In consequence of the measures which were taken last spring in relation to the Osage nations they were reduced in the course of a few months to a state of perfect submission without bloodshed; this has in my opinion very fairly proven the superiority which the policy of withholding merchandize from the Indians has over the chastizement of the swoard, when their local situations are such as will enable us to practice it.—In this state of humiliation Genl. Clark found them in september last when he established the post near the Fire Prarie; he very properly seized this favourable moment, to enter into a treaty with them, which he effected on the 14th. of September; No. 1. is the treaty alluded to; it is signed by the principal chief of the great Osages and the principal chief of the little Osages, altho’ the body of the nation and a majority of the chiefs were not present at this conference yet there was every reason to believe that they would approve of the treaty when made known to them; in this however we were disappointed.—

Genl. Clark returned to St. Louis on the 22nd. of September and brought with him two of the chiefs who had signed the treaty. a few days previous to the arrival of Genl. Clark, a party of seventy four Osages (among whom were some of their principal chiefs) had also arrived at this place with a number of horses which they had stolen from the inhabitants of the territory and which were now delivered in conformity to a demand which I had made of them for that purpose. On the 25th. I was informed by Mr. P. Chouteau, Agt. of the Osages, that the Indians complained of having been decieved with rispect to the stipulations of the treaty entered into with Genl. Clark, and that they had intended to convey to us by that instrument, no more than the privilege of hunting in that tract of country which had been marked out and absolutely relinquished on their part by the treaty. immediately on receiving this information, I had a conversation with Genl. Clark on the subject; the Genl. assured me that special care had been taken to explain every part of the treaty to them in the most ample manner; that it had been read and interpreted to them two several days previous to their signing it, and that they appeared to give their assent to it with cheerfullness. on the evening of the same day, I convened the Indians and had the treaty read and explained to them; the chiefs who had signed it, protested against it on the grounds that it had not been previously interpreted to them correctly, and that they had no intention when they signed it of conveying any lands to the U’States; the chiefs who were not present when this treaty had been entered into, declared that the White-hair and the chiefs who had signed it had no right to dispose of their lands without the general consent of the nation being first obtained in council among themselves, and positively refused to sign it or give it their further sanction.—I am fully presuaded that the Indians were on this occasion urged to make their objections by some person or persons in this place, but not having been enabled to collect any evidence of the fact, I shall avoid at present mentioning those on whom my suspicion rests. I well know that Genl. Clark would not have decieved the Indians intentionally, and so fully am I impressed with the belief that Paul Louis, who was the interpreter on that occasion, had interpreted the treaty faithfully, that I have not thought proper to dismiss him, which I should have done could I for a moment bilieve that he had acted otherwise.—

I saw that the treaty thus disavowed, from whatever cause such disavowal had proceeded, was not likely to ensure the advantages contemplated by it, and therefore deemed it expedient to pursue such measures as I concieved best calculated to obtain the general sanction of the Osage nations to the relinquishment of a country, the possession of which was so highly desireable in many points of view to the U’States. I therefore drew the treaty inclosed (No. 2.) and dispatched Mr. Peter Chouteau with it to the post at the Fire Prairie, with instructions to convene the Great and little Osage nations and obtain from them as general an assent to it as possible. Nos. 3 & 4 are copies of the commission and instructions given Mr. Chouteau on that occasion. You will observe that they are special and that his powers were limited to the mere act of obtaining the confirmation of the written treaty of which he was the bearer. I took this course in order to prevent any interpolation of the treaty, which I had some reason to apprehend might take place if his powers were not limited, and which when introduced might possibly defeat it’s confirmation by the Senate of the U’States.—

The treaty as prepared by me, without any addition, has been duly executed and confirmed by all the Chiefs and principal warriors of the great and little Osage nations, except the band on the Arkansas with whom we are not yet in a state of amity. The Indians appear perfectly satisfyed with this treaty; and I hope it is such as will meet your approbation. it extinguishes their title to a country nearly equal in extent to the state of Virginia and much more fertile; the limits are the same as those contemplated by the former treaty.

