Matamoros May 27th 1830

Col S F Austin

My dear Sir I have had the pleasure to see here Capt J Austin and avail myself of his return to aprise you of my present situation and future views—

I am still obliged to continue here to close the operation I have in hand, not being willing to abandon the enterprise I have embarked in whilst there is a hope of bringing it to a benificial result—

I shall however close it as soon as practicable and have some prospect of effecting a Sale of the Steamboat to a Company here which would put me at liberty at once.

The Boat has more than paid her expences the last three months and the Merchants are now convinced that a Steamboat to facilitate the transportation of goods is all important to the prosperity of the place this will I hope enable me to make some arrangement with them which will permit me to quit with credit, nothing but my pride and the censure to which I should expose myself by abandoing a project of my own proposing has induced me to continue here so long-— At all events I shall extricate myself within a few months—and my intention is then to visit your colony. Where should there be an opening for any pursuit to which I am competent I will make another effort to retrieve the losses of the past years—

Captn A can tell you how I am situated here and how anxious I am to get away his acct of the state of the colony leads me to the conclusion that there are many objects there to which my attention might benificially be directed, and my knowledge of the language of the country and of the character and disposition of the Mexicans might enable me to be of service to you in various ways I have not as yet recd an answer from the Govt respecting the grant of land, but my agent to whom I wrote to pay the fees of office informs me that one of the papers had been sent to Texas for your signature and when returned the Solicitation would be granted—

Genl Teran sends you a message by Captn Austin expressing his desire to have an interview with you either by meeting you at St Antonio or by your coming here. Should circumstances permit you to leave I should be extremely rejoiced to have the interview take place here as it would give me the pleasure of seeing you sooner than can otherwise take place, and the voyage might be of benefit to your health which I regret to learn is not good-— do me the favor to write to me when your leisure permits

Henry Austin [Rubric]