The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 20, July 1916 - April, 1917 Page: 209

THE
SOUTHWESTERN HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
VOL. XX JANUARY, 1917 No. 3
The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views expressed by
contributors to THE QUARTERLY
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE
REPUBLIC OF TEXAS, 1836-1845*
HERBERT ROOK EDWARDS
I
NEGOTIATIONS FOR RECOGNITION AND FOR A COMMERCIAL TREATY
On March 2, 1836, the people of Texas, through their dele-
gates, assembled in convention at Washington, Texas, declared
themselves a "free, sovereign and independent Republic," fully
invested with all the rights and attributes which properly belong
to independent nations. A constitution was framed and adopted
on March 17, 1836. The next natural step was to secure the
recognition of Texas as an independent nation by the civilized
governments of the world.
During the presidency of General Houston, J. P. Henderson was
sent by the Texan government as a commissioner to Paris and
London to obtain recognition of Texas.1 He arrived in Paris
March 23, 1838.2 On April 28, the French government was
officially notified of his arrival, and General Henderson asked
Count Mole, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, for a date on
which he could pay his respects. From what he was able to learn
*A thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate Department of the
University of Texas for the Degree of Master of Arts.
1Bancroft, North Mexican States and Texas, II, 338.
2Henderson to Mol6, May 26, 1838. Garrison, Diplomatic Correspond-
ence of Texas, in Annual Report of the American Historical Association,
1908, II, 1206.