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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
I think some considerable part would Volunteer their services in your Cause- By attending to the preceding request you will confer a favor that will be gratefully acknowledged by Your Obt SeY't STEPHEN SMITH Ps He belonged & was Liet in 'ricknors Company of Alabama Grays & Wards Battalion-S. S. [Addressed:] Brigr Gen! Lamar Velasco Texas [Endorsed:] Stephen Smith Wetumpka Augt. 1836 No. 426. BRITISH P .ARLIAMENT, HOUSE OF COMl\IONS [Newspaper clipping] August 6, [1836] TEX.AS .AND ll.Exrco-HIGIILY lMPORTANT Mr. P. Hoyt, in conformity with Previous notice, brought forward his motion for inquiry into the affair of Texas and 1\lexico. He said it was not a war for independence but for slaYery, aud asked "if the U. States were suffered to wrest Texas from Mexico, Cuba would come next." The debate, however, is of so much importance that we ex- tract the whole of it, from which it will be seen that the British Cab- inet did not deem it necessary to interfere; and the motion was with- drawn. We copy from the Courier and Enquirer: HOUSE OF COl1?1lONS-AUGUST 6. TEX.AS Mr. P. Hoyt rose to bring forward the motion of which he had giYen notice. It was on a subject of the utmost importance to the cause of humanity, of immense importance to our colonial possessions and to our merchnnts who had embarked 70,000,000 dollars in .Mexico If the United States were suffered to wrest Texas from Mexico, would not Cuba and other ::'llexican possessions fall a prey to the United States? 'l'he war now going on in Texas was a war not for independ- ence but for slaYery; and he would contend that should the reYolt in Texas be successful, that province would still be bound by the treaty, l\Iexico entered into with this country when Texas formed part of the Mexican dominions to prevent carrying on of the slave trade within its territory; the number of States in the Union had originally been 13; they were now increased to 26, and if Texas were added to the Union there could be no doubt the basis of the connexion would be to establish slavery and the slam trade permanently in that province. He begged to ask the Noble Lord opposite Lord Palmerston, if within the last ten clays he had not received an application from the :Mexican GorernmPnt for the good offices of this country to remonstrate with the United States against the gross Yiolation of treaties, and the ag- grei:sio11 of their Southern states. The honourable member read ex- tracts from speeches of i\fr. Huskimon and i\lr John Q Adams, to !'how the importance of America in a commercial point of view, of a1111rxi11g Trxa!- to its territorY. It. is iiow for this hoUS(' to consider whether, after the enormous sums t>xpe111lt>d in aholi~hing-anrl putting- rlown fllarery, it would render the whole of that expenditure useless, a1Hl to allow slavery to take deep root in situations with respect to which thi!- country hacl both the
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