THE AUSTIN PAPERS 297 Texas by this government-- This subject has somewhat died away here nnd the excitement produced by its first agitation in the public papers has measurably subsided- The newspaper discussion of it was I believe first Started by T. H. Benton whom you know- Some writer in Nashville.rung the second peal, and anon the matter was taken up by a variety of scribblers, both friends and foes to the contemplated acquisition- :My original opinion, as expressed to you in my th-st letter on the subject; has been somewhat modified but not essentially changed- I still believe the purchase will be made, but not so speedily as I then apprehended- It seems to me that Mr Poinsett has rendered himself too much an object of jealousy, and become too unpopular in ::Mexico to negociate a treaty on so delicate and important a subject as the relinquishment and .the ac- quisition of so valuable a territory- Rumor says that Mr Hughes, who was recently superseded as charge d'affa.irs at the Netherl~nds will be appointed to l\foxico, and I think the report very likely to be correct-- Mr Hughes is now in Europe and probably will not arrive in this country before spring-. Should he be sent to Mexico, he cquld not reach there until late in the fall, for he would not venture himself at Vera Cruz during the summer or autumnal months- If then it shall fall to his lot to negotiate the treaty, it will not be practicable for him to perfect it until late in the ensuing winter, and l1arc1ly in time to submit it to the senate of 1830-31- It will doubtless be a part of the policy of the administra.tion to bring it in before the sages of the land, near the close of their session when the ranks of the opposition may be a little thinned and those who remain are pretty well fagged and out of tune for a fierce onset- It is there- fore not probable in my opinion that you will belong to Uncle Sam before :March or April of 1831-and I do really hope that I shall be able before that time, to have my Colony fully Settled and so firmly fixed as not to be disturbed by the arch cupidity that has too often characterised our good !Jncle's dealing with large land claimants- I have but little time to write, but I send you ~ packet of news papers from whfoh you will [be] able to glean more of the late doings in the world than I could give you in a w~ek- I ob- served in one of .the national Journals which I send you, a letter from San Felipe touching the advertisment by Dennis A Smith of 48,000,000 of acres of Texas lands- I was truly rejoiced to see that publication- They have an agency here and when it :was first established I was detirmined to expose the imposition as I then considered it by a publication under my own proper name-.- The agent here called on me on the subject and I stated to him very frankly my views concerning it and told him that I should feel com- 88370-28--20
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