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OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TERRITORY,
March 4, 1854.

SIR: Herewith I have the honor to submit my report upon the subject of the Indian inhabitants of Washington Territory ; and to be,

Very respectfully,
GEORGE GIBBS.

Capt. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN,
Commanding Western Division N. P. Railroad Exploration.

In considering the general subject of the Indian tribes of this territory, two natural divisions present themselves, separated by a marked and definite boundary - the Cascade mountains - on either side of which the native inhabitants differ not less than the geographical features of the country.

It will be proper to examine them in turn, taking up the various tribes of each division in order, and appending such observations in regard to their management as the most careful inquiry practicable has suggested.

In this connection, the word "nation" will be used of the whole people speaking a common language, and "tribe" as comprehending the bands organized under one head.

And first of the interior or eastern section.

Those living between the Cascade and Rocky mountains, within the limits of this Territory, or extending into it, are, first, the Wallah-Wallah nation, under which term is embraced a number of bands living usually on the south side of the Columbia, and on the Snake river to a little east of the Peluse; as also the Klikatats and Yakimas, north of the former. The first may be, for the present purpose, classed together as the Wallah-Wallah Tribe. The greater part of their country, it will be seen, lies in the adjoining Territory of Oregon, and it is proposed should remain under the direction of that superintendency. The number of these bands was in 1851 stated by Dr. Anson Dart, then superintendent of Indian affairs, at 1,093 ; a part. of whom, however, belonged to the Upper Chinooks. The whole number is since much diminished by the smallpox. The present population is probably reduced to 600, of whom the majority are in Oregon Territory. The head chief of the Wallah-Wallahs is Pu-pu-mux-mux, or the Yellow Serpent - an old man, who generally makes his residence near Fort Wallah-Wallah. His influence with his people is said to be good as far as it goes, but he does not exercise it beyond his immediate band. This tribe have been notorious as thieves since their first intercourse with the whites. They, as well as their neighbors, the Nez Perces, own large bands of horses, which roam at large, over the hills south of the Columbia, and their principal wealth consists in them. There is no wood in their country, and they depend upon the drift brought down by the stream for their fuel. Their very canoes are purchased from the Spokanes. They move about a great deal, generally camping in winter on the north side of the river. Their fisheries at the Dalles, and at the falls ten miles above, are the finest on the river. The expedition passed through the Wallah-Wallah country on its return route, but no official intercourse took place with the tribe. They, as well as the Nez Perces and Cayuses, are at present included in the agency of Mr. R. R. Thompson, of Oregon. At the crossing of Snake river, at the mouth of the Peluse, we met with an interesting relic. The chief of the band, Wattai-wattai-how-lis, in coming to visit Captain McClellan, exhibited, with great pride, the medal presented to his father, Ke-powh-kan, by Captains Lewis and Clark. It is of silver, double, and hollow, having on the obverse a medallion bust, with the legend, "Thomas Jefferson, President U. S. A., 1801;" and on the reverse the clasped hands, pipe, and battle-axe, crossed, with the legend, "Peace and Friendship."

The Klikatats and Yakimas will remain to the Washington superintendency. The former inhabit, properly, the valleys lying between Mounts St. Helens and Adams, but they have spread over districts belonging to other tribes, and a band of them is now located as far south as the Umpqua. Their nomadic habits render a census very difficult, though their number is not large. Dr. Dart stated them at 492; since when, there has certainly been a great decrease. The number of the two principal bands, as obtained during the summer, was, at the Chequoss 135, and at the Kamas plain 84. These must have constituted the chief part, as it was the season of berries when they congregated there. Including all others within the Territory, the total does not probably exceed 300. In this, however, are not reckoned the Tai-tin-a-pam, a band said to live apart in the country lying on the western side of the mountains, between the heads of the Cathlapoot'i and Cowlitz, and which probably did not enter into the former estimate. But little is known of them, and their numbers are undoubtedly small. The head chief of the Klikitats is a very old man, named Towe-toks. He evidently possesses but little influence, his people paying much more respect to his wealthier neighbors, Ka-mai-ya-kan, Skloo, and the other chiefs of the Yakimas.

The Klikatats and Yakimas, in all essential peculiarities of character, are identical, and their intercourse is constant; but the former, though a mountain tribe, are much more unsettled in their habits than their brethren.

This fact is probably due, in the first place, to their having been driven from their homes, many years ago, by the Cayuses, with whom they were at war. They thus became acquainted with other parts of the country, as well as with the advantage to be derived from trade. It was not, however, until about 1839 that they crossed the Columbia, when they overran the Willamette valley, attracted by the game with which it abounded, and which they destroyed in defiance

of the weak and indolent Callapooyas. They still boast that they taught the latter to ride and to hunt.

They manifest a peculiar aptitude for trading, and have become to the neighboring tribes what the Yankees were to the once Western States, the travelling retailers of notions; purchasing from the whites feathers, beads, cloth, and other articles prized by Indians, and exchanging them for horses, which in turn they sell in the settlements. Their country supplies them with an abundance of food. The lower prairies afford games, and the mountains a great variety of berries in profusion. The business of gathering these of course falls on the women, who go out in small parties, attended by a boy or old man as camp-keeper, collect and dry the berries, or bring into the general camp what is wanted for present food. Such of them as bear keeping they stare for winter use, and also for trade, exchanging them for fish, smoked clams, and the roots which their own territory does not furnish.

Of game, there is but little left. The deer and elk are almost exterminated throughout the country. the deep snows of winter driving them to the valleys, where the Indians, with their usual improvidence, have slaughtered them without mercy. The mountain goat, and the big-horn, or sheep, are both said to have formerly existed here, but, since the introduction of firearms, have retired far into the recesses of the Cascades. The black bear alone is still found, though but rarely. The salmon furnishes to these, as to most other tribes of the Pacific, their greatest staple of food. Their neighborhood to the fisheries of the Cascades and the Dalles provides them for the summer; while, after the subsidence of the Columbia, later schools ascend the small rivers, and in the autumn an inferior kind forces its way into the brooks, and even the shallow pools which form in the prairies.

Very few attempt any cultivation of the soil, though their lower prairies would admit of it. We were informed, however, that the next season many of them intended to build houses there and plant potatoes. Their usual residence during the summer is around Chequoss, one of the most elevated points on our trail from Fort Vancouver across the Cascades, where we met them at the beginning of August. They were, at this time, feasting on strawberries and the mountain whortleberry, which covered the hills around, though during the night the ice formed on the ponds to the thickness of half an inch. Towards the end of the month they descend to the Yahkohtl, Chalacha, and Tahk prairies, where they are met by the Yakimas, who assemble with them; for the purpose of gathering a later species of berry and of racing horses. The racing season is the grand annual occasion of these tribes. A horse of proved reputation is a source of wealth or of ruin to his owner. On his speed he stakes his whole stud, his household goods, clothes, and finally his wives; and a single heat doubles his fortune, or sends him forth an impoverished adventurer. The, interest, however, is not confined to the individual directly concerned; the tribe share it, with him, and a common pile of goods, of motley description, apportioned according to their ideas of value, is put up by either party, to be divided among the backers of the winner. The Klikatats themselves are not as rich in horses as those living on the plains, their country generally affording but little pasturage, and the deep snows compelling them to winter their stock at a distance from their usual abodes. The horse is to them what the canoe is to the Indians of the river and coast. They ride with skill, reckless of all obstacles, and with little mercy to their beasts, the right hand swinging the whip at every bound. Some of the horses are of fine form and action; but they are generally injured by too early use, and sore backs are universal. Indiscriminate breeding has greatly deteriorated what must have been originally a good stock, and the prevalence of white and gray in their colors is a great objection. Wall-eyes, white noses and hoofs, are more than common among them. They are almost always either vicious or lazy, and usually combine both qualities. In their capacity for a continued endurance, they are overrated. A good American horse is as much superior to them in this, as in speed; but they are hardy, and capable of shifting with but little food. Nothing is known of their first introduction. They were abundant when the country was discovered. It is probable that the Shoshonees or Snakes, a branch of the Camanches, first introduced them from the South, and that the breed has since been crossed by others from Canada. The best are those belonging to the Cayuses and Nez Perce. The demand for horses, consequent upon the settlement of the country, has rendered the tribes possessing them really wealthy.

Their price is from $40 to $100, but they have some which they will not dispose of at much higher rates. A few of the chiefs have great numbers, and one, it is said, has offered 400 , a by no means contemptible dowry - to any respectable white man who will marry his daughter. The Indians ride with a hair-rope knotted around the under jaw for a bridle. The men use a stuffed pad, with wooden stirrups. The women sit astride, in a saddle made, with a very high pommel and cantle, and in travelling carry their infants either dangling by the cradle-strap to the former, or slung in a blanket over their shoulders; while children of a little larger growth sit perched upon the pack-animals, and hold on as best they may.

The horses are trained to stand for hours with merely a lariat thrown loosely around their necks, the end trailing upon the ground. With the whites they are at first as shy as are American horses or mules with the Indians; but they suffer handling from the squaws and children with perfect contentment, and hang around the huts like dogs. When camping near them we often found the horses an intolerable nuisance, from their incessant whinnying during the night. Whenever the musquitoes were abundant they posted themselves in the smoke of the fires. It is the business of the squaws in travelling to pack the animals, the men contenting themselves with catching them up; and they pile on the most heterogeneous assortment of luggage with a skill that would immortalize a professional packer. In breaking horses the Indians usually blind them before mounting, often tying down their ears in addition. A strap or cord is then passed around, the body of the animal, loose enough to admit the knees of the rider. Much time is spent in soothing and quieting the beast, as the Indian has plenty of it upon his hands. When everything is ready he vaults to his back, always from the off-side, slips his knees under the girth and tightens it, withdraws the muffle, and sits prepared for a series of stiff-legged plunges, ending in a charge. If the horse throws himself - for throw his rider he cannot - the quick straightening of the leg releases the knee, and he is prepared for the emergency.

