On the 1st of March, 1845, the following Joint Resolution was passed by the Congress of the United States for annexing Texas to this country: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress doth consent that the Territory properly included within and rightfully belonging to the Republic of Texas, may be erected into a new State to be called the State of Texas, with a republican form of government, to be adopted by the people of said Republic, by deputies in convention assembled, with the consent of the existing Government, in order that the same may be admitted as one of the States of this Union. 2. And be it further resolved, That the foregoing consent of Congress is given upon the following conditions, and with the following guarantees, to wit: First. Said State to be formed, subject to the adjustment by this Government of all questions of boundary that may arise with other Governments; and the Constitution thereof, with the proper evidence of its adoption by the people of said Republic of Texas, shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, to be laid before Congress for its final action, on or before the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-six. Second. Said State, when admitted into the Union, after ceding to the United States all public edifices, fortifications, barracks, ports, and harbors, navy, and navy-yards, docks, magazines, arms, armaments, and all other property and means pertaining to the public defence belonging to said Republic of Texas, shall retain all the public funds, debts, taxes, and dues of every kind, which may belong to or be due and owing said Republic; and shall also retain all the vacant and unappropriated lands lying within its limits, to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities of said Republic of Texas; and the residue of said lands, after discharging said debts and liabilities, to be disposed of as said State may direct; but in no event are said debts and liabilities to become a charge upon the Government of the United States. Third. New States, of convenient size, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas, and having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the consent of said State, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the Federal Constitution. And such States as may be formed out of that portion of said territory lying south of thirtysix degrees thirty minutes north latitude, commonly known as the Missouri compromise line, shall be admitted into the Union with or without slavery, as the people of each State asking admission may desire. And in such State or States as shall be formed out of said territory north of said Missouri compromise line, slavery, or involuntary servitude, (except for crime,) shall be prohibited. And be it further resolved, That if the President of the United States shall, in his judgment and discretion, deem it most advisable, instead of proceeding to submit the foregoing resolution to the Republic of Texas as an overture on the part of the United States for admission, to negotiate with that Republic, then Be it resolved, That a State, to be formed out of the present Republic of Texas, with suitable extent and boundaries, and with two Representatives in Congress until the next apportionment of representation, shall be admitted into the Union by virtue of this act, on an equal footing with the existing States, as soon as the terms and conditions of such admission, and the cession of the remaining Texan territory to the United States, shall be agreed upon by the Governments of Texas and the United States. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the sum of one hundred thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated, to defray the expenses of missions and negotiations, to agree upon the terms of said admission and cession, either by treaty to be submitted to the Senate, or by articles to be submitted to the two Houses of Congress, as the President may direct. Approved, March 1, 1845. On the 5th of May, the President of Texas issued his Proclamation, requiring the people to choose members of a Convention, to be held at Austin, on the 4th of July, to consider the question of annexation and the adoption of a Constitution. On the 16th of May, the Texan Congress assembled, and by a unanimous vote of both branches, the following Resolution was passed: Whereas the Government of the United States hath proposed the following terms, guaranties, and conditions on which the people and territory of the Republic of Texas may be erected into a new State, to be called the State of Texas, and admitted as one of the States of the American Union, to wit: [Here follow the resolutions of the United States Congress ] And whereas, by said terms, the consent of the existing government of Texas is required: Therefore Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, in Congress assembled, That the government of Texas doth consent that the people and territory of the Republic of Texas may be erected into a new State, to be called the State of Texas, with a republican form of government, to be adopted by the people of said republic, by deputies in convention assembled, in order that the same may be admitted as one of the States of the American Union; and said consent is