286
TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
No. 870
1838, Nov. 9, G. B. LAMAR TO M. B. LAMAR
Savannah 9 Nov 1838
Genl. J\L B. Lamar
Texas,
Dr Sir, I wrote you some time in July &
sent you some Land s·crip to be located-& have not since heard of it- plea,se to say whether it went safely to you & what else that may be necessary- It was for 1600 acres only & some of that issued to Thos. Toby- I perceive that you have been elected to the Presidency of the Republic- and as you are shortly to be installed & will probably give some exposition to your constituency & to the ·world of the principles on which you will act as Chief Magistrate, I trust you will receive the suggestions which I propose to make in the spirit they are intended- and weigh them in your judgement & take them for what they may be found of worth if of worth at all- I know that without any knowledge of what it may be in your power to do with a very peculiar people & without any experience in the details- I shall probably very far mistake what niay be prac- ticable-yet I give you what I think most desirable & you can bet- ter judge of the practicability- As to Mexico- Some firm & decisive measure will be necessary to force her to reason- & to cause her to respect your people & to let them pursue their avocations in quiet- & indeed to open to them all the inter- changes of trade & commerce-To effect this two ways only suggest themselves- 1st By such a discreet & prudent course towards her & the rest of the ·world as will command the respect & regard and the confidence of other people-& thereby obtain the means of so forcing her into measures- either through Loans on your credit- or by foreign aid- or both combined- or 2d By directly attracting all the dissolute & abandoned of all other nations to your standard by a proclamation of universal plunder-·which such a horde more might & probably would be effected- but cui bono? You could not expect order or subordination from such a combination-a,nd though they might & probably would conquer Mexico-they would require themselves to be conquered-before any thing valuable could be produced of them- I would therefore recommend the use of all conciliatory measures- consistent with a just respect of your own people- & such negociations with the powers of Europe & particu- larly with England & France as would furnish the necessary aid by granting them commercial facilities & advantages to be cancelled whenever the sums should be repaid-or otherwise-It strikes me that your Minister to England should be empowered to go also to France & by passing from one to the other Court & exciting each by the other, that he could procure the aid of one & the recognition of both powers-Your position being so extremely favorable for furnish- ing supplies to the richest portions of the World- it must be impor-
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