I cannot close this letter without a word concerning the church here. During the epidemic, one of its most earnest, reliable members fell a victim to the scourge. By thrift and saving, every family belonging to the church, except one only, got through the long summer of idleness without aid in the way of charity, and before the return of the teachers, and in the absence of the pastor, the church voted to send a delegate to the Conference at Athens, raising money at once to pay his expenses. If this is not an example of commendable church devotion and courage, show us one that is so. We look for a fuller, stronger school this year than ever before. I sometimes think these people have become so accustomed to adversity and trial, that they come out stronger under it than from any other experience. May it not be that God is leading them through rough ways to better things than we think? * * * * * THE INDIANS. * * * * * THE S’KOKOMISH AGENCY. Homes and Schools—Lands and Titles. EDWIN EELLS, AGENT, S’KOKOMISH. The favor of a kind Providence has preserved us from any unusual calamities, and general good health, peace and prosperity have attended us and the Indians under my charge. It has been rather a quiet year, with nothing very startling, either good or bad, to affect us. Among the Indians generally, their habits of morality appear to have been growing stronger. Their general deportment is very good, and their style of living in their houses is improving all the time. Their general health, in consequence of their improved manner of living, has never been better than during the past year. Most of their houses have been ceiled and good tight floors put in them during the past winter, so that they are quite as comfortable as the average of white settlers throughout the country. There has been some land cleared by them, a decided advance in the kind of fences built by them, and I have furnished 1,000 fruit trees, which they have set out, nearly all of which have lived. Our schools have been well attended, and the progress of the scholars in their studies has been quite satisfactory. The average attendance of the two schools has been something over fifty. One feature of improvement at the Agency, which deserves mention, has been the employment of apprentices, at small wages, at the various shops at the Agency. We have had five of our former school-boys employed in this way during the summer, and they have done very well.