Peach Point 26th Oct. 1833

Dear Brother

Your letters of the 30th of July—the 5th and 11th of Sept. dated at Mexico came to hand two days ago it gave us verry great pleasure to receive them and to hear of your good state of health, as we had heard through Williams that you had wrote him you had at the time you wrote all the premonetary simptims of the Cholera and as it had been very fatle here scarsely any who was attaced with it that recovered. We was very much alarmed for your safety but kind providence has preserved you to us and to the Colony—Which still needs your Guardien hand to guid them through.

To give you an account of the over flow Cholara, Fevers and deaths in the colony I presume would be unnessary as I expect Mr Williams has given you full acts. We would have wrote you long since but did not think our Leatters would reach you as When you left Matamoras you expected your stay in Mexico would be very short we will now give you a short act. of the sickness and deaths in our emediate neighbourhood on your return you will find a great vacuam in this part of the country, but before we say anything of the neighborhood we will give you some account of our own famales sickness. Our famely has not been entirely clear of sickness since June and part of the time scarsely enough well of either servants or whites to wait on the sick and at the worst of our sickness there was not a Physician could be had or a neighbour to call to see us Emily was verry low indeed I scarsely thought she could recover. But it was the will of providence to save her to her famaly and friends but our dear little Mary it was her lot to be taken from us. She was sick only five days. With the fever and was called of very sudenly and verry unexpectedly. She died on the 4th august. We feel and regret her loss much— the balance of the famaly are now generally in tolarable health. Some of them have still slight chills and fevers but we hope they will soon ware off as the weather is getting quit[e] cool on the 21st we had a heavy white frost which is considered very early here.

With regard to our crops and improvements we have done verry little since the middle of June as the Blacks were all sick as well as ourselves we made a good crop of corn and pumpkins about 8 or 900 bushels of corn and plenty of pumpkins. We planted 13 acres of cotton the last week in June which bid fair to do pretty well but the early frost has injured it much as it had not commenced opening we do not expect much of a crop cotten is now a fine price in N. O. from 16 to 18 cts. There is fine cropes in this neighbourhood and I am told all over the coloney where the overflow did not injure it the season has been very wet at least untile about the middle of September (since prety dry) together with the over flow is the reason, assigned for sickly season, this low country has been visited more severely with sickness and deaths than the upper but that has not bean entirely clear, there has been recently a good deal of sickness at San felepe and above and a good many deaths in our neighbourhood we have lost old Mr McNeel (fever) Mr. Westall, James and Emeline (cholera) and Mr Munson (fever) which leves a very considerable vackancey here in Brazoria our friend John austin both his children Mrs Wm austin—Anthony the printer, Bradly and a number of negroes all died at Westall with the cholara. there was six or seven corps there at one time before they could be buried as the neighbours were afraid to approach them a great many more of your acquantances you will find gon among them are Doctr Cox and counsel, counsels wife and child. Jno Cox on the Bernard and a number of others not recolected it is said there was 80 persons died at Brazoria in the course of the summer and Velasco was nearly depopulated by the cholera.

Since you left I wrote to Missouri for a Mr Alex Somervill a man I have been acquainted with for many years and in whom I have full confidence he come in may and Austin and him have been in charge of the store since I gave him an interest as I thought it best. Austin was at school most of the summer learning Spanish and says he has improved a great deal, they have sold a good many goods as they had the best assortment in San Felepe Mr S. is going in a few days to N O to get a few goods to replenish Joel and Beared are now gone to collect your cattle as it is the first oppertunity we have had all sumer in concequence of the wet season the heat and the flies, Col Philips has been laid up all summer with his sore leg. fever etc Mrs. P. is well the last acts. "We have Mr Pilgrim Teaching here Stephen F. Austin is going to school from his grand mothers he is a smart boy and Mr. Pilgram says he will learn well Guy Steph and Eliza are going and as soon as Joel gets done writing some accounts I have him to do, I will send him. Lavinia wishes to be kindly rememberd to you she leves for the U. S. in a few days, Simon is well and has been a good boy.

[J. F. Perry]