The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 26, July 1922 - April, 1923 Page: 87

The History of a Texas Slave Plantation, 1831-63 87
after paying 21 per cent duty in New Orleans. No sheep were
raised here, but there were probably 50,000 hogs in the district.
Almonte calculated that the trade of the department had
reached $600,000 based on the production of 1832. The 5000
bales of cotton would bring in $225,000, and 50,000 skins would
be $50,000, totaling $275,000, while the sale of cattle and hogs
would bring the total to this figure, $600,000. This report esti-
mated the imports at $325,000.31 Austin's report gave this dis-
trict a large number of gins and mills, setting down in the
municipalities of Austin and Brazoria thirty cotton-gins, two
steam sawmills and grist mills, six water-power mills and many
run by oxen and horses. There was one water-power mill for
sawing lumber and running machinery in Gonzales.32
The Department of Nacogdoches contained four municipalities,
Nacogdoches, San Augustine, Liberty, and Jonesboro, with a pop-
ulation of nine thousand, one thousand of this number being
negroes. Besides the municipalities there Were four other towns
in this district: Anahuac, Bevil, Teran, and Teneha. This sec-
tion was not as well developed as it should have been, Almonte
thought. He somewhat unfairly attributed its backwardness to
neglect and indifference of the empresarios. As a matter of fact,
it was primarily due to restrictions of the Federal Government.
The trade of Nacogdoches was estimated by Almonte to be
$470,000. The exports were estimated at 2000 bales of cotton,
90,000 skins of deer, otter, and beaver, and 5000 head of cattle,
equal in value to $205,000. There was an excess of $60,000 of
imports over exports for the year, which fact Almonte accounted
for by the stock in the stores of the dealers.
There were twice as many cattle in this department as in that
of the Brazos, but the price of cattle per head was the same.
There were sixty thousand head of swine, which would soon fur-
nish an article of export."3
Almonte and Austin are both indefinite as to the number of
gins and mills in this section. Austin said, "The municipalities
"Almonte's "Statistical Notice," in Kennedy's Texas, II, 75-76. Juan
N. Almonte was commissioned by the Mexican government in 1834 to
inspect and report on Texas.
"'Austin, "Statistics of Texas," in Johnson-Barker, Texas and Texans,
I, 174.
"sAlmonte's Statistical Notice, in Kennedy's Texas, II, 77.