USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > Texas and the Gulf of Mexico ; or, Yachting in the New World, volume 2 > Part 4
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POPE.
Have we not track'd the felon home, and found His birth-place, and his dam ?
COWPER.
*
Let th' arraign'd Stand up unconscious, and refute the charge. IDEM.
AFTER a short and prosperous voyage, we were again at anchor in Galveston harbour. Immediately after our arrival, we received
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the cordial greetings of our kind friends, and were congratulated on having a third time braved the dangers of the bar in safety. Our first inquiry was, of course, for news, and we were not afraid of hearing the reply, so commonly made in Europe, " No- thing at all going on - all as flat as pos- sible." Just at present, in this struggling country, every hour brings with it its event, and not a day passes without being marked by some endeavour (often a successful one) of these energetic settlers to raise their country into strength and prosperity. The most important among the events which were in progress, was the advance of a body of Mexicans. They were said to be approaching the town of Bexar, but not in any considerable force. The Texans did not seem in the least afraid of them ; indeed, I rather thought our friends
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would not object to having another brush with the enemy. The President was still up the country at Washington; and it had been announced that the lady of the General, (the Presidentess, or what- ever her title may be,) had given birth to a son. May he one day fill the office, and enjoy the honours now so worthily borne by his sire. Another circumstance which had lately occurred, had caused great satisfaction. A steamer, by name the Ellen Frankland, had returned in safety to the harbour, after having made a successful voyage up the Trinity river, to a distance of between four and five hundred miles from its mouth. This was the first occasion of such an undertaking having succeeded ; and it forms almost an era in the commer- cial history of the country. The voyage must have been a peculiarly interesting
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one, and Mr. Houston had decided to take a passage on board, when the Ellen Frank- land went her next trip. Our stay, how- ever, was not long enough for us to take advantage of such an excellent opportu- nity for seeing the country, and when this interesting and adventurous little vessel tried her fate again, we were daring the dangers of the deep on our way back to Old England. Captain Frankland, the owner of the steamer, assured us that the navigation was perfectly practicable, even to a point within a distance of sixty or seventy miles of the Red river. This part of the country had been lately granted to a joint company of English and American speculators, who had already introduced a great number of settlers. I have heard, also, that an English company have lately under- taken a speculation, which appears likely to
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prove not only a source of considerable profit to themselves, but also to be in its results extremely advantageous to the inte- rests of the country generally. The inten- tion is to run iron steamers, with a very light draught, up and down the Trinity ; the steamers having flat bottomed rafts at- tached to them. The successful result of Captain Frankland's expedition, has proved that there do not exist in the Trinity river, any great or insurmountable impediments to navigation. This cannot be said of the generality of the rivers in Texas, which are shallow, and full of snags and hindrances of all kinds. As regards its position with re- ference to the United States, the navigable capabilities of the Trinity must prove of immense and incalculable benefit to the city of Galveston, in a commercial point of view, and the citizens are already anticipating
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the numerous advantages they are likely to derive from the discovery of this invaluable water privilege. It is now ascertained that a canal, connecting the Trinity with the the Red river, would not be by any means an expensive undertaking, the distance being about sixty miles, and the country perfectly level. There can be no doubt that all the vast quantity of cotton, and other produce grown on the Red lands, would then be transmitted direct, by means of the canal and the Trinity river, to the town of Galveston, instead of being put on board steamers in the Red river,* and being sent by a long, dangerous, and most cir-
* The Americans attach such importance to this Red river trade, that the United States Congress has repeat- edly voted immense sums to clear away the rafts, or wood drifts, which are constantly accumulating, and to such an extent, as frequently to put a stop to navigation for months together.
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cuitous route to New Orleans. I fancy that the citizens of the republic enjoy not a little the idea of overreaching and circum- venting the Americans. They are perfectly aware, that should this mode of transit be established, a grand field will be opened to them for all sorts of smuggling transactions. Unlawful goods will do doubt be introduced into the United States, in sufficient quanti- ties to supply the whole western country, and American produce will doubtless be ex- ported from Galveston by the Texans, greatly to the dissatisfaction of their ci-de- vant countrymen at New Orleans.
