Stephen F Austin, Jared E. Groce James Cummings and Jno
P Coles a Committe Unanimously appointed at a general meeting
held on the 5th June instant by the Inhabitants of the Colony formed
in the Province of Texas by the empresario S F Austin in the name
and in the behalf of said Inhabitants respectfully represent to your
sovereignty that these Colonists emigrated to this establishment
from Louisiana in Consequence of the Invitation of said Austin
and many of them brought their negro slaves with them as also all
their property intending to establish themselves permanantly in this
Province. They have been much alarmed by the news Communicated
through the public Gazette that your Sovereignty were about to
pass a Law freeing all the Slaves that were introduced by the
emigrants.
These Inhabitants respectfully represent to your sovereignty that
the Slaves introduced into this establishment by the emigrants were
not brought here for the purpose of Trade or speculation neither
are they Africans but are the family servants of the emigrants and
raised by them as such from their infancy and were intended to aid
in clearing the Land and establishing their farms which these
Colonists Could not have effected without them for this Province is
entirely uninhabited and great Labor required in Opening farms
and as the Law sanctioned the introduction of slaves into the
Country the emigrants felt entirely safe in bringing them.
These Inhabitants therefore respectfully solicit that your
sovereignty will take into Consideration the right of property they have
to their slaves that they brought them here As a necessary part of
the Capital required by the desert State of the Country to establish
their farms and Ranches and if freed the loss of their value added
to the very heavy expenees of removing such a distance and settling
in An entire wilderness and suffering all (he miseries of Hunger,
exposed to the attack of Hostile Indians will complete their total
ruin— Also these Inhabitants respectfully represent that some of
their friends and Relations visited this Country last spring and
winter and selected their Lands as a part of the Above named 300
families After building Cabins they returned to move out their
families this summer and fall and are now on the Road bringing
their Slaves with them relying on the faith of the Colonization Law
under which Austin's establishment is formed— Article [30] of
which Law Authorises the introduction of Slaves by the Colonists
those emigrants therefore who are on the Road and are detained
by the excessive heat and destructive drouth that now prevodes this
whole Country will be totally and forever ruined if on their arrival
here after so much fatigue labor and expense in removing they are
to loose their Slaves and besides that be liable to heavy punishment
for bringing them—
These Inhabitants therefore respectfully pray that your
sovereignty may take their Case into Consideration and declare that the
slaves and their descendents of the 300 families who emigrate to
the Establishment formed by the Emprasario Stephen F Austin in
this province shall be slaves for Life and that the emancipation Law
which we have been informed has lately passed shall not apply to
the slaves of the said 300 families except so far as prohibits all trade
or trafic of them and should this solicitation be incompatible with
the intentions of your sovereignty these Inhabitants pray that the
necessary time may be allowed them to remove their slaves back to
the United States
San Felipe de Austin June 10, 1824
Signed Estevan F Austin
Jared E. Groce
Santiago Cummings
Jno P. Coles
Comte.
[To Federal Congress or Executive.]