The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 27
341 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Navy of the Republic of. Texas.
tion by the new government of Yucatan. On March 18, according
to Tennison, the San Bernard returned to Galveston. She had
touched at Vera Cruz, where her appearance was by no means wel-
come to the natives. Eight boats, with about seventy men each,
had prepared to attack this single schooner manned by a crew of
only twenty. The timely interference, however, of the British
sloop Cormus prevented trouble. On this trip the Sam Bernard had
lost her foremast, and was forced to stop at the Arcos Islands for
repairs. The Zavala was at Laguna on March 1, since her sup-
plies of fuel and provisions had not arrived from New Orleans.'
The following extract gives a glimpse of her at some later time :2
The steamship Zavala arrived yesterday in five days from Yuca-
tan. She had on board $8460 in specie, having received ten thou-
sand dollars in payment of services rendered by our Navy in the
taking of Tobasco, the balance being expended in the payment of
debts contracted there.
At Yucatan everything was quiet. No standing army to make
subordinate the civil authorities to the military, as in many parts
of Mexico. All kinds of religious worship was tolerated there.
Arista has joined Canales; but had no designs against Texas.
He seems determined to overthrow the existing government.
We are assured by a passenger on board the Zavala that the
Navy could, if permitted to make captures, not only defray its
own expenses, but support the government."
Under date. of July 3, 1841, Tennison states that on that day
the San Bernard arrived, presumably at Galveston, with Judge
Webb on board. He says that Mexico had refused to treat with
or to receive Webb as an agent to procure the acknowledgment of
the independence of Texas.4
'Tennison's Journal, folio 354, p. 1; folio 372, pp. 1-2.
'Austin City Gazette, April 21, 1841, quoting from the Galveston Morning
Herald. No copy of the latter paper is known to the writer, and no mention
of it is made in bibliographies of Texas or Louisiana newspapers.
'The reader will recall Lamar's statement that the officers of the Texas
navy were not expected to make captures while the Texas agent was in
Mexico negotiating for the recognition of Texan independence, because
Lamar considered that such a policy would be dishonorable. Mexico, in
this instance, seems to have outwitted Texas in diplomacy. She kept the
Texas agents in Mexico in suspense as to her final decision until her vessels
arrived from abroad, no doubt having been informed by the Texas agents,
that, as a means of getting their proposals considered, Texas war vessels
were under instructions not to molest Mexican commerce until their agency
terminated.
4Tennison's Journal, folio 372, p. 3.
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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/m1/35/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.