men of the tribe to whom the parties belong. Whenever purchases are made by you within the limits of any Indian reservation or of any tribe of Indians being in charge of an agent, the purchases and bills of sale thereof must be approved and certified to by said agent. You will the drive the stock thus purchased o some convenient point in Kansas, and there stop and hold them and report to me at my office in Leavenworth City. Submit your bills of purchases for examination, and in no case sell or drive, or permit to be sold or driven away, any of such stock until a thorough examination of the same and the bill of sale thereof is made, and said bill of sale is approved and indorsed by me; or, in my absence you will report in like manner to Major-General Curtis, commanding the Department of Kansas, and await his orders or approval before moving or disposing of such stock.

Given under my hand this day and date above written.

W. G. COFFIN.

[Inclosure Numbers 3.]

BELMONT, KANS., August 22, 1864.

Captain PHILLIPS:

* * * *

On my way home I stopped at Ohio City, Kans. There I had a talk with Major Elder. I saw a herd of cattle, Indian stock. He gave $4,000 for them. He acknowledged they were stolen and deprecated the act. The party he purchased from gave him a copy of the permit from Colonel Coffin, which authorized them to get stock. Elder would not show me the copy of Coffin's pass, nor tell the name or names of the parties of whom he purchased. He said he took the precaution to get the copy of secure his title should be cattle be seized by any authority.

JOEL MOODY,

Detective.

HEADQUARTERS INDIAN BRIGADE,
Fort Gibson, C. N., February 16, 1865.

Major General JOHN POPE,

Commanding Military Division of the Mississippi:

SIR: I desire to call to your attention depredations and encroachments on the Indian Territory by parties from the Department of Kansas. Parties from Kansas, both citizens and soldiers, have during the past year entered the nation and driven out herds of stock. Since I returned from Fort Smith I have endeavored to arrest them, but as I am now without a cavalry force, and as the country to be protected is very extensive, it appears almost impossible to put a stop to it without some co-operation from the department above. I learned yesterday evening from scouts up toward the Big Bend that two parties, one of twelve horsemen, the other of fifteen, drove out herds toward Kansas about a month ago. The Indian soldiers were under the impression from the size and appearance of the horseshoes that the parties might have been cavalry. In any event cavalry parties, or parties of cavalry and citizens drove out herds repeatedly last season. Captain Vittum, Third Wisconsin Cavalry (now provost-marshal at Fort Scott), while down last April escorting a train from this command, drove out a herd of about 500 head. The same officer in June was sent in with a squadron of cavalry to escort Colonels Bowen and Adams, of the