154
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
which the force was so small as to be barely sufficient to fulfil its object of preventing the smuggling, which to the notorious prejudice of the national revenue and with such frequency was carrying on at Galveston measures which ought not to have caused the Colonist to entertain apprehensions of another nature. Neither can you be ignorant that when the State Legisla- ture was dissolved, those who are discontented with the present Govern- ment, or rather, the parties interested in the ·Decree for alienating 400 leagues of Texas, proceeded to the interior (Texas) there propagating alarming reports for the purpose of kindling the torch of discord and in a direct manner bringing about in San Felipe [rebellion] against public faith and all right, the intercepting opening and publishing of the official and very confidential correspondence addressed to said Capt- Tenorio, after having arrested, molested outraging the soldiers who were the bearers. If such proceeding were to remain unpunished, it would be believed that the Mexican Nation is unjust, or perhaps that she wanted force and energy sufficient to make herself respected. She therefore considered herself in the necessity of proving the contrary and of adopting with regard to the delinquents and only with regard to them, measures, which by no means made connexion with the good and peaceable inhabitants of Texas. This has been repeatedly manifested to them by myself and the Commandant General to the political Chiefs of Nacogdoches and Brazos although un- happily without effect, on the contrary it appears that such manifestations have been viewed with contempt, without viewing the Mexicans are pa- tient of suffering, but valient, full of honor and capable of making their Government be respected then the Commandant General suspended the march of troops in order to do away with apprehension and show that he had no distrust of the good sentiments of the Colonists provided the delin- quents were delivered up for trials by the competent authority, fresh mo- tive occurs for supposing that there exists strong intention of provoking a disastrous war, which it is important in time to prevent. '\"{Then the authori- ties of Gonzales were repulsed by this Political Chief to deliver the piece of artillery lying there, as it had been lent to the "empresario" of that Colony by my predecessor and it belongs to .this military jurisdiction, those authorities not only refuse to deliver it up but say they will give it up to force only. Such conduct placed me under the necessity of sending a party of 100 men to exact their delivery and I gave orders to the Com- mander to send a new communication to the Alcalde of Gonzales, mani- festing to him the injustice of wishing to detain an article which does not belong to that municipality, and that if against expectation he did not de- liver up the gun, the said commandant was then to employ force, Either from fear or malice, the Alcalde of Gonzales aware that it was an outrage to arrest the corporal and soldiers who were the first bearers of the corns munication•from the political Chief, caused the inhabitants residing on
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