In the course of this transaction certain occurrences have taken place which I think it my duty to mention, together with the causes which have most probably produced them.—

Mr. Peter Chouteau claims thirty thousand arpents of land on the South side of the Missouri, embracing the entrance of the mine river; it is extremely fertile, and includes several of the most valuable salt springs in this country. the evidences of his claim he has never shewn me, tho’ he informed me at the time I was engaged in draughting the treaty, that the Osage had granted him that tract of country many years since, that it had been likewise sanctioned by the Spanish government and requested me to introduce an article in the treaty further to secure his title; this request I positively rejected, informing him that I did not concieve it a proper subject to be introduced in the treaty, and that his claim ought in common with all others in the country, to rest on it’s own merits, declairing at the same time, my belief if it had merit, or was founded in equity, that it would be confirmed. I further observed to Mr. Chouteau that as this land lay within the bounds contemplated by the treaty was sanctioned by the Indians it would then be in the power of the government to place him in possession of the land, which could not take place, (however favourably they might be disposed to think of his claim), untill the Indian title was first extinguished. Nowell Mograin, a half breed Osage, and an Interpreter now employed for that nation, has also a claim on the little saline Creek a branch of the Osage river, in a similar situation with that of Mr. Chouteau. how far a view to the further confirmation of these claims on the part of the claimants might have operated in causing the Indians to reject the first treaty, I am unwilling to determine, as I can obtain no conclusive evidence that either of them indeavoured to influence the Indians on that subject. it is possible that the Indians may have been induced to this measure from the reasons they have alleged, or with a further view to obtain an additional compensation for the lands they were about to relinquish; be this as it may, the doubts and suspicions which overshadowed these transactions conspired to create such sentiments in the minds of Genl. Clark and Mr. Chouteau towards each other as rendered my course, in order to accomplish a treaty with the Osage, extreemly difficult and embarrassing, however that object has been happily accomplished, but there still exists between those gentlemen a want of cordiality and confidence which I fear may hereafter produce some irregularity in the Indian department if not timely guarded against. I shall be obliged to leave the territory shortly for Washington & Philadelphia; Mr. Bates has very earnestly requested of me not to impose on him any duties in the Indian department during my absence, alleging that he is wholy unacquainted with them. the appointments of Mr. Chouteau and Genl. Clark as they at present stand are entirely distinct from each other, neither having the power of controling the other. in this situation should they not happen to harmonize perfectly in my absence I fear that the result would not prove favourable to the views of the government in relation to the Indians in this quarter, particularly as Mr. Bates is so extreemly unwilling to exercise the authority of superintendent. I must from these considerations beg leave to recommend that Genl. Clark should be invested with some general power of control over all the Agents and Sub Agents in the territory. I recommend this measure with no view to the disparagement of Mr. Chouteau, but from a full conviction that Genl. Clark is more competent to the discharge of those duties. I am also far from thinking that it would comport with the public interests to dismis Mr. Chouteau from his present employment as he is still usefull in my opinion as the agent of the Osage nation and ought to be continued as such.—

No. 5, is a copy of the speeches delivered by some of the Chiefs of the great and little Osage at the time they signed the last treaty. You will observe in one of the speeches of the White-hair, that he mentions the tracts of land which the nation had given to Peter Chouteau and Nowell Mograin, and makes a reservation of these lands in the country ceeded by the treaty to the United States. I do not consider these reservations as at all binding on us, there being no such provision in the treaty; in short it is in direct opposition to the 10th. article of that instrument; but even should it be considered obligatory it can amount to no more than that the Osage have not relinquished their tittle to those lands and consequently that the right to them is still vested in the nation. I am confident that if the United States should never confirm those lands to the present claimants that it will not prove a source of any disquiet on the part of the Osages; on the othe hand, should these claims be countenanced or recieve confirmation on the grounds of their being indian donations, it would be introducing a policy of the most ruinous tendency to the interests of the United States. such policy would be in effect, the government corrupting it’s own agents, for I will venture to assert that if the Indians are permited to bestow lands on such individuals as they may think proper, that the meanest interpreter in our employment will soon acquire a princely fortune at the expence of the U’States.

I have the honor to be with the most sincere esteem Your Obt. Servt.