In considering the state of commerce here, there is one truth plainly evident, viz. that the Texas will soon monopolize the whole of the Mexican trade. This has hitherto been conducted by trading parties from the United States, who after traversing
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the entire extent of the Great Western Prairies, as far as the Rocky Mountains, meet, and transact their negociations with the Mexican traders at Santa Fé. When it is considered, that Santa Fé is only dis- tant from Galveston five hundred miles, one may form some idea of the commercial ad- vantages the Texans would possess over the Americans. The latter have, for years, found it worth their while to pay the enor- mous duties charged for the admission of English cotton goods into America. The merchandize has then been transported from Philadelphia or New York, upwards of four thousand miles to Santa Fé, and great part of this distance on the backs of beasts of burthen. What a price the poor Mexicans must have paid for their purchases, to allow these enterprising traders a profit, and one good enough to satisfy a Yankee calculator.
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It might naturally have been expected, that these signs of the present, and visions of the future, would have aroused the go- vernment to exertion; and induced them to take some measures in order to render the entrance of the harbour less dangerous. Nothing, however, has been done ; and as long as the men in office and authority per- ceive no actual good resulting to themselves individually, from the furtherance of any public work, they will not endeavour to forward it. They are not sufficiently dis- interested, to expend the public money upon the public alone.
The harbour of Galveston, if properly buoyed, would be, by no means, a bad one. The entrance is perfectly safe for vessels drawing ten feet of water, and there are times when ships drawing twelve, and even fourteen feet, may venture in. It
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is without, any question, the best harbour in the Gulph of Mexico, and there is no doubt that no other port than that of Gal- veston will ever be of any commercial im- portance in Texas. In the present state, however, of this neglected harbour, no Com- pany either in England or America, will in- sure vessels bound for the port of Galveston.
We had determined not to put implicit faith in the numerous surveys and charts of the different harbours lower down the Gulf, and had resolved, if possible, to see and judge for ourselves. The intention was to send the government pilot, a clever navigator, in his little schooner down to Ma- tagorda, and Aransas. After ascertaining the depth of water on the several bars, we should then know where we might venture to take the yacht, and Mr. Houstoun would possibly have an opportunity of enjoying some buf- VOL. II.
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falo hunting, which he was very anxious to do. The Chasse in Western Texas is far superior to any that can be hoped for here ; considerable herds of buffalo and wild horses still existing, and deer in great numbers. The country also, near the sea in Western Texas is described as being elevated ; and instead of being, like other parts of the country, low and almost under water, the undulating hills approach in the vicinity of Aransas, almost to the sea beach.
A great deal has been said about the vast extent of crime in the Republic of Texas. If we are to believe many of the writers of the day, murderers are to be met at every town, life is not safe for a moment, and private property is never respected. The whole of the population are described as dishonest and bloodthirsty ; the very refuse of the vile. There is said to be " no
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law " and that public justice is unknown. That these accusations are almost entirely false I have no hesitation in asserting ; indeed, even by a glance at the general character of the people, one must feel that they are undeserved. Let us ask, is an irresistible longing for freedom the charac- teristic of a mind degraded by crime ? Do felons, thieves, and assassins fight for their country, as the Texans have done ? I
should say, certainly not ; and the refuta- tion of the charge becomes still more clear and positive, when we recollect, that it was not for pay that they fought ; but that they were actuated by one spontaneous impulse of patriotism, and the love of honest inde- pendence. " Sound healthy children of the God of Heaven, " they could not submit to the degrading yoke of the Mexican. But there is another circumstance which tends
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to give the lie to these accusations, and to establish the fact that the Texans are at least not worse than their neighbours, viz. the fact of the almost non-existence of courts of law in this country. This is nearly the only one in the long list of accusations brought against the colonists in Texas, in which there is truth. The rarity of the criminal acts (which I maintain there is in this country) is rendered still more remark- able by this circumstance. Lynch Law is the only description of retributive justice to be looked for here; and if we compare the annals of crime in other countries, (where men are restrained by the strong arm of the law) with the list of offences committed here, we could easily prove that the pri- mitive proceedings of the Texans are not productive of murders, thefts, and immora- lities. In a country where there is no police,
