330 NATIONALITY RECOGNIZED ANNEXATION TO U. STATES. 



international law forbade their acceding to the proposed union. 

 Texas, accordingly, established a national government, elected her 

 officers, regulated her trade, formed her army and navy, main- 

 tained her frontier secure from assault, and was recognized as, de 

 facto y an independent sovereignty by the United States, England, 

 France and Belgium. But these efforts of the infant republic did 

 not end in mere preparations for a separate political existence 

 and future commercial wealth. The rich soil of the lowlands 

 along the numerous rivers that veined the whole region soon at- 

 tracted large accessions of immigrants, and the trade of Texas 

 began to assume significance in the markets of the world. 



Meanwhile Mexico busied herself, at home, in revolutions, or 

 in gathering funds and creating armies, destined, as the authori- 

 ties professed, to reconquer the lost province. Yet all these mili- 

 tary and financial efforts were never rendered available in the field, 

 and, in reality, no adequate force ever marched towards the fron- 

 tier. The men and money raised through the services and contri- 

 butions of credulous citizens were actually designed to figure in 

 the domestic drama of political power in the capital. No hostili- 

 ties, of any significance, occurred between the revolutionists and 

 the Mexicans after 1836, for we cannot regard the Texan expe- 

 dition to Santa Fe, or the Mexican assault upon the town of 

 Mier. as belligerant acts deserving consideration as grave efforts 

 made to assert or secure national rights. 



Such was the condition of things from 1836 until 1844, during 

 the whole of which period Texas exhibited to the world a far bet- 

 ter aspect of well regulated sovereignty than Mexico herself. On 

 the 12th of April of that year, more than seven years after Texas 

 had established her independence, a treaty was concluded by Presi- 

 dent Tyler with the representatives of Texas for the annexation of 

 that republic to the United States. In March, 1845, Congress 

 passed a joint resolution annexing Texas to the union upon certain 

 reasonable conditions, which were acceded to by that nation, 

 whose convention erected a suitable state constitution, with which 

 it became finally a member of our confederacy. In the meantime, 

 the envoys of France and England, had opened negotiations for the 

 recognition of Texan independence, which terminated successfully; 

 but when they announced their triumph, on the 20th of May, 1845, 

 Texas was already annexed conditionally to the United States by 

 the act of congress. 



The joint resolution of annexation, passed by our congress, was 

 protested against by General Almonte, the Mexican minister at that 



