No. 74

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Despatch No. 35
of the 14th of October with it's enclosures reporting the steps taken to
discover and punish the Indians concerned in the murder in the year 1862
of the Mr. Bamfield and in the recent massacre of the crew of the Sloop
"Kingfisher."

I have to express my approval of the measures which were adopted
for this purpose, and I am glad to perceive that they have met with
success, and that at the date of your Despatch several of the Indians
implicated were in custody and awaiting trial.

Much as I lament the necessity of hostile expeditions against the
Indians, I am bound to recognize the duty of protecting peaceful traders
by inflicting punishment upon Natives guilty of such treacherous acts of
murder and robbery as those committed by the Ahouset tribe.

In the case of the "Kingfisher" there is nothing to shew that the
outrage was caused by any thing except the opportunity of plunder. But
the Indians it appears, complained much to Commander Pike of the
behaviour of the traders to them, saying that frequently any wrong they
did was provoked by the bad language used towards them, and in some
cases by their being pushed and struck by the men in the trading
Schooners. They begged that the Governor would issue a warning to the
Masters and Crews of the trading vessels to be more circumspect in their
language and behaviour to Indians when trading with them. This
representation seems deserving of your attention and I think that it
will be very right to take all suitable opportunities of impressing upon
Traders the impropriety and folly of irritating the Natives by violent
and contemptuous language or conduct.