510
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
subdue the Indians; if they still continue hostile this can be done, and the whole frontier of the Eastern Provinces defended with little or no expense to the nation- If the government will grant me the privilege of settling the dis- trict of Country designated in my Memorial, I will obligate myself as stated in my ~emorial to organize the settlers into Rifle Companies and arm them, and to hold them in readiness at all times to march against the Indians within said Province whenever called on-These companies will be sufficient in conjunction with the regular troops and militia of the Province to subdue the Indians and keep them at peace. [The following paragraph Austin deleted: The organizing of these Rifle Companies with arms ready for service, and the other services mentioned in my memorial, which I ha,~e agreed to render the nation, I hope may be considered a sufficient equivalent for the privileges asked for in that memorial- Having been the first who commenced the settlement of Texas I :!eel great anxiety that the settlement should succeed and my ex- perience on this subject, and the examples which history afford of ·he difficulty of forming a settlement in a wilderness has convinced ne that the first establishment in a wilderness Inhabited by Indians ..:annot succeed unless it is very strong, and under the direction of one individual, for a multiplicity of directors in the same estab- lishment will produce confusion and division, and there will neither be that security or progress in improvement which would arise from system union and consert in all the motions of the settlers a thing which can only be produced by assigning the formation of the first settlement within particular limits to one person- J The welfare of the new Settlers which I have brought into Texas is closely connected with these subjects vVe are all equally interested in procuring a peace with the Indians, I therefore offer my services in any way that the Government may want them towards effecting this desirable object, or in any other manner in which I can render any service to·the nation With considentions of the most profound Respect I am your Excellencys most obt. Humble servt. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
AusTIN's MElIORIAL TO CoNonEss
Traduccion lit-eral del £ranees y copia .Memorial <lei"infrascripto, natural de los Estados Unidos de America en el que espone respetuosamente. Que el difunto su padre el Coronel Moses Austin ha obtenido del Supremo Gobierno de las Provincias internas del Este de Nueva
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