in large part supplied to such
hostile Indians, directly or indirectly, through traders and others in
the Indian country: Therefore,

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled_, That the President of the
United States is hereby authorized and requested to take such measures
as in his judgment may be necessary to prevent such special metallic
ammunition being conveyed to such hostile Indians, and is further
authorized to declare the same contraband of war in such district of
country as he may designate during the continuance of hostilities.

To carry into effect the above-cited resolution, the sale of fixed
ammunition or metallic cartridges by any trader or other person in
any district of the Indian country occupied by hostile Indians, or
over which they roam, is hereby prohibited; and all such ammunition or
cartridges introduced into said country by traders or other persons,
and that are liable in any way or manner, directly or indirectly, to
be received by such hostile Indians, shall be deemed contraband of war,
seized by any military officer and confiscated; and the district of
country to which this prohibition shall apply during the continuance
of hostilities is hereby designated as that which embraces all Indian
country, or country occupied by Indians or subject to their visits,
lying within the Territories of Montana, Dakota, and Wyoming and the
States of Nebraska and Colorado.

U.S. GRANT.

EIGHTH ANNUAL MESSAGE.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _December 5, 1876_.

_To the Senate and House of Representatives_:

In submitting my eighth and last annual message to Congress it seems
proper that I should refer to and in some degree recapitulate the events
and official acts of the past eight years.

It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief
Executive without any previous political training. From the age of 17
I had never even witnessed the excitement attending a Presidential
campaign but twice antecedent to my own candidacy, and at but one of
them was I eligible as a voter.

Under such circumstances it is but reasonable to suppose that
errors of judgment must have occurred. Even had they not, differences
of opinion between the Executive, bound by an oath to the strict
performance of his duties, and writers and debaters must have arisen.
It is not necessarily evidence of blunder on the part of the Execu