62
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
guns and marched to the Govt-House to wait orders, when we were soon informed that we could return to our homes but to keep ourselves in readi- ness to turn out whenever call[ed] upon-thus ended this memorable fight.- Tell Paschal that I claim my fee as priest and think extremely hard of his unadvised conduct i~ taking to himself a wife in my absence.---- By the way I suppose I had as well correct a small mistake that you complain of, to do which I do not know how I can better do it than to tell you that I will say that it was John, Tom or anybody else, or you may say so, and to tell you the honest truth about it I was told so when I read the letter to Mr. Williams but then you know it would hm·e cost me some little labour to have corrected it, and as I partake in that verry much of the Mexican character, I concluded I would give you something to do in a leisure moment- God speed you in your labours- Tell the boys howde, I hope to be with you all soon.- F. W. JoHNSON [Rubric] G. Borden Jnr. E.5qr. [Addressed:] Gail Borden Jnr. Esqr. Sanfelepe de Austin AUSTIN TO SAMUEL M. WILLIAMS [From the Williams Papers. Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas.]
Mexico 15 April 1835
DaSm.
I am still here, a prisoner on bail- nothing has taken place in my situ• ation since the 25 day of December, when I was released from close con• finement on bail- I make no calculations when I shall leave or whether I shall return by land or water- The legislature at Monclova has involved matters in a beautiful tangle by the curs~d law authorizing the Govr- to dispose of 400 leagues of land as he pleases. 1 I fear this law will [ere] ate much more discontent in Texas [tha]n anything which has happened- nothing could have been more imprudent- It will produce restrictions and in short everything bad that can be imagined- The senator of that State is a faithful· defender of his state and a firm one, but all he gains or can gain by trying to defend such a measure as this, is to ruin himself in public opinion here and loose all influence 1 A law passed by the legislature of Coahuila and Texas, March 4. 1835, authorizing the Governor to sell 400 leagues of land. For a discussion of the law. see "Land Speculation as a Cause of the Texas Revolution." bv the editor, in Southwestern Historical Quarterly, X, 82. See also Austin to Williams, April 29 and May 6, 1~35.
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