Letter 1Near Austin City June 16th
1840
Mr. Chas. H. Grover
Louisville, Ky
Dear Brother,
Although it is with some degree of
pleasure yet I cannot say that it is with so great a one as I could wish in
taking my pen in hand- at the present time-to inform you of our present
circumstances & future prospects. I have purposely postponed writing you
& did not expect to have written until the “Glorious Fourth”- on which day
I intended to have celebrated in a manner as suitable as our primitive state would
permit & also of writing several long letters. Some might say that
"No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
and love the other; or else he will hole to the one, and love the other. This
passage may apply to Masters & Servants, but I think it is not applicable
to two governments as that of our mother country & the Republic-which tries
as far as possible to imitate it,--however we have given this Republic the
precedence in regard to patriotic feelings, as we have attended the celebration
of the battle of San Jacinto in the Capitol at Austin. As there is at present a
gentleman in the house who is on his return to Hamilton, O. I cannot let the
opportunity pass without saying something.
First,
the most essential point, is that the greatest of all blessings, health, which
I am proud to state, that we are “all” enjoying to our own satisfaction-I
sincerely hope that yourself & family are blessed [sic] with the same
happiness. You would like to know something of our present circumstances
picture to yourself a tract of land somewhat resembling this shape-[drawing of
horsehoe] —on the one side the Colorado, a river that if it had been
discovered by the French would have undoubtedly named "LaBelle
Riviere"--it is truly a beautiful river. I neither have time nor
space at present to give as some--but will state a little. The lower line
of the tract commences on a blue soapstone bluff [ed. note. Blue Bluff at
Hornsby Bend] of about 100 feet above the bend of the river--this tone is of superior
quality for pottery ware as a Potter has sent some of it to the states where it
was manufactured.- The bank reaches nearly a mile on the river when it slopes
off to a bottom which ordinarily does not overflow. The bluff is
lightly timbered with oak, pecan, & prairie grass. The bottom is
heavily timbered with cottonwood, elm, mulberry, hackberrry, & the heaviest
kind of wild rye which grows about knee high & very rank. This kind
of bottom extends some distance up the river, but on this tract of land reaches
a little over a half a mile--which makes the tract 1 1/2 miles in width-the
bank on this side is rather bluff-on opposite side it is a little lower in the
opposite curve of the river a sand bar juts out which so contracts the river at
the upper line, that it makes a ripple of falls-the like of which the river
abounds with-here is our bathing place & it is truly a luxury to enjoy a
good swim. As for fishing, I can't skip that. I have made some of the
prettiest hauls that have been made about here; although the largest fish
hasn't weighed over 15 lbs. & soft shell turtles 12 lbs. yet they delicious
quality of the kind. It is far superior to your mud
cats,-the river abounds in most all kinds-too numerous to mention. Our house is
situated about 3/4 of a mile from the river & about 100 feet above its
bed.- We have made the house in a Cedar hollow several springs of first
rate water-have at present several head of cattle & about 12 acres of corn
which looks delightful & some of which is “ripe”-had roasting ears sometime
ago-have made our own Rye which we grind in a corn mill by hand & makes
although not the whitest, yet bread that we are glad to
get. Have also water, musk & honey melons nearly ready for the table,
asparagus, sage, lettuce, turnips, onions, beets, carrots-some of which we have
used, but our garden seeds did not do as well as expected as we planted too
late-a late fall garden does better than a late summer one, near the house are
several vines loaded with grapes which will be ripe in about a month-have also
the Spanish persimmon-Blue Texas Plum & Turkey Plum-the latter grows
on bushes like the Gooseberry but more in clusters-red when ripe & very
pleasant-For about half a mile farther back from the house the land is timbered
with Live-Post & Blackjack oaks- Hickory-Pecan & Cedar-we have now
reached the outskirts of the timber which lines the Colorado for about the same
distance on both sides of the banks & connects the great Prairie which
rolls into waving plains as far back as the eye can reach. Now & then you
can see a timber of the larger class studded around with the muskete [sic]-a
low thorny tree some of which grow with the trunk very large resembling the
cherry. A half hours ride will take me to some of the knolls or rising ground
of the prairie where I can see for the distance of 5 miles around me-& view
the winding of the creeks serpentine course have a narrow lining of timber on
either side. The scenery is beautiful & sometimes presents to the eye a
density of landscape that is truly pleasing- on the Colorado above this the mountains
covered with Pine near their high peaks & look sublime. I cannot write
as I wish to, but to give you a better idea, I will “Copy” a little, & thus
speaks President Lamar “Truly gentlemen, we have, all of us a reason to be
proud of our country. It’s beauty is unrivalled & her wealth unbounded. The
richest gifts of providence are here-all that nature can bestow, or the heart
should desire-a climate delightful & invigorating-water as pure as the
springs that sparkle from the Rocky Mountains- a soil prolific &
diversified, adapted to the full maturity of every production of the temperate
zone and what is better still, a vigorous and an enlightened population; a
hardy race of enterprising men who appreciate the blessings they enjoy, &
stand prepared to maintain and protect them. The ignorant, bigoted and vicious
may revile & insult her, but, we who are fanned by her genial airs; who
revel in the luxury of her wavy fields & clear blue skies are happy in the
beauty that surrounds us and the plenty that prevails. We sigh for no richer
nor brighter land. And if we did, where shall a lovelier be found? We read of
the Vale of Valembrogin & we are told in song, of the banks of the Blue
Moselle, but he who shall wind his way to our fair and favored region, will
find himself embowered in a boundless see & - a universal Elysium, where
every hill is a flower crowned Ida, & every plain is the valley of Tempe. You who
have stood upon the summits of San Saba will testify to the fidelity of this.
