The Texas Democrat (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 25, Ed. 1, Wednesday, June 24, 1846 Page: 2 of 4
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of this Stale, to cause elections lobe held on the
second Monday of July, 1S4G, in their respective
jounltes, for one chief justice, four county com-
missionerSj one sheriff, one coroner, one county
Iclerk, one clerk of the district court, and two
justices of the peace and one constable for each
I justice:; precinct, and such other county officers
required by law to be elected by the people-
Sec 4. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the
"luty of the chief justice of every county in this
State,- from which any new county has been taken
at this session of the Legislature, or from which
Ihe greater portion of any new county has been
taken, to cause an election to be held in all such
new counties on the second Monday in July,
l846t for all such officers as are named in the
preceding section.
Sec. 5. Beit further enacted, That the elections
provided for in the two preceding sections, shall
be conducted'in all respects in conformity with
the laws regulating elections in this State; and
the returns of elections in all new' counties, shall
'be made to the chief justice or officer ordering
the election in such new counties.
- Sec G. Be it further enacted, That in counties
where there are no county commissioners, the
' -chief justice 'and any two justices of the peace,
-shall perform all the duties required of the chief
justice and county commissioners in the two first
sections of thisct, and in counties where there
is no cmer justice men tne sneritt snail per-
;s by
orarll the duties required of chief justice
tnepro4Yisionsof 'this.a'ct. ? J
r"" 15EC t. Heu further, eMcfed, a'hal thep
resent
incumbents of all courity'ofEceshall continue in
xfSoeJ- andperforui all.lheidulies.-r.equirecl of them
by Jaw, until their successors-, or officer's perform-
ing similar dulies'shall beeleqledtfn?ler the pro-
visions of this act? anil enteriipon Yne discharge
of their duties, when" they shall hand oyer to their
successors, or officers performing- similar-duties,
all books, papers and .ofjier effects, 'belonging to
their respective offiges ; arid until the new coun-
ties established by .'this Legislature ."shall be
organized under the J provisions of this-apt, they
shall be consjdered as forming 'a. part oT the
county of counties Xrom whjch they wre tn"kcn.
Sec. S. Beit furtier. mimactc(l, 'That until the
county seatsof newqpnnlieis iir'e "established as
require3 by law; the courts of such new counties
shall be hqld at such placesas .may be .appointed
by the county courts thereof. , :
oec y. Jje u JurUier enacted', J haflhis act take
effect from and after its passage. m ,
Approved, llth&pVii;.A.b!l34G.
is hcreb7 authorized and required to appoint and
commission for a term of fouryars, at each of
the ports of this State, such number of competent
and reputable persons as may be needed at each
for the office of branch pilot, and he shall from
time to time make new appointments as afore-
said, when vacancies" or an increase of business
require it; but until appointments are made pur-
suant to this act the pilots of the several ports,
vho were inoflice when the organization of the
Stale Government look place, shall be authorized
to continue acting as such on the authority of their
colleclorial appointments.
Sec 2. Be it farther enacted, That the Go-
vernor shall appoint, with ihe consent of the
Senate, for each port of the Stale, where popula-
tion and circumstances will warrant it, a board
of five persons of respectable standing, under the
denomination of commissioners of pilots for such
port; three of whom shall be practical seamen,
and the other two merchants, who shall be com-
missioned by the Governor, for the term of four
years, and the Governor shall during the recess
of the Legislature, bejauthorized to suspend un-
til the next session of flie same, any of said com-
missioners, and to fill until the samepeiiod, any
vacancies in said board, caused by death, resig-
nation or otherwise; Trovidcd, however, that no
member of the board of commissioners shall be
directly or indirectly pecuniarily interested in
any pilot boat in the business of their trustr"
Sec. S. Be it farther enacted, That said board
of commissioners shall be 'authorized, if they
deem it advisable to examine and decide on the
nualific.itions of anv branch or deoulv pilot
she has come in without the aid of a pilot or the
offer of it, she shall in case of going out without
a pilot, not be liable to half pilotage ; and when
a pilot lakes charge of a vessel twenty miles out-
side of the bar and brings her toil, he shall be
entitled to one fourth pilotage for such oiT-shore
service, in addition to what he is entitled to recov-
er for bringing her in ; but if such ofF-shore service
be declined, no portion of the said compensation
for it shall be recovered ; and the following classes
of vessels shall be free from any charge for pilot-
age, unless for actual service, to wit: all vessels of
twenty tons and under; all vessels of whatsoever
burthen, owned in the Slate of Texas and regis-
tered and licensed in the district of Texas, when
arriving from or departing lo any port of the State
of Texas ; all vessels of seventy-five tons and
under, owned and licensed for the coasting trade
in any part of the United Slates, when arriving
from or departing to any port in the State of Tex-
as ; all vessels of seventy-five tons and under,
owned in the Slate of Texas and licensed for the
coasting trade in the district of Texas, when arri-
ving from or departing to any port in the United
Stales.
