THE AUSTIN PAPERS 1027 cedar-to be sown in a bed like red pepper & transplanted the third year. I wish S. l\{. W. to be very carefull and try to raise and pre- serve these trees for me [S. F. AUSTIN.]
AUSTIN TO LLANOS l
Monterrey, January 14, 1834.
Sefior Don RAFAEL LLANos.:i
MY DEAR Sm: In times of political disturbances like those of the past year it is difficult to have any relations whatever with political affairs without becoming entangled in some way or other, now with parties, now with individuals, now with the authorities. Thus it is that I have fallen into the net, and was arrested on the 3d of this month by order of the minister of war, and depart. in a few days for 11'1exico as a prisoner. . From what I have said to you in our convers~tions concerning Texas, you will have understood that that country was exposed to anarchy for the want of adequate local government. During the winter of last year there was strong sentiment, in fact, for an organi- zation of the local government, always as an integral part of the Mexican federation The energetic re1;res~~tations of the ayUI{tamientos and towns of Bejar and Coahuila, dated December 19, 1832,' demonstrate with sufficient clearness the evils of Texas and the aroused feeling of those towns over the torpor of the population and the backwardness of Texas throu<rh inadequate lecrislation and the neglect of its best and b O h' dearest interests. The great majority of the people expressed t_ eir opinion in favor of separation from Coahuila, and their deter~a- tion to so organize if there were no other remedy. The Com·entlon framed the memorial of ·April 13 [1833].' to the ge~eral gov~rn- .ment, ·askin O' that Texas be erected into a state of this federntwn, b , . and nominating me to carry it to Mexico. It appears that smce then some ayuntamientos have changed their opinion because t~ey ?elieve that the people ought not to have petitioned for erection mto a state under Article 2 of the orCYanic law of the General Con- stituent Congress dated May 1, 1824~ without the previous consent of the Legislature of Coahuila and Texas. But they do not mean to be understood by this as being content with their situation. They 1 University or Tcxns Trnnscrlpts from Archives of Department ot Fomento. lfexlro. The translation Is by the editor. 2 Llanos was a member or the Federal Scnnte trom Nuevo Leon. G d 1 Copy or the B.!::i:ar memorial In Fllisola, Mcmorlas pnra la Hlstorla de la uerra ~ Tejas, I, 273-293. 'See above.
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