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17/ a few days after my trip by Sea to Matagorda, I had the opportunity of going with an influential party to the same place by land. in left margin: :Some of these in a buggy, others on horseback The road commences with some 30 m along the hard sandy level beach of the islands, half way there was a fair sort of Inn. A large ferry boat took us over to the town of San Luis on the small island of the same name which had been built as a ? to Galveston, but was now depopulated. having paid the penalty of its temerity. Ferrying over to the main, & 12 miles more still along the Sea Shore brought us to Velasco, where we put up at a very good inn. This place is famed for the expulsion of the Mexicans from a strong fort by the colonists under John Austin June 26.1836 and what rendered it more interesting were the ? given of it by one of our party who assisted in the affair. It was here that the "Great Indian fighter Buckner fell. His name was been given to a creek near to Austin.

 The following day we ferried over the Brazos River, which altho' deep, the mouth of it is choked up with the large quantity of Alluvial matters brought down & has what is termed a "bad Bar" & very open Roadsted.  Opposite to the Town of Velasco is Quintana, where some ship building was going on. This locality is the outlet of the Cotton & other products of 

x Vide Geographical Soc. Trans. for ?