Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-09-13

Does that give any claim 10 men whose title comes,
not from France or US, but Spain and Mexico
It is clearly under as, and us only, that the
Texans set up their claim to go 10 the Rio Bra
vo. For, mark they claim to have made, as the
Mexican State of Texas, legitimate and rightful
Revolution, not mere revolt. They affirm that
Mexico had constituted them parties, as an in
dependent State, iosp common government and
league; and that WAN she or Santa Anna sub
verted it they, the regular legal and political exist
ence of Texas, resisted and separated themselves
from the rest of Mexico. The revolution, then,
was that of the previous political being, Texas.
Now, what was that! We will show, out OF what
Texas herself, along with Coahuila, affirmed in
1884. We will quote from book much the best
that has YET appeared, and written throughoutin the
most favorable view of them and their rights.
FROM KENNEDy's TEXAS, VOL. ], z.
ain 1894, Col, JUAN N. ALmoNTE, (since Sec
: retary of War in Mexico.) by commission from
I. the General Government of Mexico, visited Texas,
and drew up statistical report of the country, 10
which, as an official Merican authority, shall
/. occasionally refer. According to this report the
/. section Of the Mexican Republic which may now
!. be distinguished as Texas proper, is situated be
tween go and so north latitude, and Ito to 25o
! longitude west of Washington !; bounded on the
north by the Territory Of Arkansas; east by the
State of Louisiana south by the Gulf of Mexico
Z and the State Of Tamaulipas; and on the westb by
Z coahuila, Chihuahua, and the Territory Of New
4 Mexico. Col. Almonte was informed by the State
2 Government of Coahuila and Texas that, instead
Of the River de las Nueces, as was generally sup
posed, and as then appeared on the map, forming
the boundary between Ooahgila and Texas, this
assumption was founded on geographical error.
L The true limit ought it was alleged, to commence
at the embouchure OF the riysr Aransaso, and fol-
low to its source; continuing thence In direct
line until it reached the junction of the Medina
2 and San Antonio rivers from which it ought to
proceed along the eastern bank of the Medina to-
wards Its source, and terminate on the borders Of
Chihuahua. Mrs. Holley, in her work on Texas,
states that the boundaries Of Texas proper are, on
the north, the Red river, separating it from Arkan-
sas on the south, the Gulf of Mexico; on the
east, the Sabine river and Louisiana OH the west,
the river Nueces, separating It from Tamaulipas
and Coahuia. The territory comprised within
these limits, Mrs. Holley estimates at nearly two
: hundred thousand square miles--a surface almost
as extensive as that Of France. But these vague
authorities are now obsolete, with regard to the
limits Of Texas which, no longer politically united
to Mexico, has claimed for Itself new, more ample
and more natural boundaries, in the character of
an independent Republic"
For the boundaries thus claimed we have the
act of Texas of 10th December, 1885, declaring
the civil and political jurisdiction of Texas to ex-
tend to the Sabine, along the Gulf Of Mexico west
to the mouth Of the Rio Grande, thence up its prin-
cipal stream to its source, thence due north to
400 of north latitude, and thence by the line of the
United States to the beginning.
We need hardly say that the river Aransaso above
spoken Of is the Arkansas, at the mouth of which
Gen. TAYLOR has lately been encamped. 1t is some
thirty or forty miles on this side of the Nueces.1
Thus have we, for the real limits Of Texas. its
own authority, in the form of calm, voluntary,
and friendly decree Of its Legislature, then sitting
and acting in common with Coahuila, one Of the
States between which and itself lay this very
question Of the western limits Of Texas. Such
joint declaration, we need hardly add, is thou
sand times superior, in all cases, to any made by
single party.
Texas, then, to have made herself something not
territorially the same which she thus defined her.
self TO be, must have obtained, by treaty or con-
quest, the additions which she claims. But she
claims by neither: her claim, as we have seen, is
founded only on the supposition that zoe had once
such claim-for she has constituted herself our
TcsiuudTy lcSdtccs treaty tdiiHot pc piCtCuuCu do
her source Of right Conquest she has twice at
tempted-frst in the Santa Fe expedition, and Sc
condly in that of Mier, which is on the Rio Bravo.
In both these efforts she failed completely. The
very fact Of her making such attempts shows
abundantly that the country is not hers, for they
were avowed enterprises of conquest Had they
succeeded even, what thenl Conquest itself, in
the eye of all national law, confers right, until
the nation from whom you take province con-
firms it to you by treaty.
Thus Texas has no claim to the region which
the President has invaded, except one created by
vote of her Legislature, assuming to be our heirs
general, our legal representatives. She has never
been in possession even upon this idle title. Mexi-
co has never been disseized, even by orcible eject
ment and detainer. The territory, in a word, is
hers, not only de jure, but de facfo and the Pre-
sident has no more right invade il than to invade
Canada without an authority from Congress, the
only war-making power under the Constitution of
this country.
p. s. Since the above article was put in hand,
we have extraordinary Manifesto in the
government paper of yesterdays issue, announcing
bloody purposes if the Mexicans dare to pass the
Rio Grande; of which article we have not time to-
day to take such notice as it deserves
The following most melancholy intelligence is