In describing the household goods of the Indian, his dogs are not to be forgotten. They vary considerably in form with different tribes, but always preserve the same general character. Quarrelsome and cowardly, inveterate thieves, suspicious and inquisitive, they are constantly engaged in fights among themselves, or in prowling around the lodges for food. The approach of a stranger is heralded by short, sharp yelps, succeeded by a general scamper. They all bear the some mysterious resemblance to the cayote--the sharp muzzle, erect ears, and stiffly curling tail. Notwithstanding their worthlessness, they seem to have a strong attachment to their owners, and an Indian camp would be a novelty without its pack of curs. Very few characteristic features remain among these people. Their long intercourse with the Hudson's Bag Company, and of late years with the Americans, has obliterated what peculiarities they may have had; nor is there any essential difference in their habits or manners from those of the Indians adjoining them. They use, for the most part, the arms and utensils of the whites, and the gun has superseded the bow. The pails and baskets, constructed from the bark of the cedars, saddles and fishing apparatus, are their principal articles of domestic manufacture; and even of such things it is almost as common to find the imported substitutes.

In regard to moral character they are much superior to the river Indians; not that perfect virtue is by any means to be expected, but they are more strict in respect to their women, particularly the married ones, and they are far less thievish.

Their mode of disposing of their dead, like that of their kindred tribes, is in the ground, but without any attempt at coffins, the body being merely wrapped in its clothing. Just before our arrival at Chequoss a man had died of the smallpox, and those who bad buried him were purifying themselves. During the three days occupied in this, they absented themselves from camp, alternately using the sweat-house and plunging into cold water.

The house, which was a small oven-shaped affair, was heated with stones. The mourning is performed by the women, who live apart for a few days, and afterwards bathe and purify themselves. They have the common objection to mentioning the names of the dead, as well as their own. The practice of medicine, as elsewhere, consists in incantations, and is attended with the usual hazards; the life of the practitioner answering for the want of success, or a refusal to attend when properly feed. Besides these mummeries, however, they use certain plants as medicines, among which are both emetics and cathartics. The patriarchal institutions of slavery and polygamy are yet retained among them; the number of wives being limited only by the wealth of the husband, for with them it is the woman who is sold.

A curious custom exists, exhibiting their savage ideas of equity as opposed to the common-law maxim of "caveat emptor." If a wife dies within a short period after marriage, the bereaved husband may reclaim the consideration from the father; so also with slaves and horses. No systematic attempt has, it is believed, been made to convert the Klikatats to Christianity, although many individuals have come in contact with missionaries of some denomination. Several of those at Chequoss have had instruction from the Rev. Jason Lee and others, formerly at the Dalles.

The old chief Tow-e-toks preserved a paper on which some one made a sort of calendar or record of the days of the week. He expressed great anxiety lest, as it was nearly worn out, he should be unable to distinguish the Sundays, and requested me to prepare him a new one. He added that he was in great fear of death, and constantly "talked to the Chief above." As will readily be imagined, the remarkable features of this mountain scenery, and the neighborhood of the great snow peaks - Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams -give a color to the legends of the Klikatats. They, in common with the other Oregon tribes, seem to have had no distinct religious ideas previous to those introduced by the whites, nor any conception of a Supreme Being. Their mythology consists of vague and incoherent tales, in most of which Ta-la-pus, or the prairie wolf, figures as a supernatural power. Besides him there are other agents, among whom a race denominated the "Elip Tilicum," from two jargon words signifying " first people," or "people before," figure prominently. Though trifling in themselves, yet, as specimens of what may be considered the unwritten literature of the Indians, they may not be uninteresting - the more especially as the belief in the existence of' those giants seems to be of universal currency throughout Oregon. The following are among them:

In descending the valley from Chequoss, there occurs beneath a field of lava a vaulted passage, some miles in length, through which a stream flows in the rainy season, and the roof of which has fallen in here and there. Concerning this they relate that a very long time ago, before there were any Indians, there lived in this country a man and wife of gigantic stature. The man became tired of his partner, and took to himself a mouse, which thereupon became a woman. When the first wife knew of this, she was very naturally enraged, and threatened to kill them. This coming to the man's knowledge, he hid himself and his mouse-wife in a place higher up the mountain, where there is a small lake having no visible outlet. The first woman finding that they had escaped her, and suspecting that they were hidden underground, commenced digging, and tore up this passage. At last she came beneath where they stood, and looking up through a hole, saw them laughing at her. With great difficulty, and after sliding back two or three times, she succeeded in reaching them; when the man, now much alarmed, begged her not to kill him, but to allow him to return to their home and live with her as of old. She finally consented to kill only the mouse-wife, which she did, and it is her blood that has colored the stones at: the lake. After a time the man asked her why she had wished to kill the other woman. She answered, because they had brought her to shame, and that she had a mind to kill him too; which she finally did, and since when she has lived alone in the mountains.

Another story about the same place is to the effect that it was made by a former people called the Siam, a name corresponding with the jargon word for grizzly bear. The mouse story appears to be interwoven with the Klikatat mythology, for besides the name of this place, Hool-hool-se, (from hool-hool, a mouse,) one of the names of their country is Hool-hool-pam, or the mouse-land. This is given to it by the Yakimas. Both versions, as well as many others of their tales, refer to their Indian Pre-adamites, the Elip Tilicum; to whom, and to the Ta-la-pus, as many wonders are attributed as among Christians to Satan.

Concerning the Ta-la-pus, this story is related by the Klikatats in connexion with a favorite valley - the Tahk prairie. This was formerly the bed of a lake, the remains of which now appear in a marshy pond of some extent. The wolf, when the prairie was made, promised that it should be rich in their favorite roots, the kamas and the wapp-a-too; and likewise that the salmon should come there in abundance. But the Indians, forgetful of their obligation to him, showed no gratitude, and when they came there, spent their time in horse-racing and gambling, instead of fishing and the business of life; wherefore the wolf took away the salmon, and placed two stones upon the prairie, beyond which they should not pass.

Alas, for the perverseness of man! notwithstanding the punishment, the Klikatats and their friends run horses and gamble there to this day.

There is also, in contrast with the gigantic race above mentioned, a story of one of diminutive size, but a span high, who lived near the foot of the St. Helens, and whose footprints the Indians have seen where they held their nocturnal dances. Since the eruption of 1842, it may be mentioned, they have not ventured to ascend Mount St. Helens. They have also tales connected with certain of the constellations, many of which are named.. The Great Bear, for instance, is called "spilyeh," or the wolf. The Yakimas occupy the country drained by the river of that name. They are divided into two principal bands, each made up of a number of villages, and very closely connected; the one owning the country on the Nahchess and lower Yakima, the other upon the Wenass and main branch above the forks. Over the first there are three chiefs - Kam-ai-ya-kan and his brothers Skloo and Sha-wa-wai. Over the latter, Te-eh-yas and Owhai. Of all these, Kam-ai-ya-kin possesses the greatest influence, none of the others undertaking any matter of importance without consulting him. Skloo is accused of being tyrannical and overbearing with his weaker neighbors, and Sha-wa-wai of being indolent and wanting in force.

Kam-ai-ya-kan is, in turn, much under the influence of the missionaries, with whom he lives altogether. The others are both intelligent, and bear very good characters. All of them appear to be well disposed and friendly towards the whites, whose superiority they have sense enough to understand.

Most of what has been said of the Klikatats is applicable also to the Yakimas, though, from the nature of their country, some difference in their modes of life is of course observable. Their name, it may be mentioned, is not an appellation of their own. It is said to be the word signifying a black bear in the Wallah-Walllah dialect. West of the mountains, both at Vancouver and at Puget sound, they also are generally called Klikatats. Like the last, they live in rude huts covered with mate, the distance of their winter habitations from timber rendering the construction of houses inconvenient; a reason, however, which does not exist with the others. They raise potatoes, a few melons and squashes, together with a little barley and Indian corn. The latter is of the eight-rowed variety, and what we saw of it very small and stunted, the ears being not over five inches long. The potatoes were generally very fine, and of several varieties; of which we noticed the lady-finger, mercer, and blue-nose. Their gardens were, for the most part, situated in the little valleys running up towards the mountains, and near enough to the streams to receive moisture during the early summer. They were rudely fenced around to exclude animals. This invaluable addition to their means of subsistence, it should be said, they, in common with many other tribes, owe to the Hudson's Bay Company. The country around the northern or main branch of the Yakima is frequently called by them Pschwan-wapp-am, or the stony ground, and the Indians living there sometimes assume the name to themselves. Besides the fisheries at the Dalles, the Yakimas have others in their river, up which the salmon run without interruption far into the mountains. On the main fork, in particular, they penetrate to Lake Kitchelus, at the very foot of the dividing ridge. In addition to the different kinds of salmon proper, they have also the salmon-trout, two varieties of the speckled trout, the red and black spotted, both of them growing to a large size; and some other species of fresh-water fish.

The salmon they take in webs and cast-nets. The weirs are constructed with considerable skill, upon horizontal spars, and supported by tripods of strong poles erected at short distances apart, two of the legs fronting up stream, and one supporting them below. There are several of these weirs on the main river fifty or sixty yards in length. The cast-nets are managed by two men in a canoe, one of whom extends it with a pole and the other manages the rope. Their canoes are of very rude workmanship, compared with those belonging to tribes of more aquatic habits, being simply logs hollowed out and sloped up at the ends, without form or finish.

