CHAPTER II. 



PERSONAL ACCOUNT CONTINUED. 



COMMiaSIOX r.VDER TREATY Of DtCEilU 



— JorKSTAL Of jonrr 



CXiMMl^iOi', 



On tlie loth August, 1831, I received from the President of the United States, through the 

 Hon. Koht. McClelland, Secretary of the Interior, the appointment of commissioner ** to survey 

 and mark out upon the land the dividing line between the United States und the republic of 

 Mexico, concluded on the 30th of December, 1853, the ratifications of which were oxchan^aMl in 

 the city of Washington on the 30th day of June, ISol." At the same time I received special 

 instructions from the Secretary of the Interior, and a copy of the treaty, which will be found in 



the a})pendix. 



The terms of the treaty required that each of the two governments should nominate one 

 commissioner, and that '^ the two thus nominated should meet in the city of El Paso del Korte 

 three months after the exchange of ratifications of the treaty, and proceed to survey and mark 

 out the line,'' &c. 



To reach El Paso del Norte in the time required by the treaty, (October 1st,) it would have 

 been necessary to leave my outfit to take care of itself, and travel post-haste* Knowing 

 well the character of the country in which that service was to be performed, I concluded to 

 send forward a special messenger to meet the Mexican commissioner, and to remain and give 

 my personal attention to the outfit. Everything in the way of astronomical and surveying 

 instruments, transportation^, arms, provitiions, and medicines required for the campaign, was to 

 be provided in advance, and shipped from New York. 



By employing men to w^ork night and day, and shipping my wagons, at great expense, on 

 board the passenger steamers, I was enabled to land the whole outfit at Indianola, Texas, by 

 the 25th of September. 



On the night of the 18th September, while crossing the Gulf, a terrific tornado swept the 

 coast, and every wharf in Matagorda bay, except that upon which a portion of our outfit was 

 landed, was carried away, and the town of Matagorda itself levelled with the ground. We 

 found at Indianola a number of mules belonging to the old commission; but they were in such 

 miserable condition, I determined to send them up to San Antonio with the empty wagons, and 

 hire transportation for the supplies which had been purchased in New Orleans and safely 

 landed at Indianola. The low country between Indianola and Kilpatrick's, a distance of 

 twenty miles, w^as inundated, and the roads so bad_, that the contractor for the transportation 

 of our supplies was twenty days passing as many miles. The yellow fever was then prevalent, 

 and^added much to our embarrassments, several of our party having been stricken down at the 

 moment of entering upon a distant and arduous service. I was, however, so thankful to have 

 escaped without damage the tornado of the 17th-19th of September, which proved so disastrous 

 around us, that every other adverse circumstance seemed trifling. 



On the 25th of October I had succeeded in enlisting and equipping sixty or seventy men for 

 the service, and in purchasing: the necessary number of animals. 



