442
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 184-2
of the Senate, Republic of Texas, 1896-1845, p. 220.) In 1842, also, he en- tered into a contract with the Texas Government to settle a colony in south- west Texas on the Medina River. He immediately made arrangements to comply with the terms of the contract, and after great expense and labor and many vexing delays, between the years 1843 and 1847, he succeeded in chartering twenty-seven ships, and brought into Texas 485 families and 457 single men. His task of settling his colonies was made especially dif- ficult, because at this time the French Government was trying to colonize Algeria, and it placed many obstacles in Castro's way of securing colonists for his Texas project; also, because this was the time of the Mexican War, and the Texas ports were not always clear or safe harbors for the landing of immigrants. Castro settled his first shipload of families at Castroville on the Medina River, in September, 1844; in 1845, he settled the little village of Quihi; in 1846, the town of Vandenburg, while the last village, D'Hanis, was settled in 1847. Henry Castro was a learned, wise, and humane man. In the management of his colony he is more comparable to Stephen F. Austin than is any other Texas empresario. He expended his own money freely-more than $200,000 -for the welfare of his colonists, furnishing them milch cows, farm imple- ments, seeds for planting, medicines, and whatever they needed that he was able to procure for them. He had unbounded faith in the capacity of in- telligent men for self government, and was an enemy to despotism of every sort. He won the admiration and friendship of Presidents Lamar, Houston, and Jones, and each of these men did all he could while President of Texas to assist Castro to advance his scheme for the planting of a permanent civilization in southwest Texas. Among his other duties Castro found the time to publish his memoirs of Texas in both the French and the Spanish language; he made many maps of his colonial grant, and of the districts bordering it, which he circulated throughout the Rhine districts so as to induce colonists to join his settlements. These maps did much to advertize Texas favorably in Europe. Castro was also a corresponding member of the Washington Institute, and he received the most flattering testimonials concerning his work from many of the prominent men of the United States. But for all his scholarship and his exceedingly great energy and rare aptitude for work, he was so very modest and retiring that the world, in general, knows little about him. While on his way to France in 1870, he became severely ill at Monterey, Mexico, and died there. He was buried in Monterey at the foot of the Sierra Madres. His work was done, but his many interests were carried on by his son, Lorenzo Castro, of San Antonio, Texas. See the Fretelliere Papers (MS.), and the Texas Colonization Papers, Texas State Library; The Sonthwestern Historical Quarterly, XII, 80-81, 344-356; R. L. Biesele, The History of the Genmm Scttlrmwnts in Texas, 1891-1861, passim. Julia Nott Waugh, Castroville and Henry Castro E1n1>1·esario. The Civilian and Galveston City Gazetto, January 4, and February 15, 1843, also, July 6, and October 30, 1844; San Antonio Ex7Jress, June 15, 1924; John Henry Brown, Indian Wars nnd Pioneers of Texas, 102-104.
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