last summer eight vessels lay at anchor, and there was still room for twice as many more. More custom house business was done there last sum- mer than all the rest of the ports of the Territory together. Every sea captain whom I met there wondered that Sitka, which is one hundred and ten miles out of the line of trade, and has no harbor at all, should be preferred before Iliouliouk as the port of entry for the new collection district. With many good wishes for the future prosperity of Iliouliouk and its inhabitants, I am, sir, very respectfully, L. A. LAGRANGE. Hon. VlXCKNT COLYER, United States Special Indian Commissioner. 150 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. Mr. William H. Dall, in his account of these Aleutian Islands, says : " These islands are merely the prolongation of the Alaskan range of mountains. Many of them contain volcanic peaks, some still in a state of moderate activity. Slight shocks of earthquake are common, but many years have elapsed since any material damage was done to life or property by volcanic action. Most of the islands have har bors, many of them safe and commodious. The soil is much of it rich, consisting of vegetable mold and dark-colored clays, with here and there light calcareous loam, formed by the decomposition of tertiary strata rich in fossils. In many places the growth of sphagnum, indicating want of drainage, prevails over the perennial grasses natural to the soil, but the remedy is self-evident. " On some places the soil is formed of decomposed volcanic products, such as ush and pumice. Much of this is rich and productive. " CLIMATE. " The climate of the islands is moist and warm. The greatest cold recorded in five years by Father Veniaminof in Unalaska was zero of Fahrenheit. This occurred only once. The greatest height of the mercury was seventy-seven degrees of Fahrenheit. The following table will show the range of the thermometer and the relative frequence of good and bad 1 weather : " Thermometer. Tear. 7 a. m. 1p.m. 9 p. in. Extreme heat. Extreme cold. Range. 1830 35 38 34 77 77 1831 36 40 34 64 7 57 1832 39 42 38 77 7 70 1833 38 41 36 76 5 71 Average five years 37 40.5 36 77 77 " Weather, average of seven years. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct Nov. Dec. Total. Days all clear. . 11 9 3 4 2 6 5 2 2 3 6 53 Days half clear, half clotidy Days all cloundy or foggy, with or without snow, rain, or hail. 111 95 86 103 112 102 104 102 105 104 95 102 118 99 106 106 107 101 115 100 88 119 116 95 1263 1235 " These observations were taken in Iliouliouk by Rev. Father Innocentins Veniaminof, now or lately bishop of Kamschatka. He notices that, from October to April, the pre- valent winds are north and west ; and from April to October, south and west. The thermometer is lowest in January and March, the highest in July and August. At this point it may not be superfluous to insert, as a means of comparison, a few statistics in regard to a very similar country, which has, however, been under cultivation for cen- turies. It will serve to show what human industry and careful application of experi- ence may do with a country colder and more barren and nearly as rainy as the Aleutian and northern Sitkan districts of Alaska. I refer to the highlands of Scotland, and the Hebrides, whose ' Scotch mists ' have become proverbial. " Aiton * has ascribed the more rainy and cold climate of Scotland to the accumula- tions of sphagnum : ' Thirty-two and a half ounces of dry moss soil will retain without fluidity eighteen ounces ofwater; while thirty-nine ounces of the richest garden mold will only retain eighteen and a half ounces. Moss is also more retentive of cold than any other soil. Frost is often found to continue in deep mosses (in Scotland) until after the middle of summer. Hence the,eflect of mossy accumulations in ren- dering the climate colder.' " Dr. Graham, of Aberfoyle, referring to the western district of Scotland, says that Ayrshire is very moist and damp, with a mild and temperate climate. " Renfrewshire is visited with frequent and heavy rains. Dumbartonshire has the same character. Argyleshire is considered the most rainy county of Scotland. " 'The vapors of the ocean are attracted by its lofty mountains, and the clouds dis- charge themselves in torrents on the valleys.' t ' The winters are for the most part mild and temperate, but the summers are frequently rainy and cold. The climate of the Zetland Isles resembles in most respects that of the Orkneys. Though the sky is inclement and the air moist, it is far from unhealthy. The rain continues not only for * Treatise on Peat-moss, &c. See Edinburgh Encyclopedia, p. 738, vol. xri t Edinburgh Encyclopedia, voL xvi. p. 739. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 151 hours but for days ; nay. even for weeks if the wind blow from the west,' &c. Substi- tute Alaska for Scotland, and the description would be equally accurate. " Mean temperature of Inverness * Tear. Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. 1821 .. 47.83 39.59 44.93 55.34 49.90 Ie22 48.02 39.44 47.22 57.79 47.59 "At Drymen, in Stirlingshire, the average for fgurteen years was two hundred and five days, more or less rainy, per annum ; the average on the island of Uualaska was one hundred and fifty for seven years, according to Veniaminof. The average rain-fall in Stirlingshire was about forty-three inches; in Unalaska, was forty-four inches, (ap- proximate.) " Let us now examine the productions of this country, so nearly agreeing in temper- ature and rain-fall with what we know of the Aleutian district. It may reasonably prove an approximate index to what time may bring to pass in our new Territory .t "Agricultural statistics of the Highlands of Scotland, and islands, in 1854 and 1866. Occupante. 1855. Bushels of wheat 1854. 1855. Bushels of barley. 1854. 1855. Bushels of oats. 1854. 1855. Argyle Arrau Caithness Inverness Orkney Zetland" Koss and Cromarty Sutherland... Total. 1,620 152 504 740 262? 395 873 141 7,315 4.373 4,644 47,573 180 220,179 10,183 13. 394 4, fc* 5,607 37,614 393 233,018 8,885 56,795 1,974 9,549 93,100 5,727 264,112 51,936 46,819 619 7,609 64, 957 2,746 204, 417 35,759 806,395 49, 139 748, 215 437,584 238,728 620, 035 93,637 705, 375 42,154 613, 799 363,176 258, 7,-=9 493, 042 80,136 4,340 294, 447 303,799 | 483,193 362,726 2,993,733 2,557,871 Bushels of rye. Bush, of beans and peas. 1854. 1855. 1854. 1855. Cwt. of turnips. 1854. 1855. Cwt. of potatoes. 1854. 1855. Argyle Arran Caithness Inverness Orkney Zetlancl Koss and Cromarty . Sutherland 65,144 7,086 96, 924 23,068 108, 168 4,604 1,065 59,093 4.655 56,292 22,206 105, 525 6,167 2,693 15, 147 4,403 21,641 3,525 2, 572 342 8,273 5,227 21, 834 114 84,907 6,497 143, 416 84,984 39,230 160, 145 32, 052 103, 444 4,344 120,787 73, 948 42,536 163,834 29,767 10,504 671 8,310 6,519 6,532 17, 2*1 1,540 26,412 1,493 5.931 12, 176 6,261 20,876 1,633 Total 308,059 256,631 30,737 52, 339 551,231 528,600 51, 357 74,782 Acres of Swedish turnips. 1854. 1855. Acres of carrots. Acres of cabbage. Acres of flax. 1854. 1855. 1854. 1855. 1854. 1855. Ar-ryle Arruu Caithness Inverness Orkney Zetland Ross and Croniarty Sutherland 13 24 26 12J 2 1 Total 111 77 43J 33 123 117 49J * Lat. 57 30' Kadiak is precisely the same. t These statistics are oihcial, from the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, voL xv, 1856. 152 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Acres of grass and hay. Horses. Cows and oxen. Sheep. Swine. 1854. 1855. 1855. 1855. 1855. 