July 23. 1831
I have recd your kind favr of March 17. and thank you for the
information relative to my mothers family— the embarrassments
in bringing the suit with Fox to a close are to be regretted, but the
law must take its course altho it be that of the slothes If Perry has
not sent you the 50 Dolls, you wrote for I will remit it, immediately
on receiving information that you have not recd it— I hope that the
suit will soon be terminated under the able direction of Mr.
Southard for whose character I have always had the highest respect—
Things in this country are very quiet, the Mexican Govt, appears
to be settling down upon a more solid basis than heretofore— at
least there is peace all over the nation,—the civil dissentions have
disappeared— the administration of Bustamte has acquird the public
confidence to a great degree, and the probability is that there will be
no more convulsiones untill the next presidential election, which takes
place in September 1832. How we shall get through that God knows,
but we hope for the best— The candidates are not yet fairly before
the public I expect however that Alaman, present Minister of state.
Generals Teran, Bravo and Santana, will probably be of the
number The first never was a military man and is believed to be the
most able statesman of the nation, the second the most scientific
man that belongs to the army, the third is not much celebrated for
common sence, and the last is a sort of Mad Cap difficult to class—
The two first and the present vice president Genl. Bustamante have
befriended me, and protected my colony in many instances—- They
belong to that class of mexican politicians who wish to improve,
populate and civilize the nation so far as they dare attempt it
particularly Alaman and Teran— It is quite doubtfull whether
Bustamante will be a canditate for reelection, some doubt his eligibility
on the ground that the president cannot be reelected to a second term
untill after an interval of 4 years—others say that he is only vice
president and the disability therefore does not apply to him— There
is no doubt of his being a very amiable man in his private character—
The same may be said with truth of Alaman, and Teran
In this colony matters are getting on very well. The intentions
of the Govt, as to the colonies established by me are clearly developed
and publically manifested—that is to afford them every aid and
protection posible
The principles which have uniformly governed me since I began
colonizing in this country in 1821 are so different from those which
appear to have influenced others who have attempted colonization
in Texas that neither this colony, nor myself ought to be confounded
with the others— My object, the sole and only desire of my
ambition since I first saw Texas, was to redeem it from the
wilderness—to settle it with an intelligent honorable and inter prising
people. To make a fortune, a great pecuniary speculation for
myself, was and always has been and now is, a secondary consideration
with me, When I left my native Govt, and became a citizen of this
I considerd that all and every kind of political obligation ceased as
to the first, and became fully as binding as to the second, as if this
had been my native country.
More than this, I consider that the liberality and confidence with
which this Govt, treated the emigrants who came here in good faith,
and who conducted themselves with any thing like ordinary decency
or common sence, imposed a moral obligation on them to give in
return, at least common gratitude— in short my mottoes have
been—- The redemption of Texas from the wilderness, Fidelity and
gratitude to my adopted country—and to he inflexibly true to the
interests and just rights of my settlers. It is my boast to say, that I
have never deviated from these general principles, and it is a matter
of proud gratification to me that my colony has always possessed the
confidence of this Govt.
A fortune I have not made, on the contrary except my land I am
poor, but am satisfied, for I have fully succeeded in the main
object— If speculation had been my object I should now have been
dashing in wealth in Europe or where I pleased, worshipd by the
thousands and dispised by the two's or three's (two or three out
of a 1000 is perhaps a low estimate of those who would be govd
by principle alone when placed in opposition to wealth) Texas would
have remaind to this day, what I found it, a wilderness and many
of the Capitalists of the U. S. and of England would have been
gulled out of their money
Others who have attempted colonization here have wished to make
a matter of great and speedy speculation of it. No one who starts
on that plan will succeed in doing any thing except to injure this
country and throw it back many years. They have faild so far, and
strange to say, some of them have wished to throw the blame of
their failure on me, and have suspected me of an unfriendly
disposition towards them, or towards their interprises, on the ground that
competition was disagreeable to me— such a suspicion displays a
total want of all correct knowledge of the subject. There can be
no competition to my injury with any others who have attempted,
or ever may attempt colonizing in Texas. The plan of the New
York company for instance is to send out families get the title of
a league of land made to each of them, and then bind each one to
convey to the company all but a few hundred acres, thus expecting
to monopolise the whole country. All of which is illegal and
inadmissable—their misconception of the law defeats them, and they
attribute their defeat to the interference of others against them. In
this colony the settler gets the full amt. of land which the law
allows—the expences are light, and a long credit is given to pay the
most of them and then they can be payed in part in cattle or other
produce of the country which the settler can make off the land he
gets before it is due under this system how could the New York
company or any others take my settlers from me?— what injury
could competition do me?— They do not understand the matter at
all for the result would be that all their settlers who could get away
would leave them on their arrival here and come to me— besides,
most of the emigrants to my colony are men of capital, who bring
numbers of indented servants as laborers or a considerable cash
capital—
It has been my policy to slide along without any noise. I
discoverd on examining Texas, that in point of soil, climate, and
natural advantages it was greatly superior to any other part of
North America that I had seen, or had any knowledge of. I saw
that its value was unknown to this govt, or to any body else. I
knew that I would be sufferd to go on undisturbed, because no one
believd that there was anything here worthy of attention and I
should thus lay a foundation, which could not be broken up by the
hungry swarms of speculators who would inundate the country as
soon as its value was known. Had all others followed my system
and kept Texas out of the newspapers the law of 6 april 1830
would not have been passed prohibiting emigration from the United
States. My friends in that country have blamed me for keeping
so quiet, and for not adopting the bellows system so much the stile
in the north, and making a great blow—by so doing I should have
blown away my own foundation as others have done. But the time
for keeping quiet as to my colony has now passed, and I shall be
benefited by some publications and judicious paragrafs not too long
to go the rounds noticing the prosperous and happy situation [of]
my colony and its uniformly warm decided and inflexible
attachment and adherence to the Mexican Govt, etc, etc.
[Intended by Austin for publication:] It is perhaps a matter of
some surprise that the only colony which has fully succeeded in
Texas, and which is now in a State of almost unparalelld progressive
prosperity should have made so little noise that its existence is
scarcely known, to the people of the U. S. we allude to Austin's
colony. This probably proceeds from the character of S. F Austin
its founder, which is said to [be] naturally retireing and modest,
we are informed that when he commenced his settlement in 1821,
he adopted certain leading principles from which he has never
deviated—which were Fidelity and Gratitude to his adopted Govt.
That his labors should be directed to redeem Texas from the
wilderness, rather than to make a fortune for himself—that he
would be true to the interests and just rights of his settlers, and
never hold out any deceptive or imposing allurements to draw
emigration, least many might emigrate without a sufficient previous
enquiry as to the country, and afterwards be dissatisfied, and thus
greatly injurd
Hence it is that he has slided along silently for ten years and has
founded one of the most prosperous settlements perhaps ever known
for its age in any country— we are assured by an intelligent
gentleman lately from Texas, that this colony is in the highest degree
prosperous—-that the emigrants to it in general of the most
respectable class the society good—the greatest good order and
subordination to the laws prevails, and the people are happy and satisfied
with their situation, so much so that they would oppose any change
of Govt, and they consider it an honor of which they proudly boast,
that they have always deservd and always possessed the confidence of
the Mexican Govt.
[Stephen F. Austin.]
[To Thomas F. Learning, Philadelphia, Pa.]