370
AMETIICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
ExA:\HNATION OF MosES AusTIN 1 At the City of San Fernando de Bexn·r, the 23d day of December, A D 1820 : The Governor of the Province of Texas, _Colonel Don Antonio Martinez, in order to obtain detailed information about the condition of affairs and movements on the frontier of the United States, and the assembly of men in Galveston Island, summoned to appear nt this office the foreigner Moses Austin, :who arrived to-day in this city, with two other persons. Said Moses Austin being pres- ent was required through the Baron de Bastrop who had promised well and truly to discharge the di.1ty of .Interpreter, to make true answers to such questions as might be propounded to him, answered as follows. • Questioned as to his name, native country a'.nd ·residence-An- swered: That he is a natiYe of the State of Connecticut, actually a resident of Missouri, is a catholic, a merchant and dealer in lead ore. Askecl:-Whence he came, who accompanied him, and what is his object in entering this Province~ Answered: .That he came from Missouri through Nachitotches, 'that he had been accompanied by a negro boy belonging to him, and two other Americans; that he came to this Province for the purpose of applying to the Government for authorization to settle himself in it with his.family, inasmuch as he had already been a subject of the Government of Spain, as is proved by a passport, which he presented, signed by Don Carlos Martinez de Irujo, Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty, signed at Phila- delphia, the 13th July, 1797; and that it is his intention to provide for his subsistance by raising sugar and Cotton.. • Asked: what observations he made on his way from Missouri; if he knows anything about the movementc; of the banclitti on.the :fron- tier of the United States, if he has seen, or heard, anything of the state of affairs in Galveston Island, and to state whatever incident may have called his attention.-Answered: That he has observed . . nothing on his way from Missouri; that he had only heard it said at Natchitoches that Long 2 has been abandoned by his men, 20 or 30 men only still remaining with him; that Lafitte has abandoned Gal- veston Island, after having been attacked by an_American frigate, a.nd that the President of the Congress had .promised a reward of 500 Dollars for the apprehension of Long [Lafitte] That Lafitte repaired to South America, but tl~at, on his departure from Galveston, he captured an American ship, and put to death all her crew, except two men who made good their escape; and finally, that he has rea.d in 1 A liberal translation of a Spanish copy In tbe Nacogdoches Archives, Texas Stnte Library. 2 Dr..James Long, wbo11e Invasion of Texas hnd been repelled In 1810. He WM known to be preparlng a second lnvulon, which, In fact, began the following Februnr7.
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