The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897 Volume 1 Page: 22
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Laws, Orders and Contracts
22
(22)
It will be remembered that the colonisation law, passed by the im-
perial government on the 4th of January, 1823, was suspended on the
11th of April of that year, except in Austin’s case. On the 18th of
August, 1824, congress passed the general colonisation law, which is
now in force, giving to the states full authority to form colonisation
laws, and to dispose of the vacant lands within their respective limits
agreeably to the basis and conditions therein established. In virtue of
this law, the legislature of the state of Coahuila and Texas passed the
state colonisation law, which was approved by the governor, and promul-
gated the 24th of March, 1825, and is now in force.
In 1824, there was no mail established from Bexar to Nacogdoches,
passing through this place, as at this time, and the law of the 18th of
August was not received here until December: previous to that time,
and on the 6th of November, Austin forwarded a petition addressed
to the supreme executive power of the nation, asking for authority to
colonise two or three hundred families more, in addition to his first
colony, and praying that Galveston might be made a port of entry.
This representation was transmitted to the governor of the state. After-
wards having seen the law of the 18th of August, and understanding that
a state law was discussing in the legislature of the state, he forwarded
a petition addressed to the governor of the state, on the 4th of February,
1825, repeating in substance what he had said in that of the 6th of
November, relative to Galeveston, and asking for permission to colonise
three hundred families. Having afterwards received information that
the state colonisation law was about to be sanctioned, and having heard
nothing of his two former petitions, on the '4th of April, 1825, he for-
warded a third petition to the governor of the state asking for authority
to colonise five hundred families. Before the last petition reached him
the governor had granted his former one for the additional three hun-
dred families, and had transmitted to Austin the contract which he was
required to sign, and which was to take effect from the day he (Austin)
approved and signed it, which he did on the 4th of June, 1825. After
despatching from Saltillo said contract for three hundred families, the
governor received Austin’s petition of 4th April, asking for authority
to colonise five hundred families, which was granted by him on the 20th
May, 1825, and made a part of the before-mentioned contract, which
was thus extended to five hundred, instead of three hundred families.
The said five hundred families were to be settled on the vacant land
remaining within the limits of his first colony, which had not been as-
signed to any other empresario, and which was not within the ten league
reserve on the coast. As the limits of the first colony were not fixed by
specific boundaries, as before stated, Austin petitioned the. governor
on the subject, who, on the 7th of March, 1827, added another article
to the contract, for said five hundred families, by which the limits,
within which they were to be settled, were fixed. The term of six years
from the 4th June, 1825, the day on which Austin signed it, is fixed
for the completion of this contract for five hundred families. On the
1st of April, 1826, the government commissioned Gasper Flores, commis-
sioner for issuing titles in said colony, for five hundred families.
On the 20th November, 1827, Austin entered into another contract
with the government of the state, for one hundred families to'be settled
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Gammel, Hans Peter Mareus Neilsen. The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897 Volume 1, book, 1898; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5872/m1/30/: accessed March 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .