958
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
ought to have at least one lawyer. They must learn Spanish and french and send all the children to dancing school. Joel ought to be brought up for a planter, and Austin for a merchant. . Your Stephen and Henry are too young yet to say what they are best calculated for. All this is in case I never return, for I calculate to attend to all these things myself in person. I shall owe H. Chriesman for surveying and I wish you to settle his claim on account of what he owes on the Books of Perry and Hunter. He is to select and survey a five league tract for me up on the waters of the Yeagua. Coles settlement is now the mosl populous in the colony and lnnd is rising very fast and will be worth as much there as in any part of the Colony, for that Country will be thicker settled than any I know of. Your two leagues there are very superior in point of soil, timber and water, and salt in quantities can be made on the back part of your mound league and the adjoining tracts north of the Yeagua. _You have no idea of the value of that land of yours up there, and if we get a state government as I have no doubt we shall this fall, land will rise at once very high. Land at the rates it can be had now is better property than debts scattered over the country. It has taken all I can raise for my expenses to Mexico and I cannot arrange· to settle Chriesman surveying account in any other way than in pay- ment of the debt he owes you. I will pay it to you in land tha.t will yield a better interest than the money would. I have also agreed to aid H. Austin in paying his surveying a/c to Chriesman. Henry is in distress and needs aid. A few years, or I think one year more will set everything right, and give value to our lands so that we can put everything easy and settle ourselves on farms without having much to do with the bustle of business. I have the TomaJULwk that Father had with him in his first trip to .Texas in my trunk. I wish it preserved and its history not forgotten. It blased the way for North Americans to Texas. Wben Stephen F. Austin is of age I wish it given to him with an explana• tion. I have also carried it in most of my exploring trips in this country in early times. The recollections connected with it are very interesting to me. Chambers has agreed to pay the within order to you. He ought to do it as it is money lent. . I have just heard 0£ 0£ the Colera at" the mouth of the river and that there have been 5 deaths-drendfull indeed-how I tremble for you all-pray be carefull and use all possible precautions-if you were over on the bayou you would be safer I think- I have my will in my writing desk. S. ~- AusTIN.
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