THE AUSTIN PAPERS. 725 absence with the Surveying and designating the lands and lots for Settlers within his Colony and to do whatever may be neces<:mry towards completing the affairs of the Colony untill my return, St Felipe de Austin January 20- 1824 . BARON DE BASTROP [Rubric] Govnt Commissioner
AUSTIN TO LUCAS ALAMAN 1
Brassos River Province of Texas,
January 20 th . 1824
MosT ExCELLENT Srn
Having left the City of Mexico before the arrival of your Ex- cellency it was out of my power to present myself in person and explain to your Excellency as I wished to do, the motives which induced me and those who have accompanied me to become in- habitants of this Nation; And as my own future welfare and that of my family, as well as the prosperity of the new Colony which I nm establishing in this Province will entirely depend on the protection and favourable opinion which the Government of our Adoption may be pleased to extend to us, I hope it will not be deemed an intrusion if I now take the liberty of introducing myself to your Excellency and of Supplicating the good opinion and protection of Your Ex- cellency and of the Supreme Executive Power towards the Infant Establishment which after a series of difficulties, heavy expences and coni:;tant labor for three years past I have finally Succeeded in form- ing in the heretofore unsettled deserts of this Province- As Your Excellency entered upon the high duties of Minister of Relations subsequent to the period when my business was finally completed in that Department by His Excellency Don Jose Ignacio Illueca on the 14 th • of April 1823 it may not be superfluous succinctly to recapitulate a short history of its Origin and progress up to this time referring Your Excellency to the Official Documents on file in that Ministry to Confirm my Statement. My late Father Moses Austin a native of the State of Connecticut in the United States became a citizen of Louisiana and of the Spanish Nation in the year 1798 a.nd enjoyed the confidence and pro- tection of that Government until the Cession of that Province to the Unitetl States. Urged by the advice of his friends and yielding to the Solicitude of many of his neighbours who wished to obtllin permission to establish themselves in this Province he visited the 1 Transcripts from archives of Department of Fomento, Mexico. The first draft ot the letter ls 1n the Austin Papers, but ls illcomplete.
Powered by FlippingBook