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and no executive authority, it is something to say, - and it may be said with truth, - that theft is almost unknown. Should such a misdemeanour be committed, and it is on record that a Scotchman once stole a piece of meat from the house of a neigh- bour, summary justice would be administer- ed by the unanimous voice of the people. As to the charge, so often brought against them, of shooting and stabbing, I aver, that were any other people possessed of the same power of killing their adversaries with impu- nity, they would much more frequently avail themselves of the privilege. The Texans, almost without exception, carry their natio- nal weapon, the Bowie knife, about them, and this alone, one would imagine, would lead to a frequency of assassinations. It is proved, even among our own people, that the use of the knife, when found conveniently at
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hand, can hardly be resisted in moments of passionate anger, and this in a country where punishment is sure to follow. The Texan, to a certain degree, is allowed to take the law into his own hands, but should it afterwards be pronounced by the unpre- judiced voices of the people, that either the punishment of his enemy was undeserved, or not warranted by the first duty of self- preservation, he becomes himself amenable to punishment by means of Lynch Law. That this state of things cannot continue long, I am well aware, nor can it be doubted, that the increase of population, the introduction of luxuries, and innu- merable other causes, will soon alter en- tirely the face of society. At present, however, the Texan people go on re- markably well, with their primitive system of administering justice. During the months
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we remained in Galveston harbour, there was no single instance of malicious crime - no street fights - no apparent drunkenness or tumult. It is true that on New Year's day, one man was shot, and doubtless this fact would, to those ignorant of the de- tails, furnish a strong argument in favour of the popular opinion of the prevalence of crime in Texas. The circumstances
were as follow ; - some children were quarrelling in the street ; from words they came to blows, when their respective pa- rents, who had been drinking together, thought proper to interfere. "I say, sir, you call your children away sir." This gentle remonstrance, not being duly attended to, the speaker went forthwith for his rifle, and was in the act of presenting it at the head of his foe (probably only as a means of intimidation) when he received his
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death wound, from the other's pistol. No notice whatever was taken of this misde- meanour.
Two well known German noblemen, sent out by their government to report on the condition of Texas and its supposed advan- tages as a field for emigration, were travel- ling through the country at the same time as ourselves, and they have given it as their opinion, that considering the state of the laws, no country was ever so free from crime as this. The case of manslaughter I have related, was perpetrated on a day of public rejoicing and misrule; the par- ties had been drinking at one of the nu- merous bars ; their passions were ex cited, and the whole affair was the work of a moment. It is due to the survivor to add, that the children of the de- ceased were received and provided for by
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him in the most liberal manner he could afford.
I have asserted that the Texans are will- ing (beyond most other people) to assist each other ; at the same time I wish not to affirm that the person who confers the benefit will not expect a quid pro quo in some shape or other. In a society such as this, where "taking your neighbour in " is called smartness, and inveigling him out of some portion of his lawful property, goes by the gentle name of " shaving " him, one must not expect to meet with much delicacy, in the arrangement of ac- counts between man and man. As a proof however of the rarity of theft, even houses containing valuable property are left un- tenanted and unsecured, and this without any fear of their being entered by a ma- rauder.
F II.
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As the city increases in size and im- portance, there will doubtless be more law, more justice, and more - crime. At pre- sent, in this small community the eyes of each man are on his neighbour; they unite for their common security, and the rowdy fellow, (anglice scamp) is held in check by the conciousness, that should he offend, and shock the prejudices of society, tarring and feathering would be his portion.
I never heard of Texan heads being sub- mitted to the examination of a professor of Phrenology, but I should imagine that the bump of invention would be found largely developed. A man will inform you, with the gravest face in the world, that he has seen in the Prairie a buffalo weighing two thousand stone ! and another, that he has met a Comanchee coming home from market to his wife, with the legs and arms
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of human beings slung over his shoulders, to dress for supper !
