Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 14.djvu/786

 756 TREATY WITH THE SEMINOLE INDIANS. MARCH 21, 1866. Iviilimry The Seminoles also agree to remain at peace with all other Indian °°""F’“F‘°" md tribes, and with themselves. In return for these pledges of peace and rotectionby the .. . . . . . grugm Smeg, friendship, the United States guarantee them quiet possession of their country, and protection against hostilities on the part of other tribes; and in the event of such hostilities, that the tribe commencing and prosecuting the same shall` make just reparation therefor. '1`herefore the Seminoles agree to a military occupation of their country at the option and expense of the United States. Amnesty. A general amnesty of all past offences against the laws of the United States, committed by any member of the Seminole nation, is hereby declared ; and the Seminoles, anxious for the restoration of kind and friendly feelings amonrv themselves, do hereby declare an amnesty for all past ost-meas against l?heir government, and no Indian or Indians shall be proscribed, or any act of forfeiture or confiscation passed against those who have remained friendly to or taken up arms against the United States, but they shall enjoy equal privileges with other members of said tribe, and all laws heretofore passed inconsistent herewith are hereby declared inoperative. $i¤v¤ry¤<>¤t¤ Amncnn II. The Seminole nation covenant that henceforth in said gzggssfgg °h° nation slavery shall not exist, nor involuntary servitude, except For and in punishment of crime, whereof the offending party shall first have been duly convicted in accordance with law, applicable to all the members of said nation. And inasmuch as there are among the Seminoles many persons of African descent and blood, who have no interest or property in Righys Orthm, the soil, and no recognized civil rights, it is stipulated that hereafter these of Amcm dc- persons and their descendants, and such other of the same race as shall be ”°°°’ permitted by said nation to settle there, shall have and enjoy all the rights of native citizens, and the laws of said nation shall be equally binding upon all persons of whatever race or color who may be adopted as citizens or members of said tribe. Cession of Amxcm III. In compliance with the desire of the United States to 123%; *116 U¤i· locate other Indians and freedmen thereon, the Seminoles cede and con- °s‘ vey to the United States their entire domain, being the tract of land ceded to the Seminole Indians by the Creek nation under the provisions of artiele first (lst), treaty of the United States with the Creeks and Seminoles, made and concluded at WVashington, D. C., August 7, 1856. In considera- Payment by tion of said grant and cession of their lands, estimated at. two million one gat med hundred and sixty-nine thousand and eighty (2,169,080) acres, the United °S' States agree to pay said Seminole nation the sum ofthi-ee hundred and twenty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-two ($325,362) dollars, Gmntmthe said purchase being at the rate of fifteen cents per acre. The United S°mi¤°1°$· States having obtained by grant of the Creek nation the westerly half of their lands, hereby grant to the Seminole nation the portion thereof hereafter described, which shall constitute the national domain of the Seminole Indians. Said lands so granted by the United States to the Seminole gouudm-305, nation are bounded and described as follows, no wit: Beginning on the Canadian river where the line dividing the Creek lands according to the terms of their sale to the United States by their treaty of Febrnnry 6, 1866, following said line due north to where said line crosses the north fork of the Canadian river; thence up said north fork of the Canadian river a. distance suificient to make two hundred thousand acres by running due south to the Canadian river; thence down said Canadian river Payment to the place of beginning. In consideration of said eession of two hundred therefor the price of fifty cents per acre, amounting to the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, which amount shall he deducted from the sum paid by the United States for Seminole lands under the stipulations above Bslanqe due written. The balance due the Seminole nation after making said deduc-
 * h°"°f°"· thousand acres of land described above, the Seminole nation agrees to pay
 * h° s°‘““‘°l°’· tion, amounting to one hundred thousand dollars, the United States agree