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All this debt is amply secured. Texas has an immense wealth in her public lands, and resources to the amount of $10,000,000 in U. S. bonds, and the United States holds in reserve one-half of this fund until the creditors of the state file a release of their claims in the office of the Secretary of the Treasury. The payment then does not altogether rest with Texas, but is guaranteed by the Union, and it now only remains for the creditors to adjust their demands. Those who wish to know more of the details of the finances of Texas are referred to the report of the U. S. Secretary of the Treasury, made to the President in September, 1851.

The average annual expenses of carrying on the state government amount to about $100,000. The receipts and expenditures for the year ending 31st October, 1848, were as follows:

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Total.....

116,161 61

Balance in Treasury.

32,287 49

Total available means........ $148,449 10

Amount in the Treasury to the credit of School Fund.. -$17,071 86

The CITY OF AUSTIN, the capital of the state, is situated on the north bank of the Colorado, and until lately, was an uninhabited wilderness. Lat. 30° 24' N., and long. 95° 42′ W. The city consists chiefly of frame houses, and a few brick buildings, occupied by the wealthier classes and tradesmen. The country in the neighborhood is becoming settled, and quite a number of farm houses have been built. Population, about 5,000.

SABINE, at the outlet of the Sabine Lake, is a port of entry. GALVESTON, the chief port in Texas, is situated at the eastern extremity of the island of the same name. It is the depot of a vast and fertile region, watered by the Trinidad and other rivers. The commerce of this port has increased to something considerable, and its prospects are, at the present time, more encouraging than those of any others of the sea-board towns. Galveston has at the present period about 4,600 inhabitants. HOUSTON, the former capital, is situated at the head of navigation of Buffalo Bayou, a small tributary of Galveston Bay, and is a place of little consideration. VELASCO, on the north bank of the Brazos River, at its mouth, is a pleasant town, and said to be very healthy. MATAGORDA, at the mouth of the Colorado, near the head of Matagorda Bay, is a considerable town. GOLIAD is an old Spanish town on the north bank of the San Antonio, 40 miles from its mouth. It is noted for the massacre of Col. Fannin and 400 prisoners, by the Mexicans. SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR, also an old Spanish town, is situated higher up the river, and is celebrated in history as the scene of several battles and the gallant defence of the Alamo, by Col. Travis, for two weeks. ZODIAC is a new town on the Pedernales and four miles from Fredericksburg, the seat of Gillespie county, and sixty miles north of San Antonio. The Germans and Mormons are the principal settlers, who live together in perfect harmony.

The Mormons number about 200, and though they have been there only a short time, have already made great improvements. They have all kinds of useful mechanics, who make every thing they want. About 500 acres have been enclosed, a good part of which is cultivated in gardens. They raise Egyptian and English wheat, and it is said that the soil is well adapted to its culture. The town consists of 60 or 70 frame houses, and a church and school-house have lately been constructed. This is the most northerly settlement in western Texas. There is a prophecy among these enthusiasts, and which is fully believed by the "faithful," that western Texas is the place destined to witness the final triumphs of the Mormon churches.

The following account of the Germans at NEW-BRAUNFELS, is contained in a letter to the New-York Journal of Commerce, and will be read with in

terest:

NEW-BRAUNFELS, (Texas) March 29, 1848. This seems purely a German town, although there are several artisans, merchants, lawyers and doctors who are Americans. The town is settled by and is mostly under the influence of the German company, and has a sort of German nobleman for Mayor--a very fine man. The site of the city is beautiful, on the west bank of the Guadalupe and Comal rivers, at their junction. The banks at this point are elevated, though the town is in the valley properly, and a beautiful ridge of rolling land runs along in the rear for miles, commanding a scenery of the country, town and river, where there are already several out-of-town residences occupied by the "upper ten."

The Comal, called by many the most beautiful little river in Texas, rises about three miles above, and is augmented by tributaries gushing through.the bed, till its magnitude, on reaching the Guadalupe, is astonishing. It must be twenty feet wide, with a depth of five feet. The Messrs. Torry are building flour, corn, and saw mills on the margin of the river, close to the town, and as they are the first in the field, will make a fortune by the operation-or at any rate, add to that already made. It seems almost a pity that the transparent, crystal-like Comal should be turned to such "base use." The bed of the stream seems to be a sort of soapstone, very soft, while the banks below the surface are limestone. The water is very limy, (as are all the rivers in this section); still it seems perfectly healthy, and is esteemed by the adjacent settlers as superior. Fish-perch, cat, trout, aud those of other names-are abundantly taken.

