Letter from William S. Peters to Robert Owen

Scope and Content

This manuscript letter opens with Peters informing Owen of the pressing nature of considering the offer made to take land in Texas as there is only 1 year left to seal the arrangement. Peters hopes Owen will not let this land "slip out your hands".

The offer of land to Owen (made in an earlier letter), and the consequent emigration of people to live on this land, is deemed vital by Peters when remarking that the "European famine distress, & misery in the extreme have only just commenced".

Peters offers his thoughts regarding the lack of education of the poor, and the reluctance of "European Institutions" to provide this as they will "never voluntary educate the People too much, it would not suit their calculating views" adding that "if the people were wise, the immensely large salaries of the Church and State would be curtailed".

The virtues of settling in Texas are put forward at length by Peters, who writes of the place having "materials of greatness within herself" and from which the sugar cane, indigo and cotton are all superior quality.

The letter closes with a copy of a letter, dated 6th March 1847 and written to Robert Dale Owen, in which he is requested to forward this letter to Owen.

Also present are further manuscript copies of both letters but written in a different hand.

Note

Stamped number: 1457, 1458

Subjects