Another article of food obtained from the rivers is the unis, or fresh-water muscle, of which there are several varieties. Deep beds of their shells are found near the sites of villages on the river.

Of game the Yakima country is as destitute as that of the Klikatats - so much so that ten deer skins will purchase a horse. The sage-fowl and sharp-tailed grouse are abundant. The chiefs possess a considerable number of cattle, which, in the summer, find good bunch-grass on the hills. In winter they are driven to great straits for subsistence, being compelled, when the snow lies deep, as it does in the valleys, to browse upon the tops of the wild sage, or artemisia. In horses they are well off, though not rich as compared with adjoining tribes. A portion of the Yakimas, more particularly those living on the main river, in hunters language, "go to buffalo," joining the Flatheads in their hunts; but these expeditions are probably far more rare than formerly, when, with greater numbers, they and their allies carried war against the Blackfeet beyond the mountains. With the tribes on Puget sound they communicate continually during the summer by the Nahchess and main Yakima passes, taking horses for sale to Nisqually, and purchasing "hai-qua," dried clams, and other savage merchandise, on their return. The Yakimas have, like the Klikatats, during the past year suffered severely from the smallpox; the village at the Dalles in particular, the Wish-ram of evil notoriety, in Mr. Irving's Astoria, having been depopulated.

Individuals among them profess to have some remedy for the disease. Father Pandozy, one of the missionaries among them, informed me that he believed it to be the root of a species of iris. He had once tasted it, and it acted as a violent emetic. The Spokanes have also another and different specific. It is known to but few persons, having been gradually forgotten since the former visitation. Recently, when it broke out in one of the Spokane villages, an old woman, who was blind, described it to her daughter and directed her to proceed towards Kam-ai-ya-kans, and that if she encountered none in her way, to get from him some of that which he used. The girl, however, did find the herb and returned with it. The mother prepared the medicine, and the smallpox was stayed, but not until it had nearly destroyed the village. We were not successful in obtaining specimens of this plant, but Father Pandozy kindly promised to save some when opportunity offered. In regard to this disease, the greatest scourge of the red man, it has passed through this region more than once, and was probably the first severe blow which fell upon the Oregon tribes. Its appearance seems to have been before any direct intercourse took place with the whites, and it may have found its way northward from California. Captains Lewis and Clark conjectured, from the relations of the Indians, and the apparent age of individuals marked with it, that it had prevailed about thirty years before their arrival. It also spread with great virulence in 1843. From the other, and no less sure, destroyer of the coast tribes, the venereal, the Yakimas, and generally the Indians east of the mountains, are, as yet, exempt. Spirituous liquors have never been introduced into their country, at least beyond the neighborhood of the Dalles.

That a population very considerably more numerous than the existing one formerly occupied this region ,there can be no doubt. The estimates of Lewis and Clark gave a sum of 3,240 for the bands on the Klikatat and Yakima rivers, without including those upon the Columbia, which amounted to 3,000 in addition; The whole course of the Yakima is lined with the vestiges of former villages now vacant. A very interesting subject of inquiry has been pursued by Mr. Schoolcraft, in his endeavor to follow the earth-works of the Ohio and Mississippi valley into the region west of the Rocky mountains. A careful inquiry among the officers of the Hudson's Bay Company, and the most intelligent free trappers of Oregon, had satisfied me that none such existed in the country. During an examination of the lower Yakima, however, the old Indian guide who accompanied me pointed out, on the left bank, a work which may possibly be considered as belonging to the same system, although being, so far as is known, a solitary one, it is somewhat questionable.

The work consists of two concentric circles of earth about three feet high, with a ditch between. Within are about twenty cellars situated without apparent design, except economy of room. They are some thirty feet across and three feet deep, and the whole circle eighty yards in diameter. We had no time to examine it more particularly, and no tools to excavate. The ground was overgrown with artemisia bushes, but, except the form of the work, there was nothing to attract particular attention, or lead to the belief that it was the remains of any other than a Yakima village. Our guide, however, who was great authority on such matters, declared that it was made very long ago, by men of whom his people knew nothing. He added that there was no other like it. It is well posted for defence in Indian warfare, being on the edge of a terrace about fifteen feet high, a short distance from the river, and flanked on either side by a gully.

Outside of the circle, but quite near it, are other cellars unenclosed, and in no way differing from the remains of villages frequently met with there. The Indian also pointed out, near by, a low hill or spur, which in form might be supposed to resemble an inverted canoe, and which be said was a ship. It deserves investigation, at least, whether any relation can be traced between the authors of this and of the mounds in Sacramento valley, yet occupied by existing tribes. In this connexion may also be mentioned a couple of modern fortifications erected by the Yakimas upon the Simkwe fork. They are situated between two small branches upon the summit of a narrow ridge, some two hundred yards long, and thirty feet in height, and are about twenty-five yards apart. The first is a square, with rounded corners, formed by an earthen embankment capped with stones, the interstices between which serve for loop-holes, and without any ditch. It is about thirty feet on the sides, and the wall three feet high. The other is built of adobes in the form of a rectangle, twenty by thirty-four feet, the walls three feet high and twelve to eighteen inches thick, with loop-holes six feet apart. Both are commanded within rifle-shot by neighboring hills. They were erected in 1847, by Skloo, as a defence against the Cayuses. We did not learn whether they were successfully maintained, accounts varying greatly on this subject. In the same neighborhood we noticed small piles of stones raised by the Indians on the edges of the basaltic walls which enclose these valleys, but were informed that they had no purpose - they were put up through idleness. Similar piles are, however, sometimes erected to mark the fork of a trail. At paints on these walls there were also many graves, generally made in regular form, covered with loose stones to protect them from the cayotes, and marked by poles decorated with tin cups, powder-horns, and articles of dress. During the summer the Indians, for the most part, live in the small valleys lying well into the foot of the mountains. These are, however, uninhabitable during the winter, and they move farther down, or to more sheltered situations. The mission, which in summer is maintained in the Atahnam valley, is transferred into that of the main river. There are two priests attached to this mission, belonging to the order of the Oblats, Fathers Pandozy and d'Harbomey. The stations are small log buildings, divided into a chapel and lodging-room, with a corral for horses and a spot of enclosed garden ground adjoining the one at Atahnam. The fathers informed us that they found the Yakimas not very teachable, and that they had accomplished little except as peacemakers; the Indians were lazy and cultivated the ground with but little regularity, some years not planting at all. They did not believe that a resident farmer would be of use. The Indians, however, say, and justly, that they have no tools, and but little inducement to labor, their country affording other subsistence, and the toil of planting with their own rude implements not; being compensated by the result. With proper encouragement, and assistance in breaking up the ground, they would doubtless do more. It is probably an object with the missionaries to discourage secular residents, who might divide their own influence over the natives.

The courteous attention of these gentlemen to the officers of the expedition requires acknowledgment. They furnished all the information in their power respecting the country, secured good guides to the parties, and acted as interpreters with the Indians. Father Pandozy, in particular, is familiarly acquainted with the Yakima tongue. Kam-ai-ya-kan is the only one of the three brothers who has adopted even the forms of Catholicism, and he refuses to be baptised, because he would be compelled to put away his surplus wives, of whom he has several. Skloo and Sha wa-wai are unchanged heathens.

On leaving the Klikatat country, Captain McClellan had made a small present to the chief Tow-e-toks, and distributed some tobacco among the men. It was not, however, considered necessary to enter into a formal talk with that tribe, the object of our visit, and some other points, being casually explained to them. With the Yakimas the case was different. Their country was to become a thoroughfare for the whites, and it was very important that a proper impression should be made, and a friendly understanding established. On leaving the mountains we first encountered Skloo, a tall, fine looking, but very dark-skinned man, who came up to camp attended by Wee-ni-nah, a sub-chief, living at the village of Skin, opposite the mouth of the Des Chutes river. We had already met with an amusing instance of Indian craft, in which Skloo proved to have been the operator. A small party of Indians had come on to Chequoss, and stated that they had been told the expedition was out for the purpose of seizing the horses and cattle of the Yakimas, taking their country, and destroying them if they resisted; that Lieutenant Saxton's party had proceeded against the Spokanes for the same purpose, and that Kam-ai-ya-kan and Skloo were determined to oppose us. The report had created no uneasiness, except lest it should alarm the Indians, and prevent the necessary intercourse with them. Skloo being now questioned as to the author of the report, stated that it was a Frenchman, in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's train, who on his way to Fort Colville had preceded Lieutenant Saxton a few days. As the story had already caused us some inconvenience, in preventing us from obtaining a guide, and as it was feared that more serious annoyance would result to the other party, Captain McClellan forwarded a complaint on the subject to Governor Ogden, at Fort Vancouver. It subsequently appeared that the person referred to was a gentleman far above the suspicion of any such conduct, and that the whole was a fabrication got up by Skloo himself, for the purpose of fishing out the object of the expedition. A short talk was held with him by Captain McClellan, explaining this to his entire content, and in turn he gave what information he possessed respecting the mountain trails. In justice to him, it should be said, the more especially as he has but few friends, that his manly deportment left a more favorable impression than did some who bore a far better character. A small present was given him on parting.

