Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-11-08
A CONCLUSIVE AUTHORITY.

L. Il.
Our readers are well aware that perfectly salts
fed with our proofs that the country beyond the
Nueces 'aeoer has been apart Of TEXAS, either by
righ or BY POSSESSION, we long since dismissed all
controversy with the Administration, or its pub
licisls, or its geographers, on that subject. The
following evidence comes, however, SO positive, SO
plain, so unasked, and in shape little admitting
amy question of its entire fairness, that meeting
among the late news at New Orleans from Corpus
Christi, we cannot avoid noting and copying it.
The New Orleans Tropics sound Wing Jour
nal, originally opposed to Annexation, but now
yielding to the measure as both I'm fat acconpK and
one popular among its readers--entertains CORE
all his feelings, intelligent, and candid From ex-
pressons that he uses, take him to be practis
| ing physician there. A well-informed man, and
writing on the spot, surely there can be no doubt
of facts stated by him incidentally only, in
nexion with circumstances occurring there and
with no Intentional reference to the question raised
| by us. In a letter Of October 9th from Knney's
Rancho, given in the Tropic Of October 18th, he
says, land we pray that the passages may be noted
which we shall italicise they precisely confirm all
that we have heretofore asserted)
I" Information has reached us that a Commission
has been despatched from some of the Mexican
settlements on the east bank Of the Rio Grande
to confer with COL Kinney, the proprietor of this
place, with view to ascertain what feelings are
entertained by the commander Of the forces sta
toned here towards the citizens of that section Of
country, in case any demonstration shall be made
against them on the part of the army. Now, SO
| far as my observation extends, land am not
careless observer of things here,) Col X. of all
others, is the only individual in all Western Texas
| in whom they place the least confidence. Why
this is SO may be strange to some; but, when the
case is explained, the reason is obvious. Before
: he settled here, this country h,o,cn only as
The province Of Idmaulipas, and not, as ii nosc
is, as an integral part Of Texas. Corpus Christi
: being Wesf Of the Nueces, and the only place
which has been settled and held by Terans dr.
ring herevoi,aion ,cithin that prouince, the right
i Of occupancy t0ouid seem to belong to those pho
| hare maintained possession Of The soil all along,
even. per crGmple TO the exclusion of the Uni
ted States army, which is located on it, but
which, by-theby, makes no pretensons to claim
other than that Of forcibe possession-he bound
airy line not having yet been permanently established
In proof Of this assertion, is only necessary to
say that, far, the Army Standard of General
Taylor has never been seen flying in this place In
X. IN settling Corpus Christi, and holding 1t as
a post for frontier protection, through so long
Z and trying period AZ that AZ the rerolion, thai
Is 7eras isd;vidss0lfy and cSAecfively is largely
i sinds6fed Besides all which, he has travelled
i much in Mexico, associatink himself personally
while THERE and by regular correspondence since,
\ with all the leading men of that country-some-
times being, however, like Austin she great father
l. of his country, well entertained while at others
4 8 M Iy nd cd
Col. K has also been, and continues to be, the life
/ and soul of lucrative trade here, both for the
benefit of the public well individuals, and, in
fact has exhausted his means very largely in sus-
tanning that trade, through the gloomest period Of
his residence in Texas. In fine, he is a sterling
man in every sense of the word, and withal pos
sesses, as thousands who have shared his hospi-
tality can testify, more of the real old Virginia
i goodness Of heart, than few others in this wild
l. country have credit for. These are some OF the
reasons why this gentleman is confided in by the
i people who live on the Rio Grande, as well as
here. have been settled here the frontier but
4 short time: but, regret TO say sufficiently long
i to notice that, among few land spectators and
others, an evil disposition is manifested towards
hiE, virtuous and noble as he is / have thought
it, therefore, but justice to make these remarks,
somewhat foreign, perhaps, to the object have in
writing these letters"
The Col. n. here spoken oil is ne oil one oil whose
exploits of personal gaantry, last spring, against
large body of Camanches, whose chief he slew, the
following mention is found in the Galveston CT
uiia, of late date. He appears to be person of
high qualities:
| "The conduct of Col. KINNEY on this occasion,
his skill in horsemanship, the holiness of his
bearing, and his nagnanmous efforts in succoring
/ his friends, won for him great praise; and some
of the Indians have since said that he acted more
like one of their own warriors than pale face
the highest compliment they could pay him, how
/ ever itmay sound to the of civilized men,"
| 1t thus appears, by this casual testimony from
the spot, lst, that beyond the Nueces is Tamauli-
pas I'd, that it is the only place west Of that stream
which has get been settled or held by Texans Sd,
that it has been so settled and held " for frontier
protection !; that is, to guard the old border just
behind it: 4th, that there is, beyond it, no white
population but Mexican one and that this is NOT
and never has beenwithin Texan jurisdiction, which
even now is'not pretended to be in force there.
Corpus Christi is just at the head Of the bay of
that name, where il receives the Nueces, Of which
it is the estuary. 1t is its western shore. Kin
ney's Rancho (plantahon) seems in its immediate
neighborhood.
The "big gun" manufactured in England by
direction of Com. Stockton, for the u. s. Navy
arrived at New York on Saturday.
Z