The stranger abroad who believes it not, if he will come into our country &
go with me to the mountains of Sierra Madonna, I will show him a scene that
bids defiance to the genius of poetry-a landscape beyond the brilliancy of
Titian’s pencil-where flowers of every figure & complexion spreads their
gay beauties to the sun & shed odor on the breezes- where birds of the
brightest plumage pour their melody to the cadence of the laughing waters-where
the doe & the deer are lightly boarding together-where the bison, the
buffaloe [sic] darken the distant horison [sic] with their numbers, whilst the
fiery mustangs toss their long mains to the wind & shake the very hills
with their wild & furious stampede. And how can he gaze upon these things &
find in his heart to abuse the land that God hath so beautifully blessed? If he
be of that frigid & malignant class who have rejoiced in the calamities of
our country-who have sought by the foul breath of calumny to blight a budding
nations hopes of liberty & mildew the laurels of its brave defenders, I
would turn from him with abhorrence & contempt & say to him, depart,
thou scum of honor & the shame of chivalry. But if he have a soul of
sensibility & a spark of ferver [sic]-a taste for beauty & a love for
freedom, I know that he will not only delight to serve with the country whose
glory is scattered in the morning stars, but he will raise his head & pour
out the fountains of his heart to the greatest of benevolence for spreading
before him such soul searching scenes & inducing. him with ability to
appreciate the blessings and enjoy them with gratitude." = Thus
truly speaks the worthy general.
I
have not yet taken a hunting trip as most of the game in the approach of summer
takes an annual trip farther north of this & return in the fall of the
year. We have a lease for the place we now occupy for another year
although our house is of logs thrown up which makes two comfortable rooms &
a passage between, yet we furnish it in a manner which resembles simplicity to our
neighbors, as some of your plainly furnished houses to some of the
aristocracy-a few of which I believe your city abounds with-but we are no
aristocrats.-You cannot hardly imagine how some here-who although possessing an
over abundance of land-have so. little household utensils-using one dish for a
variety of purposes.
As
to the future prospects, I cannot for a certainty state- our articles sunk on
the Danube are from last accounts in N. Orleans but expect them over by some of
the first vessels. Father has travelled in all between 2 and 3,000 miles
endeavoring to buy a place to suit him, but has not yet succeeded. I myself am
going this week about 50 mile below here on the opposite side of the river to
see a Mr. Wood, son of Dr. Wood from Louisville, he has made several trips to
near the Rio Grande purchasing mules-& with whom I expect to accompany to
near the Rio Grande for the purpose of locating our lands which will be
about “1600” acres besides that purchaced [sic] by fathers cash, which was
nearly 1500 acres more; the country in that section is healthy in point of
climate & the soil good as it generally is in all Texas. If I go & return
safe and sound-will write you to that effect. I think I have written
enough-but before closing I cannot stop the flow of ink in giving to this land
of promise-of milk and honey-the actual state of affairs-of men & manner.
There are some ” styled “Old Settlers”, who have leagues of land &
are of avaricious disposition- who hold their land as it were their God. They
are mostly from the southern states; & have not that energy of character
peculiar to the sons of the North-They behold new comers as two pedlars [sic]-a
Yankee & a Jew look upon each other & at present remind me of a piece
which you have probably read in the Thrifty Almanac entitled
[ [Undecipherable} They seem to have a consciousness that a more enterprising
race will get the ascendency [sic] & look upon the new comers as their
downfall & try to put in their way every drawback in their power.- However
we get along with these folks very well, but cannot help remarking their
ways. The last year there was not enough raised to meet the demand,
mostly on account of the invasion of Santa Anna in 36 who destroyed most of the
farms and plantations, which have since had to be put in order-but this year
there is every expectation of plenty.
You
have probably the news of the times about here, of Indians occasionally
taking a scalp & levying contributions by way of stealing horses-we have as
yet been pretty fortunate in these particulars.
Two days since Father returned from a
trip to the lower country and brought a few papers which you have pleased to
send after which receiv our most hearty thanks--I have not yet had time to
peruse the, but I see an account of a destructive fire that your city has been
visited with--I have not yet read the particulars--although we cannot sometimes
stop such disaster--yet I hope that in a short time--you may behold buildings
reared up in the place of the ones burnt [sic] that will vie with any city in
the universe.
The whole family sends not only their
best respects but also their well wishes for your prosperity. Write &
let us know of pecuniary mattters & business generally--I hope that we may
be so prospered that I can pay you a visit in "45." Time alone
can tell:--
Yours affectionately
Geo. W. Grover
I have left room on the preceeding
pages expecting that on tomorrow to take a trip with Mr. Cranson, the bearer of
this to you--and father--to the "cave" about 10 miles distant from
here.
GWG
When you write direct to "Austin
City" you will have to pay postage to New Orleans unless you send it there
by individual.
G
.W .G.