420
. AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
ment with advantage to the Government and satisraction to the Settlers- Considering that the first effort towards Colonising the Proe. by citizens from the U. S. is made by me, and that after having ex- plored the sea coast I shall have a full Knowledge of the Country, and considering also that the public stations I have filled in .M. j},fissouri] and A. [Arkansas] (having been for many years a Mem- ber of the legislature of the former and one of the Judges of the Court in the latter) has enabled me to form very extensive and general acquaintance ·with the people of the western country, and also that my former ,residence· for many years under the Spanish Govt. in upper Louisiana has made me some what familiar with the laws and customs I have supposed that I could probably effect as much towards settling Texas with useful citizens as any other man, I therefore respectfully-petition that I be permitted to extend the -settlements to the Guadaloupe and· St Marcos Rivers on the west and to the Trinity and St. Jacinto on the East-· Should this plan for the appointment of a general Commissioner >r Agent for the Province be ~dopted I would respectfully suggest ~hat it would greatly facilitate the objects of the appointment if he was to have pretty extensive discretionary powers ns to the dis- tributing of lands, so as to save the.dela.y and expense of applying to the Gvt for instructions relative to each settler and that he be authorized to issue certificates to the settlers stating (under such limits as the Gvt may deem proper). the quantity of land and the place where he is to receive it-these certificates could be a guide to the Surveyor Gen 1 of the Province in laying off the lands, and the returns would thus be all-made by the surveyor Gen 1 and the Com' and the Gvt would only have those two officers to transact the busi- ness with instead of the hundreds that would trouble them if each settler was to apply for himself individually. I would also respect- ful1y suggest that the commissioner be authorized to exact from each settler a _sufficient per cent on the land grnntd to compensate him for his trouble and expense in attending to the business- Mr Davidson who returned a .few days since from St Antonio informs me that applications have been made for grants of two and three leagues square on the Colorado._1 I would respectfully suggest to your. Excellency that. it may. create some confusion if grants are made within the tract of country in which my settlement js forming- I have promised th~ .settlers that the first who go • See na'etrop ·to · Austln, September 13, 1821. For· Mnrtlncz'e attitude toward tbP. propoaals ot this letter, sec MarUnez to Lop02, November 18, 1821.
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