756
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
J .Al\IES GR.ANT TO A US'rIN
New Orleans March 23d 1824
Coln 1 AusTJN DEAR Sm After n tedious and disagreeable passage we made out to rea..ch this place in about six weeks from we left your settle- ment; we was wind-bount at the mouth of the River, and then had to proceed to sea with a very short allowance of provision, and had it not been for the Punkins you put on board we should have all starved; we were Twenty Days at sea; and at last made the Land at the Bayou La fourche, where we could not get provisions to take us out to sea again, I was obliged there to pay a man Thirty Dollars to take us thro; su.fice it to sny it was out of my pocket something like fifty Dollars and then could not get the little sloop thro without a great deal additional expense; and I sold her for oysters, which I am not yet paid-on my presenting myself to my friends here, just ar- rived after a six months cruse; (with a Neat asortment of good) I arrive without almost a cent in my pocket-I try to reason the matter with them by letting them know what I have done in Texas, the very name of the Country is enought; I find my friends completely op- posed to assist me to go to that place; and at the present time I am at a loss to know what I am to do for myself; I earnestly hope that as my visit to your country has at this moment blighted my credit with my friends in this plnce; I hope you will be inclu]gent to me; and tho I do not come nor send out before the fall you will indulge me so far as to show to my friend and the World that little as they now think o:f the speculation (that ha_s deprived me of stock and Credit, that my judgment was not wrong with the arguments I have advanced u1 its favor), I shall either . come myself or send my Brother in the fall ; Mr. Jones has my instructions to get a title for the Land and in case you may want any money to pay you any he may take for my property l have the pleasure to say that I showed the sample of Cotton to all the cotton .Merchants in Town, and they all declare it to be supe- rior to any cotton that comes to this market, they say it is Equal to the 8ea Island Cotton; and recommend its being Gind with the rolur Gins; I send you a Newspaper or two and am sorry it is not in my power to send you the articles you wanted from this place-but I am determined to be a Citizen of your country and altho things at pres- ent look bad I may be down with you soon. please remember me to Captn· Austin your Brother &c. If you are writting to this plnce and in any way I can be of service to you please command me, I remain JAMES GnANT [Rubric] P. S. I send this by Mr. ·white, I did not know he was in Town till last night, therefore you will excuse hast J. G.
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