New York 10 Octr 1830.
My Dear friend and Cousin,
On the morning of the 8 ult°, I put my last letter for you in the
Ohio Bag for New Orleans, on that Evening, I observed the arrival
of the Nelson at quarantine, two or three days after Mr Woodbury
came up to the City, and told John that he had brought letters
from you, but had left them on board the vessel, in a bout a week
subsequent to that, he delivered to John your letter for him, and
one for myself and three newspapers—I had been calculating on a
letter from you, by this vessel, and was much pleased, to find my
anticipations realised—I congratulate you on the dispersion of the
clouds, that were lowering about your political horizon, and that all
was sun shine with you, that you were again fairly before the wind,
with a smooth Sea, and having proved yourself an accomplished
navigator, I trust you will steer clear of all rocks, and quicksands—
I was not so fortunate as to see Mr Woodbury, and John saw but
very little of him, I called several times to see him, but could never
find him in. I should like to have seen his papers, to have
ascertained whether his Brother was mearly an agent, or whether he was
actually interested with the others concerned, and to have heard
from him the result of his visit to the Governour of Texas, in which
he told John you was so kind as to accompany him—as Mr Prentiss
told me that Zavala was one of the principal persons interested in
that Grant, and that they are of opinion that Woodburys Brother
was only an agent, that he had seen W—once, and that he had
promised to show them his papers, but went into the Country
without doing so, he sais if his papers will show that his Brother was
interested he shall have his due, or if he was only to act as agent he
shall have justice done him, this as it may be—I am not much
acquainted with Prentess, he formerly lived in Lexington, and if
there is any person with you from that place; I presume he or they,
can inform you how he stood there,— Prentess tells me that he
has acted as agent for the Sale of Lands in the Grant alluded to,
and for the purchase of them also, that he, and several of his friends
have made a purchase, and that his Son, who he sais is attached to
the Army, has obtained a furlough and is a going to visit that
Country this winter, and that some of his friends, and many more,
making up quite a party, are a going out to settle on that land this
winter—I told John if he saw Woodbury he better tell him to move
cautiously, he told me [he] had just time to tell him so in the street,
when he last saw him, that W— told him, he did not know but
he had some more newspapers for him, that he would just step
in and look, and call directly after, and see him but did not make
his appearance again—why he should have kept so aloof from
John and myself. I cannot imagine, we had no design on him, or
his lands, and all we were desirous to do was to prevent his being
imposed on, if we could help it—He expressed great delight with
Texas, and said he was a going to return immediately with several
of his Sons, I presume he is now in Connecticut, and may be back
soon, with some of his connections, purhaps he was afraid to act
without their council—
27 Octr I approve of your idea of a Coat of Arms, and I know
no one better intitled to a Seal of the kind than yourself—I have
had one made on the most approved and recent fashion, which is
very plain, and I think all the handsomer for it, it has been the
fashion here to fore to have them very showey, with a great deal
of work on them, but that fashion is now exploded, the Seal
without the Engraving cost $16. and for the engraving $10—whole cost
$26—for the Cross and initials he asked $6 and for the addition of
the Bucks Head and Horns $4 there are only two men in the City
who ingrave seals well, and this man Lovett, I was recommended
to as being the best, it appears a great price, but I could not prevail
on him to cut it cheaper. I have taken a great deal of pains, and
I hope it will please you, the seals of the fashion previous to the
present, cost from $25 to $35 without the Engraving—I shall send
this by Mr Wm T. Austin who Embarks in the Nelson, with his
wife—
Mr Perry arrived here on Saturday Evening last, to see the balance
of his Goods on board the Nelson, I had the pleasure of his company
to dinner with me yesterday, in the Evening we called with an
Introduction Mr Treat gave him on Mrs Mexia to look at a military
coat of her Husbands, that he might give the Taylor who is to make
a coat for you a description of it, as he had bot the cloth there, and
could not find a Colns uniform of the Mexican Army in that City,
we however found it would be necessary for the Taylor to call and
see it, and Johns Taylor was to go up for that purpose this
morning, we also called in the Evening to see Mr and Mrs Austin we
found them a very pleasant young couple, she is a very pretty little
