WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1830
160
rate of five dollars each ver diems nor are these the only persons engaged inthe business of emigration. A gentleman. in the old nation-a merchant-holding a large mail carrying contract, has been, and now is, receiving five dollars pe1· diem from the Gov- ernment, for attending to his own business-for common sense and every day's experience will convince us, that, to attend to mercantile business and the management of a mail contract, by one individual, is as much as he can well get along with. But no matter-the Government has the money to pay, and a fat goose stands picking the best! It may have been an object with mer- chants in the old nation, to look out for mercantile prospects on Arkansas, and for one of the family to visit the country, when Government was to pay the expense. Mr. Blake was sent to the Agency on Arkansas, by the appointment of Col. Crowell; he had been employed by the fa1nily in the old nation; a Maj. Love~ also belonged to the retinue; and remained in this country. Mr. Jos. Brearley 0 was left here by his father, the Agent, in charge of his affairs, and being apprised of a party of emigrants about to arrive, was making preparations to obtain the provisions neces- sary to subsist them for one year; and for that purpose, had advertised to receive bids to supply six thousand bushels of corn.-The day came for closing the contract, when Col. Ar- buckle/ commanding Cantonment Gibson, handed in a bid, in the name of the Creek nation, to furnish the amount of corn required, at one dollar and twenty cents per bushel; the next lowest bid to his, was one dollar and fifty cents; so that Col. Arbuckle saved the Government $2,280. At the same time that he did not benefit himself one cent, he placed it in the power of the Creek Indians, to fill the contract and obtain a liberal price for their corn. The surplus of their corn crops was all-sufficient; and if any individual had but five bushels to deposit in the store house, he was entitled to his certificate for that amount of corn, amounting in value to five dolla1·s and sixty cents. Col. Arbuckle had encouraged the Creeks in industry, and noted their progress and success in agriculture, He knew, and daily saw and heard, their wants. Their necessities were pitiable-they had no credit, nor had they any money, for they had received none since they reached Arkansas; and the Agents had regarded them as so many beasts of the field, only as they might furnish them means of speculation, or a pretext of fraud upon the Government. This is susceptible of proof!!! The man of common calculation would suppose that, as the Indians had furnished the corn agreeably to
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