individually and by families every other day, is prolific of embarrassments, and the inability to properly control and account for them, to command sufficiently their labor, to prevent fraud and injustice among them, and in the severe tax which is imposed thereby upon the labor of the troops in working their land, issuing them rations, and in attempting to preserve order among and secure labor from them. By counterfeiting the tickets issued them for rations the Navajoes are reported to have some 3,000 tickets in excess over the authorized number. To exercise a control over them for the preservation of order and subordination, to secure an accountability of them, to command their labor, to effect a proper distribution of rations among them and promote their welfare, as well as the good of the public service, some system for their government similar to our military organizations, or classification of subdivisions as adopted in large numbers of civilian laborers is necessary. I would recommend that the Navajo Indians be subdivided into nine bands, the Apaches to make another, and these divisions be numbered in regular series from 1 to 10; that each division should have one head chief and six sub-chiefs as his assistants, who should be clothed with authority for the preservation of good order, interior police, and regulation of their respective divisions; that they should also constitute a council for the trial and punishment of certain offenses, as theft, disobedience of orders, &c., and that they should be placed a good and trusty overseer or agent, who should exercise special authority over the same and have the immediate management thereof. The numbers of each subdivision as above to be accurately ascertained, and the names of all the able-bodied men therein (names to be given them) be entered in a list, from which details for labor, &c., should be made upon the chiefs, who should be held responsible that the numbers called for were furnished. Those who work as thus detailed should be allowed an increased allowance of food, one of the greatest incentives to labor with an Indian, and some other compensation. Those failing to work as detailed to have their rations reduced and be otherwise punished. Their arms should also be for the present withheld from them except in special cases. The rations to be issued by the commissary in bulk for six days to the overseer of each division, who would reissue them daily or otherwise to individuals or families thereof, upon tickets bearing the number of the division and such other marks as could not easily be counterfeited. For each division as proposed should be allotted a sufficient portion of land to grow their supplies, &c., rectangular in form, fronting on the river, on which the band assigned to it should be required to live in some regular order (adobe huts could be erected), and each tract thus allotted to be cultivated by the labor of the division living thereon.

In this way the several bands would soon become identified with and attached to their lands, and would feel a greater interest in raising a good supply to their own support. The corps when harvested should be stored separately for each division or band. Over all should be a general superintendent, with an assistant. The troops at Fort Sumner should be employed to enforce a compliance with, and the execution of, the above-described system and regulations if adopted. With the system proposed I have no doubt that in addition to performing the work on their own farms these Indians would be able to do most of the labor required at Fort Sumner by the Government, and for which they should receive some compensation, but not in money, to be gambled away or