USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > Texas and the Gulf of Mexico ; or, Yachting in the New World, volume 1 > Part 7
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Dec. 17. Strong breezes, and cloudy. The Dolphin seems delighted to be in her own element again, fresh water evidently does not agree with her ; she is going
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nine and ten knots an hour, and there is scarcely any motion, the wind is so fair.
The land of Texas is very low, and the Guide books mention three trees, the only ones on the island of Galveston, as a land- mark. For these signs of vegetation we were anxiously looking on the morning of the second day from our leaving the river. In the mean-while, a man was kept almost constantly in the chains sound- ing for bottom. This precaution is I believe highly necessary in this part of the Gulf. Late in the evening we sounded in ten fa- thom water.
Dec. 18. Sounding all the morning - ten fathom, then eight, - seven - and five, in quick succession. This did not seem to me very agreeable, from the lowness of the island, and the circumstance of the wind
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blowing on shore; there was a very thick sea-mist too, and we could scarcely see the length of the ship ahead. From time to time the fog however rolled suddenly away, and during one of these intervals, the man at the mast head sung out " land on the weather bow."
This was at eleven o'clock, A.M. The wind had freshened considerably, and there was a disagreeable drizzling rain falling, when at a distance of three or four miles from Galveston we shortened sail, and at noon distinctly made out the town of Gal- veston. I beg its pardon, I am aware that " city" is the correct term for so im- portant a place.
The fog and mist had by this time con- siderably lessened in density, and we could distinguish a few grey looking houses, a church or two, and some masts of vessels,
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but the latter were neither numerous nor imposing. Allowance must be made for this poorness of appearance, when we remem- ber, that we saw all these things through an incessant rain, which made them, and indeed the whole prospect, look cheerless and forlorn.
Before our arrival we had heard much of the dangers attending an entrance into the harbour. The small depth of water on its bar had always been held up to us in terro- rem, and as a reason for avoiding this part of the coast in the Dolphin altogether. All these recollections made us naturally anx- ious for the appearance of the pilot, for whom we made a signal immediately after shortening sail. As he did not make his appearance we stood off again, and waited with some degree of impatience, in hopes of seeing his boat leave the shore.
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We spent at least three hours in this manner, shortening the time as well as we could in abusing all the government au- thorities indiscriminately, and pilots in par- ticular. At length, however, to our great relief, a large steamer, the New York, which we had observed some time previously occupied in getting up her steam, was seen coming towards us ; her high-pressure en- gine was puffing and blowing, like some huge elephant out of breath, and her deck covered with curious passengers.
When she had arrived within speaking- trumpet distance, the captain hailed us through this instrument, which is still in general use in American ships, and gave us the welcome information that he had a pilot on board. We were delighted; as we now saw some chance of coming to an anchor that day : the prospect of spend-
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ing another night standing off and on was by no means agreeable.
Before taking leave of us, the Captain, in a true Yankee spirit of " making an operation," offered to tow us over the bar. This was on his own account, and for this piece of civility, and trifling assistance, the performance of which would have occupied him half an hour, he demanded the mo- derate sum of one hundred dollars ! - of course the offer was declined; however, as it was made civilly, hats were mutually raised in token of amity, and the New York puffed back to her station in the har- bour.
We had now received the pilot on board. He was an Englishman, and a good sailor, as well as a safe and experienced pilot. There is at present a great want of these useful individuals at Galveston, and also, -
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as our own pilot informed us - an insuffi- ciency of buoys; a few rotten barrels be- ing placed here and there, often in wrong places, and, not seldom, being removed by accident or malice.
A strong northerly wind had prevailed for some days, and a considerable quantity of water had in consequence been blown out of the harbour; the bar was thus less covered even than usual, and it became necessary to trip the vessel. This opera- tion consists in running the guns forward, and shifting the ballast ; thus she was put on an even keel, and the chances of her bumping (as it is called) on the bar are considerably lessened. The crossing this formidable impediment was a mo- ment of great excitement. The lead was thrown into the sea without intermission ; it was " by the mark four" - " quarter
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less three "- " by the mark two " - " quar- ter less two," called out rapidly one after another, by the man in the chains. Now was the trying moment ; even the pilot looked anxious, and we every moment ex- pected to feel the bottom. After the sus- pence of a minute, or indeed less, the pilot drew a long breath, and exclaimed " all safe, Sir, now"-the guns were run aft again with all dispatch, and we were steering straight into the harbour.
