814
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
to do it; or would it have been just that you should have done so 1 If not can you blame me for making the public declaration i.n the beginning of this Settlement that the Settlers must aid me by paying a specific sum for the benefits I secured to them ; And was there then any thing unjust or improper in such an arrangement in its Origin 1 -If not let us proceed to examine whether any thing Occurred in the progress of the business which rendered an adher- ence to the Original terms of the Contract, with the Settlers im- proper- 1Vhen in New Orlen,ns in November I dispatched a Vessel with Men and provisions and tools for the settlement and proceeded on by land myself to meet her at the Mouth of the Colorado-After a three months trip wandering in the swamps and thickets of these Rivers and in waiting at the mouth of the Colorado for said Vessel I gave her up for lost and in :March proceeded to San .Antonio to inform the Governor that I had Commenced the Settlement and to request him to send with me a Commr to superintend the partition of the land Agreeably to the ..Arrangement made with him in August previous-On my Arrival I was informed by the Govr that in Consequence of the revolution and change of Govern.mt he felt un- willing to do anything in the business, that he was an European and did not know at what monent he might be removed from office or how the revolution would terminate, in consequence of which he had determined not to transact any public business except Such as could not be postponed--he AS&ured me that the Settlers would be safe and that the permission granted to my Father would always be respected by the Government, but that great delay might arise before they could be legally put in possession of their lands and receive titles therefor-this information was as unexpected as it was mortifying to me-I felt myself bound in honor to Comply fully with my part o-f the Contract with the Settlers and to procure Complete titles for them to their lands-this was a new and unex- pected difficulty which was never Anticipated or even dreamt of by me-I applied to the Governor for advice informing him that I had rather die than not effect what I bad promised to the Settlers and that without so much delay as he Anticipated-He advised m~ to go to ::Mexico and apply to Congress-One nights deliberation determined me to accept of this advice and on the 15 day of :March 1822 I departed for the City of :Mexico-It is needless for me to detail the difficulty I had in procuring funds for this unexpected trip, or the immense sacrifices I was compelled to .make of the little prop- erty I had saved from the wr~k o-f my broken fortunes in the_ U States besides which I had to dispose of one half of the lands which I might obtain before I could raise the means of progres.5ing with
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