The Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, Volume III

573

PAPERS OF l\IIR.ABE.AU BU0N.AP.ARTE LAM.AR

selves and safety the women & children as this place con- tains a very large Portion of those in hast Your Obt Humble Servt Septr. 22nd. Jos. E. Plummer. [Endorsed]

[Addressed]

Jos. E. Plummer Apl 22nd. 41 Application for guns &c

His Excy. M B Lamar.

President of the Republic of Texas Austin

No. 2098 1841 Sept. 22, l\I. B. LAMA,R, AUSTIN, [TEXAS] TOT. J. GREEN, [AUSTIN, TEXASJ 40 Letter to Thos. Jefferson Green. Austin September 22nd. 1841 Dear Sir: Your letter of the 18th 41 urging the propriety of a change in our Charge d' Affaires in the United States has been before me a few days, and would have been replied to with more despatch but for the multiplicity of business demanding my attention. The various considerations offered in vour letter in favor of trans- fering Col. Bee,-our present representative at Washington City, ''to France or some other Gou.rt," that the situation which he now occupies, may be filled by the appointment of our mutual friend Dr. Archer, have received from me that respectful attention to which they are entitled from the motives that influenced them and the frankness with which they are urged.-But whilst I do full justice to your motives, and duly respect you for your zeal and candor, an equal degree of frankness on my part requires me to state that your arguments have not satisfied my mind of the propriety of the measure you recommend; and that not- withstanding every disposition in me to gratify your wishes in the mat- ter, I feel that I cannot do it, without offering violence to my convic- tions of what is just and right.- You seem to be under the impression that Col. Bee's appointment was temporary only, and that he was to return to Texas so soon as he had accomplished some particular object which formed the sole pur- pose of his mission. I infer this from the following language of your letter. You say that "every one will agree that it was due to Tex~s, according to diplomatic usage when he was specially charged with this subject and failed of its accomplishment within a reasonable time, he should have voluntarily returned to give his Government full opportun- ity of trying another."- In the above sentence I do not know what you allude when you use the words "this subject," unless you have ref- erence to the treaty now pending between this Government and that of the United States.- But that Col. Bee was deputed-for the specific purpose of making this treaty and for no other object, is altogether a

'°Df. .Additions and corrections by Lamar. "No. 2094.

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