The Guadalupe rises many miles above, supposed 300, near the head waters of the Rio Grande, in the mountains, and is a clear, handsome stream, but subject to great diminution and overflows. It is believed that it will be navigated, with the assistance of slack water, in a few years, up to this point, at least for a portion of the year-the Comal itself always supplying its quota. The town is so unlike any Texas-made that I had seen, that on first reaching the elevation from the river, which gives a full view, it appeared to me that I was out of my own country. There are the mud hovels, with thatched roofs, and earth floor-the little neat white plastered cottages, made of stone, also with the thatched roof made of long prairie grass, the little buildings, with one room, made of a sort of tiles, stuck into the earth close enough together to make the mud adhere, with which they are completely plastered. The doors are made of different materials, but mostly of suspended cloth of some kind. Windows they have none, except from a hole left in the side of the house.

The German women usually sit out of doors, even to do their sewing. They do all the gardening, and often as much field-work as the men. I saw one woman, less than thirty-five years old, who was called from the spade-where, with her two girls, she was hard at work-with their peculiar style of short dress-to entertain her husband and friends with a song, accompanying herself on the piano. If she has as much credit in the field as at the piano, her accomplishments are such as few of our American women can boast. Her's was a cottage of the better class, with a little window glass, and an air of tidiness about it. Indeed, there

is a prevailing neatness about the whole complexion of the town, and a few fine foreign-style dwellings. Almost every little hovel or cottage has a small patch of ground highly cultivated, fenced in with brush. It is wonderful how experience has taught these people to love and cherish their stinted lot of ground, where you can see them morning, noon, and evening, carefully plucking every weed, and nursing with a mother's care, the peeping vegetation-measuring with nice precision that more matured, and calculating the few dimes that it will bring when ready for market.

How different the Texans! With them it is thought of "no account to raise garden stuff" and very seldom do you find it in the country. With them it is "hog and hominy," with a rude log house, often entirely open to the winds and rain. I have stayed at a "planter's," who had five hundred cattle in the yard and in sight, with probably three hundred ranging, whose house was made of logs, badly spliced or dove-tailed-any two being of sufficient distance apart to admit of easy ingress and egress all under fifteen years. The house was divided into one room! The cooking was done out of doors. With fifty cows and calves, not a pound of butter or a spoonful of milk on the table. ""Twas of no account." This man, in our section, would be called worth $50,000. But 'tis their way-they like it, grow fat and yellow.

The German companies continue emigration from their country to this as fast as possible, notwithstanding their pecuniary troubles, which have caused great embarrassment to all parties, there being now many protested bills. A short time back the whole "Grant" was threatened, but a recent law of the Legislature has given them two years longer to fulfil the contract of introducing the required number of emigrants, and has ratified the claims of the married emigrants to 640 acres each, and 320 to the unmarried. One-half of this amount goes to the German Emigration Company.

The religion of the Germans here is the Lutheran; so much so that I am told there is scarcely a dozen Catholics in the place. The inhabitants are quiet, prudent and industrious, mostly; although there is some complaint by Americans of losing cattle, all of which is charged upon the Dutch.

The first settlements in Texas were made by the French at Matagorda, but the settlers were soon after expelled by the Spaniards, who, in 1690, extended their cordons from New-Spain over the whole territory. Previous to this time, the Indians held undisputed sway over this fine country. Spanish forces were stationed at Goliad, Bexar, Nacogdoches, etc., and held military possession until the revolution which overthrew the Spanish power in Mexico. On the consummation of Mexican Independence, Texas became, in connection with the adjoining State of Coahuila, a state of the Republic. Soon after this period, several colonies of Americans, who had been invited into the territory by the Mexicans, settled in the eastern section, and were for a long time secured from the onerous burdens of Mexico proper. For some time previous to 1835, however, serious complaints against the central government were uttered, and in the following year open rebellion was rife. The Mexican President invaded Texas with a large army, and was successively victorious and defeated in a number of skirmishes. The Amer ican settlers declared their independence in March, 1836, and the defeat of the Mexicans and the capture of Santa Anna at San Jacinto, (21st April, 1836,) secured to the "patriot party" the acknowledgment of their independent position by the Mexican President, and the whole country east of the Rio Grande was acceded to them. The acts of Santa Anna, however, were never confirmed by the Senate, and of course their authority was, to say the least, equivocal. No serious attempt having been made by the Mexicans to regain Texas, for eight or nine years, the political nationality of the country was considered as consolidated, and in 1845, under this supposition, the

United States of America admitted the young republic as a state of the Union. The consequence of this act was war with Mexico-a war which the United States assumed by the annexation of Texas at a time when that country was at war with Mexico. The history of this war is recent and well known: the arms of the United States were everywhere victorious, and when peace returned, not Texas alone, but New-Mexico and Alta California, were parcelled off to the Americans, and forever lost to the Mexican republic.