1855. Arjryle 36, 151 3,002 19, 043 40, 303 2,588 18, 076 14,226 8,297 535 20,491 4,446 8,512 2,367 801 3,485 } 8.437J 4,414 914 60, 378 3,010 14, 659 24, 061 8,128 1, 250 16,190 3, 642 814, 029 25, 630 60, 447 567, 694 10, 815 5,845 288, 015 200, 553 3,458 360 1,149 1,667 1,337 50 4,557 550 Arran Caithness Inverness 15, 313 4,954 232 19, 641 3,936 Orkney Zetland Xoss and Cromarty Sutherland Total 102, 272 108, 962 22,930 131, 318 1, 973, 028 13,128 L- "It will be noted from these statistics that the quantity of potatoes and also the quantity of wheat is small, when compared with the other root crops or cereals. "The small Highland cattle are well known, and, like the small Siberian stock, admirably suited to such a climate and country. They produce tender, well-flavored beef, and extremely rich cream and butter. "The climate of Scotland furnishes a very complete parallel with that of the Aleu- tian district of Alaska. The eastern coast, defended from the vapors of the Atlantic currents by its sheltering mountains, is much drier, and the extremes of temperature are greater than on the western coast and the islands, resembling the eastern part of Cook's Inlet in this respect, and the interior of Alaska generally. " Veniaminof states that in Unalaska the greatest number of perfectly clear days are in January, February, and June, and usually follow a northerly wind. The barometer ranges from 27.415 inches to 29.437 inches, and, on the average, is highest in December and lowest in July ; rising with a north and fafling with a south wind. INHABITANTS. " The inhabitants of these islands are the Aleutes ; true Esquimaux by descent but altered by an insular life, isolated from other tribes, and changed by long contact with the Russians. They all nominally belong to the Greek Catholic faith, and practice the rites of that religion. Many can read and write the ecclesiastical or old Slavonic characters, which they have been taught by the priests. " They are faithful, docile, enduring, hardy, but lazy, phlegmatic, and great drunk- ards. They make good sailors but poor farmers, and chiefly occupy themselves in hunt- ing and fishing. There are, perhaps, in all, fifteen hundred of them, male and female ; and it can be said, to their credit, that for honesty they far surpass the majority of civilized communities. VEGETATION. " There is no timber of any kind larger than a shrub on these islands, but there does not appear to be any good reason why trees, if properly planted and drained, should not flourish. A few spruces were, in 1805, transplanted from Sitka, or Kadiak, to Unalaska. They lived, but were not cared for, or the situation was unfavorable, as they have increased very little in size since that time, according to Chamisso. The grasses in this climate, warmer than that of the Youkon territory and drier than the Sitkau district, attain an unwonted luxuriance. For example, Unalaska,* in the vicinity of Captains' Harbor, abounds in grasses, with a climate better adapted for haying than that of the coast of Oregon. The cattle were remarkably fat, and the beef very tender and delicate ; rarely surpassed by any well-fed stock. Milk was abundant. The good and available arable land lies chiefly near the coast, formed by the meeting and mingling of the detritus from mountain and valley with the sea sand, which formed a remarkably rich and genial soil, well suited for garden and root crop culture. It occurs to us that many choice sunny hillsides here would produce good crops under the thrifty hand of enterprise. They are already cleared for the plow. Where grainlike grasses grow and mature well, it seems fair to infer that oats and barley would thrive, provided they were fall-sown, like the native grasses. This is abundantly verified by reference to the collections. Several of these grasses had already (September) matured and cast their seed before we arrived, showing sufficient length of season. Indeed no grain will yield more than half a crop of poor quality, (on the Pacific slope,) when spring-sown, whether north or south. * See report of Dr. A. Kellogg on the Botany of Alaska, H. Ex. Doc. 177, 40th Congress, second ses- sion, page 218. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 153 "The Russians affirm, with confirmation by later visitors, that potatoes are culti- vated in almost every Aleutian village ; and. Veniaminof states that at the village in Isanotsky Strait, they have raised them and preserved the seed for planting, since the beginning of this century ; the inhabitants of this village by so doing having escaped the effects of several severe famines, which visited their less provident and industrious neighbors. "Wild peas grow in great luxuriance near Unalaska Bay, and, according to Mr. Davidson, might be advantageously cultivated. This species, the Lathyru* maritimus of botanists, grows and flourishes as far north as latitude 64. The productions of all the islands to the westward resemble those of Unalaska. " In September, says Dr. Kellogg, the turnips here were large and of excellent quality ; carrots, parsnips, and cabbages lacked careful attention, but were good. Wild parsnips are abundant and edible through all these islands. " From the reports of Dr. Kellogg and others there appears to be no doubt that cattle can be advantageously kept in the Aleutian district, providing competent farmers will take the matter in hand. Hogs were placed on one of the islands near Chamobpur Reef in 1825, and fattened 'on the wild parsnips and other native plants, multiplying rapidly. They were afterwards destroyed." APPENDIX R. I Report of a loard of officers held at Sitka, Alaska, by virtue of ike folloiving order, viz : COURT-MARTIAL TRIAL OF JAMES C. PARKER FOR THE MURDER OF A CHILKAHT INDIAN. " Special Order No. 22. " HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF ALASKA, " Sitka, Alaska Territory, April I, 1869. "A board of officers, to consist of, first, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel G. H. Weeks, cap- tain and assistant quartermaster United States Army ; second, Brevet Major W. H. Bell, captain and commissary of subsistence United States Army ; third, Captain G. H. A. Dimpfel, storekeeper United States Army, will assemble at the post of Sitka at 11 o'clock a. m. to-morrow, the 2d instant, or as soon thereafter as practicable, for the purpose of investigating the circumstances attending the shooting 01 a Chilkaht Indian at that post on or about the 17th day of March last. " The board will determine, if possible, the parties doing the shooting, all the cir- cumstance which led to the same, and whether or not the act was j ustifiable. "The board will examine all the witnesses under oath, and make a full report in wri- ting to these headquarters. " By command of Brevet Major General Davis : "SAMUEL B. McDsTIRE, " 1st Lieut. Second Artillery and Brevet Captain U. S. A., A. A. A. G." SITKA, ALASKA TERRITORY, April 2, 1869. The board met pursuant to the above order. Present : first, Brevet Lieutenant Col- onel G. H. Weeks, captain and assistant quartermaster United States Army ; second, Brevet Major W. H. Bell, captain and commissary of subsistance United States Army ; third, Captain G. H. A. Dimpfel, military storekeeper United States Army. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel W. H. DENNISON, commanding post, called, who having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. By the board : Question. State your name, rank, and station. Answer. William H. Denuison, brevet lieutenant colonel United States Army, commanding post of Sitka, Alaska. Q. Please state whether you know anything of the circumstances connected with the shooting of a Chilkaht Indian at the post of Sitka on or about the 17th day of March, 1869. A. I do. Q. Please state all the circumstances of the case so far as you know. A. Between two and three weeks ago, in the day, an Indian was shot at this post. I was in the sutler's store at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Parker, who is employed in the store, came in very much excited, and asked Mr. Southan where his rifle was. Mr. Southan asked Mr. Parker to the purport as to whether he had seen the Indian. Mr. Parker replied that he had. While Mr. Parker was looking around for the rifle and changing his shoes, Mr. Southan told him two or three times not to take the rifle. 