[September 6, 1825]

I have seen a letter of yours of this date to Col Coles on the Subject of Richmonds business, and at my request he has declined paying any attention to it, and indeed after what I told you as regards Coles I must express some surprise at the nature of your letter. I told you that I had written to both to send me the paper in question, in fact I wrote him a positive order to do so in as much as a mistake had been made in it but independent of this David Richmond was not such a man as the Law recognized as a Suitable person to be recd as a settler— he was a vagabond in the full extent of the expression and is not such a man as I should be justifiable in returning to the Govt as a Settler—and for this reason and many others I shall feel my self entirely justifiable in not recognizing him as a settler altho I had not finally determined to adopt that course, the violent steps however indicated in your letter are illy calculated to obtain the result you wish for, and can only involve yourself in unnecessary difficulty, a thing which I should also regret because I believe you are actuated in the affair by what you deem to be your duty as executor, but many men run into error by a mistaken idea of duty—be that as it may the tendency of your letters is calculated to break the public peace and as such, if persisted in will place you under very heavy and unpleasant responsibility. I again repeat that Coles has nothing to do with the affair nor you with him. what he did was by my order, and I alone am responsible for any legal claim Richmond or his heirs may pretend to have on the subject—

I wish to assure you that I have none other than friendly feelings on the subject as regards yourself, and if you fully understood the exact nature of the business your own good sence and candor would at once say that were you situated as I am you would at least deliberate some time before you made any decission on the matter— probably the best way to stop any thing further on the subject would be for you and me to talk it over to ourselves—

[S. F. Austin]

[To Lawrence Richard Kenny]