The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 33, July 1929 - April, 1930 Page: 234
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Orleans, Citizens, and some more are broke besides half the mer-
chants in New Orleans a gentleman who presented me a Letter
of introduction (Count de Narbonne) from Genl Houston arrived
in the Evening he bears with him a Commission from the Presi-
dent to treat with all the Indians on our Northern & North-
western frontier,39 he is a very intelligent man, but I would preferr
any other mission to his-
Fryday the 25 beutifull weather the Count left this afternoon
for Lewis Sanchez's sold him my Patent bridge gun, out of accom-
odation (he having lost his) gave me a draft for the amount on
McKinney & Williams galvezton- I do not know what to think
taken alltogether, in regard to this Count- he certainly has a
Commission from the President, and his Letter of introduction
from the President to myself is genuine- but the rest is rather
a mixed up concern the Count having Contradicted himself in a
great many instan [c]es- if he can do us any good at all- he
can do us much good; and again if he is the man he represents
himself to be, he has it in his power to do us much harm, Houston
is very easy to be gulled by any one who will undertake it- any
man who is vain, and loves flattery is easy to be made a dupe of-
for a specimen I would refer to Santa Ana, who did gull Houston
abominaly
Saturday the 26th March very fine weather, had a refreshing
shower in the Evening, a meeting at the Court House took place
39Count de Narbonne seems to have first appeared in Texas in com-
pany with a group of French immigrants in February, 1842. Smith to
Houston, February 20, 1842. These Frenchmen were favorably received
and gained the entire confidence of Houston and other officials of the
Republic. "Smith's Journal," February 24, 1842. However, Narbonne
soon appeared in his true character and was compelled to flee from Hous-
ton to avoid punishment for swindling. Smith to Rate, November 3,
1843. He later appeared in Europe and as Monsieur Violet furnished
the material for Marryat's book, Travels and Romantic Adventures of
Monsieur Violet (London, 1843). Narbonne was a fellow traveler from
New York to England with Thomas Falconer, an English man of letters
connected with the London press, who had travelled extensively in Can-
ada, the United States, Texas, and Mexico, and was with the Santa FI
Expedition. Falconer told Ashbel Smith, Texan Charg6 d'Affaires to
London and Paris, that he gave Narbonne a copy of his Expedition to
Santa F, of Kendall's narrative and other printed documents about
Texas and Mexico. These materials furnished the facts contained in
Marryat's book. Smith to Rate, November 6, 1843, Smith to Walsh,
n. d. Narbonne seems to have imposed grossly on other respectable gen-
tlemen in England. Smith to Miller, November 21, 1843. All docu-
ments in the "Ashbel Smith Papers," University of Texas Archives.234
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 33, July 1929 - April, 1930, periodical, 1930; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101090/m1/254/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.