recieve from the Government

by way of annuities
They are poor and making very little advance-
ment in civilization, they have no school nor
missionary. Some of them live in poor log cabins,
others in wigwams; most of them keep cattle, horses
and hogs: nearly all of them drink whiskey and
spend much of thier time in idleness and dis-
sipation. They spend thier annuities soon
after recieving them for whiskey and articles of
no real value to them.

The manners, dress and general appearance of
these Indians do not materially differ from those
small tribes located near them; they wear the
blanket as the principal article of dress, and
hunt some on thier own lands and in the adjoin-
ing State of Missouri

: but do not go on the long
hunt to the west.

Our next visit was to the Wabash

Band, located
about twelve miles from the gun Smith's.

There are about six hundred of this Tribe,
comprizing about one third of the nation, and are
principally settled in one neighborhood. They are
completely under the control of the Catholics

,
and have three Jesuit Priests among them, who
are educating forty or fifty Indian children--
thier school is divided into two departments,
one for boys and the other for girls. The one
for girls is said to be doing some good; the oth-
er is in a languishing state.

This band are building comfortable log hou-
ses, and cultivating the land; keeping some cattle,
horses hogs &c, but thier location is said to be un-
healthy, and they are addicted to all the vices,
and immoral practices common to the Indians;
and are fast wasting away--thier numbers
have greatly diminished within the last few
years. The Prairie

band is interspersed
amongst the other two bands, and live much
after the same manner.

The whiskey sellers and other traders practice
the same impositions upon these Indians that
they do upon all the other Tribes within thier
reach.

Osage

Nation of Indians.

Understanding that these Indians were out on
their fall hunt, and that we should not have
an opportunity of seeing many of them; and
thier principal village being distant about
forty miles from the Pottawatomies

, we did not
visit them; but had an opportunity of seeing a
few of the Tribe, and from good authority gath-
ered the following account respecting them.

This Tribe is located about one hundred
miles south of the Shawnee

Nation, bordering on the
State of Missouri. They once were very numerous,
but at this time number only about Five Thou-
sand, and are fast diminishing in consequence of
thier roving and intemperate habits.

They are more like the wild Indians of
the Rocky Mountains

, than any other Tribe on the
frontier. They are great hunters of Buffalo, and
furs, and the fur traders depend more upon them
for Buffalo Robes and furs, than upon any other
Tribe of the south western frontier. This circum-
stance operates as one of the principal causes of thier
small advancement in civilization.

Much labour has been bestowed within Twenty
years, by the Presbyterian

Missionaries from New
York and Boston, to improve their condition; but
it was attended with little success; owing (as it
is said) to the prejudice of the Indians against
the Missionary, from the influence of the fur
traders. This influence remains to the present
day; and there appears to be no prospect of im-
provement among them, while this state of things
exists.

The traders discourage them from following ag-
ricultural pursuits, telling them they do not want
to buy corn or cattle; but buffalo skins and furs--
thus prompting them to keep up the chace.

They also advise them not to have Schools
or any religious instruction amongst them; hence
there are no schools or missionaries among
them at this time.

We were informed by apparent good
authority that the Indian Agents, combine with