154 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. Some one else sitting by the stove told Mr. Parker to take the pistol instead of the rifle. Mr. Parker said the pistol was not sure enough ; " I ain going to take the rifle to bring the Indian back." He took the Henry rifle, went out of the front door, and walked up toward the Indian market-house, and came back in about ten minutes. Mr. Southan asked him if he had gotten the Indian. Mr. Parker replied that "that was a very hard question to ask a man." Sitka Jack told me during that afternoon that it was a Chil- kaht that was shot. Q. Did you hear the report of the rifle ? A. I did not hear the report of the rifle during the time of Mr. Parker's departure from the sutler's store. Q, Did you understand, from thj tenor of Mr. Parker's remarks and his manner in the store, that he intended killing the Indian, or that he merely wished to use the Henry rifle to intimidate the Indian with, so as to cause him to come back with him ? A. From Mr. Parker's actions and language I was under the impression that he would shoot the Indian if he got an opportunity. Q. Do you know what was the original cause of Mr. Parker's excitement and appa- rent animosity against the Indian, which it has been said he was after with the Henry rifle ? A. The cause, as I understood it at the time, was the fact that the Indian hav- ing broken a glass in the showcase at the sutler's store. Q. Did you leave the store between the time Mr. Parker left the store with the Henry rifle and the time he came back and made the reply to Mr. Southau's question as to- whether he (Mr. Parker) had got the Indian or not ? A. I did not. Q. Were you in the store when the glass was broken in the showcase ? A. I was not. Q. Do you know whether any one but Mr. Parker was after the Indian who has been reported to have been shot ? A. None to my knowledge. Q. Did you as commanding officer take action in this case ; if any, what ? A. I took none more than to investigate and satisfy myself that 110 soldier of my command was engaged in the shooting. Q. Was the case ever reported officially to you ; if so, at what time ? A. The case was never reported to me officially. Mr. SOUTHAN was called, who having heard the order convening the court read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, occupation, and residence. Answer. T. K. Southan, mer- chant, Sitka, Alaska. Q. Please state whether you know anything of the circumstances connected with the shooting of a Chilkaht Indian at the post of Sitka on or about the 17th of March, 1869. A. I do not ; I know nothing whatever about it. Q. Please state if any damage was done at your store, on or about March 17, by an Indian or Indians ; what such damage was, if any, and the amount of the same. A. About that time I was absent from the store, and on coming in was told that an Indian in attempting to steal had broken a showcase ; the actual damage to the showcase was trifling. Q. Was any action taken by you or any of your employe's with a view to punishment of the Indian who did this damage f A. None by myself, nor none by my employ6s, with a view to punishment, that I am aware of. Q. Is there a man in your employ by the name of Parker ? A. There is. Q. Did Mr. Parker ask you for your Henry rifle at any time during the day on the 17th of March last, for the purpose of going after an Indian with it ? A. He did. Q. What Indian did he say this was ? A. He said he was in pursuit of the Indian who had broken the showcase. Q. Did he, as you understood it, take the rifle with him for the purpose of punishing the Indian when he found him, or in order to force him by intimidation to come back with him ? A. I understood him to. take the rifle for self-protection in making the arrest, as he would probably be compelled to go to the village to make the arrest. Q. Did Mr. Parker take the responsibility of making the arrest himself, or had he instructions to do so. A. He took the responsibility himself. Q. Do you know that Mr. Parker shot the Indian referred to? A. I do not. Q. Were you out of the store from the time you say yon came in and were told about the showcase, until Mr. Parker came back to the store after going away with the Henry rifle ? A. I was not. Q. Did Mr. Parker tell you after he came back, that he had shot the Indian that he was after ? A. He did not. Q. If it was deemed proper to arrest this Indian, why was not the military authority called upon to make the arrest ? A. I cannot answer the question. I do not know. Q. Do you recollect who were in the store at the time Mr. Parker came after the rifle ? A. Colonel Deunison, and, I think, Charles Kinkead. The board adjourned at quarter past twelve o'clock p. m., to meet again at eleven o'clock a. m. to-morrow, the 3d instant. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 155 SITKA, ALASKA TERRITORY, April 3, 186911 o'clock a. m. The board met pursuant to adjournment. Present : First, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel G. H. Weeks, captain and assistant quartermaster United States Army; second, Brevet Major W. H. Bell, captain and commissary subsistence United States Army; third, Captain G. H. A. Dimpfel, military storekeeper United States Army. The proceedings of yesterday having been read, Private JOHN McKENZiE, Company F, Ninth Infantry, called, and having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, residence, and occupation. Answer. John McKenzie, Company F, Ninth United States Infantry, Sitka, Alaska. Q. Do you know anything of the circumstances connected with the shooting of a Chilkaht Indian on or about the 17th of March, 1869 ! A. I don't know anything more than I saw a man chasing an Indian with a gun. Q. State all the circumstances of the case so far as you know. A. I saw a man about half a month ago, about four o'clock in the afternoon James C. Parker. I saw him chase the Indian, and heard him singing out to the sentinel to stop him, and saw him come back and go up stairs, take his rifle and go out ; where to I don't know. Q. Which direction did Mr. Parker take when you saw him go away with his rifle ? A. Back towards the garden. Q. Was any one with Parker at this time? A. No, sir. Q. Where did you next see Parker, and what were you about in the mean time ? A. I saw him about twenty minutes afterward laying the foundation of a kitchen at the time. Q. Did you hear any shot fired after you saw Mr. Parker go out with his rifle ; and if so, in what direction f A. I heard a shot fired ; I thought it was outside the stockade here Q. After hearing the shot, did you see Mr. Parker returning to the store, and did you hear him make any remarks ? A. I saw him return to the store ; I heard him make no remarks. Q. Did Mr. Parker return to the store from the direction from which the rifle was fired, and from what you could judge of the distance from you to where the rifle was fired, did sufficient time elapse for Mr. Parker to come from there to the store ? A. Yes, I should judge so. Q. Did you hear any expression of opinion from any one as to who shot the Indian ; and if so, state who told yon of it ? A. I first heard that a soldier, and then heard that J. C. Parker shot the Indian, but can't tell who. Q. Have your heard of any one who saw the shot fired that killed the Indian? A. I have not. Private JOHN FERRITER, Battery H, Second Artillery, called, who having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, rank, and station. Answer. John Ferriter, Battery H, Second United States Artillery, Sitka, Alaska. Q. State whether you know anything of the circumstances connected with the shoot- ing of a Chilkaht Indian at the post of Sitka on or about the 17th of March, 1869 ; and if so, what are they? A. I was sentinel on post over the magazine at about four o'clock in the afternoon of the 17th of March last. While I was walking my post an Indian ran past me toward the stockade, and Mr. Parker, an em ploy 6 of the post trader of the post of Sitka, who was running after the Indian, called to me to stop the Indian. I called to the Indian to stop, but he ran on, when Mr. Parker said let him go. He then went back toward the store. Shortly after I heard two shots fired, apparently from the opposite of the stockade, and in a few moments saw Mr. Parker coming from that direction. I asked him if he had shot the Indian. He said, " O no, that would not do." I did not see Mr. Parker go out with the rifle, but saw him come back ; neither did I hear .any one call out after the shots. I could not see from my post to where the shots appeared to be fired. ABEL G. TRIPP called, who having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, occupation, and residence. Answer. Abel G. Tripp, car- penter, Sitka, Alaska. Q. State whether you know anything of the circumstances connected with the shoot- ing of a Chilkaht Indian at the post of Sitka on or about the 17th of March, 1809 ; and