After crossing the bar, there is an ex- tremely narrow channel through which vessels must necessarily pass before they can arrive at a safe anchorage. In this channel we felt the bottom, or rather side, but it is of soft mud, and there is no danger in the contact.
In another half hour we found ourselves safely anchored in Galveston harbour, with-
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in a hundred and fifty yards of the stand, in four fathom water. After dinner we were agreeably surprised by a visit from Capt. Elliot, her Britannic Majesty's Chargé d'Af- faires in this republic. We had heard, much to our regret, that Captain Elliot was at Washington, the present seat of govern- ment, and had such been the case, we should have lost much useful information, as re- gards the republic, and infinite amusement and enjoyment personally.
Previously to my arrival I confess to having known but little of Texas, its posi- tion, its resources, or its extent. It is just possible that my ignorance in this respect may be shared by others, and if so, some account of the republic may not be unwel- come.
Texas is bounded on the north, by the Red River, on the south by the Gulph of
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Mexico, on the east by the Sabine River and Louisiana, and on the west by the Rio grande del Norte. Comprising within these limits an area of nearly five hundred thousand square miles. It has more than three hundred miles of territory bordering on the Gulph of Mexico, its coast lying nearly N.W. and S.E. Supposing Texas to have an average breadth of between three to four hundred miles, and extending in a north westerly direction for about seven hundred, its surface may be said to present an inclined plane gradually descending to- wards the sea. Towards the north-west is an elevated range of hills, (spurs of the Rocky Mountains) from whence several ri- vers take their source, flowing towards the Gulph of Mexico, in a direction nearly parallel to each other and about sixty miles apart.
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Texas has three divisions of country differing from each other to a remarkable extent, not only as regards its surface and soil but also its climate. These are termed respectively, by its inhabitants, the Low, the Rolling, and the Hilly country. The first of these, bordering upon the Gulph of Mexico, and along the whole line of coast, is a perfectly level low tract ex- tending about sixty or seventy miles. To these lowlands, which are certainly not healthy, but wonderfully rich and produc- tive, succeeds the beautifully undulating Rolling Prairies ; nothing can surpass this portion of Texas in natural attractions : its ever verdant prairies resemble our most beautiful parks ; magnificent clumps of tim- ber are scattered over its surface, and its valleys are watered by quick running limpid streams. The third division comprises the VOL. I. K
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high broken mountainous tract more to the north, at a distance of three or four hundred miles from the sea coast; here are said to be Table-lands, with a soil scarcely inferior to the former divisions, and fully equal to either of the others in beauty and climate. This country, as also the entire tract to the northward, has not yet been sufficiently explored to form any very accurate judge- ment of its merits.
The principal rivers commencing, from the eastward, are the Sabine and the Neches, both flowing into the Sabine lake, out of which there is a narrow inlet to the Gulph, with a bar across the channel, having only six feet of water ; this is the only mud bar on the coast, those of all the harbours west- ward being of hard sand. The Trinity flows into Galveston Bay, the Bragos di- rectly into the Gulph, with a most danger-
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ous bar at its embouchure having not more than five or six feet of water.
The Colorado flows into the Bay of Ma- tagorda, which, like the Bay of Galveston, and almost all the other bays on this coast, is only separated from the Gulph of Mexico by a narrow strip of land rarely more than a mile or two in breadth.
The bay is nearly forty miles in length, and has a bar at its entrance with seven feet of water. The Guadaloupe, St. An- tonio, and Neches, are inferior in size to those I have previously mentioned, but, like them, flow into similar long narrow bays, separated from the sea by a sandy ridge of a mile or more in breadth. The Bay of Aransas, which receives the Guada- loupe and San Antonio rivers, is connected with the sea by an extremely narrow chan- nel, with six feet and a half of water over
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its bar. The Rio Grande del Norte, form- ing the western boundary of Texas, rises in the Rocky mountains ; it is said not to be navigable, on account of its rapids, till within two hundred miles of the sea, near the town of Loredo ; thence, to the Gulph, it is described as a noble stream, three or four hundred yards wide, and of conside- rable depth.
