THE AUSTIN PAPERS. 673 los havitantes del referido Distrito pa. que reconociendo al citado Austin con estas inbestiduras le obedescan en quanto les ordene y sea relactivo al buen orn, serv 0 • de la Patria y defense. de la Nacion de q. dependen. . Dios y libertad Bexar 16. de Julio de 1823. 3° y 2°. LUCIA.NO GARCIA [Rubric] .Sr. Alce. de 2°· Voto de esta Cindad, Baron de Bastrop- [In margin:] Gobernador Garcia al Comicionado Baron de Bastrop sobre el despacho de su comision
AUSTIN TO COLONEL CHARLES CALDWELL
Bexar July 17 1823
Dn. Sm,
I regret very much I was absent when you visited the Province, but anticipate the pleasure of seeing you here this fall- :My busi- ness is all happily terminated and I shall immediately commence distributing the land- Owing to the difficulty of malring a begin- ning when I first em~arked in this enterprise, I was compeled to admit some who would have been rejected under different circum- stances-but that difficulty no longer exists-large crops will be made this year on both the Colorado and Brazos- My grunt is approved by the Sovereign Congress and Supreme Executive power since the fall of Iturbide-The smallest quantity of land which a family that fa1'71UJ and 'raises stock, both, will receive is one league square or five thousands yards square-the cost will be 12½ cents pr· acre- You have seen the country, and know whether it will suit you or not you also know whether it would be for your interest, in case you remove, to settle under my grant, or apply for a seperate one from the Government- All I have to say therefore is that if you join me, you may rely on the greatest privileges in my power to grant. In conjunction with the commissioner, I have full power to increase the quantity of land to more than a lefLgue for a family, in case it should be necessary to accommodate a large family- You will perceive by the enelosed th:tt the number £or Brazos and Colo- rado settlement is limited, the baln,nce must settle on the Guadalupe und 8t. .Marcos und near this place etc. etc.-so say the Govt._ When I left Mexico no other grants had been made, nor could be for some time to come, fort.he Colonization law was repealed in toto on the 10 of April except as refers to me, and when a new law will pass is uncertain- the present congress have called a new one, the election is to be on the 2d of August and Congress is to meet the middle of October next- The majority of the Provinces have pro-
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