The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 178
341 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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178
Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
Nashville. Austin and Archer remained in New Orleans through-
out January.
During the next two months the commissioners slowly made
their way toward Washington. They were greatly delayed on ac-
count of the frozen condition of the roads and rivers and the illness
of Austin and Wharton at Nashville.' It had been their intention
before leaving Texas2 and while in New Orleans3 to return home
in March, perhaps in time for the March convention. By March
3, Austin and Archer had gone no further than Louisville, Ken-
tucky, and Wharton was still ill in Nashville. Before they could
reach Washington the convention undoubtedly would have declared
independence and organized a permanent government. The pro-
visional government which they represented would then no longer
exist, and in that case their present credentials would be worthless
at Washington. A failure on their part to receive recognition as
commissioners, they realized, would be disastrous. In order now
to enter into negotiations concerning recognition, it was abso-
lutely necessary to have an official copy of the declaration of inde-
pendence and new instructions from the convention. They were
therefore in no haste to proceed until these documents should have
been forwarded to Washington.4 By the latter part of the month
'Wharton to Governor Smith, February 7, 1836, Garrison, Dip. Cor.
Tex. I, 65-66; Austin, Archer, and Wharton to Governor Smith, Feb-
ruary 16, 1836, ibid., 66-69; Austin and Archer to the Governor of
Texas, March 3, ibid., 72-73.
2See Barrett's report, January 2, 1836, given above, p. 172, note 3, in
which he says, "Already one-half of the time allotted to the fulfillment
of the trust committed to them is expired."
"Austin, Archer and Wharton to Governor Smith, January 10, 1836,
Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex. I, 57.
'Austin and Archer to the Governor of Texas, March 3, 1836, Garrison,
Dip. Cor. Tex, I. 72-73, a rough draft of which is among the Austin
Papers; Austin, Archer and Wharton to the Government of Texas, April
6, 1836 (its date should have been April 5; see Yates to Allen, April
5, Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex., I, 79, and Wharton to Austin, April 6, ibid.,
80-81), Garrison, Dip. Cor. Tex., I, 79-80. In this last letter the com-
missioners report:
"Knowing that we could not effect anything with the money market,
or with the Government, until we received an absolute declaration of In-
dependence by Texas, and special powers and instructions to present it,
we purposely delayed getting to Washington until such time as we
thought we would certainly meet with the declaration, and also with
the appointment of some one of us, or somebody else, to lay the matter
before the Government officially."
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910, periodical, 1910; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101051/m1/198/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.