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THE AUSTIN PAPERS
There have been some few local or isolated excitements produced prin- cipally by the various constructions that were put upon some of the acts of the march Convention, which have no doubt been greatly magnified abroad, but they have all terminated- The administration of Genl. Houston has entered upon its duties under the most favorable auspices, and the utmost harmony, and union prevails in all the departments and also in the com- muni!y at large- The Santa Anna excitement (as it was called) I believe is dead-when I arrived in June it was at its extreme point, and there was a strong disposition to take him to the army and court martial him- I opposed this measure by every means in my power, and in consequence soon drew upon myself the hatred of most of the army and the ill will of a large portion of the community- All that however was temporary-it has passed away. What might be considered an act of retributive justice, at the time Santa Anna was taken, on the field of battle, before The country was compromised by receiving him as a prisoner of war, and treating with him; would evidently have been quite the reverse afterwards- This at least was the view I took of it, and this is the view which Congress and the people now take of it- That dreadful excitement consequently entirely subsided The volunteer excitement as it was called, has also entirely subsided, so that we have union and harmony in all quarters-- I pass to another subject which is purely individual arid only interesting to myself- On my arrival in Orleans in June on my way home I met with Messrs Collinsworth and Grayson, the new commissioners or representa- tives of Texas to washington City- These gentlemen were direct from Velasco, the then seat of Government and stated that in all probability there would be no more hostilities in Texas until late in the fall, that provisions and supplies were scarce, that it was doubtful whether volunteers would be needed immediately, that the sickly season was coming on etc. What these gentlmen said, they believed Lo be facts and subsequent events have positively proved that they were facts, for altho a report came on afterwards of the advance of the Mexican army and the govt. here acted upon it, and ,called out the country en masse, it was erroneous, the mexican forces never moved from Matamoros towards Texas and have not been able to move- Under these circumstances I was asked by some of the volunteers in Or- leans, and amongst the rest by some from Lexington, what was the news from Texas-- I of course, could only state what the above named com- missioners direct from their Govt. stated I did so, as it was my duty to do if I said anything, and for so doing I have understood I have been ~ensured, and accused of discouraging the volunteers etc. My motives and those of Collinsworth and Grayson have been misconstrued,-our object, clearly and evidently was to benefit the volunteers, by informing them of the true
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