When I arrived here Congress were sitting but progressing
very slowly, the discord and jealousy manifested from the first day
of the session of Congress against the Generalissimo Iturbide (now
Emperor) was increasing daily and everything was at a stand -
There were three distinct parties in Congress, one for a Bourbon
King, one for an Emperor from this country, and the other for a
Republic, in this state of things the government was approximating
towards Anarchy, when on the night of the 18 of May the army
stationed in this city proclaimed Iturbide Emperor, the next day
Congress elected him in due form and on the 21 he took the oath,
these things put a stop to all business for some time - Agreeably to
the Emperors Oath he could do nothing without the consent of
Congress and this body moved most astonishingly slow and were more
occupied in watching the Emperor than in attending to the interest
of the country - On the 21 July the Emperor was crowned, and
very soon after serious collisions began to arise between him and
Congress, the latter wished to keep all power in their hands and
things were getting worse every day all was at a dead stand, for
Congress would do nothing for fear of granting a little power to
the executive, and the Emperor could do nothing so long as
Congress existed without its sanction - In this state of things it was in
vain for an individual to urge his business, however important and
mine with all other individual applications was laid on one side—
Matters progressed in this manner from bad to worse and were
again verging towards Anarchy; one dangerous conspiracy was
discovered and quelled by the imprisonment of about 70, amongst whom
were 20 members of Congress and at length finding that nothing
but an extraordinary and desicive step could save the nation from
the confusion and the established government from ruin, the
Emperor desolved congress by a decree of his own on the 31 of October
last and created a national Junta of his own choosing from amongst
the members of Congress - since then things have gone on better
and with more harmony - My business relative to the settlement is
now acting on and in less than 10 days I shall be dispatched with
everything freely arranged. The principal difficulty is slavery, this
they will not admit - as the law is all slaves are to be free in ten
years, but I am trying to have it amended so as to make them slaves
for life and their children free at 21 years - but do not think I shall
succeed in this point, and that the law will pass as it now is, that is,
that the slaves introduced by the settlers shall be free after 10
years - As regards all other matters there will be no difficulty, I will
write you again from here after I get through and let you know
the particulars. I am doubtful nothing can be done about getting
land at or near Galveston, the government seems opposed to any
settlement being formed so near the borders of the United States, when
I return to Texas I will write you very fully - you must not be
frightened at the name of an Imperial government, you like myself
have lived under a Monarchy, when Louisiana belonged to Spain and
I think we lived as happy then as under the government of the
United States - The Emperor has his enemies and in the United States
the Democrats will abuse him no doubt, but he is doing the best for
his country. These people will not do for a Republic nothing but a
Monarchy can save them from Anarchy -