714 



TEXAS. 



lence. The frontier of the State has suffered 

 considerably from Indian incursions; quite a 

 number of persons have been killed, and several 

 have been carried into captivity, while immense 

 amounts of property have been destroyed or 

 taken away. Troops have been sent to the 

 frontier, but not in sufficient numbers. The 

 posts are at great distances from each other, 

 and can afford but little protection, and some 

 of them are barely able to protect themselves. 

 It has likewise been found necessary to scatter 

 troops over the interior to maintain order and 

 afford protection to the inhabitants from vio- 

 lence and outlawry, which the peculiar condi- 

 tion of things seemed to encourage. Notwith- 

 standing these irregularities the financial con- 

 dition of the State is satisfactory. The total 

 amount received into the Treasury from Au- 

 gust 14, 1866, to July 31, 1867, was $626,518.05. 

 The amount disbursed during the same period 

 was $625,151.90. Of the Texan Indemnity 

 Bonds, belonging to the State at the beginning 

 of the war (634 in number), all were disposed 

 of except 255, which were not wholly beyond 

 the reach of the State authorities. These are 

 held by different parties, and efforts to secure 

 their payment have not met with much success. 

 Only $10,351.75 were realized from their con- 

 version during the year, but it is expected that 

 hereafter such arrangements will be made as 

 will enable the State to secure a considerable 

 sum from their sale. The school system has 

 been greatly disorganized, and nothing has 

 been done during the year for its support. 

 From August 31, 1866, to August 1, 1867, dif- 

 ferent railroad companies have paid to the 

 school fund $54,641.73 in gold. The Board of 

 Administrators of the University of Texas was 

 organized on the 15th of February. No selec- 

 tion of a site for the university has yet been 

 made, but the Board has examined different 

 localities which presented favorable considera- 

 tions. The penitentiary is well managed, and 

 the financial department in a flourishing condi- 

 tion. The number of convicts on the 1st of 

 March was 414, and 79 were afterward re- 

 ceived. Of these 179 were turned over to the 

 Labor Board, and employed on public works at 

 the rate of $12.50 per month in gold and ra- 

 tions, the prison furnishing guards and cloth- 

 ing. A large portion of the indebtedness of 

 the institution has been discharged, and the 

 products of the labor of the convicts have been 

 nearly doubled. The operations of the Land 

 Office have been conducted with industry and 

 ability. From August 13, 1866, to July 31, 

 1867, there were issued 778 patents, represent- 

 ing 420,745 acres of land and four Austin City 

 lots. There have been issued to the "Washington 

 County Eailroad Company 132,480 acres in land 

 certificates, to the Texas and New Orleans Eail- 

 road 409,600, and to the Galveston, Houston, 

 and Henderson Eailroad Company 512,000 

 acres. The asylums for the insane, the deaf 

 and dumb, and the blind are in as flourishing a 

 condition as the means appropriated for their 



benefit will allow. The Treasurer's report 

 shows the expenditures in the aggregate, viz., 

 $41,199.20; of this amount $35,199.11 is 

 chargeable to the Lunatic Asylum, of which 

 sum $7,687.84 was drawn on an appropriation 

 to purchase property, and fit it up for the 

 reception of lunatic freedmen; $1,200 of this 

 latter sum, not being used, has been replaced 

 in the Treasury, leaving expenditures from 

 appropriations for the Lunatic Asylum at $26,- 

 311.37; expenditures for the deaf and dumb, 

 $10,375, and for the blind, $6,325.74. By the 

 Act of Congress, approved March 2d, Texas 

 was made subject to the military authority of 

 the United States, and, with Louisiana, consti- 

 tuted the Fifth Military District, which was 

 placed under the command of Major-General 

 Philip H. Sheridan. General Sheridan's head- 

 quarters were at New Orleans, and Texas was 

 more particularly consigned to General Charles 

 Griffin. General Order No. 1, promulgated 

 by General Sheridan, on taking command of 

 this district, March 19, 1867, declares that, 

 according to the provisions of the sixth sec- 

 tion of the Act of Congress above cited, the 

 present State and municipal governments in 

 the States of Louisiana and Texas are hereby 

 declared to be provisional only, and subject to 

 be abolished, modified, controlled, or super- 

 seded ; that no general removals from office 

 will be made, unless the present incumbents 

 fail to carry out the provisions of the law, or 

 impede the reorganization, or unless a delay in 

 reorganizing should necessitate a change. Pend- 

 ing the reorganization, it is desirable and in- 

 tended to create as little disturbance in the 

 machinery of the various branches of the pro- 

 visional governments as possible, consistent 

 with the law of Congress and its successful ex- 

 ecution ; but this condition is dependent upon 

 the disposition shown by the people, and upon 

 the length of time required for reorganization. 

 The following order was promulgated April 

 15th : 



Circular, JVo. 10. 



HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF TEXAS, I 



GALVESTON, TEXAS, April 15, 1867. j 



Under the Act of Congress, passed March 2, 1867, 

 to provide for the more efficient government of the 

 rebel States, and the supplementary Act thereto, the 

 district commander is required to protect all persons 

 in their rights of person and property, to suppress in- 

 surrection, disorder, and violence, and to punish, or 

 cause to be punished, all disturbers of the public 

 peace, and criminals. 



Jurisdiction of offences may be taken by the local 

 civil tribunals ; but where it is evident that the local 

 civil tribunals will not impartially try cases brought 

 before them, and render decisions according to the 

 law and evidence, the immediate military commander 

 will arrest, or cause the arrest of, offenders and crim- 

 inals, and hold them in confinement, presenting their 

 cases in writing, with all the facts secured, to these 

 headquarters, with a view to the said parties being 

 brought before and tried by a military commission or 

 tribunal, as provided in Section 3 of the Military Bill. 



By command of Brevet Majpr-General GRIFFIN. 

 A. H. M. TAYLOE, Second Lieutenant 17th TJ. S. I., 



A. A. G. 



A special order from the same authority de- 



