Anthony Dey and George Curtis to Stephen F Austin, 12-16-1830


Summary: Plans of the Galveston Bay & Texas Land Co.


New York 16th. December 1830

Col. Stephen F. Austin.

Sir/ It is perhaps a duty we owe to you to communicate the inteligence contained in this letter, lest from reports that are abroad you should be impressed with an idea in relation to our business, unfriendly towards us, which we think you will not indulge when the business is fully and fairly understood We have no doubt that you are aware of the Contracts made by Government of Mexico and the State of Coahuila and Texas with Govr Lorenzo de Zavala, Joseph Vehlein and David G. Burnet as Empresarios in relation to certain Lands lying East of you and bordering on the United States. The land comprehended within the boundaries of the four grants made to those gentlemen is estimated to contain about 15 millions of Acres. One condition among others is to put on in all 1200 families of various Nations These Grants have been formed and combined into one company and conveyed to Anthony Dey and George Curtis of New York and William H. Sumner of Boston as Trustees and Attornies of the Empresarios to fulfil their engagement, and one great effort is about to be made to colonize those grants according to the laws of Mexico— For that purpose Mr. Zavala sails for France in a few days to procure settlers from Germany, France and Switzerland— other efforts are making by other Gentlemen to bring colonizers from England, Ireland and Scotland— A vessel will sail from this City in a few days with Swiss and Germans, with a few agents of the Company—these are intended as a pioneer party, to prepare huts, shantees and other temporary accommodation for the settlers as they arrive from Europe or elsewhere and to prepare for them bread stuff on which to subsist, until the settlers can make their locations and build houses for themselves— The combined interest in these grants is great and the pains taking to diffuse knowledge and information in relation to Texas will we think have the tendency to direct the attention of many persons towards that country and your colony must of course considering it[s] advanced state of cultivation have an advantage over any other We are making a publication which we will take pleasure in forwarding to you in a few days which developes our whole plan of operations and we expect to send Col. Mexia to see you, with an agent very shortly to propose to you certain arrangements which we think will tend much to your advantage in relation to the future settlement of your colony and for consideration of such other matters as may be considered for the joint benefit of all the Empresarios in Texas

Govr Zavala Mr. Vehlein and Mr. Burnet each retain large interests in the Company and will use their best endeavours for the promotion of its interests.—

We cannot however but express a wish, that there was a toleration as regards religion in that Country, many of the best farmers, who are not Roman Catholics would remove to it, were it not for the fact that they must become Romanists in their religion, and we hope soon to see a more benign feeling in the Government towards North Americans— The Government must be satisfied by this time that the United States have not had any disposition to take the Country by force of arms.

The class of men that would improve the face of that country more than any others would be the hardy yeomanry of the New England states. We now contemplate to send in their place Europeans to comply with the Contracts but we hope the time is not far distant when a more friendly relation will exist between our governments— We shall be glad to hear from you any suggestion that will tend to our individual and mutual benefit— Our Co-Trustee Mr. Sumner is at Boston at present, and we avail ourselves of the present opportunity by Mr. Treat to make this Communication to you which we trust will be met with a corresponding feeling on your part, and

remain very respectfully

Anthy Dey

No. 27 Nassau St

George Curtis

No. 17 Hanover Street