166
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
BAUZAN TO AUSTIN
Rec 4 of S F Austin three cows in payment of Mr. M. M. Battles order for the Amount Feb 0 15 1829 BAUZAN
AUSTIN TO DAVID PORTER
San Felepe de Austin 16 Feb. 1829
DRSm: I had the pleasure of seeing Capt. A. Thompson of the navy during his visit to the coast of Texas last fall, and in a conversation with him I learned that you had it in contemplation to procure a grant from Government on the Guazacualco river with the view of estab- lishing a number of families, and the Cap. suggested the possibility of your giving a preference to Texas when fu1ly ap_prised of its advantages in point of soil, locality, and temperature. Never hav- ing seen any part of the Guazacualco country I cannot pretend to a correct opinion as to its relative advantages or disadvantages when compared with Texas, and can only say that the discription I have recd of it from several intelligent men who professed to have ex- plored it has left an impression on my mind that, as a country, Texas is gi:eatly its superior. It is true that our climate will not admit of the culture of coffee or cacao, and other tropical productions but we can boast of the quality and abundance of our cotton crops and sugar and all the other productions of Louisiana and l\fississippi succeed very well. The pasturage, or " range " as we term it, is certainly superior to any thing I have ever seen in any country, and the facilities for raising Cattle horses, mules, sheep and hogs, etc. almost exceeds credibility. The general appearance of this country is pleasing and in many places beautifull, being diversified with extensive broad Prairies clothed with the most luxurient growth of grass and groves of timber, rivers creeks streamlets and elevated undulating tracts. The lntter, in general commence ·from thirty to fifty miles from the coast and extend far into the interior before the country becomes hilly The facilities of interior navigation are considerable and susceptible of extensive improvements, and no country is better adapted for the cheap construction of good roads, our harbors will not admit vessels of the largest class, but are suffi- ciently deep for brigs and the smaller class of merchant ships and are very safe and secure from gales The climate of Texas I deem to be decidedly superior in point of health and salubrity to any por- tion of north America in the same parallel The margins of our
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