Kam-ai-ya-kan we found at the mission, and he afterwards came over to the camp at Wenass for a formal visit. He is a large, gloomy-looking Indian, with a very long and strongly-marked face; slovenly in dress, but said to be generous and honest. Captain McClellan explained to him the general nature of the American government, as far as was necessary for him to understand, and the rank that Governor Stevens, who was coming with a party across the mountains, would hold in the country. He expressed the hope that the good disposition which Kam-ai-ya-kan had shown towards the whites would be maintained; that if any injury was done by them to his people, they were not to seek revenge, but complain to the Governor, who would redress it; and that if any was suffered from the Indians, he would expect him to punish the offender. It was the intention of the whites to make a wagon road across the mountains, and many would undoubtedly pass through their country. Should they be in need, he wished Kam-ai-ya-kan to assist them. Their coming would be an advantage to his people, for they would buy their potatoes, and exchange cattle which had become tired with long travel, for his, which were fat, giving him boot. In conclusion, he added that the great white chief had instructed him, when he met with friendly chiefs among the Indians, to give them a present as coming from him. A quantity of Indian goods were thereupon given him. Kam-ai-ya-kan made a suitable reply, in which he referred to a subject previously mentioned by Skloo - the negotiations of white men pretending to be chiefs, who were not, particularly in regard to the purchase of their lands. He had heard they would give a few presents, and then pretend they had purchased the land. Captain McClellan informed him who were the persons having the power to make these purchases, or to treat with them, with which he expressed himself satisfied.

At Ketetas, on the main Yakima, we were visited by Ow-hai, one of the two principal chiefs of the northern band of this tribe. His elder brother, Te-eh-yas, had gone to Puget sound, and we did not see him. Ow-hai appears to be forty-five or fifty years of age, and has a very pleasant face, with a high but retreating forehead, of which he is somewhat vain. In speaking of Kam-ai-ya-kan, he remarked that he had a big head, and thought much; adding, as he touched his own, "like myself."

He remained with us during our stay, and afterwards accompanied the party as far as the Pisquouse. In a talk with him the same information was communicated, in substance, as that given to Kam-ai-ya-kan. This band trades much more with the Sound than Kam-ai-ya-kan's,

and is, therefore, better acquainted with trails; the one which proved on examination the best, leading directly up the river from our camp. After the usual custom of seeking wives in adjoining tribes, they are much intermingled with the Snoqualme on the western side of the Cascades, as well as the Pisquouse to the northward. The latter, in fact, speak indifferently the Yakima and their own languages. We found the people here much better dressed than those below. The young men and women affected more of their native costume than the old. Owhai's two sons, both tall, handsome men, had their blankets and dress profusely ornamented, and the wife of one of them, a very pretty woman, wore a dress stiff with bead-work and porcupine quills. Ow-hai himself, on the other hand, appeared in a full American suit, and touched his hat by way of salutation - a compliment which he clearly expected to be noticed and returned. He, like Kam-ai-ya-kan, has adopted some of the forms of Catholicism, and professes to pray habitually, but there seemed to be a shadow of hypocrisy in his devotion. He is, however, a man of very considerable understanding and policy, and inclined to profit by the example of the whites.

On striking the Columbia after passing the mountains, between the Yakima country and the Pisquouse, Ow-hai pointed out to us one of the lions of the country, in the shape of two columns of sandstone standing together, but apart from the bluff, which was of similar material. These, he told us, were " Ahn-cotte" or, in the language of the fairy tales, "once upon a time" two women of the race of "Ellip Tilicum," who lived here, and were very bad, being in the habit of killing those who passed by, the Indians begged the Great Spirit to destroy them, and He granting their prayer, sent an enormous bird which picked out their brains, and then turned them into stone. In proof of which, the narrator pointed out a hole in the top of one of the columns, from which a boulder had fallen, as the aperture broken by the bird in extracting his meal. A short distance beyond, he turned a little off the trail to point out to us another curiosity. It was a perpendicular rock, on the face of which were carved sundry figures, most of them intended for men. They were slightly sunk into the sandstone and colored, some black, others red, and traces of paint remained more or less distinctly on all of them. These also, according to their report, were the work of the ancient race; but from the soft nature of the rock, and the freshness of some of the paint, they were probably not of extreme antiquity.

Nothing could in this connection, he ascertained from the Indians, whether they had any traditions of their own migration from another country.

With the exception of the district occupied by the Flatbows and Kootenaies, the remaining country north of the forty-seventh parcel is occupied by different tribes of the Selish or Flathead nation. These may be divided for the present purpose into the following: the Pisquouse, Okinakane, Schwo-yelpi or Kettle Falls, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, upper and lower Pend d'Oreilles, and Selish or Flathead proper.

The country of the Pisquouse lies immediately north of that of the Yakimas, and we entered it next upon our route. Under this appellation are here included the Indians on the Columbia between the Priest's and Boss rapids, on the Pisquouse or Winatshapam river, the En-te-at-kwu, Chelan lake, and the Methow or Barrier river. The name of Pisquouse, however, properly refers to a single locality on the river, known to the Yakimas as Winatshapam.

The Pisquouse themselves, as has before been remarked, are so much intermarried with the Yakimas that they have almost lost their nationality. These bands were formerly all united under one principal chief, Stal-koo-sum, who is said to have been a man of great note among them. He was killed a few years since in a fight with the Blackfeet, since when there has been no head of the tribe. Stal-koo-sum's son, Quil-tan-ei-nok, or Louis, was an aspirant for his father's throne, and came over to Ketetas to recommend himself to captain McClellan's patronage, under the tuition of Ow-hai, who seemed to be interested in his promotion. It was considered desirable to unite the scattered fragments of the empire under one head, if possible, and he was therefore engaged as a guide, the better to ascertain his character. It should be remarked, that though the chiefdom of the petty bands, or villages, seems to be hereditary, it does not always follow that one who has placed himself at the head of the tribe, or confederacy, transmits his power. Quil-tan-ei-nok had, as we learned, used great efforts to succeed in this object of his ambition ; having gone to the Sound, and even to the Willamette valley, to procure a paper from some agent recognising his rights, on the strength of which he might silence all cavillers. In this he had been hitherto unsuccessful, and he was doomed to further disappointment. On reaching the mouth of the Pisquouse, Captain McClellan informed the Indians that it would be well for them to choose, in concert with their neighbors, a head chief, who would represent them all, and who might talk for them with the chief of the whites; that if they would agree among themselves upon a proper person, the Governor would give him a great writing, signifying his consent. In the mean time some presents were distributed; that to Quil-tan-ei-nok being the largest, that he might have honor among his own people at least. When the election came off, however, he was beaten, and by a candidate whose name had never previously been mentioned. At this place we were offered the entertainment of a horse-race, and on promising a yard of red cloth as the prize of victory, a general enthusiasm seized upon the whole tribe. Horses were sought in every direction, that would stand a chance of winning, and in a short time a dozen of the best came up to the starting-point. A goal was fixed on the plain, at some distance, which they were to turn around and return; and at a signal from the chief they stripped - not the horses, but the riders; doffing their blankets and other inconvenient articles, and appearing in costumes of primitive simplicity. One rider wore a pair of moccasins, and another sported a shirt; while with a third a streak or two of red paint, judiciously disposed, gave every requisite distinction. There was some very pretty running, and still better jockeying; but as the distance was unmeasured, and nobody took note of the time, an official report cannot be given. The winner, who rode a handsome gray gelding, carried off a prize that a few years before was worth as much as his horse.

The Okinakanes comprise the bands lying on the river of that name as far north as the foot of the Great lake. They are six in number, viz: the T'Kwuratum, at the mouth; Konekonl'p, on the creek of that name; Kluckhaitkwu, at the falls; Kinakanes, near the forks; and Milakitekwa, on the west fork. With them may be classed the N'pockle, or Sans Puelles, on the Columbia river; though these are also claimed by the Spokanes. The two bands on the forks are more nearly connected with the Schwoyelpi than with the ones first named. The country of the Pisquouse and Okinakanes may be described together, and briefly. It is mountainous and sterile, the valleys narrow, and affording here and there spots susceptible of cultivation. For grazing it is as little adapted; and there is, in its whole extent, nothing to tempt encroachment upon its miserable owners.

During Captain McClellan's examination of the Methow river, six of the bands, belonging in part to each tribe, agreed upon Ke-keh-tum-nouse, or Pierre, an Indian from Klahum, the site of Astor's old fort, at the mouth of the Okinakane, as their chief.

The occasion furnished an opportunity of making an actual count, which for these six bands gave a total of 214. The remainder would, according to our observations, raise the number of Indians south of the 49th degree, and between the Columbia and the Cascade mountains, to 550 ; a larger one than was expected, As the smallpox was at its height, however, this is doubtless already much diminished. During the whole route we found the disease prevailing to a fearful extent. Several villages had been nearly cut off; and we saw, at some places, the dead left unburied on the surface of the ground. These tribes have no cattle, and but comparatively few horses. They told us that formerly they had many, but that the company had purchased them for food; and they complained bitterly that the shirts and other articles given them in exchange were worn out, and nothing was left them but their new religion. At Fort Okinakane we observed a mode of disposing of the dead differing from any before noticed. They were wrapped in their blankets, or other clothing, and bound up right to the trunk of a tree, at a sufficient distance from the ground to preserve them from wild animals. Notwithstanding the climate, none of these Indians have a better shelter than is furnished by their mats. They raise some potatoes, but their main resource is salmon.. These, at the time of their visit, actually filled the streams. In the Okinakane, in particular, there were myriads of a small species, which had assumed a uniform red color. They were depositing their spawn, and were in a condition eatable only by Indians, who were busily engaged in drying them.

