G.W. Terrell to Isaac Van Zandt, August 28, 1842

Summary: Terrell told Van Zandt to meet with United States officials to discuss problems concerning the mail and customs duties. He wanted the mail to pass freely across the border and felt the U.S. should not have any objection to the suggestion. More importantly, Terrell wanted the U.S. to stop traders from evading Texas customs duties along the Sabine river because the Texas government was losing a lot of revenue to such "smuggling".

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Houston Augst[sic] 28th 1842

Hon. ISAAC VAN ZANDT,

Charge d'Affaires to the United States etc.

SIR,

In my letter of [the] 19th Inst I brought to your notice the difficulties under which this country labours growing out of the traffic carried on between some of the citizens of the United States and the Indian tribes within our territory. There is another subject out of which has grown a good deal of inconvenience and some embarrassment to a valuable class of the citizens of both Governments, and which a very simple arrangement will free from all perplexity. I mean the transmission of the mails across the line from one country to the other.

To facilitate this transmission and free it from all embarrassment it is only necessary to make an agreement with the authorities of the United States that Postmasters of each country shall deliver to the order of any post master of the other, all letters, or documents of whatever description, designed to be transmitted across the boundary line. By way of example, a mail would be prepared at New Orleans containing all the letters and papers directed to Texas--it is only necessary for the authorities of the United States to give order to the Post Master at N.O. to deliver them to the order of the Post Master at Galveston, or to the Texan Consul at New Orleans, or vice versa. This arrangement would be perfectly equitable--no objection to it could exist, as it is reasonable to suppose that as many letters would pass from one country as from the other. The proposed arrangement therefore rests upon the basis of reciprocity. Nor can any injury result from it to the revenue of either country--as the government of each can give orders to its officers not to mail any letters designed to cross the line unless they are post paid, and if necessary through what post office they shall make their transit from one country to the other. In this way the revenue of neither can suffer detriment--the facilities of correspondence to a most valuable class of citizens--the mercantile interests would be greatly subserved, and the general intercourse between two nations bound together by the strongest ties of kindred blood and kindred principles, be greatly promoted.

It will be seen, by a moment's examination, that this proposition is entirely reciprocal--that the sole object of this Government in proposing such an arrangement is to disembarrass and facilitate the general intercourse between the two countries; It is therefore presumed that no obstacle to the arrangement will be interposed by the authorities of the United States--the mutual advantages to result from it being so obvious as to strike every one at first view with the propriety of concluding it.

It has been represented to the appropriate Department of this Government that our revenue laws are constantly evaded by citizens of the United States who navigate the Sabine river in trading boats, land at the different points and sell goods to the citizens of Texas without paying the duties prescribed by our laws. This System of smuggling--for it is nothing less--should be remedied. The United States by the treaty of 1819, having the right to the whole of the waters of the Sabine river--and, (by a strange and monstrous perversion of the terms used in that treaty, in which the Government of Texas, in an unfortunate moment, hastily acquiesced) of the Lake and Pass also, it is beyond the power of this Government of itself to devise and enforce an effectual remedy; Inasmuch as these smugglers have nothing to do but cast anchor ten feet from our shore and they are entirely secure from either seisure[sic] or search on the part of the officers of this Government, and may and do commit the most flagrant violations of our revenue laws with perfect impunity. It will be seen therefore that the remedy for these evils is not within the power of the authorities of Texas--it can only be effected by some conventional arrangment between the two Governments. It is believed that the Government of the United States will not refuse to invest the revenue officers of this Government with authority to seise[sic] upon and confiscate, according to our own laws, the goods of any such craft that may be found engaged in this illicit intercourse with our citizens. The vessels of the United States should be required to enter at the Texan custom house on the Sabine Pass, before they are permitted to trade with our citizens, and if found engaged in this trade without having done so their goods should be subject to seisure[sic] by our officers. This is but a reasonable demand, and one which it is hoped the Government of the United States will not hesitate to comply with.

Many attempts have been made to introduce African negros into the United States, in the same clandestine manner, through our territories, but this Government has never failed to employ the most prompt and efficient measure to prevent their success. It is but Just therefore that the United States should extend the same measure of Just reciprocity to Texas in a matter in which her means of support to the government are vitally interested.

It is the wish of the President that you will give to these subjects your early and constant attention, and endeavour to effect such an arrangement as may be mutually beneficial to both countries.

I have the honour to be

With great respect

Your obdt servt G.W. TERRELL

Atto. Genl. and

(Acting) Secretary of State.

Source Copy Consulted: G.W. Terrell to Isaac Van Zandt, August 28, 1842, in George Garrison, ed., Diplomatic Correspondence of the Republic of Texas, Annual Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1908, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1911), 3 vols., 2:601-603