Senale and 1-low;e of Represenlalives in one chamb1~r; and, thus consliluled, declared itself inveskd with all the powers of a legitimate co11ve11tion. Under this assumption, iL abolished the federal conslilu Lion, and established a co11solidaled Government. [n Scptcmh1\r, 183!'>, General Cos invaded the province of Texas by land, with orders to disarm the citizens, and to require an unconditional submission to the central military Government, under penally of 1-~xpulsion from the country. AL the same time, all the ports were declared to he in a state of blockade; and a military force having been sent to Gonzales to require from the citizens a surrender of their arms, a halite ensued, which terminated in the retrcal of the Mexicans. The Texans assert that Lhis resistance was nol because they even Lhen wishes to separate from the confederacy; but, on the contrary, because they were desirous to bring back the Government to the terms of the constitution of 1824. They therefore held a convention at San Felipe, in November, 1835, composed of fifty-six representatives from all the municipalities, in which they declared, that, as Santa Anna and other military chieftains had by force of arms overthrown the federal institutions of Mexico, and dissolved the social compact which existed between Texas and the other members of the confederacy, they had taken up arms against the encroachment of military despots, and in defence of the constitution. This was considered as an absolute separation from Mexico, and on Lhe 2d of March, 1836, delegates of the people from aU the disLricLs declared Texas a "free, sovereign, and independent SLale." A provisional Government had already been formed under the convention of November,- 1835-, which conlinued until a general Congress mel at Washington, on the Rio Brazos. on the day previous Lo Llw dcclaraLion of independence. This convention took place by wrils of election issued by Lhe provisional Government, and iL is said that all parts of Texas were represented in il, from the exlrcme western settlemenl at San Patricio, on the Nueces, to the Sabine and Red rivers. On Lhe 17th of March, l836, that convention unanimously adopted the present conslilulion, which, in the greater part, very nearly resembles that of the United SLaLes, and seems to have received Lhc g1'.11Cral approbation of the citizens.
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