On leaving Fort Okinakane, the new chief accompanied the party to Fort Colville in the capacity of a guide, assisted by two of his subjects; and the cavalcade was enlarged at the lake by the chief of the Saht-lil-kwu band, a religious personage, who sported the title of King George, and persecuted us nightly with family worship. We parted with the whole with the loss of much tobacco and few regrets. Fort Colville is the principal ground of the Schwoyelpi, or Kettle Falls tribe, one of the largest of the Selish.

According to the information received from Father Joset, of the Jesuit mission, they number from five to six hundred. At the time of our visit the greater part had gone to the buffalo hunt. They do not obtain many furs, the greater part of those taken at this post coming from the upper Columbia. The fishery at the Kettle falls is one of the most important on the river; and the arrangements of the Indians, in the shape of drying-scaffolds and stone houses, are on a corresponding scale. They take the fish by suspending immense baskets upon poles beneath the traps, into which the salmon spring. We saw here, for the first time, the canoe used upon the upper waters of the Columbia. It is of birch bark, and of a form peculiar to these rivers, being longer on the bottom than on the top. A canoe, of thirty feet in length on the floor, is open only about twenty-four feet, and gathered to a point about three feet long at each end. They are stretched on a light frame of split twigs, and are at once fast and buoyant. The mission is situated upon a high bluff above the falls, and consists of a small house for the priest and a chapel. Around these are a number of huts and store-houses belonging to the Indians; the latter raised from the ground on posts. Fathers Louis and Joset, of the Order of Jesuits, are stationed here. Our visit admitted of but little opportunity of gathering further information concerning the Indians than what has already been published. The few who were present; were assembled by Governor Stevens, who addressed them. They have no head chief of note, and there were present on the occasion only Klekahkahi, the chief at the falls; Kuiltkuiltlouis, a sub-chief; and Elimiklka, the son of a former chief of this place.

The last was highly spoken of by Mr. McDonald, but did not seem to be in equal favor at the mission. We learned that but few of the original Schwoyelpi stock remained; they had gradually

become extinct, and their places were filled by people from the adjoining bands. The smallpox had as yet made no great inroads on this band; its general course seemingly having been up the eastern side of the Columbia. One case had, however, occurred at the time of our arrival. On the route from Fort Colville to Wallah-Wallah the party passed the old Chemakane mission, the former station of Messrs. Walker and Eels. The house was still standing, and occupied by an American. This is the country of the Spokanes, who are next to be noticed.

The Spokehnish, or Spokanes, lie south of the Schwoyelpi, and chiefly upon or near the Spokane river. The name applied by the whites to a number of small bands, is that given by the Coeur d'Alenes to the one living at the forks. They are also called Sinkoman by the Kootenaies. These bands are eight in number: the Sin-slik-hoo-ish, on the great plain above the crossings of the Coeur d'Alene river; the Sintootoolish, on the river above the forks; the Sma-hoo-men-a-ish, (Spokenish.) at the forks; the Skai-schil-t'nish, at the old Chemakane mission; the Ske-chei-a-mouse, above them on the Colville trail; the Schu-el-stish; the Sin-poil-schne, and Sin-spee-lish, on the Columbia river; the last-named band is nearly extinct. The Sin-poil-schne (N'pochele, or Sans Puelles) have already been included among the Okinakanes, though, as well as the Sin-spee-lish below them, they are claimed by the Spokanes. The three bands on the Columbia all speak a different language from the rest. Most of the Indians, at the time of our visit, were absent on their hunt, and we had no opportunities of estimating their number by inspection. Judging from those that we saw, and the information received from various sources, they probably amount, excluding those enumerated at Okinakane, to four hundred and fifty. They were a wilder looking race than the tribes to the westward. The men are generally spare, even when young, and soon become withered.

Their principal chief is Spokane Garry, whose name was bestowed upon him by Governor Sir George Simpson, by whom he was sent, when about twelve years old, to the Red river for education, where he spent five years. Garry is now about forty-two years of age, is very intelligent, and speaks English fluently. He bears an excellent character, and is what he claims to be, a chief. Of petty chiefs there are, besides, an abundance, each band having two or three.

Garry himself accompanied us to the forks of the Spokane, where his band usually reside. A few lodges, chiefly old men and women, were there at the time. His own, in neatness and comfort, was far beyond any we had seen. His family were dressed in the costume of the whites, which in fact now prevails over their own. Many of the Spokanes, besides their intercourse with the fort, visit the American settlements, where they earn money by occasional work, most of which is spent in clothing, blankets, &c. The chief offered us the hospitality of his house with much cordiality - a cup of tea or coffee and bread. The "Spokane House," which is a landmark upon all the maps of this country, was an old Hudson's Bay fort, situated at his village, but has long since been destroyed.

This tribe claim as their territory the country commencing on the large plain at the head of the Slawntehus -- the stream entering the Columbia at Fort Colville; thence down the Spokane to the Columbia, down the Columbia half-way to Fort Okinakane, and up the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, to some point between the falls and the lake, on the latter. There is in this direction a question of boundary between them and the Coeur d'Alenes, which appears to be as complicated

as some of those between more civilized nations. No resort to arms has, however, occurred, and the territory continues under joint occupation. An additional source of coolness between them arises from a difference in religion - the Spokanes being Protestants, or of the "American religion," and the Coeur d'Alenes Catholics. The latter taunt the former as heretics, whose faith is worthless. Garry narrated to us the evils arising from this state of feeling, with a forbearance and Christian spirit of toleration which would have honored any one. This tribe have at present

no missionary among them, but they seem to have been consistent to what they learned under the tuition of Messrs. Walker and Eels, of the Chemakane mission. The country of the Spokanes, though in most respects unattractive to settlement by the whites, is well suited to the pursuits of the Indian.

The high plain, which extends from the Spokane river to Lewis's fork of the Columbia, and which belongs chiefly to them and the Nez Perces, though bleak and exposed to violent winds, affords grazing for their stock and an abundance of the roots used by themselves for food, while their river supplies them with salmon. They obtain buffalo hides for their lodges, and skins of elk, carraboo, and deer, for their own clothing, in their semi-annual hunts to the eastward.

Of the larger game there is but little in their own country. The buffalo, it would seem, in former times penetrated at least occasionally thus far to the westward, though now they never come through the northern passes. We were informed by an old Iroquois hunter, at Fort Colville, who has been some forty-eight years in the company's service, that the last bull was killed some twenty-five years ago in the Grand Coulee.

Of the remaining tribes of the nation it will be necessary to speak even more briefly, for out journey did not bring us in contact with them, and but little can be added to what has been before published.

The Skitswish, or Coeur d'Alenes, live upon the upper part of the Coeur d'Alene river, above the Spokanes, and around the lake of the same name. They are estimated by Dr. Dart as only two hundred in number, which is believed, however, to be too low an estimate. Father Mengarini, formerly missionary among the Flatheads, gives as his opinion that they reach four hundred and fifty. A mean has been adopted in the recapitulation. This tribe has also a missionary station belonging to the Order of Jesuits.

The Kalispelms, or Pend d'Oreilles of the Lower Lake, inhabit the country north of the Coeur d'Alenes and around the Kalispelm lake. Dr. Dart gives their population as five hundred and twenty, which is but little short of Father Mengarini's.

The Slka-tkml-schi, or Pend d'Oreilles of the Upper Lake, a tribe who, by the consent of the

Selish, occupy jointly with them the country of the latter. According to the same authorities, they reach about four hundred and eighty.

The Selish proper, or Flatheads, inhabit St. Mary's or the Flathead valley, and the neighborhood of the lake of the same name. Mr. John Owen, who occupies the site of the old Jesuit mission of St. Mary's as a trading-post, says that there remain of these but sixty-five lodges, of about five to a lodge, giving a total of three hundred and twenty-five - a number considerably exceeding Dr. Dart's estimate, which, is but two hundred and ten.

The tribe was once a very powerful one, but has been much diminished by the attacks of the Blackfeet, who enter into their country through the mountain passes, or meet them in their hunts

upon the eastern side.

Their custom is to make two hunts annually across the mountains- one in April, for the bulls, from which they return in June and July; and another, after about a month's recruit, to kill cows, which have by that time become fat. In these excursions they are accompanied by that portion of the Pend d'Oreilles who live in their country, and about one hundred lodges of the Nez

Perces, as well as parties from such other tribes as see fit to join them. Their country is admirably adapted for grazing, and they possess about one thousand head of American cattle, which were introduced by the worthy and zealous Father De Smet.

They are not rich in horses, but still have many good ones, though frequently robbed by their enemies, the Blackfeet. They get no salmon, but live altogether by the hunt, and do not manifest, any disposition to agricultural pursuits or fixed residence. They have no canoes, but in ferrying streams use their lodge: skins, which are drawn up into an oval form by cords, and stretched on a few twigs. These they tow with horses, riding sometimes three abreast. Their own territory still furnishes them with ordinary kinds of game - elk, moose, black and white-tailed deer, the big-horn, and bears. Beaver and otter are abundant.

The mission of St. Mary's was abandoned in 1860, the habits of the Flatheads leaving the missionaries unprotected, end proving an obstacle to effectual labor. They have at the station a village of log-houses, but notwithstanding generally prefer their own lodges. Their great chief is Kmi-kwi-kal-sih, or Victor, a man highly spoken of by the whites who have come in contact with him. The tribe, in fact, seem to be an exception among the Indians of Oregon. Their heroism in battle, their good faith towards others, and their generally inoffensive conduct, have been the theme of praise both from priest and layman. They are, however, rapidly disappearing before the murderous warfare of the Blackfeet. Should their country become a thoroughfare of travel, they will, to some degree at least, be protected from their enemies; but, on the other hand, the destruction of the buffalo and other game will render some new mode of subsistence an object of proper care on the part of the government.

