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Our Catl,oli& Heritage in T e:xa.s
had safely kept the precious document. Finally in the middle of winter, in 1820, spurred by fresh reverses in his Missouri mining enterprise, he made his way to San Antonio for permission to settle with his family in Spanish territory. 21 It was on December 23, 1820, that the Austin party entered San Antonio. Escorted by a guard from Natchitoches, the three strangers and a Negro boy clattered up the still, muddy street leading to the Governor's Palace. The eldest, the self-appointed leader of the little group, was Moses Austin. Forthwith the strangers were taken before Governor Martinez, who, though somewhat surprised, politely bade the visitors be seated, and summoned his interpreter. Don Felipe Neri, Baron de Bastrop, trusted friend of the Governor, and enterprising pioneer, was glad to exchange greetings with the newcomers in their native tongue. After the formalities of the first interview, they were told to return that afternoon for a formal statement. First to be questioned was Moses Austin. Through the Baron de Bastrop he declared that he was a native of Connecticut, a resident of Missouri, a Catholic, a merchant and dealer in lead ore. He related that he had come by way of Natchitoches with his slave boy, Richmond, and that he had been joined by two other Americans near the Texas border; that, as a former subject of Spain, he had come to apply for permission to settle in the province with his family; and that he wished to obtain land for a sugar and cotton plantation. Of his two companions, Jacob Kirkarn asserted that he had joined Austin in Natchitoches on November 27, whither he had gone to claim four Negro run-away slaves, three of whom belonged to him. The other, Jacob Forsythe, declared that he was a native of Virginia now residing in Natchitoches; that he was a farmer by occupation and Protestant by profession; and that he was seeking permission to settle in Texas. 2 : Formal plan for &okmization. The straightforward manner of Moses Austin made a deep impression on Governor Martinez, who frankly admitted he was convinced of the honesty and sincerity of the stranger.:u Austin, encouraged by the friendly reception, lost no time in presenting a formal application to bring 300 families from Louisiana to found 21 Under the terms of the Florida Treaty of 1819 subjects of Spain within the territory transferred to the United States could migrate to Spanish territory. :uoeclarations of Moses Austin, Jacob Kirkam and Jacob Forsythe, Nacogdocltes Arcnives, Vol. XX. :UGovernor Martinet to the Commandant General, January 4, 1821, Letter Copy Book, Nacogdocl,es ArcMves, XIX, 255-256.
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