given on the terms, guaranties, and conditions set forth in the preamble to this joint resolution. On the 4th of July, the Texan Convention assembled at Austin, and with but one dissenting vote ratified the act of annexation to this country, adopting the first branch of the alternative that had been offered by the Congress of the United States. The Convention then proceeded to form a Constitution for the new State, of which the provisions relative to the Executive department require that a Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected once in four years; a Secretary of State, to be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate; a Treasurer and Comptroller to be chosen biennially by joint-ballot. Two thirds are required to pass a bill over the veto. The Judges are to be appointed by the Governor and Senate. Statistics of Texas. - The following is an extract from a letter, dated January 23, 1845, from Mr. Charles A. Raymond, then the Texan minister to the United States, to Mr. Calhoun, the Secretary of State of the United States. It appears by President Houston's last annual message, dated the 4th of December, 1844, to the congress of Texas, that the expenditures of the government for all purposes, during his administration, up to the 1st November, 1844, excluding $50,873 82, incurred during the administration of his predecessor and paid by this, amounted to $460,209 18. The receipts during the same period were $466,158 09. Leaving a balance, after carrying on the government for the last three years, of $5,948 91. It appears by the report of the Secretary of the Treasury of Texas, dated the 4th December, 1843, that the importations reported at the custom-houses from the 1st August, 1842, to the 31st June, 1843, amounted to $417,205 32; the exports during the same period, $415,768 75. I have not been able to obtain an accurate statement of the duties collected during the quarter ending 1st November, 1842, but I believe they may be fairly estimated at $30,000. From that time to the 31st July, 1843, a period of nine months, the duties collected amounted to $102,450 60. The amount of direct tax assessed in 1843, was $47,809 93; but how much of the same has been collected I am not informed. According to the tax returns of 1843, the slave population at that time was 22,410; the increase since then I have at present no means of ascertaining. From the 1st August, 1842, to the 31st July, 1843, there entered the ports of Texas 273 vessels, and there cleared during the same period 288. By the last report of the Secretary of the Treasury of Texas, dated the 1st of December, 1844, it appears that the importations reported at the custom-houses for the year ending July 31, 1844, amounted to $636,503 03; the exports during the same time to $615,119 34. The amount of duties collected on importations was $201,413 30; the expense of collecting was $25,551 45; leaving a net revenue of $177,861 85. The amount of direct taxes assessed during the year 1844 was $50,790 52. The tax collectors have not yet made their returns of the amount collected. The Commissioner of the Land Office of Texas, under a resolution of the Convention, compiled a statement of the contents of the territory of the Republic in square miles, the number of acres for which scrip has been issued, and other important items, as follows: Superficial extent of Texas, as comprised within the limits defined 397,819 sq. miles, or by statute of first Texan Congress, p. 313, 234,284,160 acres. Total amount of land issued by the various Boards of Land Commissioners, Total amount recommended, from the above, as good and lawful claims, by the Commissioners appointed to defeat fraudulent certificates, Total amount issued by the Department of War, as bounty and Total amount of Land Serip sold by the Government of Texas, Total amount issued by the various Boards of Land Commission- Total amount of land issued by the authorities of Mexico, a portion of which is supposed to be invalid, Total amount of public domain subject to location, and unsurveyed, 43,543 970" 10,212,206" 6,300,000 66 25,880,994" 24,331,764" 22,680,000" 181,991,491 66 The following has been published as a statement of the Public Debt of Texas; but it is not official, and is not likely to be very correct:— Texas is divided into 36 counties, and in these, at the election of a President in September, 1844, 12,752 votes were cast. We give the names of the counties, and the aggregate number of votes polled in each, which probably indicate their relative population. The present population of most of the above States has not been very recently ascertained with any exactness. BRITISH AMERICAN PROVINCES. SIR CHARLES T. METCALFE, Governor-General, Vice-Admiral, and CaptainGeneral of all the British Provinces of North America. There are 106,803 inhabited dwelling houses, 4,041 vacant and 1,643 in the progress of erection, making 112,487. There are 121,441 qualified voters at elections for members of Parliament. The produce of the year 1843 has been returned as follows: EDUCATION. There are 63 colleges, academies, and convents, and 1,566 elementary schools, making a total of 1,629 educational establishments, at which there are 31,432 males taught, and 25,146 females; making a total attendance of 56,578. |