The Kootenaies or Kitunahas, and the Flatbows, who now, according to Father De Smet, form one tribe, called by their neighbors Skalza, or Skolsa, inhabit the country extending along the foot of the Rocky mountains, north of the Flatheads, for a very considerable distance, and are about equally in American and in British territory. They do not enter into the census of the Oregon superintendent, and they have had no intercourse with the whites except through the Fur Company. Captain Wilkes states their number at about 400. Their usual camp is situated in the Tobacco plains, where they were visited in 1845 by Father De Smet, who gives a description of their country.

The Nez Perces, or Saptin, lie to the south of the Selish, and on both sides of the Kooskooskia and north fork of Snake river.

Their country, like that of the Wallah-Wallahs, extends into both Oregon and Washington Territories. They are one of the most numerous of all these, tribes, amounting, according to the census of 1861, to 1880; since when there has probably been less decrease than among some of the others.

They are much intermarried with the Wallah-Wallahs, whose language belongs to the same family, and also with the Cayuses. They have no chief of note at present living; Towwattu, or the "Young Chief," having recently died.

Wailatpu, or Cayuse: The country belonging to this tribe is to the south of and between the Nez Perces and Wallah-Wallahs, extending from the Des Chutes or Wawanui river to the eastern side of the Blue mountains. It is almost entirely in Oregon, a small part only, upon the upper Wallah-Wallah river, lying within Washington Territory. The tribe, though still dreaded by their neighbors, from their courage and warlike spirit, is but a small one, numbering, according to the same authority, 126. Of these, individuals of the pure blood are very few; the majority being intermixed with the Nez Perces and Wallah-Wallahs - particularly with the former - to such a degree that their own language has fallen into disuse.

It was this tribe that destroyed Dr. Whitman's mission in 1847. Their head chief, Pa, or the " Five Crows," has since then generally absented himself from his people, as, although not concerned in the murder, he became notorious for the abduction of one of the women. These are all the tribes which enter into the Territory east of the mountains, except that a small remnant of the original tribe belonging at the Cascades of the Columbia river still exist. They are of the Upper Chinook nation. From their geographical situation, they will fall within the eastern district; and as the Klikatats frequent the fishery there, it would be desirable to comprehend them with the latter.

It would be interesting to give a reliable comparison of the Indian population at the different periods since their intercourse with the whites; but the data from which this could be drawn me too uncertain to furnish satisfactory conclusions. Messrs. Lewis and Clark give the earliest information respecting them.

Their journey, however, permitted only very loose conjectures on the subject, and their division of the tribes is with difficulty to be recognised at present. The following, however, appears to be the arrangement, and it is so far intelligible as to render it certain that their locations have not materially changed within that time.

Lewis and Clark's Estimate - 1806 and 1807,

Captain Wilkes' Estimate - 1841.

The above furnishes a very incorrect statement even of the tribes that are given, and some of the most important are omitted altogether, No conclusion can be drawn from it whatever. A more general one is contained in Captain Wilkes's pamphlet on Western America, as follows:

Which is also much less than the actual number at that time. Yet more incorrect is the estimate of Lieutenants Warre and Vavasour, R. N., published in Martin's "Hudson's Bay Territories, &c.," in 1849, though, as regards this part of the Territory, it is not so bad as the rest:

Estimate of Lieutenants Warre and Vavasour.

Dr. Dart's Estimate - 1861.

* The Pisquouse and Kootenaies are omitted, and the band of Upper Chinooks, at the Dalles, included with the WallahWallahs.

Estimate of 1853

NOTE - Of which it is proposed that the Nez Perces, Cayuse, Wallah-Wallahs and Dalles Indians remain under the Oregon superintendency.

As the relations of the Hudson's Bay Company to the Indian tribes, as well as to the citizens of the Territory, is a matter of some importance, a statement of their establishments is herewith submitted.

The principal is Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia river, which is the parent establishment whence the others are supplied with goods. The post is enclosed by a stockade of two hundred by one hundred and seventy-five yards, twelve feet in height, and is defended by bastions on the northwest and southeast angles mounted with cannon. Within are the governor's house, two smaller buildings used by clerks, a range of dwellings for families, and five large two-story warehouses, besides offices. Without, there is another large storehouse, at present hired by the United States. These are all built of square logs framed together. At some little distance there is also a village of fifty or sixty cabins, occupied by servants, Kanakas, and Indians, and a salmon-house on the bank of the river. The buildings are old and considerably decayed, only the repairs necessary to keep them in tenantable order having of late years been expended. There are at present two chief factors at this post, Messrs. Peter Skene Ogden and Donald MacTavish, with a considerable number of clerks and other employes.

The company's land claim at Fort Vancouver embraces several tracts: first, the plain on which the fort and United States barracks are situated, with a small one behind it, making together a tract of about four miles square. About one thousand acres are enclosed or under cultivation; attached to which there are sheds, stabling, and a small dwelling for a farmer. Adjoining this, to the eastward, is another tract, known as the Mill claim, two and a half by three quarter miles square, on which is a saw-mill having tolerable water-power, but subject to stoppage during freshets. Besides the above, they claim two other small prairies behind the first mentioned, which are respectively a half and one mile square.

The business at this post has changed with the condition of the country since the treaty, and is now almost entirely mercantile and carried on with the settlers. American Oregon never was, strictly speaking, a fur country, and the fall in the value of beaver has annihilated what trade it once afforded. Comparatively a small amount of Indian goods are now imported, that description of merchandise being sent to the posts in their own territory by way of Victoria. What trade with Indians is carried on here is the ordinary retail trade of country stores, and for cash. The amount of their general business may be gathered from their imports during 1863. These consisted of one cargo of assorted American goods from New York, and another valued at about e19,000 from London, paying duties to the amount of nearly $24,000. A considerable portion of these were sold on commission at Portland, Oregon City, and other places in the Willamette valley.

The next post above Vancouver is Fort Wallah-Wallah, on the Columbia river, below the entrance of the Snake. There are here three or four one-story adobe buildings, with offices, enclosed by a wall of the same material some thirty-five yards on each side, having a bastion at one angle. It is almost utterly valueless except as a station where horses can be kept for the trains. There is, indeed, some trade with the neighboring Indians, chiefly in cash, but not enough to warrant its maintenance, except for the above purpose. The fort is in very indifferent repair, and the country in the immediate neighborhood a desert of drifting sand. Some eighteen or twenty miles up the Wallah-Wallah river is a so-called farm, on which are two small buildings, a dwelling-house, and dairy. There was formerly a dam for irrigation, but it is broken down. They have here some twenty acres cultivated in different spots; the principal object is grazing. The force here consists of Mr. Pambrun, chief clerk, one interpreter, two traders, and six men, Canadians and Indians.

Fort Colville, upon the Columbia, above Kettle falls, is next in importance to Vancouver, though far inferior to it in extent. It is situated on the second terrace, at some distance back from the river, the lower one being flooded in part during the freshets. The buildings consist of a dwelling, three or four store-houses, and some smaller ones used as a blacksmith's shop, &c.; all of one story, and built of square logs. The whole was once surrounded by a stockade, forming a square of about seventy yards on each side. This had been removed, except on the north, where it encloses a narrow yard containing offices. One bastion remains. About thirty yards in the rear of this square are the cattle-yard, hay-sheds, &c., enclosing a space of forty by sixty yards, roughly fenced in, and the sheds covered with bark. On the left of the front are seven huts, occupied by the lower employes of the company; they are of rude construction and much decayed. On the right of the square, in the rear, at a distance of a few hundred yards, are three more buildings, used for storing produce.

Besides the principal establishment, there is a cattle-post, about nine miles distant, on the stream laid down as the Slawntehus, and a grist-mill of one pair of stones, three miles off, on the same stream. The latter is said to be in pretty good order, and the water to serve all the year round. Here, formerly, the flour for the northern posts was ground from wheat raised on the company's farm. This farm was once pretty extensive, but only a small portion is cultivated at present.

Fort Colville was once the post of a chief factor, the highest officer in charge of a station, and here the annual accounts of the whole country were consolidated previous to transmission across the mountains. The present force consists only of Mr. McDonald, chief clerk, a trader, and about twenty Canadians and Iroquois Indians. In former years goods were sent through this post for those north of the line, but this route is now abandoned. The amount of furs collected here is not large, and comes chiefly from the upper Columbia. They are principally bear, beaver, muskrat, marten, and fox skins. The beaver is not considered to be worth in London more than its cost when laid down there.

About fifteen Canadians are settled on claims in this neighborhood, chiefly on the Slawntehus. They are former servants of the company whose time has expired, and who intend to be naturalized.

Below Fort Colville is Fort Okinakane, situated on a level plain on the right bank of the Columbia, a little above the mouth of the Okinakane river, and not far from the site of one of Mr. Astor's posts. The fort consists of three small houses, enclosed with a stockade. There were formerly some outbuildings, but they have been suffered to decay. There is no appearance of business here, and no goods on hand. One trader, a Canadian, was the only white man on the ground when we visited it. A few furs only are taken, and the post probably does not pay its expenses. It was once of consequence as a. stopping place for the bateaux passage to and from Fort Colville, but is now kept up apparently for form's sake. We learned that the price of such furs as were taken here was, for a black fox-skin, a quarter of a yard of red cloth, or a red cocktail plume; for marten or red fox, ten charges of powder and ball; for beaver, otter, or bear skins, thirty charges.

Fort Kontamie, upon the great bend of the Flatbow river, and not far from the Flathead lake, is an inferior post, in charge of a Canadian as trader and postmaster, with one Canadian and a half-breed under him.

