CHAPTER I. HENDERSON'S ADMINISTRATION-COURTS-PUBLIC DOMAIN-TEXANS IN MEXICAN WAR-HORTON ACTING GOVERNOR-WOOD'S ADMINISTRATION-PUBLIC DEBT SANTA FE, AGAIN-BELL'S ADMINISTRATION—THE UNITED STATES PROPOSE TO BUY SANTA FE PEARCE'S BOUNDARY BILL-SANTA FE SOLD-DISPUTES ABOUT LAND IN PETER'S COLONY. THE HE other States of the American union, when they became such, passed from a subordinate condition of colonies, or territories to the automatic condition of "States" -Texas on the contrary surrendered her nationality, and took, comparatively, a subordinate place as one of the members of the great confederacy. But in doing this, she was relieved of the burden of maintaining an army, a navy, a postal system, and a corps of diplomatic agents in foreign countries. From this time our history becomes more circumscribed, and limited almost exclusively to our own immediate territory. Governor Henderson was inaugurated February 16th, 1846. The constitution which had been prepared by the convention of the previous year, and adopted by the people, fixed the Governor's term at, two years, and invested him with the veto power, and provided for biennial sessions of the Legislature. The Supreme Court, having only appellate jurisdiction, was composed of one chief justice and two associates. The Legislature formed eight judicial districts. The justices of the supreme court and judges of district courts were to be nominated by the Governor, and confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, and were to hold office for six years. At the last session of the Congress of the Republic, according to the report of the Commissioner of the General Land Office, the total amount of the public domain subject to location and unsurveyed, was 181,991,403 acres.* Pending the annexation negotiations, the United States had kept on the Sabine an army of observation, consisting of two regiments of cavalry and one of infantry, under General Z. Taylor. On the 26th of June, 1845, this force, somewhat augmented, sailed from New Orleans and established military headquarters at Corpus Christi. When the annexation bill passed the United States Congress, Mr. Almonte, the Mexican Minister at Washington, denounced the act and demanded his passports. War with Mexico was seen to be inevitable; and the Legislature passed a bill authorizing Governor Henderson to command the Texans who might be.mustered into the service of the United States. Soon after General Taylor reached Corpus Christi he was reinforced by the arrival of the regiment of Colonel Twiggs, who had passed through Texas by land. Taylor had about 4,000 men with him then. This was about the middle of January. On the 8th of March, the advance division left Corpus Christi under Colonel Twiggs, and Taylor's army reached the Arroyo Colorado, thirty miles from Matamoras, on the 18th. On the 3d of May, the Mexicans bombarded Fort Brown. The battle of Palo Alto was fought May 8th, and that of Resaca de La Palma on the 9th, after which the army left the territory of Texas. * Total amount of land issued by the various boards of land commissioners, 43,543,970 acres; of which the committee appointed to detect fraudulent claims, recommended 19,212,206 acres as good, the others, fraudulent. Amount issued by Department of War, as bounty and donation claims, 6,300,000. Total amouut of land scrip sold by the late Republic, 368,787 acres-making the total legal claims issued by Texas 25,880,093 acres; while the claims reported fraudulent were 24,331,764 acres. Total amount issued by the Mexican authorities, a considerable proportion of which is supposed to be fraudulent, 22,080,000 acres. |