San Felipe de Austin Decr 17. 1824
Dr Sister,
Report has just reached here that Brother is not coming out this
winter—but do not know wheither it is true or not. tho have supposed
it might be and that you and Mr Perry may possibly visit the Country
next Summer
It is not my wish that Mr Perry Should make any arrangements
whatever to move here untill he has first seen the Country—he
positively must not move on my recommendation nor that of
Brother's—perhaps he may not like it, but if he moves without first
coming to see, it will be too late to remedy it—he is now in a good
business and you have good Society, here business will be good after
a while, but not much can be done immediately, and our Society like
all new countries is small, you must not therefore think of moving
here untill he first comes to see—Things are going on very well and
many emigrants are coming in from Mississippi. Some with a
number of negros, and I have every confidence that the Colony will
flourish rapidly Mr Perry must attend to the Little Rock business,
or if Brother stays through the winter he can do it—Mrs Elliott
writes me that she is ready to state that Mr Elliot told her the
property was put into his hands confidentially to save it—I cannot attend
to it for I do not expect to be in that country for many years to come,
as regards the mine a Burton Estate I am willing to give any
authority to commence Suit and if any thing can be recovered I shall
cheerfully give up my share of it to your children for I never will live there
if the whole was given to me—I want to free my self from debt and
then to sit quietly down on a farm in this Country for the balance of
my life and hope to see Brother married and settled on one side of me,
and if it could be Mr Perry and you on the other but all my plans
have been broken in upon and I make no more calculations except
to spend my life here; wheither rich or poor, here (that is in this
colony) I expect to remain permanently—
The Methodists have raised the cry against me, this is what I
wished for if they are kept out, or would remain quiet if here for
a Short time we shall succeed in getting a free toleration for all
Religions, but a few fanatic and imprudent preachers at this time
would ruin us—we must show the Govt that we are ready to
submit to their laws and willing to do so, after that we can with more
certainty of success hope to have our previleges extended
Adieu my Dear sister—my lot is cast in the wilderness but I am
content, trouble and fatigue have become so very familiar to me
that they begin to appear like bosom friends. I hope and pray
however that for the future you will not be tormented by Such friends
Remember me to your husband and the Mr. Perries and their
families and tell my New Brother in law that he must write me,
let him inform me what his prospects are there, and I can the
better judge wheither a removal would benefit or injure him and
know better how to advise him
If Brother Brown is with you Make him study Spanish every
day and tell him to be industrious in doing what he can to see
what is the state of the wreck of our property—I have disposed
of the land I intend[ed] for aunt Austin's family as there
appears no prospect that any of them will come on—I am still very
poor and live poor—corn coffee—corn bread—milk and Butter and
a Bachelors household, which is confusion, dirt, and torment, are
small items of my living—your marriage will force either Brother
or me to marry for I must have somebody to keep house. So that
you have made a lucky escape for my house is a thoroughfare for
the whole country—
I sent in two wagons to meet you at Alexandria, they are on
the way back as I hear from report, empty of course—it has cost
me a good deal—What has become of faithful old Jack? you
must take care of him in his old age for what he has been—I am
much more contented and happy since you are married than I was
before the thoughts of your destitute situation sometimes almost
ran me mad, that trouble is now gone and I have one less than I
had—I am fast loosing the desire I once had to make a fortune,
which encourages me to hope that I am yet to enjoy much happiness,
for a gready man can never be happy, the loss of a cent makes him
miserable.
forever your always aft.
Stephen