The above constitutes all the posts situated in the country east of the Cascades and north of 46O. It may be worth while to include the rest of those in American territory.

There are in Oregon and east of the mountains only two - Fort Hall, on the head of the Snake river; and Fort Boisee upon the same, nearly opposite the mouth of the Owy-hee. The latter is merely a stopping place, occupied by a trader and a few Kanakas. The former is a more important one, from its opportunities for trade with the emigrants and with the Salt lake. Of the present condition of this I am not informed; but it is only a third-rate post.

West of the Cascades, in Oregon Territory, the principal is Fort Umpqua, on the Umpqua river. This was destroyed by fire two or three years since; but to what extent, since rebuilt, I do not know. The rest consist of a house and granary at Champoes, on the Willamette; one acre of ground below the falls of Oregon City, purchased from an American, a farmer; 640 acres on Souvies's island, at the mouth of the Willamette; with a house, dairy, and garden - the building about six years old. The old buildings at Astoria are of no value whatever.

In Washington Territory, west of the Cascades, there are, first, and the only one of importance, Fort Nisqually, on the lands of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. It is situated at some distance from the water, on a high, undulating prairie, and is a cluster of small buildings, of no great value, within a stockade. The trade here is principally with the settlers. Besides this, there is a granary and about five acres of land two miles above the mouth of the Cowlitz river; a tract of land on Cape Disappointment, occupied by an old servant, and a small store and lot of ground at Chinook.

With the exception of Fort Vancouver, it is believed that none of these posts are worth maintaining for any other purpose than that of holding the property till a sale can be effected. The condition of the whole country is completely changed since they were established, and the company are now little else than general merchants. At all points of present importance they meet with the usual competition from our citizens; and whenever it will repay the enterprise, the same competition will follow them elsewhere. The relations of the company to the Indians are necessarily far less intimate than they have been, though not less friendly; but even the more distant tribes now frequent the towns, attracted partly by novelty, and partly by the opportunities afforded for earning money by labor. Most of them comprehend fully that the sceptre has departed from Judah, and that our own people possess the country.

The familiarity of the company's officers with the Indians and their usages, of course gives them a certain influence; but there is no evidence that this has been used unfairly, or that since the conclusion of the treaty they have ever endeavored to prejudice them against our government. So far as regards their course previous to that time, it was clear enough. As traders, they endeavored to secure to themselves every advantage of trade; as British subjects, they upheld and stood by their country while it stood by them; but in every matter between a white man and an Indian, they sustained the white, of whatever nation. The conduct of Dr. John McLoughlin and of Mr. Peter Skene Ogden, on more than one trying occasion, was worthy of all praise. It was the former who, on the destruction by the Umpqua Indians of the train under the command of Jedediah Smith, an American and a rival fur-trader, sent against the aggressors an armed party, and restored to him, without charge, his recaptured goods; it was the latter who, upon hearing of the Whitman massacre, instantly set out himself for the Cayuse country anti purchased the liberty of the surviving women and children. For the expenditure on this occasion, it may be mentioned, the company have never requested or received payment. Their hospitality and kindness to the early settlers drew upon them censure from home; while, in this country, those who have received most at their hands have been most bitter in their abuse.

The white servants of the company, as their time expires, settle here and become naturalized. Some of the officers, also, are already citizens, and others will follow their example. Very few will ever leave the country.

In respect to the impression which it is supposed may be created by purchasing goods from them for Indian service, it may be remarked, that any danger or misconception of this point has passed away. Very few goods have, in fact, ever been purchased from the company by government officers for this purpose, and the reason, on those occasions, has been simply because they alone had supplies of suitable kind.

The missions also require notice in connexion with Indian relations.

The Presbyterians formerly had stations among the Cayuse at Waiatpu, on the, Wallah-Wallah river, under the superintendence of Dr. Whitman; among the Spokanes at Chemakane, upon a branch of the Spokane river, under Messrs. Walker and Eels; among the Nez Perces at Lapwai, near the mouth of the Kooskooskia, under Mr. Spalding; and at Kaima, on its headwaters, under Mr. Smith. The last was maintained but a short time, and all of them have been abandoned since Dr. Whitman's murder. The Methodists also once had a mission at the Dalles.

The only missions now among the eastern tribes are those of the Jesuits and Oblats. There are, of the former, two priests at Fort Colville, two among the Pend d'Oreilles and two among the Coeur d'Alenes. Of the latter, there is one at Wailatpu, and two on the Yakima. The mission of St. Mary's, among the Flatheads, was given up in 1851, on account of the Blackfeet incursions. The Yakima mission is not fixed, but transitory, having two regular stations, one occupied in winter, the other in the summer.

Concerning the influence of the existing missions, there can be no doubt that it is, to a certain extent, beneficial in preserving peace among the tribes? as well as in settling private quarrels. Beyond a very small number, however, their control over individuals is limited. They have, unquestionably, inculcated principles of honesty and morality, which in some cases perhaps have taken root, but have essentially failed in accomplishing any great and lasting improvement. Many of the Indians have adopted certain forms of Christianity, such as the sign of the cross, the repetition of short prayers, or singing of canticles ; but I have failed to notice that this has always been a proof of trustworthiness. For the rest, it is evident that the objects of these gentlemen are inconsistent with the settlement of the country, or the establishment of fixed agencies. It is not intended to be represented that they have used reprehensible means; but in the knowledge that their influence must infallibly be shaken whenever contact with the whites becomes general, it is not to he doubted that they have discouraged it.

In this connexion it may be remarked, that under no consideration should agencies be conferred on priests or clergymen of any denomination, as the desire to propagate their own peculiar tenets cannot fail to embarrass their official relations. The distinction is already drawn among the Indians between the " American" and French religions, and, as in the case of the Coeur d'Alenes and Spokanes, has already created ill feelings. Any appointments of clerical officers will necessarily be regarded as an endorsement of their peculiar doctrines; whereas all idea of a connexion of religion and government should be discountenanced.

It is a fortunate circumstance that there has as yet been little or no negotiation with the Indians of the Territory, and that their official relations with the government have been but few, and those confined to tribes on the Columbia river. The, evils arising from the want of a settled and consistent policy, from constant changes of agents, and from the rejection of treaties entered into with them, have not arisen here. The field is new, and it is highly desirable, both for the sake of the whites and the Indians, that it should be entered upon with judgment.

To remove the Indians altogether into any one district is impracticable, for the western verge has been reached. To throw the fishing tribes of the coast back upon the, interior, even were the measure possible, would destroy them; nor is there any suitable region east of the Cascades where all of the tribes now living there could be concentrated and find food. They must, therefore, remain as they are, adopting such a plan only as will remedy, so far as may be, the inconvenience of the contact.

The great primary source of evil in Oregon and the western part of this Territory is the donation act, in which, contrary to established usage and to natural right, the United States assumed to grant, absolutely, the land of the Indians without previous purchase from them. It followed, as a necessary consequence, that as settlers poured in, the Indians were unceremoniously thrust from their homes and driven forth to shift for themselves. No provision was made to support them after their former means were taken away; and finally the treaties negotiated by authorized agents of the government, in which some small patches of their own territories were secured to them, were either rejected or passed over in silence. A consequence of this has been that a natural distrust has sprung up in their minds as to the good faith of the government or its agents in making treaties at all. The policy has indeed one merit, that of economy. Bur a few years will elapse before a universal escheat will preclude the necessity of any purchase.

Excepting a few persons south of the Columbia and Snake rivers, and the Hudson's Bay Company's forts, there tire few or no white settlers within the limits of Washington Territory east of the Cascades. so far, therefore, as the tribes inhabiting that country are concerned, no difficulty has as yet sprung up. It is entirely in the power of the government to obviate its future occurrence.

But in order to avoid the rejection of future treaties, a course almost impossible to explain satisfactorily, and which is rendered still more unfortunate by the length of lime required to amend or renew them, it is necessary to procure in advance from Congress some expression of its views on the subject. This is in fact requisite under any circumstances, because the law gives no power to the superintendent to make even provisional reserves, and lands set aside for Indian use may be taken up without remedy before a satisfaction can be procured. In fact, they are very likely to be so, with a view to speculation out of the government.

It is not believed that extensive reserves would be desirable for these tribes. The nature of their country and their own habits make the case entirely different from those of the prairie Indians. Although some, of them cross the mountains in search of buffalo, they are not generally hunters; nor is their country any longer a game country. They require the liberty of motion for the purpose of seeking, in their proper season, roots, berries, and fish, where those articles can be found, and of grazing their horses and cattle at large; but they do not need the exclusive use of any considerable districts. A large portion of their territory will, in all human probability, never be occupied by white men; and so far nature has provided reserves. What is necessary for them, and just in itself, is, that small tracts of good land should be set apart as permanent abodes, where they may raise their vegetables and bury their dead, secure that they will not be driven off at the pleasure of the first comer.

This is especially so, because their main resource during a portion of the year is speedily destroyed in the neighborhood of settlements. A drove of hogs belonging to one white man will consume the winter provision of a tribe of Indians. In like manner, the use of their customary fisheries, and free pasturage for their stock on unenclosed lands, should be secured.

The subject of the right of fishery, in its present position, is believed to be one concerning which difficulties may arise. It is certain that the intention of Congress never was that the Indians should be excluded from them; but as no condition to this effect was inserted in the donation act, the question has been started whether persons taking claims, including such fisheries, do not possess the right of monopolizing them. It is, therefore, proper that this also should be set at rest by law.

