By proclamation dated May 3, 1883 (No. 887), the offering of 98 townships, aggregating about 1,500,000 acres, in the Saint Cloud district, was authorized. August 20, 1883, was the day appointed for the sale to commence. DETROIT ARSENAL GROUNDS. Of the 153 lots embraced in the Detroit Arsenal grounds, 35 had been sold prior to 1880, leaving undisposed of 118 lots, appraised, with improvements, at $48,980. Nineteen lots have since been sold at the appraised price, leaving 99 lots yet to be sold, which are appraised with improvements at $41,355. The total amount received for the 54 lots sold is $20,602. DESERT LANDS. The number of entries made under the desert-land act of March 3, 1877, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883, is 1,254, embracing an area of 436,633.69 acres, which is an increase of 271,677.75 acres as compared with such entries made during the previous fiscal year. The entries were made in the different States and Territories as follows: California, 69 entries, embracing 23,511.10 acres; Idaho, 199 entries, 58,562.11 acres; Montana, 213 entries, 71,315.47 acres; Nevada, 2 entries, 120 acres; New Mexico, 129 entries, 33,781.67 acres; Oregon, 52 entries, 13,673.50 acres; Utah, 137 entries, 34,313.27 acres; Washington, 58 entries, 25,616.29 acres; Wyoming, 324 entries, 139,155.50 acres; Arizona, 71 entries, 36,584.78 acres. FORT HARKER MILITARY RESERVATION, KANSAS. During the last fiscal year five declaratory statements have been filed and six entries made within this reservation, covering 950.74 acres, and amounting to $3,217.97, making in all, thus far, 46 filings, 12 entries covering 1,910.74 acres, and $10,515.47 received, including the sale of buildings and improvements. FORT DODGE MILITARY RESERVATION, KANSAS. During the fiscal year eleven homestead entries, embracing 1,775.88 acres, were made for lands in the reservation outside of that portion of the Osage lands which fall within the boundary of the reservation. Eighteen homestead entries within the reservation, covering 2,737.80 acres, have been made, including an entry for land within the Osage lands. These entries were made under the act of December 15, 1880 (21 Stat., 311). No entries of the Osage lands alluded to are being allowed, the Department having by instructions dated April 13, 1882, directed a suspension of operations under said act so far as the same are concerned. FORT LARNED MILITARY RESERVATION, KANSAS. This reservation has been formally turned over to the Department of the Interior by the Secretary of War, in pursuance of the act of August 4, 1882 (22 Stat., 217), and surveyed, and found to contain 10,173.05 acres. Commissioners have been appointed, who were instructed, under date of July 3, 1883, to appraise the same and make due report of their proceedings, upon receipt of which and your approval thereof proper steps will be taken for the disposal of the lands as provided in the act. MIAMI INDIAN LANDS, KANSAS. Provision was made by the act of May 15, 1882 (22 Stat., 63), and the act amendatory thereof approved June 27, 1882 (22 Stat., 116), for the disposal of the Miami Indian lands, not sold under previous statutes. Under date of June 29, 1882, this office issued instructions to the district officers at Topeka in regard to applications for the lands by settlers contemplated by the act which were approved by the Department on June 30, 1882. Entries were made by 55 settlers within the time allowed, covering an area of 4,976.34 acres, the purchase-money paid thereon during the fiscal year amounting to $13,539.39. September 21, 1883, was the day fixed for offering for sale the lands remaining unsold to the settlers, as provided in the act. Instructions in regard to the sale were communicated to the district officers by letter of June 21, 1883, approved by the Department June 25, 1883. KICKAPOO INDIAN LANDS, KANSAS. The commissioners appointed to appraise these lands (1,134.66 acres) under the act of July 28, 1882, have submitted their report, with a schedule of the appraisals as made by them on the 20th, 21st, and 22d days of June, 1883, the appraisals varying from $6 to $18 per acre, amounting to the sum of $14,342.79, or an average of $12.64 per acre. Requests have been made in behalf of the settlers that the public sale contemplated by the act be postponed until late in the fall of this year, and that purchasers be allowed to make payment by installments. The act provides that these lands shall be appraised and sold to the highest bidder, &c., for cash, but in view of the fact that in most instances the amount of purchase-money will be considerable, and as nearly all other classes of Indian lands in Kansas are being disposed of on the installment plan of payment, and the said act contains no provision for disposal at private entry or otherwise of tracts not sold at the public offering, I have suggested to the Department that the matter of selling the lands be held in abeyance, and recommended that a suitable bill be drafted to embrace the provisions suggested and submitted to Congress at its coming session. SAC AND FOX INDIAN LANDS, KANSAS. Under instructions from this office to the district offices at Topeka of April 14 and June 9, 1883, approved by the honorable Secretary of the Interior, the agency buildings, situated on the south half of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 16, township 17 south, of range 17 east, which were formerly appraised at $1,627, under the treaty of February 18, 1867, proclaimed October 14, 1868, with the Sacs and Foxes of the Mississippi (15 Stat., 495), were reappraised and sold for $765.50. ABSENTEE SHAWNEE INDIAN LANDS, KANSAS. All of these lands have been appropriated; 120 acres remaining vacant were offered and sold by the Topeka officers on March 15, 1883, under the act of March 1, 1881. Topeka Offices. Offices. Offices. NEW YORK INDIAN LANDS, KANSAS. There still remain 9,335.87 acres of these lands unappropriated, and there is no existing law authorizing their disposal. Tabular statement showing the number of declaratory statements filed, entries made, acres entered; and where payment is made by installments, the number of receipts and certificates issued, and the amount of money received for the various classes of Indian lands in the State of Kansas, disposed of by special acts of Congress, as indicated, during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883. Osage ceded lands, act of August 11, Osage trust and diminished reserve lands, act 1876. of May 28, 1880. Topeka Independence.. 