Sec. 10. Be it father enacted, That any branch
or deputy pilot who shall be guilty of "taking
charge ofa-vessel in a stale of inebriety, shall
upon proof of the same, for the first offence be
suspended for one month, and for a second offence
be dismissed, and be rendered incapable of again
serving in either capacity; and if.any branch or
deputy pilot shall wilfully or by neglect cause
the wreck ol a vessel, tie snail oe dismissed and
the State of Texas, That ihe county of San Pa-
tricip shall hereafter consist and be composed of
the territory lying between the river Nueces and
river and bay of Aransaso, commencing where
the Bexar county line-crosses the Nueces River ;
thence, down thecasl bank of the Nueces River
lo the Corpus Christi Ba, following the mean-
ders of the bay, lo ihe mouth of the bayou that
connects said bay with Aransaso Bay ; thence, in
a direct line lo the mouth of Aransaso River;
thence, following the meanders of the west bank
of said Aransaso River, to the line of Bexar coun-
ty ; thence, with the line of Bexar county, to the
place of beginning.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted, That the town
of San Patricio be, and is hereby declared, the
county seat of said county.
Approved, ISth April, A. D. 1S4G.
AN ACT
To secure to the State of Texas the Customs
revenue received or incurred under the laws of
the Republic of Texas.
Section 1. Be it enactedby the Legislature of the
State of Texas, That all monies which, in confor-
mity with the laws of the Republic of Texas, or
with orders from the secretary of the Treasury of
said Republic, have been received by the collect-
ors acting under said laws, or orders, whether
dues and demands of every character, now due and
owing to the county of Matagorda by citizens of
Wharton county, and upon property situated in the
limits of Wharton county, shall accrue and be paya-"
hie to the county of Wharton ; and in like manner
all taxes, dues and demands of any character, now-
due and owing to the county of Colorado by citi-
zens of Wharton county, and upon property situa-
ted in the limits of Wharton county, shall accrue
and be payable to the county of Wharton, and all '
such taxes, dues and demands shall be collected by
the proper officers of Wharton county, and paid
into the county treasury ofsaid county, in like man-
ner as the same could have originally been collect-'
ed and paid into the county treasuries of Matagor-,
da and Colorado respectively.
Approved, ISth April, A. D. 1S46. "
AN ACT ,
To establish the County of Nueces. '
Section 1. Beit enactedby the Legislatur.&'of
the State of Texas, That all that part of the county
of San Patricio lying between the Rio Grande
and the Nueces River is hereby incorporated into
a county by the name of the county of Nueces,
and a direct line running from the junction of the
Cibolo or San Bnrtolo Creek to the Rio Frio, at a
point thirty miles above its junction with the
Nueces ; thence, in a direct line to the town of
Laredo, shall be the dividing line between the coun-
ties of Nueces and Bexar, from the River Nueces
whom they find already appointed at the lime ofjcapaciiy and shall be subject lo such punishment
. i .-. i :t .l.ii i.. .l- .!... , - m. .i i. i
ineir organization, unu u suuu uu ineir uuiy tu.aj jS prescriueu uy ia.w.
' . s Un-act
To exempt from taxation two hundred and fifty
dollars worth pf household! furniture, and other
persona property belonging to each family in
the State. m rf
Section 1. Beit enacted h the? Legislature of
t7ic State ofTcxas, That from and after the pas-H
sage hereoflherc'shall be exempt, from taxation
two hundred and fifty dollars worth of lite house-
hold furniture, 'and other pergonal jiroperty belong-
ing to each. family in llie Stale.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted, That ihis act
shall take effect from and after its passage.
