other pursuits and excitements than those of war. All obstrnc tions to its frecdom, thercfore, only operate ijuriously The Indians wOuld soon ose their nomadic character, and forget the relations of tribes. And this, while it would aroid the crucl necessity of oar present policy-to wit, extine- tion would make the an element in the population, aud sharer in the prosperity of the country." Ie says of the "system of removals, and congregating tribes in snall parcels of territory," that it has "eventuated injuriously have been subjected to it. It is the legalized murder of a whole nation on those who It is expensive, vicious, and inhuman, and producing these consequenees, and these alone. The eustom, being jadged by its fruits, should not be persisted in."

It is in the face of snch statements, such protests as thesc, tat the United States Government has gone steadily on with its policy, so ealled, in regard to the treatment of the Indian

In 1854 the report from the Upper Missouri region is still of peace and fidelity in tlie Fort Laramie trealy. der, robbery, them, either on the neiglhboring tribes parties to the treaty or on whites. This is the more remarkable, as before tlhe treaty on the part of all the Indians who joined "Not a single instance of mur- or other depredation has been committed by thoy at war, pillaging whoever they met, and annoy ing their own traders in thcir own forts." wcrc foremost in the van of thieves and robbers-always

In the summer of this ycar the Cheyennes began to be dis- satisfied and impertinent band at Fort Laramie, one of the chiefs demanded that the At a gathering of the northera iravel orer the Platte road should be stopped. He also, if the interpreter was to be relicd on, said that next year the Govern ment must scnd them out one thousand white women for wives. The Sonthern Cheoycnnos had given up to their agent some Mexican prisoncrs whom they had taken in the spring, and this act, it was supposed, had scemed to the northern band