155
WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON,. 1842
To WILLIAM Y. McFARLAND 1
City of Houston, 10th September, 1842.
To W. Y. McFarland, Esq. Sir - You may proceed to the town of Washington and say to those gentlemen who have proposed to furnish suitable buildings for the officers of government, and waggons for the transporta- tion of the archives, public property, &c., that they may send six wagons and teams, so as to reach here by the 20h. instant. The officers will be notified of the removal of the Seat of Gov- ernment, as I have resolved to locate it at Washington until a final action of the nation can take place relative to its establish- menu The emergencies which brought it to this place have, in part, ceased; but the objections to Austin yet obtain as a place of security for the national archives. The inconveniences and insecurity of having it there seem to increase. The place is nearly deserted-the Indians continue to depredate upon the citi- zens, and the public buildings are in a dilapidated situation, not suitable for occupancy and the archives. These reasons, with the want of mails, render it utterly unsuitable for the purposes of government and the safety and convenience of our citizens. For these reasons I have selected Washington as the most eligible point for the location at this time. Sam Houston 1 Executive Record Book, No. 40, p. 143, Texas State Library. For Mc- Farland see Houston to the Senate, January 18, 1842. 2 See Brown, History of Texas, II, 287-291; also Homer S. Thrall, A Pic- to1-ial History of Texas, 322-326.
To MATTHEW P. WoODHOUSE 1
September 10, 1842. You will see a remark appended to the letter. Tis a good letter,2 and that cannot be objected to by our friend Gail! Have the counterfeiter arrested, and put in Jail. He is bound to show how he came by them. Press the matter. It is no excuse for him to say that he recd them, of this or that man. He had them in possession, and attempted to pass them. Houston. [ Addressed] : Captain Woodhouse Present. 1 Co-mvtroller's Letters, Texas State Library. 2 See Houston to M. P. ·woodhouse, September 6, 1842, footnote No. 2, last paragraph.
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