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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
No. 1639 [183-?, M. B. LAMAR, HOUSTON? TEXAS]. INFORMATION FROM: "DR. JAS. B. l\IILLER" 31 From Dr J as B. J\Iiller- Was born & raised in Kentucky, came to Texas in 1828- He resided generally at the capital, in the full confidence of Genl Austin= The Govr of Texas, in 1823 Saucedo- The Mexicans were under the impression that Texas was nothing more than a grazing country; and that the Americans would live & they did= Under this impression, the original grant of Land as Headrights, was intended to embrace only one labore 177 acres of Tim- bered land, and one Leag1,1e in the prariee, or pasture lands= 'l'his was the agreemt & intention of the govt in passing the Colonizing Law.====== When Austin returned to Texas in 1823, he knew that the grant of timbered land was altogether to small to satisfy the people; and that instead of being an inducmt [sic] to bring colonist [sic] to the country, it would be calculated to drive those from it who were already here--The prarie land the Americans did not want- To obviate this difficulty in the Land Law, so as to allow the people to locate their League & Labore in one survey without any reference io pasturage lands, it was necessary to secure the services of the Gov- •ernor-How was this to be done? Austin was too poor to pay the -Oovr anything, & without a bonus of some kind it was plain that he would not act. Austin told Baron de' Bastrop of his objections to the law as it then stood and of the necessity & importance of having it altered. Bastrop, who had been appointed by the Genl Govt Commis- sioner to place the emigrants in possession of their lands, was to re- ceive his instructions from the Governor-He agreed to procure the aid of the Governor for a stipulated sum, one half of which was to go to himself & the other to the Govr The suggestion was made to the Governr, who readily agreed to the plan, and in issuing his his ].sic[ orders to the Commissioner, instructed him to Locate the League & Labore in any manner and place to snit the settles [sic]~And the Lands were located accordigl y [sic] under this order_: and l\1exico never knew that the law was not executed according to its original letter and spirit-But how was the money to be raised to pay the Governor-? This gave rise to the Tax or fee of 12½ct per acre which Austin €Xacted from the first settlers-The people paid it without the author- ity upon which· it rested or the object for which it was collected-By means of this fee he paid Saucedo, a portion of the debt, and gave notes for the balance, which he never fully settled until a short time before his death-Saucedo died some short time after giving his in- structions to the Commissioner-His successor, was-(name not known)- Lucus32 Alaman made a strong & powerful protest against the passage of the Colonizing Law; regarding it as a virtual surrender of the coun- try-See the American Quarterly.
81 A. Df. 112 Lucas.
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