The Republic of Texas most undoubt- edly owes its origin to Moses Austin, who first conceived the plan of establishing a considerable colony in that country. This was eventually effected by his son, Stephen Austin, assisted by Mr. Williams; both Americans by birth, and men of distin- guished talent and enterprise. With the latter we had the good fortune to become acquainted in Texas, and had to thank him for a great deal of valuable informa-
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tion regarding the country and its history. Previous to the year 1821, the central part of Texas appears to have been only frequented by roving bands of Indians. There were a few settlements on its eastern frontier, bordering upon Louisiana ; and the Mexicans, to the amount of four or five thousand, were established in the neigh- bourhood of San Antonio de Bexar, and Goliad, or La Badia.
Moses Austin received his original grant in the year 1820, when Mexico was under the rule of Spain, and died soon after in the United States, whilst preparing to put his plans for colonization into effect. Soon after his father's death, Stephen Austin started with a small body of settlers from New Orleans, and after arriving in Texas, having carefully explored the country, selected, as the lands most desirable, a
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tract of country lying between the Brazos and the Colorado river, at about seventy miles distance from the sea. After a short period, he again returned to the United States, and made arrangements for coloniz- ing on a more extended scale.
In the mean time, Mexico had finally suc- ceeded in throwing off the yoke of Spain. On Austin's return, therefore, to his co- lony, in 1822, what was his mortification to find that, before he could proceed with the distribution of lands, it would be necessary for him to proceed to Mexico, to solicit from the new government a confirmation of the grant made to his father! It was at this period, and whilst the Cortes were debating upon Austin's petition, and also other applications of a similar nature, that Iturbide overthrew the existing govern- ment, and proclaimed himself Emperor.
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Austin had no difficulty in obtaining the object of his visit. Mexico has always been too weak to govern her distant pro- vinces, and, at this period, being utterly un- able to protect her settlers in Texas, and indeed, her own frontiers, from the ra- vages of hostile Indians, she was only too glad to avail herself of any offers made by foreigners to colonize and settle in the rich plains of Texas. This seems to have con- tinued to be the prevailing feeling of the successive governments in Mexico, from 1822 till the year 1830; and, in that in- terval, almost the whole of Texas was granted to different individuals, who were called impresarios, or contractors. The contract was, that they were to introduce into the country, and settle a stipulated number of families, in order to be en- titled to the land granted by govern-
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ment. To return, however, to Stephen Austin.
Scarcely had Iturbide granted his peti- tion, when the Emperor was himself de- throned by Santa Anna, who immediately annulled all grants of land made by his pre- decessor in power. Thus, Austin had again to solicit from the Cortes a confirmation of his former grant. This he at last succeeded in obtaining, and soon after returned to Texas. There he had to struggle with a variety of difficulties. His infant colony, now consisting of about three hundred fa- milies, was to be governed without any controlling power, unless we except the moral influence which his superior men- tal qualities enabled him to exercise over the rude settlers. The population was now rapidly increasing. In the year 1825, nearly the whole of Texas had been
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granted away to impresarios, and in 1830, we find that settlements had sprung up in every part of the country.
K II.
CHAPTER VIII.
POLITICAL POSITION OF TEXAS DURING THE FIRST
YEARS OF HER COLONIZATION. EVENTS WHICH
WERE THE MORE IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF HER DE- CLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
And from these grounds, concluding as we doe, Warres causes diuerse; so by consequence
Diuerse we must conclude their natures too ; For warre, proceeding from the Omnipotence, No doubt is holy, wise, and without error, The sword of justice, and of sin the terror. LORD BROOKE.
