Summary: He furnished the money which enabled Leftwich to get the grant for the Nashville Co. Asks Austin to use influence with the governor to have the grant transferred to him.
I take this favourable opportunity of writing By Col.
Langworthy a Gentleman of high respectability from New York who
is now on his way to Matamoros and possibly may go as far as
Saltillio and if he does will hand you this himself, otherwise will
forward it from Matamoros, as I have but a few minutes to write
before the departure of the vessel, must come to the subject at once
and be brief. I named to you last fall that I had expended
upwards of $12000 in obtaining the Grant made to the Nashville
Company and my share of the expenses since, and emigrated to this
Country with my large family nearly three years ago for the purpose
of aiding in colonizing sd grant which has cost me much more
money and as none of the Company except myself and Doctor Heard
emigrated to this country and they have done nothing towards
colonizing but have sold out their shares to speculators who will probably
try to get the Grant for themselves exclusively and leave me to
suffer my losses, although the Grant never would have been obtained
for the Company had I not furnished the man and the funds. I
advanced Leftwich $6500 previous to his departure for Mexico and
my brother furnished him $5000 at Mexico and Saltillio on my acct
which I have accounted with him for since, and had it not been for
these funds he could not have succeeded but must have been
imprisoned for his expenses as the Company did not furnish him
with half enough. I therefore think and hope that if the
Government will grant that tract of country to any person they will give
the preference to me who is the greatest sufferer by the enterprise
and has done everything in my power to get the Grant colonized,
and I must request the favor of you to be so good as to aid me in
every way in your power in obtaining a Grant for the same
boundary of land that was granted to H H. League as Empresario for
the Nashville Company, and I will engage to colonize it with one
thousand families within six years one half of whom shall be
Europeans, and I wish the Grant to be upon the same conditions as
the one named, in every other respect or as near as will be consistent
with the laws of the country. I hope you will act as my agent in
this matter and draught and present a petition for the grant for
me and in my name and sign my name to it and do such other
things as is necessary in the business relative to obtaining sd grant
and this shall be your authority as fully as if I had made you a
regular power of atto. as I have not time now to make one. I have
no hesitation in saying to you that I feel confident in having the
whole number of families on the Grant within half the time of six
years but it is preferable to have time enough.
It will be of great importance to the country and great advantage
to your colony and all the lower country to have that section of
country settled as early as possible by agricultural people as they
will soon be able to supply the lower country with flour etc. which
we are now compelled to import from the U. S. Of America and it
will also be the means of driving back all the tribes of hostile Indians
who are now constantly committing some depredations on the
Settlements of yours and Dewits Colonys. You know me personally and
my standing in the U. S. of America and you have seen the
testimonials of my character which I obtained from several of the most
disinterested men in the U. States of A. which I would forward with
this but left them with Col. Bradburn to have them translated and
cannot now get them in time but will forward them to the Executive
of this State as early as possible. A letter from Col. Nelson Patteson
one of the Directors of the Nashville Company and secretary of the
Directory addressed to Majr Hose [a] H League will accompany this
which you will be so good as to translate and show to the Executive
and the Honble Congress which will satisfy them in what
estimation I was held by the Directory of the Nashville Company as it
was written at their meeting just before my departure from thence
and it will prove to them that I disapproved of the conduct of my
brothers relative to the revolution at Nacogdoches—and the
testimonials which I brought from Judge G. P. M. Bibb will prove that
I have never been in favour of insurrections which you recollect and
was good enough to translate on the back of it. I hope and trust
that the Government will remunerate me for the sum of money I
have expended about that Grant with the purest intentions of
becoming serviceable to the country as well as my family by aiding in the
colonizing and improving of it as much as was in my power, and
grant me the same tract of country and I trust that you will give
me all the aid in your power to effect that object, and your friendship
and attention to the Business will be ever duly appreciated and
gratefully acknowledged by