fevers, musquitoes, &c., which the Mexicans hated with a more than natural or reasonable hatred. ltmbide finding from those causes that Texas could not be populated with his own subjects, and that so long as it remained in the occupancy of the Indians, the inhabited parts of his dominions continually suffered from their ravages and murders, undertook to expel the savages by the introduction of foreigners. Accordingly the national institule or council, on the 3d day of January, 1823, by his recommendation and sanction, adopted a law of colonization, in which they invi- ted the imigration of fureigm'!rs to Texas on the following terms:- lst. They promise to protect their liberty, property and civil rights. 2d. They offer to each colonist one league of land, (4,444 acres) for coming to Texas. 3d. 'l'hey guarantee to each colonist the privilege of leaving the empire at any time, with all his property, and also the pri\'ilege of selling the land which he m::y have acquired from the Mexi- can government, (see the colonization law of I 8.23, more espe- cially articles 1st, 8th and 20th.) These were the inducements and invitations held out to foreigners under the imperial govern- ment of Iturbide or Augustin I. In a short time, however, the nation deposed Iturbide, and deposited the supreme executi,•e power in a body of three indi,·iduals. 1'his supreme executive power on the 10th of August, 1S24, adopted a national coloni- zation law, in which they recognized an<l confirmed the imperial colonization law with all its guarantees of person and property. It also conceded to the different States the privilege of coloni- zing the vacant lands within their rcspecdve limits. (See nation- al colonization law, articles Isl r,nd 4th.) In accordancP, with this law, the States of Coahuila and Texas on the 24th March, 1S25, adopled a colonization law for the purpose, as expressed in tbe preamble, of protecting the frontiers, expelling the sava- ges, augmenting the popdation of its vacant territory, multiplying the raising of stock, promoting the cultivation of its fertile landf=, and of the arts and of commerce. In this slate-colonization ]aw-the promises to protect the persons and property of the colonisls, which had been made in the two preceding national col- onization laws, \'l"ere renewed ond confirmed. ,ve !·ave now bo.
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