Approved, April 11th, A. D. 1S4G.
- AN AGT
To incorporate Lamar Academy in the Count'
ofFannin.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of
the State of Texas, That George W. Wright, Cal-
vin O. Cooper, Claiborn Chism, John A. Ruther-
ford, H.D. Woodsworth, Isaac I. Newell and
Hamlin L. Williams, be and they are hereby
incorporated a body politic, under the name and
style of the trustees of Lamar Academy, capable
of suing and being sued, of pleading and being
impleaded, of holding and owning properly either
real, personal, or mixed, of selling and convey-
ing the same at pleasure, of having a common
seal and of changing it at pleasure, and of doing
and performing whalsoeverelse may be proper and
necessary to be done for the advancement ofsaid
institution, not contrary to the constitution and
laws of this Stale.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted, That this char-
ter and privilege shall extend lo the said trustees
and to their successors in office, as' long as they
confine the benefit of the same lo the advance-
ment of the sciences and the promotion of useful
knowiedge to the rising generation, which insti-
tution shall be accessible alike to all, without
regard lo opinions of religion or politics.
Sec 3; Be it further enacted, That the trus-
tees for the time being, shall have full power lo
enact by laws, rules and regulations for the go-
vernment ofsaid Academy, as they may deem
necessary for the prosperity of the same;
Sec 4. Be it further enacted, That the insti-
tution hereby incorporated, shall be located at or
near the town of Paris in said county.
Sec 5. Be it further enacted, That this act
lake effect from and after its passage.
Approved, 11th April, A. D. 1S4G.
AN ACT
Amending the Sth and 11th sections of an act to
incorporate Hermann's University; approved,
January 27th, 1844.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of
Vie state of lexas, lhat no religious lest or quali-
fication of any kind whatever shall be a requisite
in order to become a trustee, professor, instructor
or student in said University ; and the theologi-
cal faculty shall never be styled by the name of
any singular religious confession.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted, That the said
University shall be located at some place to
be designated by the President and trustees.
Sec 3. Be it further enacted, That the Sth and
11th sections of an act to incorporate Hermann's
University; approved, January 27th, 1844, be
and the same Tire hereby repealed, and that this
act shall take effect from and after iis passage.
The fotegoing act was presented lo the Gover-
nor for his approval, on the 7th day of April, A.
D. 1S4G, as appears from the memorandum of
his private Secretary, of that date, and was de-
posited in the 'Secretary of Stale's office on the
11th of same month, without his signature.
AN ACT
For the regulation of pilots
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of
the State of Texas, That the Governor be, and he;
exa mine each new applicant for the office of branch
or deputy pilot, and to decide on his qualifica
tions, recommending lo the Governor where new
appointments are proper, such as are meritorious;
and it shall also be their duty to examine jnto
any case of alleged or supposed misconduct, or
inefficiency in branch or deputy pilots, and ihey
shall be authorized, after a due hearing, of accu-
sation, testimony and defence, lo suspend such
pilot, if sufficient cause appear; and during such
suspension he shall not be allowed lo exercise
the functions of his office. The Governor how-
ever, shall have power at his will and pleasure,
lo remove anj branch pilot, or to reinstate any
one of ihe same who has been suspended by the
commissioners.
Skc 4. Be it further enacted, That the board
of commissioners of pilots of each port, shall re-
quire a certain term of residence in the Republic
or Slate of Texas not less than two years, lo au-
thorize any person lo exercise the functions of
branch pilot for their port, as also lo establish a
term of probation not exceeding one year, as a
deputy pilot, before any person can exercise the
functions of branch pilot; Frovided however, lhat
the latter requirement shall not .apply to those
who have been branch pilots in the same port,
under ihe laws of the Republic, and are reappoint-
ed under the laws of the Stale of Texas.
Sec 5. Be it further enacted, That each branch
pilot shall give a bond with two or more securi
ties, made payable lo the Governor and his suc-
cessors in office, for the sum of five thousand dol-
lars, conditioned for the faithful performance of
the duties ofsaid pilot, which bond shall be pre-
sented to the board of commissioners for pilots ;
or if there be none, to the chief justice of the coun-
ty in which the port is situated, and must be
approved by said board or judge before said
pilot can exercise the duties of his office, and the
bond aforesaid shall be forwarded by said com-
missioners or judge, with their or his approval
thereon endorsed, to the Governor.
