Benjamin Keyes Fawcett - 1867-07-29

Five Mile Creek, Gonzales, Co
Texas  Dec 4. 1866

Dear Henry,
                            An answer has been due your kind & interesting letter a long time  you Must be indulgent with me as I have been sick more since I received your letter of the 5th of September last, than I have been alltogather since I came to Texas.  I have not been confined to bed more than three or four days at any time, but have been scarsley able to attend to business for the last three months.  I have had some chills & feaver which is the first that I have had since I came to Texas.
The papers which you Sent did not reach me.  I am sorry that your business does not promise well for the future.  As you have been at so much expence & trouble to prepare your Self for the profession.  The Knowlage of Mathematics which you will be usefull as long as you live & will not go out of fashsion.  I think the studie of Mathematics is an exlent exercise for the mind  your Grand Father was anxious that we should have a little knowlage of Mathematics even if it should only be enough to have an idear how ignorant we were
All vocations have some objections.  Fortune making is generly slow & tedious & not very romantic or at least I have found it so in my ups & downs in this world.  Father use to say that the difference in countrys was not as great as people general thought, provided that a man would follow a business that suited the country that he was living in
Our Country has a great Manny advantages & also its share of disadvantages.  The citizens of this state are generaly carless improvident & lazie.  They are therefore poorly calculated to develope or improve the resorces of our State
I think that the sheep business in this portion of the state & in many other parts of the state will with good management & carefull attention pay thirty three & a third percent clear of all expence & with as much certainty as any other business which I have had any experienc in .  The greates difficulty is to get good sheepards.  If we could get good heards men from Europe, with out too much expence or if we had the means to perchace large tracts of land & fence it.  The sheep business can be caried on with a great deal of certainty & much more proffit also agreat deal less trouble
If the Yankees will not rob us of what we have left & will let us take a steady pull for prosperity, I hope we will get along much better than we have hear to fore.  If I was better acquainted with my Nephew C. H. Gauss & new what sort of a young man he is & was sattisfied that our country & business would suite him I should like very much to advise him to come to Texas & try our business, but as our acquaintanc has not been of a very recent date I think it best for you to be governd by your Fathers advise as he has had a great dal of experiance & much better oppertunities than most men. All kinds of property is cheap here now land can be bought at fifty cents per acre but men who have the means are slow to invest on accout of the uncertainty of political afairs  you speak of spending some time plesently with the young Ladies of St. Charles.  I think the socity of good uneffected Ladies is much better for a young man than the company of young men.  I was over at your Uncle Willis a few days sine  he was complaining of a pretty bad cold which is rather unusual hear.  Sister & your cosin Jode were well Joe cme out from Mary land about three months ago is young & lively looks like his mother, he is helping his father take care of the sheep.  I recived a letter from your Uncle Ras the other day he says that he will starte for Texas the 15th of this month  I will go down to Victoria which is the terminus of the R Road from Port Levaca & bring thm up your Uncle Ras & Sister Ann have five children I hope we will get a long more pleasantly when they get hear.  If we should have good luck in future I hope Sister Ginnie will agree to come to Texas also  Our Legislature has ajorned it is said that they have gotten through More business than any Legislature hat has ever mett in this State  The Freedmen are not doing much but generaly are behaving tolerable well we have plesant wether.  we have had three frosts byt little of the vegetation is killed You must not critticise this letter very closely as I am a poor hand to write.  I am much better with Sheepards crock.  You must write soon I hope that I will be able to answer you more promtly.  I will direct this to the care of your Father as You may have changed your office

your UnKeyes

Source:  Handwritten original, private collection, Chambless family.  Transcription to softcopy by Susan D. Chambless, March 8, 1999.