April 19. 1833

Dr Brother and Sister,

I send you Simon and wish you to keep him at work on the farm untill I return He is a good field hand and will help out very much with the crop.

I have some steers and work oxen on peach creek. They run at or near Isham Phillips. Mr. Mathis wants to buy one of the work oxen. Also near Slaughters on the Bernard there are some, and some at Rabbs place. They are all of the Rabb stock and I believe are branded with my brand. Send and get them or sell them. They will do for beef. There are some cows among them. Your mule is in the prairie below here with Urbain's horses and I have a mule in my brand on the same range. I sold the horses I had at Coles to S. P. Brown. There is a number of head of cattle in the prairie that Hunter collected for me. Fletcher has the list of them $122. worth—all these scattered cattle ought to be got together and taken to peach point or they will be lost. There is 100 head or more. Have them collected and take them below or sell them. I think you could get James Baird to collect them.

I leave my business with Williams and have authorized John Austin to sell the lots in Brasoria and a labor at the mouth of the river etc. I have three eleven league grants in the name of Aguirre and Vega that I bought last year. They are in Williams hands. Also Juan Antonio Padilla contracted three leagues of his grant to me in payment of about $2000 that I let him have three years ago.

John P. Coles is to make me a title for three leagues and a half of his tract fronting on the Brassos. It is first rate bottom land just above the Yeagua.

I have paid off Anthony Butler in full and got James Whitesides receipt against the two notes of mine that Butler has—the other notes I took up. I have also paid off George Tennelle in full and Hunter and leave no debts that are pressing, nor any, of any amount due to any one. One of the Tennel notes is yet out in the U. S. he passed it away before he came here. I also Owe $400 to Lovelace in Ouchita that I borrowed in 1821. There is a debt of about $400 due by my brothers estate to the Estate of Luciano Garcia in Tamaulipas for a cavallarda of mares—I am bound for this debt. I think that $4000 will now square me with the world including interest.

This trip to mexico interferes very much with me—in two months more I could have closed all my business and gone to work below improving a farm and I intended to do so, and have settled myself along side of you permanently—I shall now spend the whole summer away at least. It is a great sacrifice indeed. I also expect that this trip will cost me about $2000 or 8000 at least which of course will never be refunded. But if I can succeed in getting a State Govt and the 6 of April law repealed I shall be well paid and perfectly satisfied. If I fail I shall loose my time and money and risk my health and life, and get repaid (very likely) in abuse and illiberal reflections. This however is all quite natural—so it is with all who serve the Sovereign people, they are the hardest masters on earth.

Should troops be stationed at the mouth of the river it will make money plenty and a sale for provisions which will benefit the country—tho I hope but few will be sent for I fear they can not harmonise with the people. I shall try and keep them away if I can. The officers are generally very polite and gentlemenly men and if they spoke English there would be no difficulty with them.

I enter upon this mission with great anxiety for I am convinced the welfare of Texas depends on success. We cannot do without a State govt, any longer. It is impossible, the events of last year have so completely disjointed matters that nothing but a State gov. will set them right again—and a state we must have. If every thing had remained quiet untill now our chance of success would have been better, but as the current is in motion it must flow on, and if we cannot get a state by peaceable means, I shall then unite with the hottest to get one by other means. If we are to have war, we must all go together, there must be no divisions amongst us, but I hope that calamity will never fall upon Texas. Tell McNiel and Westail that when I return with the state approved they must give a State frolic. The girls must not get married untill then. My love to them and to you all. Farewell.

S. F. Austin