woman, and I have no doubt they will be found a very agreable
acquisition to the Society in Texas— It was a great treat to me to
see Mr Perry, he had seen so many of my Connexions that I had not
seen for many years, and some that I have never saw, that felt a
desire to hear about, and he could tell me all about them. I had
only to regret that his stay was so short he left this on his return
home at 2 o'clock to day. Mr Treat, I hear has made up his mind
to return in a few weeks to Texas,—Mr Woodbery is expected here
to return in the Nelson—
I saw Prentiss yesterday, he told me that Zavala Mexia etc, was
calculating to make rappid progress in Colonising the Grants they
represent in Texas, they intend Colonising the three Grants, and
give every incouragement and facility to emigrants, that land and
money can hold out to induce them to locate there, that lands will
be offered them low and those that are not able will be supplied
with means, talked of all kinds including Irish, I told him I thought
they would do there Colony more harm than good, if he introduced
a parcel of Irish into it—speaks of Zs having plenty of money at
command, talks of his being very popular with a large majority of
the people of Mexico, and calculates on a change in the present state
of things, when he will be a great man, if not at the head very
near it, they Calculate to go out next Spring, to make a
commencement, and thinks that in less than three years they will have Ten
Thousand Setlers in their land, that there will be 40,000
inhabitants in Texas in that time, what fine calculations, in that case your
reserved lands will be very valuable at the end of three years— I
shall send you some newspapers by which you will see the effect
of the French revolution on the different powers of Europe, a
revolution has commenced in Spain, and we are calculating to hear
every day that it has become generral throughout the Kingdom,
no danger of Ferdinands ever troubling Mexico again I presume,—
Several rich Spanards, who were obliged to leave Mexico leave
this for New Orleans on Monday, with the expectation I presume
of soon being admitted into Mexico, and I think they are already
coming back from Europe with the same hope—I was at Amboy
the other day, and while there I told my youngest daughter, Louisa
Mary that I had been getting a seal made to send to you in
consequence of which she has made a safety chain and sent me to forward
to you, being as she considered a very good accompaniment to the
seal, which I have put in the Box with it, I tied up some seeds which
we consider of choice Kinds, among them are some mellon, and I
believe pumpkin or squash seeds, which a friend of mine collected
in Mahone and gave to me, he told me they produced the best fruit
of any he ever taisted—I ment to have sent you an ear of our
Jursey Corn, to ascertain whether yours was of the same kind or
not, it is prefered for the Madeira market, and Mr P has almost
every year an order for some, that we sent this year cost here 61
cents p bushel—
I have written a letter for you, which I send to morrow under
cover to Mr Breedlove, I shall send it by private conveyance to save
postage, the postage on letters or packages from this to New Orleans
by water is 60—I suppose I must be in Mr Bs debt 180 and perhaps
250 as three or four packages have passed through his hands—
We have heard that Henry has arrived with his Steam Boat in
your river, if he can meet with sufficient incouragement to remain,
the Boat must eventually do well, and be of great importance to your
Colony—Tell him his family are all well, and are now living in the
family of parson Curtis, in Oxford, Connecticut—
In the Box I sent you some time ago, I presume you found a
partial genealogy of our Family commencing above a century back,
which was given to Mrs Holly, in Boston, by Mr Austin of that City,
if [you] did not find it, in the Box Henry has a copy of it, and can
furnish you writh one—then there is a large blank to be filled up, and as yet I
know not how it is to be done—-Our Grandfather on the Austin side
lived in Durham, in Connecticut, how he got there, or when, I know
not, He had four Sons, and two daughters, Elijah, Moses,
Archibald, and Stephen, Mrs Eliott and Mrs Bates, your Fathers family
you of course know all about, and I presume more of the Bates
family than myself, My Fathers children, you are acquainted, or
if there is any particulars about them, that you wish to be informed
about Henry will inform you, our Uncle Archibald left no children,
and never heard of his having any, Stephen had one Son Charles,
who is married, has a family of children, and lives in Florida, there
were three daughters, of which there is only one living Mrs Meigs,
she has a large family, and live in this City, her Mother is very old
and very poor, and lives with them, the Elliott family
[Archibald Austin]