Sec 6. Be it further enacted, That the board
of commissioners of pilots shall have authority
within the limits provided in this act, to fix the
rales of pilotage and lo establish regulations re-
specting the stations whereat, and the limes
wherein pilots shall boon duly, with provisions
for leave of absence, as also respecting the class,
condition, number and use of pilot boats, and
such other minor regulations compatible with
the provisions of this act as may be needful for
ihe governance of pilots and for ihe order and
good effect of the proceedings of the board, of
which proceedings a record shall be kept : Pro-
vided, no regulation shall be adopted repugnant to
the constitution of the Stale.
Sec 7. Be it further enacted, That the board of
commissioners of pilots shall be authorized and
required to hear and determine an disputes inai
may arise respecting pilots and pilotage, to
award lo pilots extra compensation for extra ser-
vices to vessels in distress, as also compensation
for injurious loss of lime, incurred by pilots, in
wailing on vessels, or by being carried offlo sea
on vessels by default of the master or owner,
when such pilots might have been landed ; Fro-
vided, always, that no more than three dollars for
each day shall be awarded for mere loss of time;
and it shall be the duly ofsaid board lo superin-
tend and generally attend to all mailers apper
taining lo pilots and pilotage, but from any deci-
sion ofsaid board, an appeal may be taken, to
the court having cognizance of the case.
Sec S. Be it further enacted, That each branch
pilot may appoint, subject lo examination and
approval of the board of commissioners, two de-
puties for whose acts the branch pilot so appoint-
shall be responsible, and any branch pilot who
shall appoint a dcput3" without the approval of
said board, shall forfeit his own appointment,
and the said board shall have authority to restrict
all tleputy pilols from piloting over the bar, ves
sels of over a certain di all ol water.
Sec 9. Beit further enacted, That the rate of
pilotage on any class of vessels, shall not in any
port of this Slate exceed three dollars for each
foot of water which the vessel at the time of pi-
loting draws, and that whenever a vessel, except
of the classes below excepted, shall decline the
service of a pilot olicrcd outside me oar, and
shall enter the port without the aid of one, she
shall be liable lo the first pilot whose ser'i:cs
she so declined, for the payment of half pilot-
age, and any vessel which after being brought in
by a pilot, shall go out without employing one,
shall be liable to the payment of half pilotage to
the pilot who brought her in, or if she has come
in without the aid of a pilot, though offered out-
side, she shall in so going out be liable for the
paymentof half pilotage lo the pilot who had first
oilbicd his services bcfoic she came in; bul if
imported, after ihe 31st of December, 1S45, and
before the IGih day -of February, 1S46, as also
any monies which may be hereafter received by
be rendered incapable of again serving in either ! any agent of the Stale of Texas as customs reve
nue incurred ny vessels entered or goods imported
between said dates, shall be paid into the treasury
of the State.
rnrnmt no imnnct nrtnnnono -Inline nrnlhnr rns.i
,. " ? -i3 i 'and from the above boundary of Nueces, at Laredo,
--... . w. .,.. n.j ''" w.. - ---j o
Sec 11. Be it fmther enacted, 1 hat it any per
son not appointed a branch or deputy pilot
shall pilot any ship or vessel out of or into any
port of this State, when a branch or deputy pilot
has offered such service, the person so piloting
shall forfeit and pay lo such branch or deputy
pilot, the sum of fifty dollars lo be recovered
before any court having cognizance of the case.
Sec. 12. Be it further enacted, . That the con-
signee of any vessel shall be held responsible for
the pilotage ofsaid vessel.
Sec 13. Be it further' enacted, That at any
portwho.se population and circumstances do not
warrant the appointment of a boord of commis-
sioners of pilots in the manner "before provided,
the Governor may authorize the chief justice of
the county to appoint a provisional committee of
'from three lo five persons of good character and
maralime experience, who shall be authorized
under this act lo establish the rates of pilotage
and the rules for governing'pilots ; lo examine the
qualifications of pilots and applicants lor the
office ; lo investigate the case of any pilot
charged with misconduct or inefficienc', and to
suspend him if sufficient cause appear.
