The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913 Page: 76
464 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
ELLIOT TO ADDINGTON'
Private. Galveston. November 15th. 1842
My Dear Sir,
I have to acknowledge and thank you for Your Note of the 3d
Ultimo.2 The President is General Houston of your acquaintance,
and I am sure that your friendly recollection of him will afford
him great pleasure. His career during too large an interval be-
tween that time and this, has been strange and wild. Defiance of,
and expulsion from a branch of the Legislature of which he was
a Member, a domestic tempest of desperate violence, and calam-.
itous consequences, habitual drunkeness, a residence of several
years amongst the Cherokee Indians, ruling amongst them as a
Chieftain, and begetting sons and daughters, a sudden reappear-
aLce on this Stage with better hopes and purposes, and commen-
surate success, but still with unreclaimed habits.
Finally however, a new Connexion with a young and gentle
woman brought up in the fear of God; conquered no doubt as
women have been from the beginning and will be to the end by
a glosing tongue, but in good revenge making conquest of his
habits of tremendous cursing, and passionate love of drink. What-
ever General Houston has been, it is plain that He is the fittest
man in this Country for his present station. His education has
been imperfect, but he possesses great sagacity and penetration,
surprising tact in his management of men trained as men are in
these parts, is perfectly pure handed and moved in the main by
the inspiring motive of desiring to connect his name with a
Nation's rise. Adverting to his general safe and reasonable pol-
icy with respect to Mexico, it must certainly be admitted that
He sometimes says and writes what appears to be capricious and
contradictory.
But the truth is that He knows his own people thoroughly, and
when He seems to be running with them, He is probably satisfied
'F. O., Texas, Vol. 4.
2Not found. Presumably a private letter, but apparently in response
Elliot began the series of unofficial letters to Addington, which convey
his personal impressions and opinions in regard to Texan matters. He
no doubt understood that these letters were to reach the foreign office,
and in fact they were filed with the formal, official despatches addressed
to Aberdeen.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 16, July 1912 - April, 1913, periodical, 1913; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101058/m1/82/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.