Nevada County picayune., 1885-12-03


 Nov. 23, 1885.
 EDITOR PICAYUNE:-Before my departure for Washington, 1 was rash enough to promise you that 1 would from time to time write you letters concerning my travels, my official duties, the Indians, etc, as contributions either to your capa- cious waste basket, or the columns of the PlcAYUNE. No past;.ne could afford me more pleasure than to comply with this promise, If I could always have convcniences for writing, and spare the time from my official dAties. There is scarcely day when l do not see much that l would like to write about at great length. In fact the very superabnndance of themes de- teTs me from taking up ny pencil at all, unless l could write almost a book at the close of every day. See Thomas Jefferscn's Passage through the Blue Ridge" Sec how enthusiastically and eloquently he portrays the magnificence and grandeur of that particular land scape! Within the past six weeks I have seen the passage of tue Po- tomac through the Blue Ridge, (the very spot made classic by Mir. lief ferson's description, and historic by Col. Rob't. F. Lees capture of John Brownl aud broad ranges of other natural scenery far more awful and sublime.
 But to begin at the beginning. On the Sth of October 1 was ap. pointed United States Special h. dian Agent. There are five of us of the same rank. Ex-Governor Robinsonofthis State is one; Henry Heth of Richmond, Virginia, is one; Chas. II. Dickson, of Indian apolis, is another; and Wm. Par. sons of Hartford. Connecticut, is the fifth. We are in fact general Indian agents. or agents for the country-at- large. We visit the diff, ferent Agencies as emergency may require, under special instructions from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, to look after the local agents, and such business as they neglect are incompetent to at tend to.
 I arrived in Washington on the fourth day after my departure from home, and immediately reported to Gen. A. B. Upshaw, Acting Con- missioner, for assignment to duty. He received me with great courte- sy and kindness, l made the In dian office my headquarters until the afternoon of the 23rd, when my instructions were handed to me, and 1 then set out for this agency.
 While in Washington l called al the Department of Justice and spent a pleasant half hour with NIT Garland. MT. Garland greeted me with great cordialiiy, and made many inquiries of ine concern ing his old friends at and near Prescott. 1 also met Gen. Rob't A. Howard and Hon. Poin. dexter Dunn. member of congress from the third district l am in debted to Col, Dunn for many courtesieS and kindnesses, He showed me through several of the departments. and contributed in many .ways to the pleasure and profit of my stay in the National capital. So also did Hon. G. w. Shut Assistant Superintendent of the Geological Survey, and M.. Turner, of the Post office depart ment, who not only drove me to all the principal points of interest in tue city, but carried me over to Arlington Heights, in Virginia. the old home of Robert E. Lee. This is the estate that was confscated by the Federal government during the war, and converted into a Ma. tional cemetery. The old mansion is still well preserved. It com mands the best view of the Poto. mac and the city to bs had from any point. and is visited annually by thousands who, with uncovered heads, tread lightly through its broad hallway and spacious parlor< with a feeling akin to reverence. 1 would like to write more of this Mecca, but l cannot do so now.
 Tue Indians whose interests l am looking after here are the Eas- tern band of Cherokees, They number nearly 1900 souls. More than 1000 of them are pure, unmix-