The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938 Page: 105
383 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Free Negro in the Republic of Texas
of the Royal Navy to demand the recovery of eight British Negro
citizens of the Windward Islands said to have been inveigled into
Texas by John Taylor of the Barbadoes and sold for slaves."0
Lacking diplomatic channels, letters addressed to the "President
or Officer Administrating the Government of Texas" were handed
to the collector of the port for delivery to Mirabeau Lamar. Upon
receipt of the communication of E. Murray McGregor, Governor of
the Windward Islands, explaining Hamilton's mission, David G.
Burnet, acting Secretary of State, replied to Hamilton that the
government "has no knowledge of any person of the character
described being within its jurisdiction," but admitted that the
extensive seacoast and the imperfect organization of government
conspired to expose some remote points to access by illicit traders.
Burnet indicated the willingness of the Texas Government to sur-
render any Negroes that Hamilton could positively identify as
free men, and invited him to confer with President Lamar in
Austin."
Early in February, Hamilton conferred with Abner S. Lipscomb,
Secretary of State," and Lamar issued a proclamation calling upon
Texas citizens to aid Hamilton in his search for the free Negroes
allegedly held as slaves."" Two months later Hamilton actually
recovered five of the Negroes, accounted for the other three
and collected evidence which was to convict John Taylor for
selling free Negroes into slavery.04
"The Morning Star, January 28, 1840.
"David G. Burnet to Commander Hamilton, January 29, 1840. House
Journal Appendix, Fifth Congress.
"Abner S. Lipscomb to Commander Hamilton, March 31, 1840. House
Journal Appendix, Fifth Congress, 24-25.
"UAbner S. Lipscomb to Commander Hamilton, February 14, 1840. House
Journal Appendix, Fifth Congress, 23-24.
"Joseph Hamilton to Abner S. Lipscomb, April 21, 1840. House Jour-
nal. Appendix, Fifth Congress, 23. The chief evidence upon which Taylor
was convicted, in addition to the testimony of the Negroes themselves,
was the deposition of Joseph Grigsby that since the adoption of the con-
stitution he had regarded the Negroes in his care as slaves. Before the
trial Taylor asked Lamar to conduct an investigation to determine if
any of these Negroes had been held de jure or de facto as slaves. On
the grounds that an inquiry would be attended with some trouble and
expense and that it was not essential to Taylor's vindication, Lamar
contented himself with a declaration that no person who was not a
slave previous to his immigration could be subjected to "absolute"
slavery. A month after Taylor's conviction, Lamar complied with Tay-
lor's four month old request for an inquiry which was confined to depo-
sitions made by those involved in the transactions. In these depositions,105
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938, periodical, 1938; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101103/m1/113/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.