THE AUSTIN PAPERS. 683 rate horse suitable for nn Indian expedition or a first rate riding mule. Am told Abner Keykendall has such a horse See if he will suit and his price to go towards his land- let me know when I ·arrive all the objections made by the settlers and what fault they find or what they want. J. H. Bell
BASTROP TO THE COLONISTS [Copy by Austin]
To the Inhabitants of the Colorado Dis- trict 1 in Austin's Colony, Province of Texas convened at the house of Sylves- ter Castlemans at a public meeting-
By order of the Governor of this Province I have convened you together to inform you of the powers and fll:Culties which the Superior Government have conferred on Citizen Stephen F. Austin- what those powers and faculties are you will see by the following translation of the said Governors Official letter to me elated at Bexar the 16 of Inst month (here read the letter) 2 I therefore, the Baron de Bastrop Commissioner duly appointed by the Government for that purpose, now, in this public manner invest him the said Stephen F. Austin with the before mentioned offices and powers, and I charge the inhabitants to respect and obey him in every thing relative to tJ1e good Government and prosperity of the Colony, and the defence of the Nation to which he belongs under the penalty incurred by those who disrespect or disobey au officer or magistrate of the Mexican Nation. The number of families is limited to three hundred for this Colony, those therefore who are not received by Mr Austin into it, must move further into the interior of the Province or if they are of bad character }llr Austin is ordered by the Supr Govt to remove them out of the Colony, for which purpose he is authorized to use military force should it be necessary. In registering the Families all those who are connected either by blood or marriage must be registered as one family, and the land for the whole must be taken in the name of the hend of the family-Single men must either be included in some family, or a sufficient number of them must unite to form a family and draw land for all in the name of one. The Colonization law agreeably to which the land for this Colony will be distributed, was repea_led on the 10 of April last, as regards
, •.rhere Is ·an Identical copy addressed to tbe citizet1a of the Brazos district. • Above, Garcia to Bustrop, July 16.
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