WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1837
4-9
means a matter for legislation, but simply a question before the Supreme Court. At the next meeting of Congress it will be well for some person competent, to represent and explain the claims to grants in Texas. The President can only be expected generally to call the atten- tion of Congress to this subject in his message. Sam Houston [Addressed]: To Samuel Sawyer 2 esqr Secy R. G. & T. L. C. [ Rio Grande & Texas Land Company] New York [ Endorsed] : Letter from Samuel Houston Texas 1 Ford Collection, New York Public Li_brary. Photostat copy, The Uni- versity of Texas Library. The original was presented to the New York Public Library by J. Pierpont Morgan. 2 J. C. Beales and Dr. James Grant obtained a large colonization grant extending from the Nueces to the Rio Grande. In 1834 Beales organized in New York the Rio Grande and Texas Land Company which was to colonize this tract of land. Samuel Sawyer was the secretary for this -company. He was never a permanent resident of Texas, but retained his offices in New York for the transaction of business concerning the company. See John Henry Brown, History of Texas, I, 255-259 for a brief account of this colony.
To LIEUTENANT PETER HARPER 1
Columbia, Texas, 9th February, 1837:
To Lt. Peter Harper~ Sir The communication brought by you from the Creek Chiefs is before me and has claimed my serious attention I find on re- flection, that it will not be in my power to come to any conclusion on the subject, except to refer it to Congress at its next meeting which. is to take place in the month of May next, until then all the matters touching the public lands of Texas will remain as they are now. I would advise you to return and learn of the chiefs in what section and at what place in Texas the Chiefs wish to obtain land. When this is done I would advise you to return to this country in company with Mr. Kendall Lewis 3 and the four Chiefs who have written to me. Tell them I will take them warmly by the hand. They will be welcome! If my old friend Col. A. P. Chouteau~ can come I will be glad to see him and will be a~ the seat of govern- ment on the first of May at Houston.
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