Sec. 14. Be itfurther enacted, That the act of
congress of the Republic of Texas, entitled an act
appointing pilols, approved, May 23, 1S3S, and
thai entitled an act regulating the appoinlmenl
and duties of pilols at the port of Galveston, ap-
proved, February 4, 1S42, be and are hereby
repealed.
Sec. 15. Bo it further enacted, That this act
lake effect from and after its passage.
Approved, 17ih April, A. D. 1S4G.
AN ACT
To authorize the Governor lo pay expresses em-
ployed lo circulate the law providing for the
election of representatives lo the'Congress of
the United btales.
Section 1 . Bc"il enacted by 'the Legislature of
the State of lexas, That the sum of three hundred
dollars, or so much thereof as required, is hereby
appropriated for ihe payment of such persons as
were employed by the Governor to circulate the
law providing for the election of Representatives
lo the Congress of the United Slates, and to in-
form the Senators of their election, and the Trea-
surer and Comptroller be required lo pay such
orders as the Governor may make on the Trea-
surer, for the purposes contemplated by this act.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That this act
be in force from" and after its passage.
Approved, April lllh, A. D. 1S4G.
Sec 2. Be itfurther enacted, That any suit
which has been or may be instituted against any
collector of customs, or any agent of the Stale of
Texas, for reclaim of customs revenue which has
been or may hereafter be collected on vessels en-
tered or goods imported between the 31st Decem-
ber, 1S45. and the 16th of February, 1S4G, while
the revenue laws of the Republic of Texas were
in force, and by such collector or agent paid over
to the treasury officers, or so collected and paid
over in conformity with orders from the secrelar'
of the treasun'of said Republic, or for indemni-
ty for any act done br such collector or agent in
conformity with said laws or orders to secure such
revenue on goods imported or vessels entered be-
tween the 31st of December, 1S45, and the IGth
of February, 1S4G, such suits shall be defended
at the expense of the Slate of Texas, and each
and every judgment which may be rendered
against such collector or agent in any suit insti
tuted as aforesaid, shall be paid and satisfied by
the Slate of Texas; and if any collector or agent
shall be sued as aforesaid, it shall be his duty to
notify the Governor of the State, and district
attorney of the district in which he may be so
sued, whose duty it shall be to defend such suit
on the part of the Stale.
Sec 3. Be it further enacted, That the Gover
nor is nereoy autnonzeu and required, wnen
necessary, lo employ additional counsel lo repre-
sent the Stale, who shall be allowed for his servi-
ces not more than ten jcr centum when the amount
in controversy does not exceed five hundred dol-
lars, nor more than five per centum on any excess
above five hundred dollars.
Sec 4. Be it further enacted, That any customs
collector appointed under the laws of the Repub-
lic or any agent of the Slate of Texas, who shall
fail to pay into Ihe treasury of the blate within
the time prescribed by law, any monies received
by him as customs revenue aforesaid, shall, in ad-
dition to the penalties imposed 13T law, pay five
-pci-centum interest per month on the whole amount
so withheld by him.
Sec 5. Be it further enacted. That this act
take effect from and after its passage.
Approved, ISth Apiil, A. D. 1846.
the River Bio Grandeshall be the western boundary
of the county of Bexar.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That Corpus.
Christi shall be the county seat" of said countyoL
Nueces. " -
Approved, ISth April, A. D. 1S4G.
AN ACT
To designate and officially name the persons who
shall be Conservators of the Peace.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of
the State of Texas, That all judges of the su
preme, district and probate courts, Ihe attorney
general and district allornies, all sheriffs, coro-
ners and constables, all justices of the peace, all
notaries public, associate justices of the county
court and all county commissioners, the mayor
and aldermen of all incorporated cities or towns,
are hereby declared to be, arid made, conserva-
tors of the peace in the Stale and in the districts
or counties in which they respectively serve, and
it is hereby made their duly, severally, for the
preservation of the peace, lo enforce the laws in
such cases made and provided.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted, That this act
shall have force and effect from its passage.
Approved, 17lh April, A. D. 1S46.