if so, what are they ? A. On or about the 17th of March I was in the sutler's store ; was shown the showcase, and was told an Indian had just broken it and run out. I went out, and on returning toward the store, a few minutes after, I saw Mr. Parker going off toward the Indian market at a quick gait with a gun on his shoulder. Circumstances 156 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. led me to think that he was after the Indian. I was anxious to see what the result would be, and went into the store to learn, about ten or fifteen minutes afterward. I asked him, " Jim, did you find him ?" He said " yes." Said I, " Why didn't you bring him in?" He replied " he never did bring one in." I asked him, "What did yon do ?" He said, " I gave him a damned good kicking." That is all I know about the matter. A Chilkaht Indian, KATWOUSEKK, the brother of the Indian killed on or about the 17th of March, 1869, being called made the following statement : I heard shots fired and went into the sutler's store to find my brother, who I sup- posed might be there, as I wanted to purchase something ; not finding him there, I went to the Indian village, where I found my brother lying in one of the Indian houses, shot. He asked whether I had met a man with a red beard, and carrying a rifle ? I said I had. I met him near the store coming in with a rifle on his shoulder, sweating very much and blowing as if he had been rumiing or had been exerting himself very much. He said, that is the man who shot rne. This man I recognized to be the man who is in the sutler's store, Mr. Parker. I never went to the place where my brother was shot, as there is a soldier on guard within plain sight, Avho I was afraid might shoot me. My brother said that the shots were fired at him in rear of the Greek church on the hill near the stockade, and that he had come there after having been pursued by Mr. Parker, before he had any gun, to rest, and as he was sitting on some boards resting, Mr. Parker came around the end of the church ; that he started to run aud.was shot while again attempting to escape, and was struck at the first fire, the two other shots missing. No Indians know more than this, but all of the Indians in the village know as much ; as my brother told them all about it after he was shot. I did not see the shot fired nor do I know of any one who did. KATEKSATIN, another Indian, corroborated the statement of Katwouseek. Dr. A. H. HOFF, United States Army, called, who having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, rank, and station. Answer. Alexander H. Hoff, captain and assistant surgeon United States Army, Sitka, Alaska Territory. Q. Was there a Chilkaht Indian brought to your hospital (hospital of the post of Sitka) wounded by gunshot some time in the month of March last ? A. There was ; said to be a Chilkaht. Q. State as nearly as you can the date of said admission of Indian. A. About the 18th of the mouth ; by reference I can give you the exact date. Q. Was this the only Indian suffering from gunshot wound admitted into the hospi- tal after the 17th day of March last up to the present time? A. Yes. Q. Did this Indian express to you, through any interpreter, how he was wounded ? A. He did not. Q. What became of the wounded Indian ? A. He died on the 29th of March. Q. Did he die from the effects of the gxinshot wound ? A. He did. Question. Do you know if this was the Indian said to have been shot at this post on or about March 17th ? A. Yes ; I heard an Indian had been shot at this time and sup- posed this to be the one. , Private ALONZO RAMSEY, battery H, Second Artillery, called, who, having heard the order convening the board read, was duly sworn. Question. State your name, rank, and station. Answer. Alonzo Ramsey, battery H, Second Artillery, Sitka, Alaska. Q. State whether you know any of the circumstances connected with the shoot- ing of a Chilkaht Indian at the post of Sitka, on or about the 17th of March, 1869 ; and if so, what are they ? A. Same day the Indian was shot, I saw the Indian running through the garden out toward the magazine. Parker was running after him, or appeared to be ; he hallooed to the sentinel at that post to stop him. The sentinel did not stop him, and Parker came back to the sutler's store. The next I saw of Parker he was going into the sutler's store ; the last I saw Parker was outside the stockade. About fifteen minutes after he started off from there toward the lake ; he disappeared behind the hill going in that direction ; a few minutes afterward I heard three shots fired and saw the smoke. Q. What called your attention to Mr. Parker outside of the stockade ? A. I happened to be looking over that way. Q. W T here were you standing when you lost sight of Parker and heard the shots ? A. I was standing just outside of the fence, inside of Major Bell's kitchen. Q. Was the smoke that you saw to the right or left of the church ? A. To the right of the church. Q. Did you suppose from the direction of the smoke that Parker had discharged his rifle ? A. Yes, sir. EEPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 157 Q. Did yon see Parker coining back to the post trader's after you heard the shots referred to ? A. No, sir. The board adjourned at a quarter past four o'clock p. m., to meet again on Monday the 5th instant, at half past ten o'clock a. in. KA, ALASKA TERRITORY, April 5, 186910.30 o'clock a. in. The board met pursuant to adjournment. Present : 1st. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel G. H. Weeks, captain and assistant quartermaster United States Army ; 2d. Brevet Major W. H. Bell, captain and commissary subsistence United States Army ; 3d. Captain G. H. A. Dimpfel, military storekeeper United States Army. The proceedings of Saturday, April 3, 1869, having been read, Mr. CHARLES KINKEAD called, who having heard the order convening the board read, \vas duly sworn : Question. State your name, eccupation, and residence. Answer. C. A. Kinkead, mer- chant, Sitka, Alaska. Q. Do you know whether there was a showcase broken by an Indian in the sutler's store of the post of Sitka on or about the 17th day of March last ? A. I do. Q. Was it in your opinion broken accidentally, or for the purpose of stealing from it ? A. It was evidently broken intentionally, as an iron bar was sticking in it, inserted between the wood and glass, and it must have taken some time to work at it and break it. Q. Do you know if it was done by the Indian who was afterward shot on the same day? A. No ; I can't tell you that. The investigation here closed. After a careful examination of the witnesses who have been called before tho board, the board has not been able to determine, further than through the inferences of cir- cumstantial evidence, who shot the Chilkaht Indian referred to in Special Order No. 22, Headquarters Department of Alaska, April 1, 1869. This circumstantial evidence points to an employe" of the post trader, Mr. Parker, as the person who did the shooting ; the breaking of a showcase for the purpose of stealing being, as far as the board can deternme, the circumstance which led to the shooting, and the board is of the opinion that if there were no more reasons for shooting than those brought out in evidence, that the act was not justifiable. GEO. H. WEEKS, Bvt. Lieut. Col. and Ass't Quartermaster U. S. A. W. H. BELL, Bvt. Maj. and C. S. U. S. A. GEO. H. A. DIMPFEL, Captain and M. S. K. U. S. A. There being no further business before it, the board adjourned sine die. GEO. H. WEEKS, Bvt. Lieut. Col. and Ass't Quartermaster U. S. A. W. H. BELL, Bvt. Maj. and C. S. U. S. A. G. H. A. DIMPFEL, Captain and M. S. K. APPENDIX S. UNRELIABILITY OF THE CHARTS OF THE SEAS OF ALASKA. OX BOARD THE STEAMER NEWBERX, MERRY ISLAND, ALASKA TERRITORY, November 1, 1869. SIR : I find you using charts of three different nationalities for your guidance on the coast of Alaska : American, English, and Russian. Which of these three is the most reliable ? Answer. The English, though these are taken from Vancouver's survey and from the Russian charts. I have an American chart issued from the Hydrographic Office of Washington, called sheet No. 2, published in 1868, purporting to be " from the most recent British and American surveys," but I find it