When two Texan gentleman are engaged in a dispute; however violent may be the discussion, the courtesy of the " sir" is never omitted. On the contrary it is re- peated at every third word, and mixed up as it is with the oaths and denunciations, with which they always interlard their dis- course, the effect is curious enough. They always end their anecdotes with " and that's a fact sir by G-," pronounced with great energy. The manner it would be in vain to describe, but the more unfathomable the falsehood, the greater is the energy they em- ploy in the utterance of these expressive words. " Seeing the giraffe ahead " is one of their singular but every day expressions. An acute Kentucky man giving an account one day to Mr. Houstoun of a speculation
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in which he had lately been engaged, and speaking (of course with the universal nasal twang) of a smart Yankee, who was plotting against him, and whose designs he had de- tected, wound up with " I stopt there sir - I went no further - I saw the giraffe ahead." The origin of this quaint expression I was not able to discover,* but they understand one another so perfectly, their crooked ways and their turnings and windings, that it is really amusing, to watch the progress of a game played between two able combatants. I have often thought, however, that they are apt to overreach themselves by too much cunning.
* It is curious and interesting to trace the origin of words and names, and to see how much corruption has crept in amongst them. Among the names of some of their rich districts, we find those of "Bob Ruly," and " Wash-Grasses." There can be no doubt that the former was originally " Bois-brulé," and the latter, " Vache grasse."
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Every thought and every idea here resolves itself into money. In their getting up, and lying down, in their eating, drinking, and sleeping moments, in the home of their wives and children, and in the bar room of the drinking houses, - dollars, and how to obtain them, seems their one sole and en- grossing thought. Whether or not they are attached to their kindred, I cannot say, but certainly, to judge from the very little time they seem to spend " in the bosom of their families," domestic life can have but slight charms for them.
The Texan ladies generally, I fancy, lead rather secluded and quiet lives, and are re- served and silent.
The society of Galveston invited us to a ball at the Tremont House, and I greatly regretted not being able to accept the civi- lity, but the weather was extremely cold, and
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the return to the yacht at night neither safe nor pleasant for a lady. Were I asked what is the national religion of the Texan people, I should answer none. It is true, the places of public worship are more than suf- ficient, and that every one attends the ser- vice on Sunday, and that the religious ob- servance of the sabbath is not more neglect- ed than it is in catholic countries in Europe. On the other hand, the feeling of devotion, and the respectful upholding of religion is apparently absent; I may wrong them, and I trust I do, but I judge from their conver- sation, from the education of their children, and not a little from their constant habit of profane swearing. This renders the society of Americans " generally" extremely painful to those, who are accustomed to treat the sacred name of the Deity with awe and re- spect. It is very distressing to hear little
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children practising their first powers of ut .- terance in mocking their Creator, and older boys, in almost every class, vying with each other in taking his Name in vain.
CHAPTER VI.
SUFFERINGS OF EMIGRANTS. TEXAS AN ADVANTA- GEOUS FIELD FOR SETTLERS. CLIMATE. PRODUC- TIONS OF THE COUNTRY. DISADVANTAGES.
Yes I have loved thy wild abode, Unknown, unploughed, untrodden shore ;
Where scarce the woodman finds a road, And scarce the fisher plies an oar.
CAMPBELL.
I WAS sorry to hear from Monsieur de C-, that the French emigrants, who ar- rived at Galveston during our former visit, were not, as we had supposed, sent out by the French government, but by one of their speculating countrymen, and that they had already suffered considerably, from various unanticipated causes. In transporting so large a body of emigrants through the
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country, arrangements ought to have been made for their support, and to defray the necessary expenses of the journey. I con- fess I cannot but regret that some thou- sands of our starving population cannot be conveyed to this country. The coloniza- tion of New South Wales and New Zealand is doubtless advantageous to Great Britain and certain speculative companies may derive benefit from it; but it may be questioned if the same good fortune gene- rally attends the poor colonists. In the latter colony, (New Zealand,) we have lately had a sad proof that the hardships and suf- ferings of the settlers are not of a trivial nature ; and that the difficulties with which these people have to contend, are not merely confined to the severe labour of hewing down the giant trees of the forest, and to the slow and wearying process of
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clearing land .* The circumstance to which I allude, is the melancholy fate of Captain Wakefield and his companions, who were not long ago destroyed by the aborigines of the country.
