438
THE AUSTIN PAPERS
and much time to complete it. My ill health I fear will cause some delay, I however assure you that every effort will be made on my part to finish it as soon as possible, and in the mean time any information in my power to give to the committee will be cheerfully afforded I have the honor to remain your most obt
s. F. AUSTIN
AUSTIN TO JAMES F. PERRY
DR. BROTHER
I am anxious to hear how you are. the last accounts you were getting better I shall be at Brazoria at the Ball and from there go down- I am gaining strength so slowly that it is difficult to perseive much improvement in my strength- I think that matters will go on well and smoothly in both the Executive and Legislative departments-- There evidently is a disposition to har• monise in all persons. I have been solicited to go into the new cabinet as Secretary of State- -or to go to the U. S. as minister- I have declined- I have all the land office business to close- Who can I trust it with in my absence? If S. M. Williams failed me while I was in prison in the city of Mexico, who can I hope will not fail me? Besides all this my health is gone, and I must have rest to nurse my con- stitution and try and restore my strength- The land office will be as much as I can attend to in the present state o{ my health. I think I shall effect a sale of some tracts of land, tho, at a great sacri- fice; which will supply me with something to live on, for the present untill I raise means to settle a farm. I send you by Simon two slips of Roses which I brought yesterday from Dr Phelps' place, The largest slip is monthly, white, exceedingly frag- rant, as much so as damask rose-it forms a tree-it is very rare in the U. S. and was procured from abroad by a botanist in N. Orleans who gave a slip to Phelps-- The other slip blooms daily the year round is red and fragrant- Do take care of them-water them every night untill they take root I also send you black walnuts to plant They are from a tree that Bell planted in his yard after he settled where he now is- They ought to be planted in January Do not neglect them, nor let the children eat them- If I am here in the winter -I will go to Mrs Allsburys a~d get some slips and roots for you • Have you saved any more of the crow foot Grass seed- A small patch in Bells yard has supported about a dozen Horses and kept them fat- He
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