325
PAPERS OF :MIRABEAU BuoNAPARTE LAMAR
War for the Government of Texas, to facilitate the purchase of which I had made considerable exertions, and also left my notes in the hands of Genl. McIntosh, then in New York, for ten thousand Dollars, under circumstances, the detail of which would be inapplicable here, but of which I have already apprised you, and which last object having fallen thro~gh, my notes were returned to me. The notes of Mr Ikin re- mained protested at the bank, and unattended to until about the begin- ning of Feby. 1839, when, on my second return from Texas, I called upon l\Iessrs Herman & Son, and took them up, and have them now in my possession-the protest authenticated by t]ie Notary and the British Consul at New Orleans. Neither :JI.fr Ikin, nor any person for him has ever to this day paid one farthing-nor have I received in any shape one farthing on this transaction or any other from :JI.fr Ikin or any person for him. Nor have I endeavored to raise or make one farthing out of the transaction. I have noticed :JI.fr Ikin that his notes were due and under protest. I have made dem'ands upon the other small notes as matters of prudence, but without effect. I have not endorsed away any of what was received for this script, but it all remains in my exclusive possession and control, and my object in this was to enable me at all times to act according to my sense of equity. While in England or France I made no sale, nor had I a private transaction of any kind. I had some negociations of considerablti magnitude, but all conditioned on the subsequent cooperation of the Government and Congress of Texas. I had, and would have had nothing to do with the emigration referred to in the re8olutions. It was a matter of Mr Ikin's exclusively, or some person to whom he may have trafficked the script. I cannot conceiye what has induced this specious emigration unless the intention of creating the pretended disappointment as an escape from the payment of the notes. :Mr Ikin wrote to me lately, that he had entered into some new firm-it is probable that this firm has sent the Agnes, cargo and emigrants through the representation of Mr Ikin, and that Mr Ikin knew that there were laws to provide them lands at all events, while he might take advantage of the scene at Galveston to evade the payment of his note::;. The letter following, is the last received from Mr Ikin by me, and although I had been previously cool, because I could not under- stand this gentleman exactly, still as he had preceded it by similar l~tters unanswered by me, I replied to it in a short, but reciprocal way. .And if these resolutions had not passe<l, or been of a firm and temperate cast, this very enterprise might have led to results beneficial to Texas, and perhaps not eventually prejudidal to those who had suffered some disappointment. The JI.fr Arthur Ikin now in Texas, is a young man, the son of the Mr Jonathan Ikin who made the purchase. This is a copy of the letter from l\lr Jonathan Ikin who made the purchase. The blank by asterisk~ refers to a third person on matter unconnectcJ with this subject. 59
.l\fr Ikin purchased the script before the existence of any Con- gress in Texas. This Congress af~erwards passed laws affecting· settlc-
••Following is a letter from Ikin to Woodward, which is printed as no. 1429.
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