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cessity of transacting public business with such scrupulous·exact- ness as to enable them to submit an exhibit of their doings to the most rigid scrutiny.- There appears to be an effort making to procure a separation of the agency giving to a new agent the control of the money and to the others the present agents the burthen of the work and responsibility that is the purchase and shipment of supplies correspondence and forwarding of volunteers etc. this will be impolitic and unjust in the extreme, I believe you will so view it and I beg your strenuous opposition to such a measure should it be proposed. The neglect of the fiscal concerns of Texas has heretofore been ascribed to the unfortunate quarrel of the executive with the council but now that the conven lion has been organized a month and nothing done I am forced to the conclusion that the correspondence of the agents with the Govern- ment and the needful information on this subject may have been witheld from that body. I feel it my duty to apprizc you of the alarming excitement which the capture by one of our cruisers in the Sisal Roads of a schooner owned by an american merchant resident in Campeachy and a house here, wearing the Mexican flag for the benefit of difference in import duty has produced in this city. If our armed vessels are to he employed to rob the very citizens of this city who furnished the money to purchase them, of the property which they think proper to ship to Mexico under cover of the Mexican flag for greater profit instead of being direct- ed to protect the commerce between the United States and Texas and to prevent the transportation of provisions and troops by sea to the army of Santa Anna, the disposition to aid our cause which has been so ardently evinced by the citizens of New Orleans will speedily be changed to an extreme disapprobation. Large quanti- ties of provisions and other supplies are shipping from this place by the house of M. de Lizardi & Co agents of Santa Anna to Matamoros in American vessels- were our little squadron confined strictly to public service between Matamoros and Matagorda they could not only protect our own commerce but effectually prevent the transmission of troops and provisions by sea lo the scat of war or other parts of the coast. Capturing American vessels would no doubt produce great dissatisfaction but taking out of them provi- sions and munitions destined to the enemy and for the enemy's use and paying the freight would I think be justified by the neces- sity of the case and not be censured by any reasonable man. You
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