Il8 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



defiance any attempt to enforce it General Wavell has, I believe, 



a considerable share, [of the landj but he is, I understand, alrnost the 

 only Englishman, who has applied for land in Texas. The rest of 

 the settlers are all American — Backwoodsmen, a bold and hardy race, 

 but likely to prove bad subjects, and most inconvenient neighbors. 

 In the event of a rupture between this country and the United States, 

 their feehngs and earlier connections will naturally lead them to side 

 with the latter; and in time of peace their lawless habits, and dishke 

 of all restraints, will, as naturally, induce them to take advantage of 

 their position which is admirably adapted for a great smuggling trade, 

 and to resist all attempts to repress it. In short, Mexico, though she 

 may gain in point of numbers, will not, certainly, acquire any real 



strength, by such an addition to her population Not knowing 



in how far His Majesty's Government may conceive the possession 

 of Texas by the Americans, to be likely to affect the interests of Great 

 Britain, I have not thought it right to go beyond such general observa- 

 tions upon the subject, in my communications v^th this Government, as 

 appeared to me calculated to make it perceive the danger, to which 

 it is wilfully exposing itself. Were but one hundredth part of the atten- 

 tion paid to practical encroachment, which will be bestowed upon 

 anything like a verbal cession, Mexico would have little to fear. " 



There is reason to believe, from this correspondence, that the tend- 

 encies of the western movement in Texas were recognized by England 

 before even the settlers realized that which was coming to pass. 