to be incorrect, as for example : in latitude 59 26', longitude 146 <05' west, there is an island named "Middletou" on the English Admiralty chart of the Arctic Ocean published in 1853, and on the Russian chart, published in 1847, which is wholly omitted on the American chart ; the island is about ten miles long and five miles wide, and lay directly in our course from an anchorage south of Montague Island to Cape Edgecombe, Sitka Harbor. On my recent voyage if I had 158 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. had the corresponding sheet, with Sitka 011 it, I should have used the American chart, thinking it was published officially by my government in 1868 it was to be relied on. If I had done so I should have lost the vessel, as the island lays low and the night was dark. Queston. Are the Russian or English charts sufficiently accurate for safe navigation in these seas? Answer. They are not as accurate as other charts on well-surveyed coasts. With caution they can be used successfully. The English charts are chiefly taken from Vancouver's survey in 1792. corrected from the Russian charts. W. FREEMAN, Jit., Commanding U. S. Quartermaster Steamer Newbern. W. FREEMAN, JR., Captain U. S. Quartermaster Steamer Neicbern. APPENDIX T. THE RESOURCES OF ALASKA. The Hon. William S. Dodge, ex-mayor of Sitka, said in a recent speech delivered by him at that place : It is a needless task to detail or expatiate on the resources of Alaska, either in its minerals, fisheries, furs, or timber. It is enough to say that the whole Territory is one vast forest of yellow cedar, pine, hemlock, and spruce, the greatest portion of largest growth, and almost everywhere accessible for commercial purposes. The fur trade alone has been for more than half a century a prolific source of wealth to the Russian-American Company, and its importance is now more than ever manifest when we remember the fact that upward of fifty vessels have been engaged in it the present year. And it is still more manifest when we recall the excitement which has agitated the people of San Francisco, through its board of trade, and Congress, in con- tentions which have arisen ont of the protective legislation to be given the fur-seal interests on the islands of St. Paul and St. George. The commerce in this source of revenue alone is estimated from two hundred to five hundred thousand dollars a year. The fisheries are immense. Nowhere on the face of the globe are they excelled in number, A'ariety, or quality. The fiords of Norway, the banks of Newfoundland, or the shores of Labrador oifer no comparison. Those great staples of commerce and main- stays of subsistence, the cod, the halibut, the salmon, and the herring, are on this coast myriads. The fishing stations already established in this Territory, the immense quan- tities caught by the Russians and the Indians, demonstrate how abundant is the sal- mon. And lately additional testimony comes to us from numerous persons affirming as solemn truth that at Cook's Inlet the salmon average in weight sixty pounds, and many of them weigh one hundred and twenty pounds. From two to four fill a barrel. And Mr. T. G. Murphy only last week brought down from there on the Newbern a barrel full, containing only four. This must satisfy the most incredulous. San Francisco, the great metropolis of the Pacific coast, imitating New York, has become Argus-eyed and Briarian-armed, and is rapidly drawing into itself the wealth of this Territory. Her capitalists are already engaged in the ice and fur trades. This present season she has had more than fifty fishing boats off Behring Straits in the cod fishery, and all of them have returned home or to the Sandwich Islands, loaded down. So plenty are they that three and four are often caught on one hook. The halibut and the hen-ing fisheries have not been entered into ; but the testimony of their prolificness is ample, and the statements made by reliable men are astonishing. And speaking of the cod fisheries, one fact is important to be remembered. The banks extending all along the coast from Kadiak-to Behring Straits and to the frozen ocean are shallow as compared with those of Newfoundland, the water on the Alaska banks aver- aging only irom tw r enty to fifty fathoms, while those of the former average from sixty to one hundred and twenty fathoms. And here is another fact, just reported to me, which I cannot forbear mentioning. At Kadiak, Henry Richard and Thomas Bache, fishermen, caught alone, with hook and line, within the last six months, twenty-two thousand cod. This statement is undeniable, and it speaks a volume. And now I dismiss this branch of the subject, remarking merely that the whole coast of Alaska to Portland Canal in the south to the Polar Ocean in the north, embracing, including the islands, twenty-six thousand miles of sea frontage, is one grand reservoir of fish, sufficient to employ thousands of men in supplying the demand constantly growing, and soon to increase immensely, by the peopling ot Washington Territory, Oregon, and California, and the embryo States now upbuilding all along the great continental highway, from the west to the east, as well as the Sandwich Islands, China, and Japan. Of minerals, I can only say that, from the earliest history of this Territory to the present day, the existence of gold, silver, copper, iron, marble and coal has been con- stantly attested. We have the undeniable authority of eminent scientific officials and the statements of strangers temporarily visiting this coast. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 159 Since the Territory has been within American jurisdiction, we have occnlar proof of the existence of all these minerals, and that, too, in almost every part of the country. Close to Sitka are mountains of marble, and good specimens of cinnabar have been found here. Back of Sitka, at Kake and Kootznov, are coal mines, no one knows how extensive. At Tarkow andChilkaht the coal crops out in abundance, and to the west- ward of Sitka it is the testimony of all the traders that coal can be found almost at any place one chooses to land. Almost every week miners or Indians bring in samples of gold. It has come from Prince William's Land, the Stikine, the Chilkaht} the Tarkow, and the Copper rivers, and from Cook's Inlet and Keneiy. Professor Davidson, of the Coast Survey, while at Chilkaht making observations of the eclipse, on the 7th of last August, found that the needle to his compass pointed con- stantly wrong, and soon learned the fact that he was near a mountain of iron some two thousand feet high, which attracted the magnet wherever used, from its base to sum- mit. And a further examination showed that this mountain was only one of a range similar in character, and extending fully thirty miles ; and, as if nature had anticipated, its uses to man, a coal mine was found near by. And so I might continue, but I must hasten to a close. However, before leaving this portion of my remarks, I desire to give you an exhibit of our commerce since the 18th of October, 1867, as furnished by the custom authorities at this port. You will re- member that it does not by any means give a full statement, as, since the passage of the custom act of July 23, 1868, vessels bound to the westward have been permitted to clear direct from ports below, to Kadiak, Cook's Inlet, and Unalaska. Therefore, a traffic very considerable in value is omitted. Number of vessels arrived from dale of cession to August 6, 18f>9. From Vessels. % Tons. 28 4 495 Portland, Oregon 2 390 Port Townsend 2 48 San Francisco .