RkPORT OF THE AGENT 

01' THI!.: 

Passan1ac1 uodcly 111diar1s, 

FOR THE YEAR 

1882. 

AUGUSTA: 

Sl'RA<Hrn & SOilf, PRINTERS TO TUE STATh:. 

' lg 83. 
REPORT. 

To the Honorable Governor and Oouncil of Maine: 

I would respectfully submit my Report as Agent for the 

Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indians, for the year ending N ovemher 30, 1882 : 

T.he appropriations made for the year by a resolve of the 

Legislature were 11s follows, viz: 

For May dividends. . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $400 00 

November dividends. . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 00 

Distressed poor .................. . 

Agricultural purposes. . . . . . . . . ........ . 

Bounty on crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 

Ploughing ...........•................. 

Salaries of Governors ................... . 

Salaries of Lieutenant-Governors ......... . 

'\V ood ................................• 

Contingent purposes. . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . 

Educational purposes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 

Salary of Priest ........................ . 

Dressing for land ...................... . 

Salary of Agent ....................... . 

Contingent poor ....................... . 

2,000 00 

600 00 

300 oo 

150 00 

100 00 

40 00 

200 00 

100 00 

600 00 

100 00 

100 00 

200 00 

500 00 

$5,690 00 

The expenditures, which will be more fuJly shown in detail 

by my account with vouclie1·s, were as foUows, viz: 

For May dividends ......................... . 

N ovemher dividends .......•..••........ 

$385 70 

327 60 

Distressed and contingent poor. . . . . . . . . . . . 2,625 47 
4 PASSAMAQUODDY INDIANS. 

For Agricultural purposes .................. . 

Bounty on crops. . . . . . ................ . 

Ploughing. . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... , 

Salaries of Governors ................... . 

Salaries of Lieutenant-Governors ......... . 

Wood ................................ . 

Contingent expenses .................... . 

Educational expenses .................... . 

Salaries of Priests ...................... . 

Dressing for land ...................... . 

Salary of Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... . 

Amount due me on last settlement ........ . 

RECEIPTS. 

1881. 

Dec. 15. Warrant on State Treasurer for bal. : 

1882. 

Feb. 

May 

Nov. 

11. 

25. 

27. 

" 

" 

" 

" " ......... " " .. ,,. ..... " " .......... 

$525 00 

151 24 

122 02 

71 00 

42 00 

226 00 

138 33 

600 00 

100 00 

175 64 

200 00 

$5,690 00 

$100 00 

$5, 790 00 

$100 00 

2,000 00 

2,000 00 

1,690 00 

$5, 790 00 

The population of the tribe on the 1st of Nov. was ...... 546 

An uncommon amount of sickness has prevailed among the 

tribe duriug the year, the number of deaths being thirty-four, 

which is double that of the . vear 1881, and exceedinO' that of ~ 

any· previous year for a long time. Among the d-eceased may 

be mentioned the venerable . Selmor Francis, Governor of 

Pleasant Point, who died in December of gangrene; Peol 

D1ma, a man who had developed more capacity for farming 

than perhaps any other in the tribe, who died in July; and 

,John Newell, of Peter Dana's Point, extensively known by 

the sportsmen of New England as an honest and efficient 

guide, who died in June, all of them much respected by their 

acquaintances. 

AGENT'S REPORT. 5 

AGRICULTURAL. 

There has not been the interest taken m this department 

that I would like to report. The Indians as a race are naturally averse to field labor, and their efforts in this direction 

are somewhat spasmodic. At Plea~ant Point the scarcity of 

land is urged as an objection, and with much reason. The 

destructiveness of the potato bug has also discouraged their 

attempts in many instances. I have tried to urge upon them 

the importance of attending more particularly to their crops, 

instead of depending upon the scanty sustenance obtained by 

fishing and huntiug. The crop this year was as follows: 

Potatoe.i .....•....................... 1850 bushels. 

Oats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . 325 '(' 

Buckwheat. . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Beans and peas ........................ 115 

Besides wheat, turnips, carrots, &c. 

EnucA1'IONAL. 

The schools continue to flourish under the care of the efficient teachers, Sisters Clare and Stanislaus. ·when it is 

considered that all the younger children are obliged to learn 

in what is to them a foreign language (as in their homes the 

Indian tongue is spoken exclusively, and they know no other), 

it can readily be seen that many difficulties have to be overcome hy both teachers and pupils. Another disadvantage 

which they labor under Is one which I noticed iu my report 

·of 1881, viz: :Eighty children are crowded in a room which 

will accommodate hut forty. I earnestly hope tha.t the sum 

of three hnndred dollars ($300) asked for in that report may 

he appropriated for the purpose of enlarging the school house. 

After a somewhat closely contested and exciting election, 

Noel L. Dana was elected as Governor of Pleasant Point for 

a term of two yeitrs, and Lewy Mitchell was elected as representative to the Legislature. 

During the year some of the more enterprising Indians 

have built three good sized weirs for the purpose of catching 
6 PASSAMAQUODDY INDIANS. 

herring, for which they find a ready sale at the sardine works 

m Eastport. Although fish have not been very plenty, the 

owners have bad a fair degree of success. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

As I stated in my report for the year 1881, there is an 

urgent necessity for the purchase of the remainder of the 

peninsular of Pleasant Point, containing one hundred acres, 

more or less, which I am informed can be obtained at a rea-

:oonable price, and I would recommend that an appropriation 

of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500) be made for that purpose, 

and a commission appointed to divide it into lots. As the 

Indian township is being rapidly sold to the whites, and will 

in all probability before long be almost entirely in their possession, I think this land should be purchased for them as 

an equivalent in part. 

I would again recommend that an appropriation of three 

hundred dollars ($300) be made for the enlargement of the 

school house at Pleasant Point, for reasons before stated. 

Also, an appropriation of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for 

the purchase of a new bell for the church at Pleasant Point, 

as the old one has been rendered unfit by long use. This 

would be used both as a church and school bell. 

Also, an appropriation of one hundred dollars ($100) for 

the churches, both at Pleasant Point and Peter Dana's Point, 

ns they are leaky, and the foundations somewhat insecure, 

besides needing other repairs. 

The same appropriations for the other purposes which 

were made by the last Legislature, I think will be sufficient 

for the ensuing year. 

Respectfully, 

C. H. PORTER, 

Agent Passamaqiwddy Tribe of Indians. 

CALAIS, November 30, 1882. 

STATE 0 :Yl.AIN E. 

In CouYClL, December 29, 1882. 

Received, accepted and ordered to be printed. 

.Attest: ,JOSEPH 0. S~1ITH, Secretary of State.