It cannot be denied, that as a field for settlers, Texas has considerable advantages over almost every other country. Its cli- mate, except in the lowlands, is excellent, and the settler has to encounter neither the extreme cold of the winter season, nor the scorching summer heat of the more nor- thern states of America and Canada. In the latter countries, also, the settler labours under the immense disadvantage of having to clear his land of the primeval woods, be- fore he can hope to establish any thing like a farm. This is a labour which he is spared
* The New Zealand Company sell their land at thirty shillings per acre.
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in Texas, where the vast and productive prairies need but little improvement at the hands of the agriculturist. As compared with New South Wales and New Zealand, Texas has neither the poor soil, and drowths of the former, nor the high priced and thickly wooded lands of the latter. Lastly, Texas is within a month's, or at the outside, six weeks' journey of England ; and by passing through the United States, it may even be accomplished in twenty-four days, without difficulty. This of itself is by no means a despicable advantage.
I believe that the accounts generally given of the productiveness of the soil in Texas are not exaggerated. Its climate, also, in the rolling country, at a distance of seventy or eighty miles from the sea, is no doubt extremely healthy, perhaps as much so as any in the world ; it is also comparatively
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free from musquitoes and other reptiles. The lowlands, however, between the rolling country and the sea, are, from all we could learn, scarcely habitable for Europeans. We certainly saw a few Germans, who had been settled on the banks of the Brazos, in the low country, for five years, but they had repeatedly suffered from fevers, though they were now to a certain extent acclimatized. A more miserable looking set of objects I never beheld. Another evil, and one scarcely less to be dreaded than the fever, consists in the myriads of musquitoes, which are so venomous and troublesome as to render existence hardly endurable. We were only in Texas in the winter season, and had, therefore, happily no opportunity of judging, in our own persons, of the ex- tent of the nuisance. There can be no doubt that this low country, whose soil,
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however, is unequalled in richness, can only be inhabited by people from the southern states of America, Louisiana, Mis- sissippi, &c. The inhabitants of those provinces have been used to even more unhealthy situations than the Texan low- lands, and without the benefit of the con- stant fresh sea breeze, or trade wind, (as it may almost be called,) which blows over the latter. It has, I believe, been asserted, that the productions of this part of Texas can be brought forth by slave or black la- bour alone. This, however, may be dis- puted.
I shall now endeavour to give some ac- count of the productions of the country, which are, I should say, acquired by less labour than is perhaps necessary in any other part of the globe. This arises from the circumstance of the prairie being, as
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one may say, already half cultivated by na- ture. It is, generally speaking, perfectly level, and no trees or shrubs interfere with the course of the plough, or the spade of the agriculturist. The soil is of great depth, and not a stone or even pebble can be discovered on turning up the earth. In the low country, cotton, sugar, and tobacco will be the great staples ; and, it is said, their quality is equal to the best that can be pro- duced in any other climate. In the rolling district, cotton, indigo, rice, wheat, barley, oats, and all the common vegetables of our own country, grow with wonderful luxuriance. Wheat, it is supposed, will come to greater perfection in the more hilly and less fertile district further to the north. Here, also, the apple and pear trees would doubtless thrive and produce abundantly ; but the climate of the southern portion of Texas is said to be
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too warm to permit the inhabitants to enjoy these fruits in perfection. Indigo, and that of a very fine quality, is found growing wild in various parts of the country ; grapes, peaches, and plums seem indigenous, and are found growing wild in the woods. There can be no doubt, indeed, that the soil and climate are calculated to produce most of our English fruits in the greatest abun- dance; and, in addition to them, many of those found in more southern climes. The prairie lands every where afford the very finest pasture, and cannot be surpassed for grazing purposes. So luxuriant is the growth of every kind of herbage, that throughout the year, cattle, grazing in the open country, are generally found in excel- lent condition ; and all the care that is re- quired in rearing stock, is easily obtained by employing a Mexican or two as herds-
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