Nacogdoches July 7th 1828

D. Sir

I crossed the Sabine on the first day of June and the season being so far advanced the roads so bad, and corn so scarce and high, that I was compelld to decline proceeding into the province further than this place with my family, untill I take a ride through and view the different parts of the Country and make my selection for a permanent Settlement.

I have just received your message by Majr M. A. Heard and intend to visit you as soon as I possibly can, after making the necessary provisions for the comfort of my family during this season as they will have to remain in this place until I explore, select a situation and provide the necessary buildings for their comfort—my wish and intention is to try to procure a good healthy situation as near the Gulf as I can find such an one and as near the scite as possible that will most probably be the principal seaport of the Country, and I shall wish your advice and assistance in making such selections so far as you can give them to me without too much trouble and inconvenience to yourself. I believe that you have a better general knowledge of the Country than any other man in it, and that you will give me the most correct information in your power relative to the Country generally, and particularly that part binding on the Gulf. I have a considerable interest in the Nashville Companys Grant and it would probably be more to my interest to settle in that Grant than any other part of the province—as I could induce a great many families to emigrate to the section of country that I select for my residence, but I begin to think the Grant will never be colonised by the present Company, unless some three or four of us will take all the trouble upon us pay all the expense and undergo all the privations dangers and difficulties of colonising the Grant and then give the balance of the company their full share of the lands without any charge. I was in Nashville in March last and prevailed on the Directors named in the late Grant to have a meeting and try to make the necessary arrangements for colonising the Grant and forward instructions forthwith to Majr League on that subject, call in their Old scrip and make new scrip agreeably to the form you gave them, they promised me that they would do so and calld a meeting which was attended by a bare majority and they only talked of what they would do and concluded to call another meeting in a short time when they expected to have a full Board and then would do every thing necessary and immediately thereafter commence operations in every way necessary for colonising and promised to inform me what they did before I left Kentucky, where I remained untill the 3d. of May and heard nothing more from them Most of the Directors hold very small interests in the Grant viz. 1/8 of a share and they care very little about it as scarcely one of them ever intend emigrating to the Country. I should probably have settled in that Grant if the Company had done what they ought, to colonise it, but as they have not I have determined to locate myself where my Judgment induces me to believe is the best place for my own prívate interest after seeing you and getting the best information I can.

It will be some weeks before I can leave here to look at the country, and I shall be glad to receive a letter from you as soon as convenient informing me whether you will be absent from home any time this season and if so at what time as I do not wish to go there in your absence, and any other information that you may deem important will be thankfully received.

Amos Edwards

[Addressed:] Col: Stephen F. Austin San, Fellippi de, Austin