mess FISCAL HISTORY OF TEXAS. EMBRACING AN ACCOUNT OF ITS REVENUES, DEBTS, AND CURRENCY, FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE REVOLUTION IN 1834 TO 1851-52. WITH REMARKS ON AMERICAN DEBTS. BY WILLIAM M. GOUGE, AUTHOR OF "A SHORT HISTORY OF PAPER-MONEY AND BANKING TY CALIFORNIA PHILADELPHIA: LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO, AND CO. 1852. Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by 285 GRAMB LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO, AND CO., in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA: T. K. AND P. G. COLLINS, PRINTERS. PREFACE. IN 1833, the author of this work published "A Short History of Paper-Money and Banking in the United States," the reception of which by the public was far more favorable than he anticipated. He has been for some time collecting materials for a continuation of that history; and a visit to the capital of Texas, in the early part of 1852, afforded him as good an opportunity as he could desire of making himself acquainted with whatever was most important in the currency concerns of that distant region. A rise in the waters of the rivers, which put an end to ordinary travelling, left him at leisure to extend his inquiries further than he originally intended. As he proceeded, he found the materials far more important than he had supposed them to be, and the result is the volume now presented to the public. It embraces much that could not with propriety be introduced into a continuation of "A History of Paper-Money and Banking in the United States," as most of the important events it records occurred before Texas became a member of the Union. In the conduct of this work, the want of a good general history of Texas has been much felt-that by Kennedy extending no further than to 1839-1840. The general historian ought to have prepared the way for the inquirer into the fiscal concerns of the Republic; but he has had to prepare the way for the general historian. Other difficulties have been encountered through the loss, by fire, of part of the records of the Republic. But free access to all that remained was courteously granted by the Texan authorities, and whenever the record was deficient, they kindly supplied what was wanted by oral information. Especially are the thanks of the author due to P. Hansboro' Bell, the e-Governor, James |