Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-04-05
Letter from Texas.
PRAIRIE CorrAGr, Texas, .
March It'll, 1856.
NcsvS. Editors;


Nc,us. Editors;
The stop of the morning" to all of
you my Northern friends, who not all "friz up"
Has your winter broken; and have you seen fsh
the genial warmth of the sun latelyl Do give me
an Affirmative answer for shivering yet
we have hardly known what sunshine since the
Christmas Holidays. The cold has not been c2-
cnsssivcly severe in Western Texas, as in former
years but it has been ptotraced-Norther succeed
ing Norther rapidly, that they gave us no rcaxa-
ton; but kept puckercd up all the time generally
Northerncrs have sought climate for the purpose
If luxuriating in its mild and bracng influences,
but several of them have turned their backs in dis
gust and returned home to meet the embraces of
bowling winter On the whole, have suffered
less than any portion Of the States have yet heard
from. | have never before seen so few dead cattle,
horses &c, upon the prairie, during the past
winter; notwithstanding the grass has been killed to
an unusual extent, yet their condition to flesh is
very good, and great numbers Of young calves are
already seen gamboling about the prairie.
The grass-fed beef that we have been lu1uriating
upon the past winter has been very fine. We are
supplied with our meats for the table by few
Mexican families in whom we have confidence. and
they, in cutting up their beef take from each side of
the ack-bonc of the animal, a solid strip of meat
weighing from ten to fifteen pounds, from which we
cut our steaks; and it would puzzle greater
opicurcs than yourselves, gentlemen, to detect the
difference between them and tho real Simon Pure.
An English gentleman, spending the winter here,
rcma rhcd to me upon the slaughter of cow Just
brought in from the Prairie, which had never been
fed, that he had finer beef in Old England,
herself.
Since my last communication to YOU l have had
opportunity Of seeing choice portions of the
State in short excursion l recently made from tho
| Bay to San Antonio, returning by another route
| through Sequin and Gonzales. A short distance
| above Victoria the country becomes gently undula-
| ting, and fifteen miles above, the post-oak region
| commences which adds much to the value and beau
| ty Of the country. The Sulphu, Spring route, so
called, is, as yet but sparscly settled, although
| there are many fine productive farms to he seen,
widely separated by large tracts of prairie, common
range for all persons unfortunately. We frequently
crossed clear sparkling springs running mcrrily along
their pcbbly bed, all tributaries, either to the
ocean, blue Guadalupe, or the emerald waters of the
flr-hmcd san Antonio. The Cibolo pronounced
Sr,ili,) is beautiful stream of sufficient silc to
lord many fine mi-.cat,, mcandcring through a
rich high rolling country, whose banks thickly
settled with valuable plantations, yielding abundant
crop. Timber and rock for building purposes are
abundant Bcxnr pronounced Ba0) county is
destined, ere long, to contain large, intelligent, and
wealthy population. san Antonio is the nucleus
around which they centre diycrgins in every dircc
ton a. the choice Of the country, and fancy in the
selection of site for a house, suits them, upon the
banks of the many beautiful streams with which that
city i. surrounded and the county watercd. Here
found those luxurious pastures If miskcc grass,
upon which all kinds Of stock feed and grow fat.
The MeNicars especially in the vicinity Of this city,
formerly raised their crops by irrigation, process
which their Yankee nci shbors do not initiate.
| The ancient city i, in sight, AMI further remark
must be postponed until another period. =.