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PAPERS OF nftnAUK\U BuoxAP.ARTE L.nr,rn
intro,lucing to your acquaintance Colonel George T. Wood a nati,·e of fOc>o1·gial a ~olclier & a Oentleman-who, like your[self"I leaves his native state to reside in Texa,- lw has an interesting family & is rc>fHl,Y f0r f thc"I ~ervic-e ii' the e:ountry of his choice requires or even <lc,:ires his ~<'l'\'ic·es- 1 know that in the inclian war he was an eflifeicnt] & brave offic-pr- Ood nrnltiply & incr<'af'e such Citfizens] in 'l'exas & Pre;;erve you mnny f years] to be a lilcl:'sin_g to mankind Affec-tionahly Y[ours] P. [L. J .\CKSON] f A,lclrei::sed :l Geo. T. Wood Esqr President Lamar Texas rE11dors<-'<l :] P. L ..Tackson, Recommending Geo. T. Wood, a native, of Georgia.
TEXAS AS THE PROPERTY OF TI-IE UNITED STATES. ANONY:\fOUS
No. 977.
[Newspaper clipping-incomplete] Tn 1683, )T. de la SnIle, Father Lewis Hennipen, chernlier Tonty discovered the country now calle,l Lou [ isianal-also the course of the .l\fis,:issippi, rcac:hi11g this rh·er rby the wa.v of the] Illinois. La Salle cle;.:<'emled to the mouth, and Hennipren as]cended abo,·e St. Anthony's Fall,:. This latter gentleman soon after went to France; published an acc-ount of his clisf'overies; nnd called the country Louisiana, in com- plim<'nt to the .French monarch: nncl La Salle havinr- also returned by wa.,· or Canada, was fortunate enough to obtain a small squadron from the .French government for the purpose of discovery and coloni- zation. On the 16th of Feb. 1G85, La Salle having passed the ?\T ississippi, enterecl a deep and wide hay, where he lanclecl, formed a settlement, ancl built a fort-taki11g po!>session of the country agreeably to his orders, in the name of the Frenrh king, with all the formalities usually practi,:ed by European nations in their discoveries or eonciuests in Amerif'a. Now from Joutel's relntion of La Salle's last vo.rnge, a copy of whid1 may be seen in the Philadelphia library, it is a:-:crrtainecl that the fort was built at the mouth of .Guadaloupe ri,·er on the bin- of Espiritu Santo, or St. ,To,:eph. This was the first settlement made in that country; and wa,: ma<le for France. Priority of cliscon•ry and srttl<'ment gi,·es a right to posses:-:ion or title; where La Salle's fort \\'Hf' built hecame part of the colonies of France, part of the pro\'ince of Louisiana. On the Hith of )fnrch, 1687, La Salle had adrnnce1l as fnr as the 110w Coloraclo rfrer. where hf' ,vns murdered bv two of his own men. This is also i 11 Texas; and renclcrc<l n:-: it we1·e SHCT<'Cl to us bv the blood of its cliscO\·erer. Shortlv nfter the ch,ath of La Salle nncl the r<>tr<'at of his hroth<'r, this inf;1nt (·olony was <'Hpturr1l hy n ~pnnish <l<'tachmcut sent from Xew Lenn; a11tl t\\·f'l\'l• year:-: f'laps<'1l brfur<' nn nttempt was made by the French goyernmrnt to r<'iilk<> pos:-:(':-:,.:ion. But in I6!l8, a squadron was sent out ullfl<'r romma111I of tl' ll1<'rYill<' and hi:-: brother Ricm·ill<': and to tlw g<'11iu:-:. <'Iler).!_,. an1l c·o11t'·ilint.i11g man- ners ol' the latter, France wns ilHlehtNI for surre,-s- IIf' yi,.:ited eY<'l"Y pnrt of Louisiana, ai:r.P11cling Hell to N11t(•hito1·he:-: 011 th1• HPd RiYe~ ~ '
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