“We understand stories have been told you, that if you made a treaty with us you would become servants and slaves; but we wish you to understand that such is not the case, but that you will be just as free after signing a treaty as you are now.  The treaty is a free offer; take it or not, just as you please.  If you refuse it there is no harm done; we will not be bad friends on that account.  One thing Indians must understand, that if they do not make a treaty they must obey the laws of the land—­that will be just the same whether you make a treaty or not; the laws must be obeyed.  The Queen’s Government wishes to give the Indians here the same terms as it has given all the Indians all over the country, from the prairies to Lake Superior.  Indians in other places, who took treaty years ago, are now better off than they were before.  They grow grain and raise cattle like the white people.  Their children have learned to read and write.

“Now, I will give you an outline of the terms we offer you.  If you agree to take treaty, every one this year gets a present of $12.00.  A family of five, man, wife and three children, will thus get $60.00; a family of eight, $96.00; and after this year, and for every year afterwards, $5.00 for each person forever.  To such chiefs as you may select, and that the Government approves of, we will give $25.00 each year, and the counsellors $15.00 each.  The chiefs also get a silver medal and a flag, such as you see now at our tent, right now as soon as the treaty is signed.  Next year, as soon as we know how many chiefs there are, and every three years thereafter, each chief will get a suit of clothes, and every counsellor a suit, only not quite so good as that of the chief.  Then, as the white men are coming in and settling in the country, and as the Queen wishes the Indians to have lands of their own, we will give one square mile, or 640 acres, to each family of five; but there will be no compulsion to force Indians to go into a reserve.  He who does not wish to go into a band can get 160 acres of land for himself, and the same for each member of his family.  These reserves are holdings you can select when you please, subject to the approval of the Government, for you might select lands which might interfere with the rights or lands of settlers.  The Government must be sure that the land which you select is in the right place.  Then, again, as some of you may want to sow grain or potatoes, the Government will give you ploughs or harrows, hoes, etc., to enable you to do so, and every spring will furnish you with provisions to enable you to work and put in your crop.  Again, if you do not wish to grow grain, but want to raise cattle, the Government will give you bulls and cows, so that you may raise stock.  If you do not wish to grow grain or raise cattle, the Government will furnish you with ammunition for your hunt, and with twine to catch fish.  The Government will also provide schools to teach your