[2612} [AUSTIN to BURNET]
New Orleans April 7th 1836
To D. G. Burnel Esqr.
You will pardon me Sir for addressing you in your individual capacity. My motive is to give you information for your own use, which I believe to be essenlial lo a right understanding of the public interests here without exposing myself to the risk of being censured as volunteering a correspondence with the President which might be deemed prcsumptious. The enclosed communication prepared for members of the Convention and one copy sent by mail to the delegates for Austin is now transmilted to you that you may see the impression made upon my mind on arrival here by the statements of the agent verified by book vouchers and correspondence submitted to my inspection. The copy of Mr. Thos. F. McKinney's letter is essential to the right understanding of the subsequent matter. That letter was written and placed in the hands of the agents by Mr McKinney when here for the express purpose of inducing them to make further advances of money to complete the outfit of the armed vessels of the Government by strengthening their confidence that the Ten Thousand Dollars in Bank for account of Govt. would be placed at their disposition as ordered by the Commissioners. You can therefore judge Sir of the feelings and astonishment of the agents on being told by Genl Green who arrived here yesterday on public service that Mr McKinney had obtained a draft for his own account for the Ten thousand Dollars in Bank in anticipation of which they had advanced their own money; Thal no provision had been made to place them in funds even in the event of the contractors of the loan receding to the modified ratification which is very doublfull, and that they are left at this time of unprecedented pressure for money, consequent upon the prohibition by Santa Anna of shipments of specie from the Ports of Mexico to New Orleans, to the severe alternative of sustaining the public credit by providing for the public debt in this city amounting to nearly Ninety thousand Dollars out of their own means and credit, or to submit to the prostration of their own credit with that of the GovC'rnmcnt, which would involve the sum
353
Powered by FlippingBook