St. Louis University, April 1, 1858.
Reverend F. CONGIATO, S. J. P. C..
Reverend Dear Father.- I received your kind letter with the inclosed of Father Menetrey - I sincerely thank your Reverence for all the kindness you express in it. I have only a few minutes to write you and on a subject highly important to the Rocky Mountain missions. I just received a letter from Lieutenant Mullan, a Catholic and very much in favor of our Indian missions. He tells me " I have seen the chairman of the Indian Committee and he says that all the Indian treaties made by Governor Stevens are to be confirmed, and that in these treaties the most ample provision has been made for schools, farms, utensils, etc. All of which, in the mountains, will be under the eye of the Jesuits. They are going to establish a farm and manual-labor school on Sun River, for which there will be near $45,ooo, and from all appearances Father Hoeken will have all to do with it, if he will avail himself of it! " I begged the lieutenant to call on Father Accolti in San Francisco and to let you know immediately of the whole of this affair. Father Hoeken should be authorized to accept; the Blackfeet and Crow Indians would be thus secured to the Catholic cause. He has all jurisdiction from Bishop Miege on this side of the mountains. I hope my letter on this subject will have reached him long ago.
Should this affair be neglected, Protestants will try immediately to obtain all the advantages which the Government now offers so abundantly for the progressing of those poor missions. Orders came to St. Louis last evening from Washington to send up by the first boats to the Blackfoot country oxen, cows, plows and other farming utensils, all to be placed in the hands of the Fathers, should the thing be accepted. All the agents in that region are also in our favor. Some three months ago I wrote to his Paternity in favor of the new missions east of the Rocky Mountains. I hope to obtain a favorable answer. I will