AN ACT
To authorize and require the Governor lo cause
ihe Constitution and certain Laws of the State
of Texas lo be translated into the German and
Spanish languages.
Section 1. Beit enactedby the Legislature of the
Slate of Texas, That the Governor is hereby
authorized and required to cause mc constitution
of the Slate and such general enactments of the
Legislature thereof, as in his judgment the pub-
lic interest may require, lo be translated and
printed in the German and Spanish languages,
and promulgate ihe same in the counties which
embrace German emigrants or Spanish citizens,
in sufficient tiuanlitv for the due administration
of the laws of the Slate.
Sec 2. Be it further enacted That the sum of
one thousand dollars be and the same is hereby
appropriated to carry into effect the provisions of
this act; and lhat the same lake effect and be in
force from, and after its passage.
Approved, ISth April, A. D. 1S4G.
AN ACT
To establish the County of San Paliicio.
Section 1. tie it enacted by the Legislature of
AN ACT
To require the County of Wharton to pay a portion
of the debt of Colorado arid Matagorda Counties.
Section 1. Be it. enacted by the Legislature of
the State of Texas, That the cmet justices ot the
counties of Matagorda. Wharton and Colorado, be
and they are hereby required to meet on the first
day of December, 1840. at the court House ot Wliar-
ton county; and ascertain the county debt now
owing by the said counties of Matagorda and Colo-
rado respectively, and after ascertaining said debts,
they shall apportion the debt of Matagorda county,
'between the counties of Matagorda and Wharton,
assigning to each of said counties its fair propor-,;
tion of said debt, according to the assessment of
nronertv for State taxes, made by the assessor of
Matagorda county for 1S45 ; and they shall also
apportion the debt of Colorado county between the
counties of Colorado and Wharton, assigning to
each ofsaid counties its fair proportion of said debt,
according lo the assessments of properly for State
taxes, made by the assessor of Colorado county for
the year 1S45.
Sec. 2. Be it farther enacted, That after said
county debts shall have been so apportioned, the
county of Wharton shall.be bound to provide for
and pay its proportion of the debts of the said coun-
ties of Matagorda and Colorado, so assigned to it,
as if the same had been originally contracted by
the county of Wharton.
JS ec. 3. Be it further enacted, That a majori-
ty of said chief justices shall form a quorum for
the transaction of anv or all of the business required
of them by this act, a"nd they may adjourn from day
to day. or from lime to time, until they shall have
completed the duties required of them by this act.
Sec. 4. Be it farther enacted, That the said
rln'nf fiiciirns nr .1 niaioritv of them shall make a
record of their doings under this act, which shall
be signed by them, and one copy thereof shall he
deposited with the county clerk ot each of the coun-
ties of Matagorda, Wharton and Colorado; and
that the said chief justices shall receive such com-
pensation for their services under this act, as may
be allowed them by their icspectivc county courts.
Sec. 5. Be it farther enacted, That all liabili-
ties of the county of Matagorda heretofore contract-
ed, shall be received in payment of that portion of
the countv debt of Matagorda, which shall be assign
ed to the county of Wharton under the provisions of
this act; and in like manner all liabilities of the
county of Colorado, heretofore contracted, shall be
received in payment of that portion of the county
debt of Colorado, which shall be assigned to the
county of Wharton.
Sec. G. Be it further enacted. That all taxes,
From the Texas Advocate. -
THE COAST REGION OF WESTERN TEXAS:
Mess. Editors: , ""
According to promise I shall now attempt to" gfv
you a general description of the coast region of Western
Texas. To give it with minute accuracy would be
impossible within the limits of a single essay. I.
shall therefore only speak in generals. As Western
Texas 13 entirely urililce Eastern Texas, so Western
Texas (I mean the country west of the Colorado) is
again susceptible of three divisions which are unilce
each other. The mountainous on the north, the
gently undulating or rolling in the middle, and the
coast on the south. A line dividing the coastfrom tho
rolling region would begin on the Colorado about
one hundred miles from the coast; thence run a south
westerly direction crossing the Guadalupe about fifty,
the San Antonio about forty, and the Nueces about
thirty miles from the coast.
