The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 11, July 1907 - April, 1908 Page: 194
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Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
General Mason's purchase of the 300 leagues was made on joint
account with George A. Nixon, who was to advance two thousand
dollars in cash towards effecting the contract, and thirteen thou-
sand, five hundred and twenty dollars in merchandize, this being
required before the execution of the papers by the governor. A
translation of this "contract" is among General Mason's papers.
His letter to the governor is dated, "Monclova, 6th June, 1834,"
and in it he says that "being advised of the law of April 19th of
the present year authorizing your Excellency to dispose of four
hundred leagues of the vacant lands of the State, he has indulged
the hope of obtaining a contract with a view of increasing the
population and wealth of this State, and of procuring for some
virtuous and industrious families the means of acquiring an hon-
orable livelihood." In a long "memorandum" explanatory of this
contract, General Mason writes:
In June, 1834, I made a contract with the Government of the
State of Coahuila and Texas for 300 leagues of land-the purport
of which contract was that I should be authorized to sell the lands
as governmental agent (see the certificates which are an exposition
of the contract) and pay for them a stipulated price, all over was to
be my commission and profit. The law authorizing the sale of
400 leagues is one of general character and for objects set forth.
The existence of such a law was unknown to me till the contract
was proposed to me by the Governor,-and was only taken at his
pressing solicitude-after he rejected the various offers made for
the lands. The remaining 100 leagues were purchased by differ-
ent persons. Of the benefits of this contract I agreed to let George
A. Nixon have one-half.
General Mason goes on to tell of his -arrangement with Nixon
and of his plans to effect a sale of his certificates, and adds:
Great difficulties existed in making a sale, owing particularly
to a statement of 'Thomas J. Chambers and brought to New York
by Morehouse, that the Governor had no authority to sell the lands
but should distribute them among the troops to be employed in
defence of the Indians. The best and only contract I could make
therefore was a consignment with an advance of money on it and a
conditional sale, one of which conditions was that the Legislature
should confirm the authority of the Governor to sell,-but leaving
it optional with the purchasers to take the certificates or return
them upon their advances being refunded. This contract was
made in February [1835]. Upon this contract I proceeded to
Monclova and paid for the lands.194
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 11, July 1907 - April, 1908, periodical, 1908; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101045/m1/198/: accessed March 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.