INDIAN NATIONS, &c.—BOOK X. 73 
A purchase was made a few years ago by governor Lewis, 
bf the greater part of the country claimed by these people, re¬ 
serving to them the privilege of hunting on it, until the exten¬ 
sion of the settlements should render it inconvenient. The ob¬ 
ject of this was to lix a certain and determinate boundary for the 
exercise of the jurisdiction of the courts, and in order to do away 
all question or difficulty as to the title of the United States. BUt 
great dissatisfaction has been excited amongst them in conse¬ 
quence bf the purchase, which they alledge not to have been fair¬ 
ly made. In fact, this is not a matter easily effected with strict 
correctness, and it is doubtful with me whether our extensive In¬ 
dian purchases east of the Mississippi, were conducted in the 
fairest manner. A desire of doing something meritorious, may 
have induced some of our agents, to go rather too far in procur¬ 
ing the consent bf the chiefs of the nation, and, perhaps bf 
chiefs created for the express purpose. When this subject is 
considered, there may be more justice in the disaffection of the 
Indian nations than is generally supposed. The governments of 
the Indian nations are generally republican; the chiefs propose, 
and the people approve or disapprove ; the proper solemnities 
are not so easily complied with ; the consent of a few of the prin¬ 
cipal chiefs has generally been thought sufficient, but there are 
instances of those chiefs failing into disgrace in consequence of 
their unauthorised conduct. The Osage purchase was sanctioned 
by the government, but nothing was done in complying with thb 
stipulations of the treaty on our part for nearly two yeafs. Short¬ 
ly before the arrival of governor Howard, the Osages were in¬ 
formed that the first payment of the annuity was soon to be made 
for their land. Thirty or forty chiefs came to St. Louis, soon af¬ 
ter the arrival of the governor, and in council, remonstrated 
against the purchase* declaring it to have been unfair. The prin¬ 
cipal speaker, Le Sonneur, addressed him with great art, and some 
eloquence. He said, that 66 he was much surprised to hear of this 
purchase, which had been forgbtten by his nation, and he suppo¬ 
sed, had also been forgotten by his great father. The sale was 
made by those who had no authority ; and his great father not 
having complied with his part of the bargain, by delaying two 
years the stipulated payment, and not performing the other parts 
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