Highland University, Kansas, to be educated there from the provisions of a donation fund. Samuel Irvin, Principal of that Institution, gives a very satisfactory account of this pupil's conduct and progress.

The Agent furnishes these additional evidences of progress:

"Three Iowa Indian families have carpeted floors in their dwelling houses."

"Five Iowa Indian families own and use sewing machines."

"Every Iowa Indian family having the means of cultivating it, has a fenced field or farm."

"Five Iowa Indians have farms containing from fifty acres to one hundred and sixty acres each."

"Iowa Indians have fenced in two hundred acres of land during the past year."

"Iowa Indians have planted this year eleven hundred and sixty fruit trees, and two hundred and sixty grape vines. During a previous year they planted four hundred and forty trees and forty grape vines. These trees were purchased from profits of the trading post donated to the Indians."

Our Special Agent also reports having visited several of the fruit orchards mentioned, and found them cultivated, protected by fences, and in a very thrifty growing condition.

Kirwin Murray, Interpreter for the Iowas, deserves much credit for the example he has set them, by the construction at his own expense, of a barn much in advance of usual Indian architecture, it having stables in the side-hill basement, with granaries on the floor above. Special Agent adds :

"In my opinion, it will be a great misfortune to the nation and to the Indians concerned, if that policy should be abandoned, and be superceded by a military or political administration of Indian affairs. It is high time that the Iowas and Sac and Foxes, but especially the former tribe, should have eighty acres of land allotted in severalty to each adult member and family of orphans in the tribe, in such divisions as will correspond with the systems of surveys adopted by the Land Department of the United States."

"The Iowas, although self-supporting during favorable agricultural years, are not yet advanced to such a status of financial ability, to be capable, as citizens, of safely taking upon themselves the control of their reservation and trust funds. Some individuals in both of these tribes are idle and nomadic in their habits and character. Tribal visiting in large parties is detrimental to advancement and civilization, and should be discour aged alike by the Government and its Agents."

"What they now most need, is the enactment of a law with provisions similar to those contained in a Bill which the Executive Indian Committee of our Society framed and presented to Congress, which provided for Indians homesteading lands within the bounds of their present reservations, and acquiring a fee simple title thereto under the laws of the United States, with restrictions guarding their alienation of the same, for a limited period of time."

IOWA INDUSTRIAL HOME.

Eighty acres of cultivated land are attached to the Iowa Industrial Home, producing, principally by home labor, all of the wheat, corn, vegetables, pork, (and much of the quantity of other meats,) required for the subsistence of the Iowa Indian scholars who board there. The boys assist in farming, gardening, cutting and carrying wood, sweeping their rooms, and feeding the domestic animals. They have cultivated ten acres of ground in vegetables for the table of the home family, and have planted on the home farm forty apple trees, twenty peach and pear trees and twenty grape vines.

The girls daily assist in all cooking and household duties; have completed, with assistance, many of the washings, bakings, brewings necessary for the family; they knit stockings, cut and make wearing apparel and mend the clothes of the girls and boys. From a detailed list furnished us of articles which they themselves have manufactured, we find they aggregate sixty-three of the following named, viz:-Skirts, undergarments, aprons, shirts, dresses, towels, sheets, pantaloons and bolster slips-in addition to twenty-two pounds of carpet rags sewed; besides assisting in the manufacture of fifty-seven articles similar to above, in which were included twenty-one dresses and seven pairs of pantaloons.

Number of full blood Indians (male and female) who wear citizen's dress: Iowas,

138; Sac and Fox, 69; total, 207.

No Indians were killed during the year, nor were any white persons killed by these Indians; neither were there any Indians needing punishment during the year. During the year Iowa Indians cultivated 750 acres.

66

66 Sac and Fox "

Three hundred and twenty-three acres of this latter amount, were cultivated by a white man, married to a Sac and Fox woman, and admitted to membership.

In a letter received from Agent Kent, dated 1mo. 20, 1879, we were informed that the Iowa Home Buildings had been destroyed by fire, and that he had telegraphed to the Department at Washington on the subject of rebuilding the same. Our Executive Committee reported having requested B. Rush Roberts, Secretary of the Seven Yearly Meetings, to confer with the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in relation to the subject, and take such action as may be necessary and report to us. Information has since been received from the Department that the funds for re-building are on hand, accompanied with a request for plans and estimates of the cost.

From a letter from Agent M. B. Kent, bearing date 4mo. 24, 1879, we have the whole number given as 201. Births during the year just ended, 13; deaths, 9. As a rule there has been success in the farming operations, the crops with few exceptions having been well cultivated and harvested in good condition. Corn raised, 30,000 bushels; wheat, 880 bushels; barley, 338, and potatoes 500 bushels, besides a large quantity of other vegetables sufficient for a winter supply, and a surplus for seed. Some families are known to have sold potatoes and still have some for sale, but the amount cannot be stated.

Eight hundred tons of hay were made, which at the present writing is not all consumed, some are disposing of it at a good price. Fifty-five acres were sown with Fall wheat by six different Indians. Forty acres of Spring wheat and seven acres of oats, have also been sown by six different Indians.

The Iowas have 1600 acres under fence; the Sac and Fox, 500. The former have made during the year 1005 rods of fence, and the latter 2000. Seventy-five acres prairie have also been broken, three frame and two log houses built, and two frame additions, 16 x 16 feet, made during the year, one and one half stories high. For the frame houses the individual Indian has furnished from eighteen to twenty-five dollars, according to the house desired, beside doing all the hauling and assisting with the carpenter work.

In the Ninth month last, a fair was held for and by the Iowas, which, though not very pretentious, was suf ficient to show an interest would be taken in such an undertaking if properly managed. As it was, the schoolhouse was well filled with those interested, and the walls well decorated with patch-work and embroidered quilts, blankets, &c. A husk mat was also upon exhibition, bread, cakes, &c., made by the school girls, and a good display of tall corn, vegetables, &c. The only premium we were enabled to offer, was a certificate from the Agent which seemed to be appreciated.

Only six Sac and Fox Indian families live in frame or log Indian houses-the balance of the tribe are at present satisfied to dwell in tents, tepees or wick-i-ups. Three of these houses were built of material purchased