424
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1842
SA. C. Hinton, commander of the steamship Zavala of the Texas navy, came to Texas, 1837, a poor man, and without means of support. He pro- cured a clerkship in a government department and served three months. He had been trained for the law, and with enough saved to live upon while he got started in his profession, he decided to set up a law office. He was moderately successful, but had no ambition for political preferment, the road by which the majority of the young lawyers of Texas were travelling to fame. Prior to his coming to Texas he had seen seven years service in the United States navy; therefore when the young Texas navy was being organized he was induced to quit the law and go into the Texas Navy. He was given command of the Zavala. Commodore E. W. Moore ordered the Zavala (latter part of 1839) to New Orleans for changes and necessary repairs; but upon his arrival there, Hinton found the ship chandlers re- luctant to do the work, since Texas had not been found to be a good paymaster, and refused to do the work except for cash. There was not enough cash (only $9,000) to pay for the changes desired, therefore Hinton's ship was tied up at New Orleans so long that the cruise for which he was fitting out was largely a failure. This brought upon Hinton abuse and recriminations, and on February 6, 1840, he received a letter from the Secretary of the Navy dismissing him from the service, and that, too, in a foreign port. Hinton wrote the Secretary asking the reasons for his dis- missal, but had no answer. On May 11, 1840, he demanded of the Navy Department a court of inquiry for the causes of his dismissal. It was denied-no reasons given for the denial. After nine months, Louis P. Cook gave some sort of reply, saying that Hinton's conduct as commander of the Zavala was disapproved in his (Cook's) official report, but no redress was accorded him. See Memorials and Petitions, Texas State Library; E. W. Winkler (ed.), Sec1·et Journals of the Senate, Republic of Texas, 1896-1845, 208, 135. Jim Dan Hill, The Texas Navy, 113. To THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1 Executive Department, City of Austin, January 8, 1842. To the Honorable, the House of Representatives: In com- pliance with a resolution of your Honorable Body, of the 1st instant, I herewith transmit a communication from the Treasury Department, exhibiting a list of defaulters to the government, as far as can be at present ascertained. The Congress will perceive from the statements of the several officers, the reasons why full and accurate returns of all defalcations, by persons who have had public money in charge, are not reported. Sam Houston.
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tExecutive Record Boole, No. 40, Texas State Library.
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