Page:John O. Meusebach - Answer to Interragatories.djvu/18

 Germany. The expenses for transportation were to be made in Texas. The money for both items should have been at disposal in Texas, before the arrival of emigrants.

Having failed to get from the Prince in Galveston, any reliable information in regard to the financial operations of the Company and their debts, and having been referred again to the treasurer at New Braunfels, who had declared that he could not make a full statement, I had to go to work at it myself. I restored order in the financial department, and by close management inspired the creditors with confidence, and would have kept both order and confidence, but for some new stupendous blunders on the part of the directory in Europe in the shipment of the emigrants in the fall of 1845. In August, 1845, I had sent a complete statement of all amounts, credits and debits of the Company in Texas, showing that a debt of S19,460.02 was left by my predecessor in office; contracted for the transportation, settlement, and entertainment of the emigrants of 1844, since their disembarkation at Galveston in the fall of 1844 till August, 1845, besides using up my own credit of S10,000 for the same purpose. Till to arrival of the new emigrants 1st of November, 1845, the debt for entertainment of the old ones did overrun S24,000, I requested the directory in Europe to send immediately this amount as a separate fund, irrespective of the amounts necessary for the reception of new emigrants to be shipped in the fall of 1845, and for further operations. At my departure from Europe in February 1845, I had been informed that the Company intended to make a large shipment of emigrants in the fall. But till end of August, and later, I had not been notified that they did ship any, and how many. Still I thought it advisable to make preparations for a preliminary settlement as soon as I got my hands free from other more urgent business, and