The joint resolutions of Congress admitting Texas into the Union, were signed by the President of the United States, 1st March, 1845, and ratified by the Congress of Texas on the 4th of July, 1845. The presidents of the Republic of Texas from the period of its independence to its annexation to the American Union, were-Sam Houston, 1836; Mirabeau B. Lamar, 1838; Sam Houston (2d term,) 1841, and Anson Jones, 1844. The first Governor, under the new order of affairs, was J. Pinckney Henderson, who entered into office in January, 1846.

On the annexation of Texas to the Union, her western boundary towards New-Mexico was undefined, and its settlement was left to the United States' authorities. The claim of Texas to the whole line of the Rio Grande, however, was still substantially maintained, and on the conclusion of the war that state sought to extend its authority over all the region east of the river. This the federal authorities appear to have frustrated, but the boundary was not settled definitely until Congress passed an act by which all the claims of Texas beyond a certain line were purchased for the sum of $10,000,000. The act was satisfactory to the Texans, and has been the means of averting a danger which threatened the integrity of the Union. From this "indemnity" Texas is bound to pay all her debts for which the proceeds of the custom duties of the late republic had been pledged, and onehalf of it is to be retained by the United States until a sufficient release is filed with the Secretary of the Treasury by the creditors claiming.

THE INDIAN TERRITORY.

INCLUDED under this head is all that vast region immediately north of Texas and west of the State of Arkansas. It lies between the latitudes of 33° 50′ and 40° North, and the longitudes of 94° 20′ and 100° West. In length, 310 miles, and breadth 290 miles. It has an area of 248,851 square miles, or 159,264,640 acres.

The lands of this region, especially those adjoining the states of Missouri and Arkansas are represented to be fertile, and the climate well adapted to agricultural pursuits. It is watered by numerous fine rivers which rise in the Mexican Cordilleras, and traverse the country in a direction east and west, falling into the Mississippi. Iron, lead, coal and salt are abundant. The vast prairies which here stretch over thousands of miles, are almost destitute of timber, but covered with long grass. The Indians have, in numerous instances, converted their settlements into well cultivated farms, and the various grains, vegetables, and other agricultural products of corresponding latitudes in the states east of the Mississippi are raised in profusion.

This territory was set apart by Congress for the permanent residence of the Indian tribes which have been removed from the states cast of the Mississippi. Here they are secured a refuge from the progressive encroachments of the white races, and allowed to live under governments of their own choice, subject to no other control of the United States than such as may be necessary to preserve the peace of the frontier and harmony among the several tribes.

The inhabitants of the Indian Territory consist of tribes indigenous to the country, and the emigrant tribes, transported under the authority of the United States' Congress. The designation and present enumeration of each tribe is exhibited in the annexed table:

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Besides the above, there are about 5,000 Indians of various tribes yet on the east side of the river Mississippi, and which are now in process of removal. With these, the total population of the Indian Territory will be near 105,000. The several tribes maintain their national distinctions.

The Choctaw nation occupies about 19,500 square miles of territory between the Red River and Arkansas. This domain consists of fine arable land, diversified in surface and enjoying a salubrious climate. Their government is thoroughly republican, being modelled after that of the United States. Their constitution is of their own framing, and their laws of their own enactment. Through the exertions of the missionaries, these Indians have progressed rapidly in morality, intelligence, and skill in the mechanic The Choctaws are chiefly engaged in the growing of wool and culture of cotton, which they manufacture into fabrics suitable for apparel. Boarding schools and academies, in which are a large number of the young, are established, and supported from the annuity funds, amounting to $26,000 annually, from the United States. The New Testament and several valuable works have been translated into their language, and it is in contemplation to publish a weekly newspaper.

arts.

The Creeks are situated in a beautiful and fertile country north of the lands occupied by the Choctaw nation. The spirit of improvement has here, as with their neighbors, effected much among this celebrated tribe, and their physical and moral condition is not essentially inferior to the intelligent Choctaws. Their fields produce all the cereal grains and some cotton, and their homesteads are well-built, and generally surrounded by gar

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