entered Nacogdoches at the head of fifteen men and proclaimed a republic under the name of Fredonia. The number of "Fredonians" was not large, for Austin disapproved of the plan, and no adherents came from the United States.

The Mexicans prepared to suppress the insurrection, and Norris, the enemy of Hayden Edwards, entered Nacogdoches with about eighty men. He was attacked by a small force of eleven "Fredonians" and eight Cherokees and was repulsed. During the fight Norris lost one man killed and ten or twelve wounded, and his opponents had one man wounded. Although victorious in the first and only battle of the "war," the "Fredonians" were compelled to submit to the Mexicans who, most strangely, set their prisoners free, at the solicitation of Austin. During the "war" the "Fredonians" had been abandoned by their Indian allies. This revolt against Mexico was easily subdued and appears of little importance, but it was an omen of the momentous events to take place in a few years on the soil of Texas.

For some time after the "Fredonian War" there was peace in Texas, and the settlements prospered, especially those of Austin, who obtained an additional grant of land in 1827. In 1828 he was allowed to settle the ten leagues of coast land between his original colony and the sea, and in 1831 he obtained another considerable grant in partnership with Samuel Williams. The population of Texas increased rapidly under the empresario system, and amounted in 1830 to about twenty thousand, while in 1827 it was about ten thousand, and in 1821, not half that number. The towns of Gonzalez and Victoria were founded, and La Bahía de Espíritu Santo became a villa and was called Goliad or Goliath.

The distrust of the Mexicans seemed to increase with the prosperity of the American settlements. From the decree of Guerrero, on September 15, 1829, abolishing slavery in the Mexican Republic, Texas was excepted on December 2, 1829, owing to strong representations made to President Guerrero by the settlers. The decree of April 6, 1830, instigated by

Lucas Alamán and evidently directed against further colonization by Americans, brought about a military despotism. Alamán's plan was to prevent immigration from the United States and to encourage settlers from other countries. He suggested also that Texas be made a penal colony by transporting there criminals and deserters.

General Mier y Teran was sent to carry into effect the provisions of the law, and he established, at about a dozen places, military posts of which the soldiery was of the lowest class. He suspended the concessions of all empresarios, except those of Austin, Dewitt and De León, and having gone to Matamoros he left David Bradburn in command at Anahuac, at the head of Galveston Bay, Colonel Piedras, at Nacogdoches, and Colonel Ugartechea, at Velasco, at the mouth of the river Brazos. Bradburn was a Kentuckian by birth who was serving with the rank of colonel in the Mexican army and he was a tyrant by disposition. The governor of the state sent a commission and a surveyor to issue titles to the settlers on the Trinity river, and they established the town of Trinity. Thereupon Mier y Teran ordered Bradburn to arrest two officials, Madero and Carbajal, and they were imprisoned. Bradburn then dissolved the ayuntamiento at Liberty and established one at Anahuac. He distributed land without authority and was very offensive in collecting the custom duties, from which Austin's colonists, by the terms of the contract, had been exempted for six years. Indeed, he ordered all ports to be closed, except that of Anahuac, and only after threats of an attack had been made did he allow that of Brazos to remain open.

In May, 1832, Bradburn put under martial law the country within the ten league coast reserve, and in the same month he arrested William B. Travis and several other prominent colonists, on the charge of insubordination, and treated them with great rigor. The settlers in Austin's colony and on the Trinity now rose and marched to Anahuac under the command of Francis W. Johnson. John Austin of Brazoria, a native of Connecticut and not related to

Stephen F. Austin, joined the insurgents at Anahuac with about one hundred men, and a demand was made for the release of Travis and the other prisoners. This, at first, was refused by Bradburn, but he finally consented to deliver the prisoners, if the insurgents would free some Mexican soldiers, whom John Austin had captured a few days previously, and would retire six miles from the town. The colonists freed their prisoners, and part of their force retired under the command of John Austin to Turtle Bayou. Bradburn, however, failed to keep his part of the compact, and the insurgents determined to capture Bradburn's fort. John Austin was sent to Brazoria to get two cannon brought previously from New Orleans by the schooner Sabine.

The cannon were put on the schooner Brazoria, and John Austin, with one hundred and twelve men, resolved to capture the fort at Velasco, at the mouth of the Brazos river, which was in command of Ugartechea. The latter, with a force of about one hundred and twenty-five Mexicans, defended the fort valiantly, but could not resist the accurate marksmanship of the colonists, and was forced to surrender. His adversaries granted him generous terms of capitulation and even supplied him with provisions for his men for his march to Matamoros.

In the meantime, Colonel Piedras had been instructed by General Mier y Teran to proceed from Nacogdoches to Anahuac and endeavor to put an end to the disturbances. He started for this purpose with a few men, but on the way he fell into the hands of the Texans, to whom he promised that Travis and the other prisoners would be released and Bradburn removed. The prisoners were liberated, and the Mexican soldiers wishing to go south to take part in the movement in favor of Santa Anna, Bradburn escaped to Louisiana. He entered Texas with Santa Anna in 1836, but obtained no more glory at that time than he had acquired at Anahuac in 1832. Unfortunately, John Austin, who had played an important part in the campaign against the Mexicans, died in 1833.

While the movement of the Texans against Bradburn was taking place, Santa Anna had pronounced against Bustamante, whose administration had been hostile to the Texans. The latter, therefore, resolved to support Santa Anna, and, on June 13, 1832, the adversaries of Bradburn passed resolutions at Turtle Bayou, proclaiming their grievances and pledging their support to Santa Anna. This proceeding seems very strange when we think of the utter defeat, only four years later, of Santa Anna by the Texans, but it produced fortunate results in 1832. Colonel José Antonio Mejía was sent from Tampico with a large force to subdue the insurrection in Texas, which was thought to be for the purpose of annexation to the United States. Mejía was accompanied by Stephen F. Austin, who was returning from attending a meeting of the state legislature. At Brazoria the Mexican colonel was presented with the resolutions adopted at Turtle Bayou, and as he was a partisan of Santa Anna he allowed himself to be convinced of the good intentions of the insurgents against Bradburn, and returned to Mexico. The soldiers at the different posts in Texas were fired with zeal for the cause of the great patriot Santa Anna, and they all marched south, except those who were stationed at the post at Nacogdoches under Colonel Piedras. The latter was opposed to Santa Anna, and the colonists resolved to dislodge him. On August 3d, about three hundred men, under the command of James W. Bullock, attacked Piedras and forced him to evacuate Nacogdoches. He was afterwards delivered to the Texans by his own men, who had pronounced in favor of Santa Anna, and was sent out of the country. Among the men who took part in the engagement against Piedras was Colonel James Bowie, destined to be popular in the history of Texas.

After the departure of the garrison at Nacogdoches, Texas was almost entirely free from Mexican soldiers. There remained only a few men at San Antonio for protection against the Indians. The Texans and the Mexicans were again apparently at peace.