No country has been more calumniated and misrepresented than Texas. She has been called the Alsatia of the United States ; and again, the " pestiferous swamps of Texas," " pillaged from the too con- fiding Mexicans," &c. &c. The greater part of these mis-statements, that have
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appeared in England, concerning Texas, are said to have been circulated by the Mexican bondholders, and others inte- rested in the prosperity of Mexico .* The Americans, however, have been far more bitter in their attacks upon the unoffending Republic. The Southern States were doubt- less influenced in their conduct by jealousy of the far superior soil and climate of Texas, and her probable commercial ad- vantages.
* The Mexican debt to British bondholders amounts to nearly ten millions sterling, and Santa Anna, in the year 1837, either despairing of ever recovering Texas, or hoping to acquire powerful allies in the Mexican bondholders, made over to that body, lands in Texas, to the extent of forty millions of acres, as fur- ther security for the principal and interest of their bonds. These lands were to be specially hypothecated, until the total extinction of the bonds, and the govern- ment engaged to give complete possession to the gua- ranteed lands. This transaction is altogether so strange and ridiculous, as to be scarcely credible.
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The Northern States of America, on the other hand, are ranged against the Re- public, on account of the existence of sla- very in the country, and from a feeling that the interests of Texas are thereby con- nected with the slave-holding States of the Union, and thus increasing their power.
It appears to me, that few people have ever had more just cause than the Texans, for throwing off an oppressive yoke, and separating themselves from a nation, which had so long proved its incapacity even for self-government. Previous to Texas de- claring her independence, the Mexican Re- public had been constantly a prey to inter- nal dissensions; and civil war, in all its horrors, had desolated the country. Her political institutions had been changed, or overthrown, according to the interest or ca- price of each successive military chief of
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the country. The rule of these political leaders was invariably marked by blood- shed, cruelty, and oppression, and the country was in a constant state of anarchy and revolution.
I shall now endeavour to show the poli- tical position of Texas during the first years of her colonization, and afterwards to de- scribe the events which were the more im- mediate cause of her declaration of Inde- pendence. Under the constitution of 1824, Mexico was a confederated Republic, somewhat similar to the United States, having a President, Vice-President, Senate, and a House of Representatives, as a central government. Each State had, however, its separate independent government. The Mexican government, as I have before mentioned, having found itself obliged, for its own security, to encourage colonization
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in Texas, declared by a decree of Cortes, dated 7th May, 1824 :-
" That Texas is to be annexed to the Mexican province of Cohahuila, until it is of sufficient importance to form a separate State, when it is to become an independent State of the Mexican Republic, equal to the other States of which the same is com- posed, free, sovereign, and independent, in whatever exclusively relates to its internal government and administration."
This decree was declared "inviolable," and the act says, " can never be reformed."
It was then, on the faith of this decree, that new settlers were constantly arriving in Texas, from all countries, and this state of things continued till the year 1830, when the hitherto increasing prosperity of the country received its first check.
Bustamente, an adventurer, who by in-
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trigue, or bloodshed, had contrived to pos- sess himself of the first office in the Mexi- can Republic, prohibited the further ingress of foreigners, and issued several decrees ini- imical to the interests of Texas. The Mexican government, apparently jealous of its rising influence and prosperity, seems now to have made several enactments, at variance with the constitution of 1824. To effect these, it was necessary to introduce a considerable force of Mexican soldiers into the country ; thus, it eventually ended in Texas being placed almost entirely under military rule. It would be difficult to give an adequate idea of the numerous acts of injustice and oppression to which the set- tlers were subjected at this period. They were at length driven to resistance; and the military commandants, or governors, were soon forced out of the country, and
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with them the whole of the Mexican troops.
The oppressive rule of Bustamente was, fortunately, brought to a conclusion in the year 1832. His object had been to esta- blish a central government, instead of the federal constitution, but finding himself un- able to cope with the superior mental powers and military conduct of Santa Anna, he resigned his office in favour of General Pedraza, and early in 1833, Santa Anna was proclaimed President.
The Texans having now had sufficient experience of the bad effects arising from their being under the administration of the State of Cohahuila, resolved to petition the Supreme Government for a separation of the provinces, and demanded that Texas should be granted an independent state government, in conformity with the fe-
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deral compact, and Act of Cortes, of 1824.
