Herculaneum Aprill the 26 1822
I have a good opportunity of droping a few hasty lines to my
beloved Sons—by Mr Honey, he arrived in the Dolphen last night
from St Louis, has Purchased a Share in hur and Starts in two
hours for New Orleins—Mary sent for me to Stay with hur during
his abcence. I have promisd to remain with hur till the last weeck
in may, when I must attend your Sister as She expects to be
confined in June— I am well pleased to find your cousin Mary so
happy and pleasantly Situated, She has every Convenience and
comfort that is requisite to render the marriage quite happy and
blessed with a very lovely and healthy boy Six months old I wrote
my dear Sons not long Since by the two Alleys and Expressed in
that letter my great anxiety to hear from you and your brother and
Since my arrival here my fealing had been greatly agitated by a
report that the Indians had Commenced on your Infant Colony and
had carried of[f] all the horses and Stock theay could find—this
unwellcome news was brought by some travallers from Texas—but I
still flatter myself the report is not true, Since nothing of the kind
is mentioned in the papers on the contrary the papers Speaks—of
very favourable changes taken place da[i]ly in the Spanish
provinces, boath in politicks and religeon, I am very willing my dear
Son to view the bright side of the prospect at the same time I cannot
divest my mind of a thousand Apprehentions for your Safety, as I
well know your dear Father Anticipated trouble from the Savages
and he intended to erect a fort, I have often heard him Say that
the first worck that was don[e] Should be the building of a kind of
fort where he and his Compannions would be Safe in case of an
attack from the hostile Indians—pray write me the particulars of
every thing for though I could do you no Servise I Still wish to
know the truth of every thing and shall be unhappy in mind till I
have letters from you and Brown—I had the Satisfaction of
Spending part of a day with your amiable Cousin N Carr—She has gown
to St Geneveive to mack a visit to hur poor Brother A Eliot he is
in a miserable State of health, brought on in a great measure by his
on Imprudence I am told he drinks hard and is hardly ever Sober
unhappy young man, I fear by all accounts, he is not [long] for
this world— I have directed Mr Honey in case he does not meet
you in New Orleins, to inquire what is the price of buck horns for
handels for knives and if theay will bring any thing I will send
them down to your friend Mr H[awkins]—when Mr Honey takes
another trip also the plough shars and I wish you to let me know
if you wish me to send down any of my things, if you and Brown
go to houskeeping I could send several articles that you will want,
I wish my dear Son to let me know what time he thinks we had
better go down, your Sister and myself will not wish to spend
another winter in this unfriendly climate we are sitting [a] round a
large fire and can Scarcely keep ourselves warm, the frost,
notwithstanding the Sceason is so far advanced is So sevear that all
the fruit is killed and in the place of the gay verdure of Spring -
the face of nature assums the appearance of Autum, I care not how
Soon I leave So unpleasant Climate and so very unfriendly to my
Constitution— Mr Bryan is now in St Louis, he left your Sister
and famaly all well, your old friends in this place are all well except
Nancy Bates She has been Sick all winter as well as my self, but
has not recruted so fast as I have, She is I think in a low state of
health, tell Brown his poor Cousin Maria has been gilied by Mr W
a gentleman he had formd a high opinion of—he was to have been
back in October last and in the coars of the winter he was to be
maried to M B he has not wrote hur for a long time and it tis
reported he is married to a lady of large fortune in Virginia, this may
be So, and it may not— I wish my dear Son to be particular on the
Subject of religious toloration, Some Says every permanent Settler
must become roman Catholicks—I can not think or beleive that so
arbitory a Sistem will be adopted if it Should, it will put a Stop
to Emigration, if you Should happen to meet with Honey in
Orleins I will thank my Son to send me Some good Snuf and the
Journal your dear father wrote many years ago—he always kept it
in his writing desk—Mr Schoolcraft wishes to pubblish the
Biography of his life, and wished me to Send him a memorandum of the
dates . . . and when he came to this Country with a variety of
particulars two tedious to mention in a letter, I thought if ... he
feels himself under many obligations to my dear departed Husband
for the friendship and hospatality shone him when he came to this
country, he is now in New york preparing to publish an account of
his late travels. He wished me to send a Short account of the life
of your father from the time he left Virginia till his death, I must
bid you farewell Mr H has arrived to bid adieu to his wife and
child— Mary Joines me in affectionate love to you and dear
Brown may god bless you boath and take you into his holy keeping
is the constant prayer of your anxious mother
Mary Austin
[Addressed:] Stepehen F. Austin Austintino Colerado Texas
politness of Capn John W. Honey