The most striking feature of this region is its general
Icvehcss of surface, yet except in the neighborhood of
the Colorado there -is scarcely any portion of it so
lovel as not to drain itself readily. Yet the stranger
should here be careful not to be led into the error of
supposing from this general levelness that this region""'
is like the coast region of Louisiana, Florida, &c.t
and imagining it to be low, flat, swampy, &c. On .
the contrary, the whole coast is high, the bluff im-
mediately on the coast varying from" twelve to "sixty
feet. And as before said, after leaving the region of
the Colorado n marsh or swamp is scarcely to be met'
with except in the river bottoms.
The next most striking feature is the extont of the
pra'nes. Indeed the whole region may be called
one great prairie, cut up by belts of timber from one
to ten miles wide on the borders of the streams. 'Per-
haps nine-tenths of the whole region is prairie.. The
following rivers courso their way through the coast re-
gion and empty their waters into the Gulf: The
Colorado, Navidad, La Vaca, Aranoso, Garcifas,
Guadalupe, Colcto, San Antonio, luisfion,"" ran'sa's,
Nueces and Little Colorado. The margins of all
these streams are fringed near their mouths with nar-
row strips of timber, which widen as you leave tho
coast, and as you approach the rolling' region much
of the upland is wooded.
The principal growths of the river bottoms are ash, "
elm, hackberry, peach, pecan, live-oak, burr-oak, and
except on tho Colorado, white-oak. On the upland
live-nak, pot-oak, and west of the San Antonio mus-
quit prevails.
Another characteristic of this region is the compar-
ative freedom from overflow of the river bottoms
This is particularly true as applied to the Guada-
lupe and rivers west of it. All the rivers in the south-
ern portion of the United StatC3 are more or less
liable to overflow ; but I hazard nothing in saying
there are none so little liable to it as the rivers of West-
ern Texas. An overflow, when it does occur, seldom
lasts longer than forty-eight hours. There never was
an overflow which would affect a sugarcfop. 'Only
the very low bottoms are subject to overflow, at all.
The soil of the river bottoms is as fertile as the val
ley of the Mississippi, and better adapted to the growth
of sugar, the great staple of the extreme south. Forty
bushels of Indian corn to the acre is perhaps an aver-
age crop. Much of the upland prairie is as rich as
the river bottoms, yet portions of it are too sandy for
profitable cultivation. About one-third of the country "
between tho Nueces and Rio Grande is of this charac
ter. This, the most sandy and desert region in Tex-
as, occupying ihe dividing ridges between the wa-
ters of these- two rivers and about equidistant from
each, is about forty miles in width.
The prairies of the whole coast region are covered
with grass, and afford rich perennial pasturage for in-
numerable herds of horses, mules and cattle. Even
the sandy region between the Nueces and the Rio
Grande affords abundant pasturage for hundreds of
thousands of mustangs, which are to be found roam-
ing over it at all seasons of the year. Were not the
coast region in such close proximity to the glorious
rolling region, it would be pronounced the finest graz-'
ing country in the world. - r
Few springs are to be found in this region, but very
good water may be had almost anywhere at the dis-
tance of from twenty to forty feet from the surface.
The water of the Guadalupe and the rivers west of it
is healthy and palatable as the water of the Mis-
sissippi, which indeed it very much resembles.
The Colorado, Guadalupe, San Antonio, and per-
haps the Nueces, nre navigable beyond the coast
region.
Owing to tho scarcity of timber in this region, popu-
lation will bo confined to the neighborhood ofthe
streams.
A planter upon the rivers of Western Texas will
have two great advantages over those upon any other
southern river:
1. He can reside on his plantation without -endangering
his health.
2. He can produce on his farm, with less Ianor
than in any other country, every thing necessary to
the consumption of his family, with the single excep-
tion of flour. lJccf cattle may be raised at the expense
of a dollar a head. A.
Mcmdeus or Congress Volunteering. The cor-
respondent of the U. S. Gazette, says that about fifty
members of Congress have applied to the President
for appointments either for themselves or their relatives,
in the army, and that there arc an immense number of
patriotic oftei s to serve the country, tqwn condition a
having a commission. iV. O. Delta.
r
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Ford, John S. The Texas Democrat (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 25, Ed. 1, Wednesday, June 24, 1846, newspaper, June 24, 1846; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth48325/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.