The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 26, July 1922 - April, 1923 Page: 81

The History of a Texas Slave Plantation, 1831-63 81
servants by hire or contract before a judge or clerk, and to bring
furniture enough to be comfortable. He mentioned twice in this
one letter that Perry was to bring seeds. He had asked, he said,
that Perry might have two years within which to occupy the land.
Apparently Austin had not yet convinced Perry of the future of
Texas, for he continued to advise him to come. Later he wrote,
"Bring bedding and furniture. . . . We are beginning to get
up in this country and decent and fine cloths have taken the place
of buckskin."6 Within a few days he wrote, "The fall is the
best time to remove on a/c of health."7 On receipt of the grant
which he had petitioned for, Austin wrote, as follows:
I now have the pleasure to inform you that I yesterday re-
ceived the grant from the Governor. he has had the goodness to
grant to James F. Perry and to his wife Emily Margarita Austin
Eleven Leagues of land to be selected on any vacant lands in
Austin's colony and he has issued all the necessary orders to the
General land Commissioner to give a patent in due form as the
colonization law requires.
The grant is subject to the condition that you remove and
settle here with your family within two years from the first day
of last January.8
But before this letter of March 28 was written, James F. Perry
was on his way to Texas. His note book kept on the tour of
Texas indicates that he left Potosi, Missouri, Sunday, March 21,
1830, "for the purpose of viewing Austins Colony in Texas.
arrived at Herculanium on the same evening there I had to
remain the 22d and 23d waiting for a pasage to New Orleans.
. . . March 31st Wednesday Land at New Orleans untill
friday the 10th day of April, at 12 o'clock saild in the Schooner
Pocahontas for the port of Brazoria in Texas-" Mr. Perry
continues his day to day account with details of the trip, land-
ing, tour of Texas to find Austin, and the hospitality extended
him by the Texans. He thus described his impressions of the
country:
The country from the mouth of Brasos for five or six miles is
all a prararia near the sea shore sandy then low and marchey.
6S. F. Austin to J. F. and Emily Perry, January 3, 1830. Austin
Papers.
'S. F. Austin to J. F. Perry, January 16, 1830. Austin Papers.
8S. F. Austin to J. F. and E. Perry, MVlarch 28, 1830. Austin Papers.