New Madrid, Mri. Feby 15th 1822.
Dr. Sir.
The bearer hereof Mr Federal Walker a brother in law of mine,
being incited by several letters of yours (published in most of the
Western Newspapers) to visit the province of Texas and
particularly that part of it in which you preside as Civil Magistrate or
commandant, has furnished me with an opportunity of gratifying
a wish to renew with you a friendly acquaintance, long since dormant
from the diversity of our pursuits and the distance of our residence
and also to present to you my brother in Law, who from a long and
intimate acquaintance I feel myself authorised in saying is a young
man of strict fidelity and probity and of unblemished Moral
Character, the substance of which is certified by the Judge of the
Circuit and the Justice of the County Court for this county where Mr
Walker was raised and has resided for a number of years.
And as he proposes if pleased with the Country to make the
province of Texas his future residence, I must beg to recommend him to
your friendly notice and attention.
Your letters as well as information derived from other sources
have strongly tempted me to visit your country also, but the claims
of a young and growing family, together with some little
embarrassment of a pecuniary kind in which the unparalleled change in the
quantity and quality of our circulating medium has thrown me,
together with the thousands of others, has rendered the gratification
of such a wish impossible at least for some time to come. But as it is
quite probable that at some future period I may do so, I should feel
greatly obliged to you for any information relating to the climate,
soil, production, state and form of Government of the Country etc.
etc. which you may deem interesting and important to those who may
wish to visit you.
I have nothing interesting to communicate to you, My private
concerns have so completely occupied my attention for the last two
years that I have not had leisure to attend to what has been passing
in the country generally—I only know that there is a great deal of
pecuniary distress in every section of this state and I have not a
sufficiency of sagacity to be able to say at what period it will
probably cease, not I fear until there is a very general change of
property.
Robt D Dawson [Rubric]
P. S. As I am so little acquainted with the nature and form of
your government, as to be incapable of addressing you by the Titles
which your situation may entitle you to I must beg to be excused
for omiting Titles altogether
RDD
[Addressed:] Stephen F. Austin Esquire Civil Commandant of
Province of Texas.