The memorial set forth, that Texas was virtually without any government at all ; that the language of the people was diffe- rent ; that Cohahuila and Texas were alto- gether dissimilar in soil, climate, and na- tural productions ; that owing to the nume- rical inequality of their respective represen- tatives, the enactment of laws beneficial to Texas could only emanate from the 'ge- nerous courtesy' of her constitutional part- ner, and that legislative advantages to the one might, from incompatibility of inte- rests, be ruinous to the other.
Protection from Indian depredations, they declared to be of vital importance to Texas, which protection Cohahuila was un- able to render. The Indians in their im- mediate neighbourhood had been denied
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justice, which would be granted by inde- pendent Texas. Finally, Texas possessed the necessary elements for a state go- vernment, and for her attachment to the federal constitution and to the re- public, they pledged their lives and ho- nours.
Stephen Austin was the person selected by the people to proceed to Mexico, and to submit their petition for the consideration of Cortes. Austin, after waiting nearly a year in the capital, and being able to gain no reply to the petition with which he had been charged, wrote to the authorities in Texas, recommending them at once to or- ganize a State, de facto, without waiting for the decision of Congress.
This was considered by the government as a treasonable proceeding, and shortly afterwards Austin was arrested at Sattillo,
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whilst on his return to Texas. Being brought back to the capital, he was impri- soned in the dungeons of the Inquisition for upwards of a year. He did not return to Texas till more than two years had elapsed from the date of his departure, and not until Santa Anna had overthrown the federal constitution of the Republic, and established in its place a Central Consoli- dated Government, rendering him wholly independent of the States of the Confede- racy, and thus, in fact, becoming military dictator of Mexico.
Several of the States were of course op- posed to this change : some, indeed, re- sorted to arms, but were unable to resist the power of the dictator. The constitu- tional authorities of Cohahuila and Texas assembled at Mondova, and solemnly pro- tested against this change of government.
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They were, however, driven from office by a military force, under General Cos. The government was then dissolved; and the Governor, and other members of the State legislature, were imprisoned. Thus, the central government was established - in opposition to the will of the States and of the people - by the forcible, and unconsti- tutional destruction of the social compact which they had sworn to support. It was at this juncture that Austin was released ; and Santa Anna, becoming alarmed at the public meetings, and various demon- strations of opposition in Texas, deter- mined on sending Austin back to his coun- try as a mediator.
At a public meeting, soon after his re- turn to Texas, he made the following speech, giving very fully his opinions of the state of affairs, and also recommending
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such measures as he thought advisable to be pursued.
" I left Texas," said Mr. Austin, "in April, 1833, as the public agent of the people, for the purpose of applying for the admission of this country into the Mexican confederation, as a state separate from Co- hahuila. This application was based upon the constitutional and vested rights of Texas, and was sustained by me in the city of Mexico to the utmost of my abilities. No honourable means were spared to effect the objects of my mission, and to oppose the forming of Texas into a territory, which was attempted. I rigidly adhered to the instructions and wishes of my constitu- ents, so far as they were communicated to me. My efforts to serve Texas in- volved me in the labyrinth of Mexican politics ! I was arrested, and have suf-
.
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fered a long persecution and imprison- ment.
" I consider it to be my duty to give an account of these events to my constituents, and will, therefore, at this time, merely ob- serve that I have never, in any manner, agreed to anything, or admitted anything, that would compromise the constitutional or vested rights of Texas. These rights belong to the people, and can only be sur- rendered by them.
" I fully hoped to have found Texas at peace, and in tranquillity, but regret I find it in commotion; all disorganized, all in anarchy, and threatened with immediate hostilities. This state of things is deeply to be lamented; it is a great misfortune, but it is one which has not been produced by any acts of the people of this country. On the contrary, it is the natural and inevi-
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table consequence of the revolution that has spread all over Mexico, and of the im- prudent and impolitic measures, both of the general and state governments, with regard to Texas. The people here are not to blame, and cannot be justly censured. They are farmers, cultivators of the soil, and are pacific from interest, from occupa- tion, and from inclination. They have uni- formly endeavoured to sustain the constitu- tion and the public peace, and have never deviated from their duty as Mexican citizens.
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