233.     HUNT, Memucan. Address of Memucan Hunt, to the People of Texas, Soliciting the Payment of His Claims against the State, at the Next Regular Session of the Legislature, with a Few of His Public and Private Papers, in Behalf of What He Deemed the Best Interests of Texas in 1836, until Annexation; Together with a Speech of the Hon. W.M. Williams, before the Last Regular Session of the Legislature, in Behalf of Said Claims; With Which Speech is a Copy of a Letter from Ex-President Houston, in Reference to Memucan Hunt in 1836. Galveston: Printed at the Office of the News, 1851. [1-3] 4-83 [1, index] pp. (last 2 leaves provided in facsimile). 8vo (22 x 13.6 cm), unbound, as issued, stitched. First leaf foxed and stained, remainder of text with uniform mild browning, blank margins of title chipped (but neatly mended), some heavy corrosive stains to a few leaves at front (a few small voids with loss of a few letters), waterstaining to upper corners of several leaves toward end of text. Professionally washed and deacidified.

     First edition. Howes H808. Sabin 33881. Winkler 231 (2 locations: Bancroft & UT Austin). Hunt was instrumental in the fiscal, military, and diplomatic history of Texas. He sacrificed his fortune to help establish the Republic of Texas and ensure its annexation to the United States. In this pamphlet Hunt documents his efforts to recover his losses. Hunt opens with his April 3, 1851, address to “Fellow Citizens of the State of Texas” outlining his efforts and expenditures beginning in June 1836 with the granting of a contract with the ad interim government of Texas to raise volunteers and loan money to the emerging Republic, and continuing to annexation and beyond. He documents his expenditures and accounting up to 1850, commenting:

Be pleased to bear in mind also, that no other person on his own individual responsibility advanced in 1836, as much money for struggling Texas as I did, but who not only received back the principal and interest on his or their money thus advanced, but immense profits in addition thereto, excepting but one, who was a large land holder in Texas, and advanced money without profit to himself, namely, Major Gen. Thomas J. Chambers, who, it affords me pleasure to state, did advance more money without profit, and bring more men to the rescue of Texas in 1836, than any other one gentleman connected with the Texian revolution; but who, I believe, had his accounts satisfactorily settled shortly after the first issue of Texas money, in which he was paid before it depreciated in value (p. 11) …I expended more than the government promised to give me, with the view to advance the best interest of my country. Ought I to lose it? Fellow-citizens, Texas is now the wealthiest State for her population in the Union—she is more able to do me justice by paying me, and not feel the just disbursement—and believing my claim to be just, I solicit its payment, and request of you, if you concur with me in opinion, to instruct your representatives to the next Legislature to give me the compensation claimed (p. 14).

     Included in this rare Galveston imprint are transcriptions of original letters between Hunt and Mirabeau B. Lamar, Samuel Houston, John Forsyth, et al. Perhaps of more importance is the presence of two exceedingly rare imprints relating to the Revolution and annexation, respectively, both known only in single copies.

HUNT, Memucan. To the Brave and Generous. [Oxford, North Carolina, 1836]. Streeter 1209 (no copy located until a copy was found at Yale after publication of Streeter’s bibliography of Texas): “An appeal for emigration of volunteers for the Texan army. It includes the decree ‘adopted in the Convention of Texas, at the town of Washington, on the 17th day of March, 1836’ providing bounties of land for service in the army of Texas. Streeter had not seen a copy of this broadside, but entered it from its reprinting in Hunt’s Address…to the people of Texas… Galveston, 1851.” This item appears at pp. 15-18 in the present pamphlet.

GALVESTON COUNTY. CITIZENS. Address to the People of Texas, by the Committee appointed for that purpose, at a meeting of the citizens of Galveston County and City, on the 21st inst., favorable to an immediate ratification of the joint resolution of the Congress of the United States of America, offering to Texas, Annexation. Galveston, 1845. Streeter 622 (locating only the copy at Texas State Library): “This address urges annexation rather than a ‘stringent commercial alliance’ with England. The Constitution of the United States is declared to be ‘almost the only protection against the growing power…and reckless violence of Abolitionism.’ Economic advantages which would result from annexation are stressed. The text of this address is given on pp. 56-78 in Address of Memucan Hunt, to the People of Texas, Galveston, 1851 (Winkler, Texas Imprints 231), a pamphlet in the University of Texas Library to which my attention was called by Mr. Winkler.”

     Hunt (1807-1856), secretary of the Texas Navy, was from North Carolina and arrived in Texas shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto. He was one of the main financiers of the early Republic. See Handbook of Texas Online. See also Item 226 herein.

($300-600)

Auction 22 Abstracts