The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 24, July 1920 - April, 1921 Page: 177
332 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Louisiana Background of Colonization of Texas
son's commercial schemes and of the oppositon of British agents,
he secured many enthusiastic followers by promising them re-
ligious freedom and commercial advantages such as they had never
dreamed of before. After examining the country, he chose a point
of land on the west bank of the Mississippi opposite the mouth
of the Ohio as "the most important spot in his Majesty's North
American dominions both in a military and a commercial view."
He suggested that this place be made an entre-pot for the trade of
Kentucky and all the future American settlements of the Ohio,
thus rendering the navigation of the Mississippi perfectly unneces-
sary or indifferent to the United States. He predicted that the
new subjects would soon be sufficient in number and possess enough
capital to transact all the business of the country, and suggested
that trial by jury and legislation on purely local matters be al-
lowed, subject, of course, to the approval of the king. Without
waiting for his recommendations to be acted upon, he established
the town of New Madrid and laid out tracts of three hundred and
twenty acres for three hundred and fifty families. To those with
him and to other friends who were expected to join him, he act-
ually granted lands and promised donations to still others who
should make immediate settlement. They were required to take
the oath of allegiance and to promise to pay the sum of forty-
eight Mexican pesos with interest on deferred payments. He be-
lieved that a shiftless class of settlers would enter if lands were
granted absolutely free. He also wrote to the inhabitants of Fort
Pitt inviting them to join him. HIe feared that Mir6's extreme
anxiety to be considered "the first proposer and promoter of the
settlements opposite the mouth of the Ohio," his opposition to
religious toleration, and his subservience to Wilkinson would re-
tard the execution of the plans just described.21 And true to ex-
pectations, Mir6 did oppose a part of Morgan's plans. IHe
objected to the sale of the lands and defended the schedule upon
which the king had made free grants. This provided for a min-
imum grant of twenty-four arpents to families composed of two
or three workmen; four hundred arpents to families containing
between three and ten workmen; 600 arpents to families of ten to
fifteen workmen; and 800 arpenls to families of more than fifteen
workmen. Wilkinson did all in his power to handicap Morgan's"1Houck, The Spanish Regime in Missouri, I, 286-309.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 24, July 1920 - April, 1921, periodical, 1921; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101078/m1/183/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.