For several years past the Yankton Sioux have been urgently asking for missionaries; and the Government agent, on the occasion of my visit, joined them in requesting a Catholic mission, under the direction of the Fathers of the Company of Jesus, for them. The Yanktons are many and have sufficient resources to provide for the support of their children. It is to be hoped that the superiors will take this important matter under consideration; the salvation of thousands of souls depends upon it. The Dakota or Sioux nation consists of a great number of tribes, forming together a population of 35,000 to 40,000 souls.
The Sioux at Fort Rice received me in the most friendly manner. The boat only stopped for an instant, consequently my talk with them was but-short. I meant to visit this post on my return from Benton. There are a large number of Canadian and Creole Catholics there, who receive the visit of a priest once a year.
At Forts Berthold and Sully sickness has carried off a majority of the children of tender years. Fortunately the greater part had received baptism at the time of my last visit. They rejoiced at my presence, and hastened to bring me all the newly born of the three tribes, the Grosventres, the Aricaras and the Mandans, egging me to grant them the holy sacrament of regeneration. During the rigors of last winter, the famine and misery were so great among them, that some fifty persons died of starvation. I will have more to say later of the situation of these unfortunate tribes.
At Fort Union I baptized all the babies of the post and a great number of Assiniboin children, who were there just then. Here too the mortality had been equally great, but a large number had had the happiness of receiving baptism at the time of my last visit.
On our way we saw several large camps of Crows and Blackfeet, amounting to some thousands, in various valleys, on both banks of the river. Despite their pressing invitations, the Ontario did not slacken speed. All their demon-