Horwood House
23 Jany 1823
Dear Austin
Not a single line from you or any soul in Mexico has reached me
since my arrival in this country and I leave you to guess what anxiety
I feel to receive intelligence relative to the state of the Country and
of our concerns. The infernal Pirates have done us an incalculable
injury at least for the present [thou]gh as I before informed you
whenever I can produce sufficient proof of our possessing the land
to enable me to sell a part we will as the sailors say make up our
lee-way with a wet sail, since I trust our fortunes will ere long be
made—We shall I trust then be enabled to do without any partners
but if we have any they shall be such as to give us no trouble about
business in any but that liberal Gentlemanly way which would be
consonant writh our feelings and interests the papers are at present
indeed in the hands of a gentleman of very large fortune who will
possibly join us in the speculation but two very unfavorable events
have occurred which throw very serious obstacles in the way of the
accomplishment of our schemes, The Columbian Govt. Agent raised
a loan in this Country a short time since which that Govt. now in
part disavows which has tended to discredit beyond measure the
character and good faith of Spanish Americans in general and a
Scotchman by the name of Macgregor has of late raised a loan on
a tract of land which he states to be ceded to him by the Chief of
some Indian Nation on the Mosquito Shore the fever [got up and
he] received they state about 20,000£ but the bubble has burst and
all the speculators are anxious to get rid of the business in addition
to which the Pirates have been so successful and hitherto
uncontrolled that few now venture to risk property in the Gulf of Mexico
Therefore we must have a little patience although I much fear it
will be irksome to you to remain in Texas doing little or nothing.
With regard to Mining that will be I trust effected on a very grand
scale since merchants have enabled me to make very advantageous
proposals, and for an immense sum of money five or ten millions of
Dollars [the] very moment I can bring our schemes to bear every thing
[realised] on your [part] shall be sent to you indeed the very
moment I receive an answer to my late dispatches from Mexico I will
forward to you a full statement and will do every thing en debida
forma. Pray send on as soon as possible a plan of the estate and of
the Province with as full a detail of the weather on the Coast, entrance
of rivers etc., etc. as you so well know as can be porcured also EVERY
EVERY thing relative to the price at which you can afford Timber of
what dimensions and description since the forests alone shall I
intend furnish us with fortunes as large as we could wish when you
give me sufficient [information to enter] into contracts in this
country on this subject you cannot be too explicit also where when and
how Vessels could take it in I suspect large ships will not with
saftey lye opposite the mouths of the Rivers during the Summer and
it be rafted down to them. Let us not be [discouraged but] put our
shoulders to the wheel and make our fortunes I promise [to work]
most indefatigably whenever enabled to do so wh[en you] write me
directing to me at 105 Fenchurch Street London Papers descriptions
calculations &c &c of every sort and land and believe me ever most
faithfully yours
A. G. Wavell
[Addressed] Stephen F Austin Esq. to the care of J. H. Hawkins
Esq. [New] Orleans pr Maria
Forwarded by your most obt servt Liverpool 27 Jan 1823
R. McNeel
I am at present at my fathers but shall return to London in a very
few days [more] . . . [torn] our mines and seen the new Steam
Engines very much improved we have one hear of a 400 horse power