The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April, 1953 Page: 544
641 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
petitions, and the obtaining of the necessary special permission
of the federal executive to settle in this reserved area.4
Although Wavell had implicit faith in Milam's judgment, he
wanted a more nearly complete picture of the land which he
intended to colonize and wrote to an acquaintance at Natchi-
toches, L. S. Hazelton, for more information on his grant. Hazel-
ton's reply was most enthusiastic about the land in Wavell's
grant, portions of his letter probably being the basis for some
of the claims made in the following prospectus.
Wavell felt that his plan to induce English families to settle
his grant would probably stand a better chance of success if he
worked in England while Milam, with power of attorney as his
agent, did most of the work in Texas. Wavell obtained a two-year
leave of absence from Mexico and arrived in England in the
late summer or early fall of 1826. During the remainder of his
stay in England, until early in 1828, he was making every attempt
to raise capital to use in effecting a large scale colonization
project.
Wavell wrote Milam in July, 1827, that there was plenty of
capital in England; it could be had for 3 per cent, but since all
speculations in America had failed, funds for use in the New
World were hard to find unless some assurance of success could
be given. His plans, he stated, were in the hands of persons of
great importance and wealth, who were ready to invest in them
"the very moment circumstances allow them to do so without
being suspected of madness as any person would be who should
at the present employ a large capital in the Americas."5
The Texas State Historical Association has been given a copy
(possibly the only one in existence) of the document which was
drawn up by General Wavell in the hope of attracting investment
to forward his colonization scheme. There seems to be no ev-
idence, however, that any investors were convinced that Wavell's
plan could be executed. Their fears were well grounded, for
Wavell's contract was not fulfilled and his grant was finally for-
feited. The factors which brought this about could not have been
4Contract for Arthur G. Wavell to establish a colony, March 9, 1826, in Trans-
lations of Empresario Contracts (typescript), 99-1oo.
aWavell to Milam, July sx, 1827 (MS. in Milam Papers, Archives Collection,
University of Texas Library).544
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 56, July 1952 - April, 1953, periodical, 1953; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101145/m1/642/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.