The Texas Almanac, for 1857, with Statistics, Historical and Biographical Sketches, &c., Relating to Texas. Page: 49
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LAWS QUIETING LAND TITLES. 49
LAWS QUIETING LAND TITLES.
Several Laws with this caption have been passed at different
periods of our Government, but so far as we are informed, they
have generally had an effect precisely the reverse of what was in-
tended. In many parts of the State, more especially in the East,
the large elevenleague grants under the former Government of
Mexico have been settled on and improved, for many years, by
emgrants, believing that those grants were fraudulent, or that the
conditions under the law were not complied with, and that the titles
would therefore be declared void, so that they would be able to se-
cure their headrights, embracing all their improvements. The
number who are thus settled on those large grants, has now become
very large, amounting to many thousands of our voting population.
During nearly every session of our Legislature, since annexation,
they have, through their representatives, demanded some law under
the above title, enabling them to plead and prove whatever the
State might plead and prove, in order to dispute those large grants
successfully, and establish their own titles. At the late session,
bills for this purpose were introduced into both branches of the
Legislature, and in each branch there was evidently a large majority
in favor of such a law. In the House, however, the bill was de-
feated by the minority, by resorting to parliamentary tactics. It is,
however, understood, that n large portion of the eastern members
will come to the next Legislature expressly instructed to procure
the passa of such a law, which will be the great question of the
next session. It is in consequence of this conflict of title between
the holders of he old grants and the settlers on them, that we have
taken pains to give a full enumeration, on some of the preceding
pages, of all those old grants, by concession, by purchase, and by
settlement, so that every settler may be able to tell at once whether
that grant which he has to contend against is actually recorded in
our land office, or whether it is probably a forgery, or some recent
importation from Mexico, for it is contended that there are many of
this description. We cannot learn that any full enumeration of all
those old grants has ever before been published.
We conclude the subject of public lands with the following ab-
stract of an important communication, which, we understand, has
never yet been published :
FROM STEPHEN F. AUSTIN TO THE SENATE OF TEXAS.
A highly interesting letter was addressed to the Senate of Texas
by Stephen F. Austin, dated Colambia, ec. 5thl 1836, which
throws much light on some important matters, connected with his
labors in colonizing Texas, and the breaking out of the revolution.-
Gen. Austin fully explains, in this letter, the difficulties attending
the colonization contract at first given to R. Leftwich and afterwards
transferred by him to the Nashville (Tenn.) Company. This con-
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The Texas Almanac, for 1857, with Statistics, Historical and Biographical Sketches, &c., Relating to Texas., book, 1966; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123763/m1/100/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.