824
AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION.
of said Districts cnlled in Spanish a Juez de letras or Judge of Learn- ing-In this way this Colony will be organized as soon as it can be done-I wished the Governor to do it when here, but he thought it too soon And promised to do it in the fall I am particularly Anxious to see this arrangement Completed for it will release me from the disagreeable task now imposed upon me and will prob,tbly be much more satisfactory to the people as then they will be governed by Men elected by themselves, for these Ayuntamientos are a species of Select Men or Council elected Annually by the people of the prescinct, And the Alcaldes are also elected in the same way • The oflice I now hold was neYer sought for by me from choice or inclination but it must haYe been filled by some one untill the Colony was organized and I thought it would promote the general interests of us all much more to take it myself than to run the risk of having an officer sent here who knew nothing of our language customs or dispositions-I have never sought after appointments .And never shall but I deem it the duty of every one to serve his Country when called on to do it so far as his Capacity will admit- June 5 : 1824. Your fellow Citizen STEPHEN F. AusTIN [Rubric] Stephen F. Austin in his memorial to the Mexican Government first stated the quantity of land he had promised to the settlers under the arrangement with Govr- :Martinez And prayed the Govt. to confirm that quantity to them or designate the quantity they were to have And also that certain fixed limits should be established for the Colony-2 nd17 • He prayed that the mode of making out the titles and delivering them to the Settlers should be fixed-3dly He asked for permission to settle as many families in the limits which he prayed for as the land in those limits would permit. 4 th17 • He required to know the quantity of land that wd. be allowed to him for his own use. 5 th1 Y- He asked for Authority to found a Town-6-He asked the Govt· to designate the manner in which the Civil Govt. of the Colony should be administered in its commencement and untill it was corn pleted- • This 1t-lem 1 • was presented 9 months before the passage of the Colo- nization Law and was referred to the Council of State who mnde a lengthy report thereon after the said law was published, a copy of which report also accompanies the decree of the Emperor and upon that report was founded the following Decree of the Emperor 1 1 Austin Included, as n documentary appendix : ( 1) The Empt>ror's decree ot February 18 , lS23, confirming his grant: (2) The report ot Congress, .~prll 11, 1823, _rccommcnd- f that the provisional e:rncutive approve tile grant; and (3) the Executives <.lecree ot ,::,~rovaJ. They appear above In Spanish, March 20, 1823, and In translation In .d. Com· prehenaive Hutorv of '.l'ea:aa, I, 473-475.
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