The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 3, July 1899 - April, 1900 Page: 145
294 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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What Became of the Lively?
145
under favorable circumstances, were to spread their fostering arms
from the San Antonio to the Sabine.
After landing her passengers and supplies at the mouth of the
Brazos, Lewis tells us that the Lively sailed away to the west; he
believed the captain was anxious to reach some Mexican port and
secure a return cargo. It is more probable, however, that the
schooner went on in search of the Colorado,--such at any rate is
the statement made by H. Elliot, who was on the lower Colorado in
the spring of 1822.7 Indeed, there is little doubt that the Lively
succeeded in finding the Colorado, and later reported to the party
on the Brazos; for Edward Lovelace wrote to Austin on June 26,
1822, from the camp on the Brazos, that a vessel could not approach
the mouth of the Colorado nearer than five or six miles.8 It is not
assuming too much, perhaps, to say that Lovelace must have re-
ceived this information from the schooner on its return voyage. It
is certain that the vessel returned safe to New Orleans some time
prior to June, 1822; she reported as to the Colorado that "the safe
and Capacious Harbour perfectly Land Locked within two. Miles
of the Mouth of the River more than Compensates for the shoal
water at its Mouth where lighters must be used."" It thus be-
comes evident that the Lively did reach the Colorado after having
deposited her cargo and passengers at the mouth of the Brazos;
unless, indeed, her captain when he made his report was still labor-
ing under the mistake that the Brazos was the Colorado.
The fact that the Lively failed to meet Austin at the appointed
place was sufficient foundation for the rumor that the vessel had
been lost, and the inconvenience to which some of the settlers were
subjected by the want of the implements and seed that had been
shipped on board the schooner no doubt served to emphasize her
loss and give greater currency to the report. The rumors as to
the fate of the passengers were various; it seems that most of the
old settlers believed all were lost when the vessel went down; but
at least one account has been preserved which says that some were
drowned in the breakers or were starved to death by the Indians
4 H. Elliott to Austin, Bexar, March 25, 1822, Austin Papers, E 29.
8 Edward Lovelace, Brazos, to S. F. Austin, June 26, 1822, Austin Pa-
pers, Q 93.
e John Sibley, Natchitoches, to Brown Austin, June 6, 1822, referring to
a letter from J. H. Hawkins, Austin Papers.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 3, July 1899 - April, 1900, periodical, 1900; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101015/m1/153/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.