To the Legislature of the State of Texas

Your memorialist would rep-
resent unto your Hon body that he hired for the State of Texas
as a State officer, six Negroes claiming to be free[,] which said
negroes were captured on the U.S. “Harriett [sic] Lane” in Galveston
Harbor on the 1st ult. He hired the whole number for
the term of Six Months for the sum of fifty six 25/100 doll[ar]s
the amt of costs & expenses upon them. He visited
Huntsville & arranged with Col. Carruthers [Carothers] the Supt
(with the assistance of Judge James A Baker) to receive them
into the State Penitentiary & on the 20th Jan'y] the said
Negroes were delivered to said supt & are now at work for
the state. Your memorialist's expenses in visiting Huntsville to
make the necessary arrangements were $24.00 and the amt of costs &
expenses of sending the Negroes to Huntsville etc. as per annexed
bill were $148.25[,] making the total amt $172.25 all of which he
has paid as there was no appropriation for such purposes[.] He
therefore respectfully asks that that the amount he has expended &
advanced in the ______[?] may be refunded to him.

He would further represent that since said period that
there were 29 other Negroes captured on the “Morning Light ” as
en:[?] Sabine Pass & now in possession of the sheriff of Harris County
22 of whom are slaves & claiming to be free[.] Thus no steps
have been taken in the latter case because of the anticipated
assemblage of Your Honorable body on the 2d inst & believing that our
Free Negro & Runaway Law[,] which never contemplated this state