- 33 6 726 3 828 Asiatic coast 3 852 Total 71 13 339 Number of vessels cleared from date of cession to August 6, 1869. For Vessels. Tons. Tictoria. British Columbia 26 6 778 San Francisco 25 8 939 London 2 2 638 Port Townsend 5 2 170 Portland, Oregon 2 391 Asiatic coast 5 941 Whaling 2 514 Total 67 22, 371 Imports, from October, 1867, to August, 1869, $34,672 99. Exports, same time, $582,756 32. Furs exported, as near as can be ascertained, $450,000. The records of the custom-house show that more than three-fourths of this commerce transpired during the first year of our occupation of the country. APPENDIX U. The Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco on the fur-seal and other commercial interests in Alaska Territory. The Chamber met last evening in their room in the Merchants' Exchange building. President Otis in the chair. Mr. Wise, chairman of the Committee on the Alaska Fur Trade, reported as follows : " The committee appointed by the Chamber of Commerce, on the 17th of February, 1869, to consider what legislation by Congress is necessary to protect the fur-seal trade of the 160 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. islands within the Territory of Alaska, have had the same under consideration, and beg leave to submit the following report : " Your committee find that the Russian- American Fur Company reported to have taken, during the years 1866 and 1867, from the islands of Uualaska, Omega, St. Michael, Atkha, Alton, Kadiak, and Cook's Inlet, 7,970 muskrats, 558 lynx, 6,738 martens, 226 bears, 18,476 beavers, 6,738 foxes, 2,765 land otters, and 3,905 sea-otters, which we have valued at $350,000. They took from the islands of St. Paul and St. George 137,943 fur- seals and 3,657 foxes, which we have also valued at $900,000, based upon the admission of those who are largely interested in the fur trade, and upon the recent sales in the European markets. We find, then, the total value of the furs taken by the Russian- American Fur Company from the islands named during the years 1866 and 1867 to be $1,250,000, an annual average of $625,000; besides, the se#l oil, in the opinion of your committee, is worth, at the very lowest estimate, $75,000 per annum after leaving seals enough to supply food for the natives, to say nothing about the very rich fertilizing deposits from the decomposed bones and flesh of the seals for more than forty years. "We have been informed by more disinterested testimony that these furs are worth more money, but we have been guided by those who are interested, and you will ob- serve that, under the most favorable aspect, this is a very important trade, which can doubtless be increased under American enterprise and fair competition without dimin- ishing the number of the fur-bearing animals. " The fur trade is the only wealth of the country at present available, and should, therefore, be carefully guarded, and left open to all American vessels, under proper re- strictions, to encourage the development of other interests. The fisheries, for instance, are very extensive, and a voyage for furs, if unsuccessful, might prove profitable on the fishing banks. The fur trade is the stimulant to go there, and once there other inter- ests would attract attention. But without some inducement ship-masters would hardly undertake the hazards of such a tedious voyage, and often a very perilous one. "The protection of the fur-seals and other fur-bearing animals can be afforded, with- out any such monopoly as is proposed by the bill reported to have passed Congress. " So far as we have been able to learn, fur-seals only require special protection, though Borne provision is necessary to prevent the use of fire-arms in taking sea-otters, and to define the seasons for taking any and all fur-bearing animals. Fire-arms must not bo used either in killing seals, for they will leave and not return ; nor will it do to kill them near their rookeries, where the carcass would be exposed, for the same result would follow. They must be driven in the cool of the evening to the interior, and taken with clubs the following morning, with as little noise as possible. " The seals arrive at the islands early in the spring, and should not be interfered with until the end of the breeding season the last of summer or the beginning of fall. The sealing season should, therefore, commence in September, and continue until they leave, early in November. The only legislation, therefore, necessary is to define the mouths in which seals may be taken, to prohibit the use of fire-arms on the islands or upon the waters adjacent, and to prohibit the killing of females at any season of the year and the young under one year old. " With such good regulations and restrictions we can see no good reason for limiting the number of seals that may be taken annually to one hundred thousand, (100,000,) as proposed. The limit creates a monopoly, which appears to be the object of the bill alluded to. If more than one hundred thousand (100,000) males over one year old can be taken, why not allow it, for we cannot see how it would diminish the seals. Besides, it is much easier to enforce a law protecting the young and the females with compe- tition than without it.' An inspector, with only one company to deal with, would be less apt to attend strictly to his duties than if he had the eye of a large fleet of vessels upon him. If competition were allowed, all would be interested in having the law complied with ; but, monopolize the trade, and every vessel not interested, visiting those waters, would have to be watched, which would be almost impossible, and would use ill-got means, if any opportunity oifered, of taking furs without sparing either the young or the females. If there were no opportunity, how easy it would be to fire guns in the vicinity of the islands to frighten away the seals ; and who doubts the result ? "The seals originally frequented the islands of Behring and Copper, still under the jurisdiction of Russia, and were driven from them to the islands of St. Paul aud St. George by some such action as we have indicated, and might returu or go elsewhere if disturbed in their present rookeries. "The bill before Congress (reported to have become a law) prohibits the use of fire- arms, and killing females, and males less than one year old, under regulations to be made by the Secretary of the Treasury. But it provides that the Secretary shall divide the island of St. Paul into three sections and St. George into one section, and that the exclusive right of taking seals from either section for a term of years shall be sold to the highest bidder, designating, too, what class of bidders shall have the rights to com- pete for this trade, viz : managing owners of American vessels, and only those whom the Secretary may deem competent to fulfill their engagements. Now, it is well known that there are four organized companies, and that one or all of them have made con- REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 161 tracts with the natives for a period of three years. The Secretary would be virtually limited, umler the terms of the bill, to consider their bids, because they would be deemed more competent to carry out their contracts. "We have ascertained, however, that Americans can easily learn in a very short time how to take seals as well as the natives ; but if the bill in question becomes a law, the Secretary would very likely look to existing contracts with the natives, and an act of Congress would virtually give the monopoly of the fur trade of the islands of Alaska to a single company, or, what we rather suspect, four companies in combination. The effect would be to render the trade of no value to San Francisco or any other American port. It would give a few individuals the control of the market of furs who could, at pleasure, increase the cost to consumers. "The manufacturing monopoly has heretofore been enjoyed by parties in England, through a permanent arrangement made many years ago with the Russian-American Fur Company, to purchase all their fur-seal skins taken from year to year. This same condition would very likely continue with the lessees of the government, both on account of their superior skill in manufacturing, acquired by long experience through the arrangement alluded to, and because monopolists can afford to pay a higher price for the skins. The skins would then, in all likelihood, be shipped directly to England or to this port only in transit, and no opportunity offered to the enterprise and skill of our citizens to engage in the manufacture of such luxuries, upon which enormous profit* are always realized. We must submit to have them exported and to pay foreign labor a large profit upon all we consume. " We have been told that we have not the skill to manufacture fur-seal skins in this country, which can only be exported to find a market. The fact is, we have had no opportunity to acquire skill during the monopoly enjoyed in England through the ar- rangement with the Russian-American Fur Company. The same result will again fol- low if the government leases the islands, and no market will be found in the United States, and we will be obliged to import manufactured furs from England at a heavy cost and expense, besides the addition of our import duty. " View this as we may, we must feel the ill effects of such a policy ; and for what pur- pose ? To enrich a few and keep back the development of the country for an indefinite period. The only inducement now to go there is the interest in question ; and, if open to competition, many vessels will be fitted out at this and other ports, and the furs in return exposed for sale in our home markets, and eventually the entire and very im- portant trade of that country will be enjoyed by our own citizens. We are, therefore, deeply interested in securing the passage of a law allowing public competition, which can be done under instructions amply protecting the seals. 