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THE AUSTIN PAPERS
whole of that eventful 'period, upon a volcano, subject to be ruined by popular excitements on the one hand, or by the jealousy of the Mexicans on the other. I was individually liable to suspicion, and to fancied or real complaints from all quarters; and a mark for the shafts of envy, and personal animosity, as well as for the attacks of those who honestly differed in opinion with me, or were misinformed. That period was more difficult and dangerous to the settlement of Texas, and to its ultimate emancipation and liberty, than any which has subsequently threatened, or which now threatens its destinies; for had its colonization failed, there would have been no / oundation to plant independence, or any thing else upon. We passed through that period, however, in safety. A fourulation was then laid, which I believed, and am now convinced, could not, and cannot be broken up. No one knows or can appreciate so well ~s I do, the labor it has cost, and perhaps but few have maturely considered its strength, and results-they are co-durable with the English language and with the Anglo- American race. In April, 1833, I was appointed by the people of Texas, represented in general convention, to go to the city of Mexico as their agent or commis• sioner, to apply for the admission of Texas into the Mexican confeder~tion as a State. This appointment was ruinous to my individual interests, and in every respect hazardous and fatiguing. I accepted it, however, from a sense of duty and went to Mexico at my individual expense, for I never asked, or received 'one dollar from the country for that trip. I was im- prisoned in Mexico, as is well known, and detained about two years. Dur- ing this time, it seems that some persons engaged in large land speculations at Monclova, the seat of government of the state of Coahuila and Texas. These are the speculations to which you allude in your letter of the 15th instant, and which, you say, are ruinous to my election.- You ask me to say whether I am or not concerned with them. The whole of the circumstances connected with that affair-my absence from the country at the time-the almost impossibility of communicating with me, then, owing to my imprisonment in Mexico--my known, and uniform and undeviating opposition to every thing that was in any manner calculated to entangle the land or political affairs of Texas-all, prove to impartial minds, that I was not concerned in them. But, as you ask me a direct question, whether I am interested or not, I will reply out of respect to you, and say positively that I never have been, and am not, concerned or interested in those speculations directly nor indirectly. Neither did I know the full history of those transactions, until within a few days 1,>ast, nor am I certain that I understand them yet. I pass to another point-the Convention of November last, adopted .a declaration on the 7th 9f that month-it was the voice of the people legally expressed, Whether the Constitution of 1824 was the proper basis for the
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