cornfirming lheir prcser'lt magna charla, and seeking admis.sion into the Union of lhe Unilcd Slates of lhe north. The lerms upon which they desire lo become an inlegranl of that Union have been discussed in the cabinet, and have already been, or will be, made the heads of instructions for lhe con<lucl of their representative near the Government al Washington. They arc somewhat as foUows: Thal all the laws, acts, and obligations of the present, as wclJ as of Lhe provisional Government of November, 1835, shall be respected and held valid. That bona fide selllers shall be protected in their rights to so much land as they can righlfully claim by virtue of the laws under which lhey emigrated. That locations of land shall nol be deemed defcclive for any failure to comply wilh formal requisitions, such as cultivation in toto, creeling landgood in the beginning, shall continue so, upon a compljance with the neglected requisites, whenever they may be legally insisted on. Thal slavery shall be allowed in Texas, of persons of African descent; and that all persons of that description now in Texas, and held as slaves, shall be respected as the properly of their respective owners. Thal cilizens of this, who may be bound lo those of foreign countries for debts contracted previous lo their corning hither, shall, in respect lo such debls, be protected from suits during a cerlain number of years. _ Thal liberal appropriations of public land shall be made for the endowment of seminaries of learning and "other institutions of public utility;" and lhal all ordinances or laws, declaring as subject of confiscalion or forfeilure properly of any description, shall be duly respecled, and allowed to be carried out by the authorilies of Texas. The firsl provision of those instructions would affccl the interest of the United States, upon her adopting Texas, only so far as concerns the public debts and grants of lands to settlers and soldiers; as the other laws referred to arc of a municipal character, and relate principally to lhe internal policy of the State. I discussed lhe mode in which these obligations should be complied wilh, as il is easy to see that all the liabilities of the Government, for its aclminislration and the support of the war,
451
Powered by FlippingBook