'The Territory of Alaska was acquired by purchase at a cost of $7.000,000 to the fed- eral government, and we do not deem it just to our citizens generally to give a single company, or any number of companies, the control of this trade, valued at $700,000 annually, which, in our judgment, can easily be increased double the amount. This trade is really the key to the whole country, and controls the fur trade on the main- land, which is also very valuable, and about which we have said nothing. The object of our government should be to develop the country, and to encourage our citizens to go there, by all means in its power; and the unrestricted competition in this trade would best promote that object; any other policy would retard or prevent all enterprises con- nected with Alaska. We recommend, then, the abolition of all restrictions not neces- sary to protect the young and the female seals ; and with this end in view we submit, as a part of this report, the draught of a bill which will afford ample protection at the same time open trade to American enterprise and industry. " We regret, in conclusion, that our limited time would not allow an extended inquiry into the. undeveloped resources of Alaska; though, from the incidental knowledge which we have acquired in our investigations relative to the fur trade of our islands, we are persuaded that its resources are far more extensive and important than gener- ally believed. We think that the government ought to extend its aid to encourage emigration ; and we therefore recommend the Chamber to evoke Congress to establish, at an early day, a territorial government over that country. And we would also ad- vise the appointment of another committee to collect information, and to report as soon as convenient, for the purpose of attracting public attention to a territory which, if properly developed, will prove to be a very valuable acquisition." The report is signed by the committee, consisting of J. H. Wise, C. T. Fay, L. Ever- diug, 1. P. Rankin, and Washington Bartlett. The report was received and the com- mittee discharged. 11 162 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. APPENDIX V. THB FUR TRADE AT SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. SAN FRANCISCO, CAI,., October 21, 18i>9. DEAR SIR: In reply to your note, with inclosed letter from the Hon. George S. Bout- well, Secretary of the Treasury, at Washington, I will try and jjive you full and reliable information on the srrbject, to the best of my knowledge and belief. The collection of furs at Alaska and the Aleutian Islands so far has been very lim- ited, on account of the scarcity of population the necessities of the natives being few and easily supplied. This immense territory, extending from (the 56th to the 76th par- allel) Fort Wrangel to Kotzebue Sound, is so full of fur-bearing animals that, in the course of a few short years, an enterprising white population will find profitable em- ployment in developing its great and, at the present, unknown wealth. The fur trade of this territory, when properly prosecuted by competent parties, will yield boundless wealth, and will amount to millions upon millions in the aggregate, increasing from year to year. Answer to question No. 1. a. Fur seals salted at St. George's and St. Paul's islands have been entirely under the control of Messrs. Hutchiusou, Kohl & Co. (A very limited number came down in the hands of other traders.) They, Hutehinson, Kohl & Co., paying to the natives twenty to forty cents per skin in trade that is, in groceries and provisions. The season 1869, no definite price can be quoted. Outside traders are excluded from these islands; the only parties permitted on these islands are the said Hutehinson, Kohl & Co. and Williams, Havens & Co. b. Sea otter are paid for in trade, (groceries, provisions, &c., at the traders' prices,) at from twenty, thirty, and in some instances forty, dollars, per skin. Answer to question No. 2. a. Fur-seals proper classification: wigs, middlings, emails, large pups, middling pups, small pups are not bought or sold in San Fran- cisco as per classification, but in bulk or lot at so much per skin, on an average. This classification is for shipping, none being manufactured here. b. Sea otter proper classification: large prime, silver-pointed, $40, $50, and $60 per skin, gold prices; large prime, without silver points, $35 and $40 per skin, gold prices; middlings, $80 and $25 per skin, gold prices; good cubs, $15 and $20 por skin, gold prices; pups, 35 to 50 cents per akin, gold prices for shipping purposes entirely, none being used here. Answer to question No. 3. a. Fur-seals prices realized at London, the only market for fur seals: wigs, about 40 shillings sterling per skin; middlings, 36 to 40 shillings sterling per skin ; smalls, 30 to 33 shillings sterling per skin ; large pups, 25 to 30 shillings sterling per skin ; small pups, 15 to 20 shillings sterling per skin ; averager of different shipments, 20, 21 to 29 shillings 6 pence sterling, being the highest prices paid in London. Exportation from 1868 to 1869. Shipped by Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. to London ........................... 190, 000 Shipped by Williams, Havens & Co. to London, via Honolulu and Bremen. 41,000 Shipped by Captain R. Waterman to London ............................. 10, 000 Shipped by Adolph Miiller & E. S. Tibbey to London ...................... 10, 100 Shipped by A. Waterman & Co. to London ................................ 11, 000 Shipped by Adolph Miiller to London ..................................... 1, 600 Shipped by Russian-American Ice Co. to London ........................... 700 Shipped by Hutchinson, Kohl & Co. to London, ta were 2 ' 50 Shipped by CaptainBurnsto London, \ fhippef Oct" 14^86 \ *' ^ Total shipment from this port .............. ... ...................... 269, 400 Dry fur-seals from Cape Flattery are full as good as those from St. Paul's and St. George's islands, and were bought here at $4, $4 50, $5, gold coin. N. B. Fur-seals have since declined in Europe considerably, 15 shillings sterling being the outside limit for buying. b. ILL March, 1869, 548 sea otter were sold and realized at the London sales, on an av- erage, $35 gold coin per skin. In September, same year, 1,065 sea-otter skins were offered for sale, but most of them were withdrawn on account of the low prices ruling. Sea otter are very low at present ; $20 to $25, gold, per skin is already a large price to pay for it. The Old Russian Fur Company have sold the balance of sea-otter on hand (7,000 skins) at St. Petersburg, and in consequence the Russian government has enacted a law prohibiting the importation of sea otters ; hence the decline in London and Leip- zig. Since the above-mentioned, time 750 sea otter have arrived by the steamer Alex- ander, and also 150 more in the hands of othei-s, all to be shipped to London and Leipzig. REPORT OP THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. 