22 19 1, 831.73 Wichita Larned... 41, 122 71 Total 22 19 1,831. 73 59 941 208, 099 19 Entries. Area. Receipts. Certificates. Cherokee strip, act of Feb- 28 2,721 79 4, 291 1,531 224, 646. 22 2, 525 Total.. 533 59, 800. 09 59,800 09 116 112 Miami lands, sec. 1, act of July Acres. 116 59 59 9 13, 539 39 3 120.00 358 00 5 481.92 1,488 38 5 481.92 +$1,488 38 Amount. Tabular statement showing the number of declaratory statements filed, &c.—Continued. As provided by the act of August 15, 1876, a portion of this reservation, lying partly in Marshall County, Kansas, and partly in Gage County, Nebraska, and containing 119,846.17 acres, was opened to settlement and entry by actual settlers in tracts of not more than 160 acres to each purchaser. These lands were sold at the appraised value, but in no case at less than $2.50 per acre. The terms of payment were one-third of the purchase money to be paid at the date of entry, and the remainder in two equal annual installments, with interest at the rate of 6 per centum per annum. Prior to July 1, 1882, 117,911.50 acres had been entered, and during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883, 467.99 acres have been purchased, leaving an area of 1,466.68 acres still unsold. The act of March 3, 1881, provided for the sale of the remainder of this reservation, and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to offer the same for sale at not less than the appraised value, and not less than $2.50 per acre, in tracts not exceeding 160 acres, for cash, to actual settlers, or persons who shall make oath before the register or receiver that they intend to occupy the land for authority to purchase which they make application, and who shall, within three months from the date of such application, make a permanent settlement upon the same. Provision was made for payment by installments. From the numerous inquiries relative to the opening of this reservation to settlement and entry, it became evident that these lands were in great demand, and the Secretary of the Interior determined to offer the same at public sale to the highest bidder. The proper instructions and notices were issued, fixing the time for such sale on May 31, 1883, and the offering resulted in the disposal of the entire area (42,106.08 acres) at prices far above the appraised values. As under the terms of the above act purchasers were allowed three months from date of their bids within which to make settlement and payment of one-quarter of the purchase money, it remains to be seen whether many cases of default will occur. Receipts. Certificates. Amount. PAWNEE INDIAN RESERVATION. The lands embraced in this reservation, situated in the Grand Island land district in Nebraska, and aggregating 278,837.20 acres, were offered at public sale at Central City, Merrick County, Neb. The sale which commenced on July 15, and ended July 19, 1878, was conducted in accordance with official instructions dated February 5, 1878, issued under the act of April 10, 1876, and resulted in the disposal of 13,129.29 acres, leaving 265,707.91 acres undisposed of and subject to private cash entry at the appraised value, but in no case at less than $2.50 per acre. The term of sale as to payments were one-third of the purchase money to be paid at date of entry, and the remainder in two equal annual payments, with interest at the rate of 6 per centum per annum from date of sale. During the year ending June 30, 1879, there were sold 17,254.38 acres; for the year ending June 30, 1880, 36,653.43 acres; for the year ending June 30, 1881, 15,219.55 acres; for the year ending June 30, 1882, 112,982.80 acres; and for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1883, 73,157.68 acres; making a total of 255,267.84 acres disposed of at private sale, and leaving 10,440.07 acres yet subject to entry. OMAHA INDIAN RESERVATION. The appraisement of lands within the Omaha Indian reservation west of the line of the Sioux City and Nebraska Railroad, provided for by the act of August 7, 1882 (22 Stat., 341), is now being made, and it is expected that these lands will be opened to settlement and entry, as provided in said act, at an early date. UTE INDIAN RESERVATION, COLORADO. A statement as to the status of this reserve was made on pages 40 and 41 of my last Annual Report. As stated in said report, instructions were communicated to district land officers under date of August 4, 1882, in regard to the lands in the reserve declared subject to disposal by the act of July 28, 1882. These are the lands formerly occupied by the White River and Uncompahgre Utes. Filings and entries are being made for lands in this country under the laws applicable-the pre-emption, town-site, coal and mineral statutes. Not having been located in severalty, as provided in the act of June 15, 1880, the Southern Utes remain on their reserve in Colorado. Under the Ute agreement, ratified by this act, the Southern Utes were— To remove and settle upon the unoccupied agricultural lands on the La Plata River in Colorado; and if there should not be a sufficiency of such lands on the La Plata River and in its vicinity in Colorado, then upon such other unoccupied lands as may be found on the La Plata or in its vicinity in New Mexico. Surveys of lands for location of these Utes, in severalty, were extended over the valley of the La Plata, and east over the valleys of the Animas, Florida, Los Pinos, San Juan, and Piedre, and west in the valley of the Mancos. I learn upon inquiry in the Indian Bureau that it is not considered feasible to locate the entire band of Indians in these valleys (the locality mentioned in the act of June 15, 1880), because of insufficiency in the quantity of arable land therein for the purpose. The fact of such insufficiency was reported by Mr. Many penny, of the Ute Commission, who, accompanied by Agent Page, made a careful personal inspection of the lands designed for allotment. Measures for location of these |