A tract of a mile square would, it is believed, be sufficient for each of the before-mentioned tribes, or, where deemed more convenient, four quarter-sections at different points. This amount, however, should not include the land required for agencies; and authority ought to be given to the superintendent to set aside for this purpose not exceeding another square mile, (to be in one body,) in the territory of each tribe, which shall be exempted from individual claim. It is not supposed that it will be requisite to occupy them all at once; but, in anticipation of the future settlement of the country, it is desirable to secure suitable positions, that the United States may not be compelled to buy back what is required for public uses.

No conventional arrangements, strictly so speaking, are known which need action on the part of the government; but the assurance has everywhere been given by the whites, settling among the Indian tribes, that Congress would compensate them for the lands taken. Those among whom establishments have been made for any length of time, finding themselves crowded out of their houses, and fast dwindling away, ask often when this promise will be fulfilled, for they have but a little time left to employ it, and they leave no children behind. Distrust thus attaches to the country, and the advance of settlement into new districts is looked upon with suspicion.

As regards treaties for the purchase of their lands and other purposes, it would be most advantageous simply to acquire the right of settlement at pleasure in their territory, except upon the tracts reserved for their own use, leaving the remainder as lands common to both. Payment should-be made to them in goods, for although most of them understand the value of money perfectly, the former mode is preferable, as it does not furnish an inducement to go into the tons, and as it confers a greater benefit at less cost. The merchandise should consist chiefly of blankets, coarse warm clothing, agricultural tools, &c., with as few of what is termed ''Indian goods" as possible. In respect to presents, the indiscriminate distribution of considerable amounts is to be avoided as useless if not injurious. Small presents are proper on the occasional visits of chiefs to the agencies, but these should be discouraged when not on business.

In negotiating treaties, as the distance from the settlements to the residences of the different tribes is very considerable, and the cost of transporting merchandise for presents to the interior would be enormous, it is recommended that none whatever be given, with the exception of a little tobacco for the council smoke, and on the conclusion of the treaty a beef-ox or two to each tribe. If the reason is explained to them, as they will of course know what to expect when the treaty is ratified, they will be perfectly contented. Should the suggestions elsewhere made be adopted, arrangements may be in progress before the first distribution, which will much reduce the cost of delivering the annuities. The estimates in other respects have been made for a small party of officers and their necessary attendants. No troops are required, and every additional person only adds to the expense and prevents celerity of movement.

As nearly two years must elapse after the conclusion of a treaty before a ratification can take place, an appropriation be made, the goods purchased, forwarded, and transported to the place of distribution in the usual course, it is recommended that an appropriation for the first payment be made in advance, that the goods may be on hand as soon as the ratification takes place. Goods for the eastern part of the Territory should be shipped to Portland or Fort Vancouver; those for the western, to Puget sound. But most of the necessary articles can now to better advantage be purchased in San Francisco than imported from the States, and it is recommended that this course be pursued.

In every treaty concluded with these tribes, it should expressly be stipulated that for offences committed against the persons or property of the whites, the chiefs in the first instance shall be held responsible for the delivery of the offender and the restoration of the goods, and that, further, the amount of all damages shall be deducted from the annuity of the tribe. The chief should receive some compensation for his responsibility, and be assured of the support of the government in maintaining his authority.

With proper judgment and care, no difficulty is to be apprehended in managing the relations with any of the tribes east of the Cascade mountains. They are none of them disposed to hostilities against the whites, and the most that is to be feared is an occasional theft. Parties of two or three might traverse the whole country without annoyance. Neither are they at variance with one another, but pass fearlessly 6úom tribe to tribe. Petty jealousies of course exist, as they do between band and band in the same tribe; but there is no serious dissension, calculated to lead to warfare among themselves. Policy requires that some military force should be maintained in the neighborhood of the great emigrant trails, and perhaps hereafter a post may be required on the main Columbia, at or near Fort Colville; but for this there is no present necessity. Whatever force is employed should, however, be cavalry, and during the summer should be kept constantly in motion.

One principle of policy, in particular, should be observed--the union of small bands under a single head. The maxim of divide and conquer does not apply among these people They are never so disposed to mischief as when scattered and beyond control; whereas it is always in the power of the government to secure the influence of chiefs, and through them to manage their people. Those who at present bear the name have not influence enough, and no proper opportunity should be spared of encouraging and supporting them in its extension. This policy, long pursued by the Hudson's Bay Company, was one secret of their former great influence.

It has been mentioned that a portion of the Wallah-Wallahs, together with the Nez Perces and the Cayuses, live upon the borders of the two Territories, and partly in each.

In relation to this state of' things, it will be perceived that some arrangements must be made between the two superintendencies, to prevent clashing in their government. The WallahWallahs proper, and the other bands south of the Columbia and Snake rivers under the Yellow Serpent, may very well be separated from the Yakimas, as they already in fact, and together with the other two tribes, remain under the jurisdiction of Oregon. The three are intimately connected with one another. The Wallah-Wallahs and Nez Perces speak dialects of a common language, and the Cayuses have abandoned their own for that of the latter. They have greatly intermarried, their countries adjoin, and their separation would be almost as impossible as the division of the tribe itself. Their relations with the Oregon agency and people have, moreover, been of long standing, and will remain more intimate than with those of this Territory. Except the Bannaks and the Snakes, they form the only tribes falling within the eastern division of Oregon.

Treaties should nevertheless be concluded with them at once on behalf of the citizens of both Territories, and in the mean time their subsequent jurisdiction be permanently fixed.

The most judicious, and at the same time the most economical, mode of organizing the department, would probably be to divide the Territory into two districts, one on each side of the mountains, in both of which there should be a full agent. It should be his duty to visit in person, at least once in each year, every tribe in his district, pay the annuities, supervise the farmers or laborers employed to assist the Indians, and generally to act as the deputy of the superintendent. The agent should be authorized to employ an assistant or clerk, who should live with him, and during his absence on tours of inspection, manage the business of the office. When it is recollected that the Territory embraces eleven degrees of longitude by six in latitude, it will be obvious that the superintendent, especially when his duties are united with those of the executive, can not give his personal attention to distant tribes, and that the most responsible duties must necessarily be discharged by subordinates. Their pay and position should be such as to secure men thoroughly qualified, both by character, ability, and familiarity with the Indians. The pay of a sub-agent, barely equal to the lowest wages of common labor, cannot be expected to secure the efficient service of any man in such a situation, much less of a competent one. As the agent himself cannot personally supervise all the different tribes in learning the use of their tools, the proper arrangement of their crops, building fences, &c., it is recommended, further, that the superintendent, under the sanction of the department, be authorized to allow the pay of a sub-agent to not more than one person for each principal tribe of Indians who shall settle among them, and under his direction, or that of the agent, assist in teaching them. Should this, however, not be deemed advisable, the agent should be allowed to hire for at least three months during each of the first two years after the ratification of the treaty, a person suitable for the task.

Their own cattle would, among the eastern tribes, suffice for their wants in breaking up their land, and doing the requisite hauling. In the western agency the work would require to be done chiefly by hand, as the wooded country of the coast does not afford sufficient range, and the Indians have but few horses, and no cattle. Another provision ought to be made for the protection of their fields in that district. Settlers taking up lands adjoining the reserved grounds should be compelled to do half the fencing necessary to exclude their hogs and other stock, the Indians, under the direction of the agent, doing the remainder. As it is, they are exposed to the loss of their little provision, and government will probably be called upon to remunerate them for the damage.

The location recommended for the eastern agency is the neighborhood of the old Chemakaine mission, which affords good land and timber, and is both central to the district and accessible to wagons from Wallah-Wallah or Fort Colville. For the western agency, some point on or near the southern end of Whidby's island would probably be the most convenient.

The Columbia river should be constituted a sub-agency, to have jurisdiction over the scattered bands of the Upper and Lower Chinooks, and those of the Klikatats who reside either in whole

or in part among them. The boundaries of this jurisdiction can be served by the superintendent, as it is advised that the Indians living within it be for the most part left to the operation of civil law; the duties of the sub-agent will not be more onerous than call be performed with the necessary attention to his other occupations, and no particular residence need be furnished or designated.

In the present condition of the Territory there is great confusion as to the applicability of the laws regulating intercourse with the Indian tribes. For certain purposes it is Indian country, while for others it assuredly is not, and in every respect it is desirable that Congress draw the line of distinction.

The difference between the eastern and western sections of the Territory may require some few differences in legislation. The western portion is as yet the only one where settlements have been made ; it is there that the bulk of the population will continue to be ; but very radical amendments are demanded in the other also. The following have suggested themselves:

Act of June 30, 1834. Section 2, prohibiting trade with the Indians without license, to be repealed, except, of course, in spirituous liquors, the introduction of which into the Territory east of the mountains may continue to be illegal. West of them, however, the law as against importation is nugatory, and should be repealed. The repeal of sections 3, 4, 6, and 6, will necessarily follow. In case of the settlement of the country by the whites, there will of course be merchants and traders, and the Indians should have the right to purchase where they can get the best and cheapest goods. This they will do in any event, and the section will continue to be a dead letter, even if not repealed.

Section 7 to be limited to clothing and goods of American or European manufacture. These Indians have few peltries, and look forward to the sale of stock, horses, and potatoes, as a benefit to be derived from the incoming of settlers.

Section 9 to be repealed, and, as a substitute, the marking of cattle, horses, mules, hogs, and other domestic animals, with conspicuous ear or other marks, to be required, which marks, as in the western States, to be recorded in the office of the clerk of the county; a penalty to be affixed to the effacing of marks, adopting a mark previously recorded, forging a mark, or falsely marking animals.

Section 20. It is proposed that in lieu of the penalty here affixed, the jury shall impose