163 c. General assortment of furs from Alaska and the Aleutian islands : Average value per skin in San Francisco, in gold. Beaver, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe r . $1 00 to $2 00 Marten, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe 2 00 to 6 00 Mink, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe 1 00 to 1 50 Lynx, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe 1 00 to 1 50 Bears, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe 3 00 to 6 00 White fox, very few manufactured here, most all sent to Europe 1 00 to 2 00 Land otter, all shipped to Europe 1 00 to 3 50 Fisher, all shipped to Europe 2 00 to 4 00 Silver fox, all shipped to Europe : 5 00 to 25 00 Cross fox, all shipped to Europe 2 00 to 4 00 Red fox, all shipped to Europe 1 00 to 1 50 Hair-seals, all shipped to Europe 25 to 50 I remain yours, most respectfully, AJDOLPH MtiLLER. J. T. MCLEAN, Esq. APPENDIX V 1. The fur trade at Sitka. Owing to the lively competition that has sprung up since the "transfer," all kinds of furs press very closely upon San Francisco figures, if not even a shade ahove. Most of the peltries offered here are of an inferior quality, but as the opinion prevails that anything coming from Sitka must be good, a ready sale is found for all kinds. The natives have learned many " Yankee tricks," and resort to all of them to eifect a trade- patching, coloring, sewing parts of two skins together. The following may be given as the current rates here, according to the quality : Marten from $1 25 to $5 00 Minkfrom 25 to 1 50 Ermine from Fur-seal from . Sea otter from Land otter from 1 50 to 3 50 Cross fox from 3 00 to 5 00 Redfoxfrom 75 to 150 Silver fox from : 5 00 to 15 00 Black bear from 2 00 to 600 Brofrom 1 50 to 4 00 MOUTH OF THE TACCOO AN!) CHILKAHT COUNTRY. It is very well known that the fur trade of that locality is the richest throughout thi Territory, and we consider it to be to the interest of the country to develop its wealth. Reports are current that gold has been found along the Taccoo, but the Indians would not allow the parties who left here to ascend the river. The Hudson's Bay Company appear to manage things far better than we do, and in- spire more confidence, from their general treatment of the Indians. The Chilkaht country is one of the most interesting and important portions of this Territory. The Indians are very numerous, and set down as a very warlike tribe. There is a very large trading business carried on there, chiefly in furs and skins ; the market, however, is not accessible to every one. APPENDIX W. The Editor of the Alaska Times says : That Alaska abounds in resources of vast wealth we are satisfied. This Territory is no bar re n country, nor is its climate as uninviting as it lias been represented. Ou R RESOURCES. They are numerous; 1st. Our forests of timber are not perhaps to be surpassed in the world. 2d. Our fisheries are not to be equalled in any country on the globe. 3d. Our fur and seal skin trade and facilities cannot be surpassed or equalled out- 164 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. aide of Alaska. It is true that the Russian- American Company were behind the age in the art of modern inventions. They knew but little about the implements used by our American fishermen, trappers, or miners ; yet, in their rude way of managing their affairs, the Russian-American Company sent millions of dollars from Alaska to the dif- ferent parts of the world. In inventions, in implements, in competition, and we might add, of every under- taking, they were far behind the times. APPENDIX X. LAW OF CONGRESS CONCERNING} THE FUR-SEALS. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to kill any otter, mink, marten, sable, or fur-seal, or other fur-bearing animal, within the limits of said Territory, or in the waters thereof; and any person guilty thereof shall, for each offense, on conviction, be fined in any sum not less than two hundred dollars nor more than one thousand, or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, at the discretion of the court; and all vessels, their tackle, apparel, furniture, and cargo found engaged in the violation of this act shall be forfeited : Provided, That the Secre- tary of the Treasury shall have power to authorize the killing of any of such mink, marten, sable, or other fur-bearing animals, except fur-seals, under such regulations as he may prescribe; and it shall be the duty of the said Secretary to prevent the killing of any fur-seal, and to provide for the execution of the provisions of this section until it shall be otherwise provided by law : Provided, That no special privileges shall be granted under this act. APPENDIX Z. Census of tlie Indian village (Slikine) at Wrangel, Alaska. Houses. S S "Women. 1 "3 Houses. d 3 Women. ! _ i-t 3 First 7 5 4 :, Seventeenth 8 10 1 i Second 4 4 1 1 Eighteenth 5 5 3 3 Third 7 10 1 10 5 5 2 2 Fourth 4 6 4 1 Twentieth 4 7 7 1 Fifth 10 9 10 Twenty-first 5 5 1 Sixth 3 3 4 o 4 3 4 1 1 1 1 Twenty -third 5 7 1 4 Eighth _.. 6 4 6 4 Twenty-fourth 5 8 1 Ninth 5 7 3 o Twenty-fifth 8 10 3 7 Tenth 5 6 3 i Twenty-sixth.... 6 9 7 4 5 5 4 4 9 3 Twelfth 2 2 1 ' Twenty-eighth 4 5 1 2 Thirteenth 6 6 10 1 Twenty-ninth 10 2 7 5 1 1 Thirtieth 2 2 5 Fifteenth . 2 2 1 1 Thirty-first 3 3 3 2 2 4 3 3 8 6 3 2 Total 159 183 77 89 Men 159 Women and children . . 349 Total 508 INDEX TO REPORT OF BOARD OF INDIAN COMMISSIONERS. Page. Alaska 81 Alaska Indians 62, 101, 108, 110 Aleutes, their character 93, 98 Art among the Koloshians Indians 84 Aleutian Islands, their agricultural resources 148 British Columbia, the Indian -tribes of 81, 111 Bristol Bay, the tribes and country 99 British Columbia, the missions of Bailey, Dr., on irregularities at Sitka 129 Bellskoffsky , 91 Cook's Inlet '. 99 Charts of Alaska seas, their unreliability.... 157 Census of Indian village at Wrangel 164 Coal and copper 113 Care of natives in preserving food 84 Climate of Sitka .108,117 Climate of Aleutian Islands 150 Caesarawitch, sending liquors from 128 Carlton, O. B. Report on fisheries . 131 Duncan's mission at Metlacatlah 106 Demoralizing effects of near proximity of posts to Indian villages 104 Dall, William H., report of 117,142,150 Dodge, Hon. William S., report of 135,138,158 Fur trade, report of * 149, 159, 163 Fur trade at San Francisco 159, 162 Fur seals 95,164 Fisheries of Alaska 103,131,149 Glaciers 114 Halleck, Major General. Report on Indians of Alaska 110 Healy, M. A. Report on schooner General Harney 147 Hospitals .. 129 KakeWar, History of 134,136 Kapus, William 125,127 Kpdiak 89 Liquors, law in regard to 133 Liquors. Violation of the law .' : 85, 87, 125 Liquors at Wrangel, Tongas, Sitka, Kodiak 84,86,133 Liquors, after confiscation, sold at public auction 87 Liquors. Letters of Collector Kapus 125 Lonthan, Frank K., report of 120 La Grange , L. A., report of 147 Metlacatlah, mission at 106 Murphy, Thomas, letter on citizenship .' 137 Medical attendance supplied by General Davis 87 Medical attendance, absence of, at Wrangel and Tongas 94 Monopolies in Alaska fur seal and other trade 90 Mahoney; Frank, report of 122 Oukama'ck Island 91 Parker, James C., his shooting Indians 88 Parker, J. C., court-martial on trial of 153 Proximity of government posts and Indian villages in Alaska 85, 104 Raymond, Charles W., report on the Yonkon River and tribes 139 Recommendation 108 Seals, fur, their habits and care of ., 95 Stachine River, report on, by H. G. Williams 112 Stachine village, census of . St. Paul Island, description of 92 Sandwich Islands. Vessels sailing from St. Paul Island 98 Smith, Leon, post trader at Wrangel 115 Tonner, Dr. J. A., report on Sitka Indian village 129 Tongas village and tribe 82 Trade among coast Indians 83, 140 Villages, location of Indian Wrangel 86 Wrangel. abuse of Indians at 105 Winds and weather of Alaska 134,144,150 Williams, Harry G., report on the Stikine River and tribe 112 Wall, W. Report on Indians at Wrangel 116 Wood Island 89 Yonkon river and tribes ; 141, 143 Apaches 54, 61 Aztecs 50 Arizona, the tribes of '. 51 Board of commissioners, report of 5 Colyer, Vincent, report on tribes in Kansas, Indian Territory, Arizona, and New Mexico 30 Cherokees .. 31,33,59 166 INDEX. Page. Creeks. Mission at Tallahaae 40 Choctaws 33, 3T wCheyennes 43 Farwell, J. V., report of 28 Grant, TJ. S., executive order of 4 Grierson, report of 27 J onee, Colonel, report of SI Long, Colonel. Report on "Rio Colorado 27 Liquora. Order of I?. II. Grierson on introduction of liq uora in Indian Territory 28 If <>