391
WRITINGS OF 5AM HOUSTON, 1836
2 Jeremiah Brown, Captain of the Invincible, captured the Pocket, a brig from Matamoras, loaded with flour, rice, lard, and biscuit for the Mexican nrmy in Texas. Captain Brown brought his prize into the Galveston har- bor, and from letters found on board this ship, the Texans learned that Santa Anna had planned to take all Texas sea ports, and to station one thousand men on Galveston Island. This information caused the TexM Government to fortify the island as quickly as possible. See The Texas Historical Quarterly, XII, 252-255.
To JOHN E. Ross 1 Head Quarters West of Brasos 2nd April 1836
· To Captain John E. Ross Sir: You and each member of your crew~ and the Officers of the Boat are hereby assured and guarantee<;). that they and Each of them shall be indemnified as well as the boat Owners for Wages, losses and damages in consideration of the impressment of your Boat into the public Services of Texas (the Yellow Stone) and its detention.for the benefit of the Republic and furthermore for the rendition of Services of the hands and the boat until it can be discharged each person shall be entitled to one-third league of land and the officers a proportionately larger quantity. You are not required to bear arms. Given under my hand on the day and date above written. The Boat is not to leave without my orders Sam Houston (Rubric) 1 "Messages of the Presidents" Pape1·s of the Congresses, Texas State Library. 11,Jemorials and Petitions, ibid. Both these sources are marked A. L. S. and the letter among the "Mes- sages of the Presidents" carried Houston's rubric. It is evidently Hous- ton's report of this debt to the First Congress; the letter among the Memorials and Petitions is a copy of the original letter that Houston gave Captain Ross. At the bottom of the letter in Memo1·ials and Petitions, Houston wrote the following note when it was p1·esented in 1856:
"Huntsville, Texas, 8th Deer 1855.
"Hon• Ashbel Smith Dear Sir
This is all 1·ight, and the national honor is involved, until this pledge is redeemed by the State. The St.ate is able to redeem this obligation, and thei;e never was one more just, than this is. A compliance, on the part of Captain Ross, and his crew enabled me to save Texas. Thine Truly Sam Houston." There is an enclosure with this letter from the Memorials aud Pt1titio11s that is both informative and interesting. It is a letter from one Elam Stockbridge, brother of the widow of Captain Ross, to Houston, written
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