Ashbel Smith to Anson Jones, April 11, 1843

Summary: Smith gave Jones his opinions on the present state of Texas affairs in Europe. He requested the French government to protest to the Mexican government atrocities committed against Texans and received a lukewarm response. He then said conditions looked bleak for getting either a loan from France or achieving a favorable trade status, especially concerning tariffs on cotton. As an alternative, Smith encouraged Jones to seek relations with Belgium and Spain because the former was interested and the latter might pressure Britain into recognizing Texas.

36[sic] LEGATION OF TEXAS, PARIS

April 11, 1843

The Hon ANSON JONES

Secretary of State

SIR.

I have the honor to acknowledged the receipt of despatches from your Department, dated Jany 23d--Jany 31st--Feby 16th and Feby 26th, with the enclosed documents. They were all brought by the same ship from New York received by me at the same time. The dispatches of the 26th Decr and 19th Jany came to hand a few days previously; as did those of Decr 7th and 10th brought by Mr. Barnard. The regular receipt of your despatches for some time past is highly satisfactory to me as I am thus put in possession of the views of the Government, and enabled to execute my duties without hesitation.

I communicated the circular Letter of the 15th October to this Government some time since with a note explanatory of the wishes of the Texian Government; I have also communicated a copy of the Despatch of Jany 31st together with an extract from Despatch of Jany 23d touching the Mexican emissaries among the Indian tribes. I accompanied these documents with a note setting forth more explicitly than I had done in the former one on the same subject the object of Texas in presenting these matters to the consideration of other Powers. In an interview I had with Monsieur Guizot. I entered into some details, the same nearly as have been since furnished in the Despatch of Jany 31st, concerning the manner in which Mexico has prosecuted hostilities. He listened with much apparent interest, and assured me that the King's Government would write immediately to their Minister at Mexico to make proper representations to the Mexican Government 'against the cruelty practised towards the Texians,' etc. etc. The despatch of the 31st January, received the 8th Instant, as I have already stated, was communicated to this Government yesterday, the 10th Instant. No reply has of course yet been received.

The revocation of the Proclamation of Feby 11, 1840 abolishing temporarily the duties on French wines, created at first some little dissatisfaction here. The subject has not been recently mentioned, which disposes me to think the revocation is now viewed in a more favorable light. I send herewith my correspondence on this subject.

I send also copies of a note informing Mr Guizot of my having been furnished with powers to negotiate a treaty etc., and of his reply designating Mr Saligny as authorized to act on behalf of the French Government. For the reasons, however, mentioned in a former despatch, I do not imagine that an attempt to negotiate a new treaty will have important results. Cotton, our principal article for export, is subject to a duty of 20 francs the hundred Kilogrammes (about 200 lbs.) and with the addition of 1/10th according to their customs regulations, it pays in fact 22 francs the 100 kilo. This is the duty on foreign cotton generally. An exception of one half is made in favor of the cotton of the Levant which therefore pays 11 francs the 100 kilo; and an exception in favor of cotton the growth of French colonies is made, so that the latter pays 6 francs and 50 centimes the 100 kilo. In Great Britain, Foreign Cotton pays a duty of 2s 11d the cwt--which reduced into French currency and weight, is 7 francs and 37 centimes the 100 kilos. We cannot expect France will reduce the duty on our cotton so that it shall pay less or even as small a duty as the cotton of their own colonies. But, provided this Govt. were willing to place our cotton on a footing with that of their colonies--which is very improbable--ought we to make any important concession, for the same, seeing that our cotton is now received in Gt Britain at a rate very little higher and without any concession to the commerce of that country? Is it not advisable to reserve the right of transit and the free introduction of French wines into Texas for more important negotiations? The guarantee of a Loan by the French Govt I regard now as utterly hopeless; they consider the revocation of the Proclamation of 11th Feby 1840 as having been occasioned by their refusal to guarantee the Texian Loan which General Hamilton was charged to negotiate.

In consequence of the generally unfavorable character of the news circulated in Europe about Texas, based in a good degree on the defeat of Col. Fisher, and still more on the atrocious statements of the condition of our country copied from the opposition newspapers of Texas. I have abstained from any endeavors recently to extend our international relations with the single exception of Belgium. The conversations I have held with the Belgian Charge' d' Affaires at this Court induce me to believe we could now negotiate successfully with that Power. He proposed some time since to ask for me an

audience in relation to this matter with King Leopold who is expected to arrive in Paris tomorrow or the day after. He comes to France to be present at the nuptials of the Princess Clementine which are to take place on the 19th Instant.

It is to be regretted that General Cass has resigned his post here. His dispositions were very friendly towards our country, and his long residence and personal character gave much weight to his representations.

I shall leave for London in 8 or 10 days where I intend to spend a month. Mr Bourgeois will meet me there. He thinks that the Loan may be negotiated there conformably to my last instructions, a portion of which have been communicated to him. I take the liberty of assuring you that I shall not transcend my instructions by positive arrangements except where fully authorized, nor permit our credit to attain any disagreeable notoriety, nor the negotiations to run into interminable delays.

In London my attention will be given to the establishment of relations with Spain; in which I hope to have the aid of the English Government. Without their countenance I deem success at this time quite improbable.

I am pleased to learn the appointment of Mr Daingerfield. The residence of a gentleman as representative of a country in any of the European Capitals exerts a very decidedly favorable influence--in regard to the minor states it is at least an evidence of their existence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Our relations on the whole are on a good footing. Our worst enemy in Europe is the calumnies of our own newspapers. These will after a while cease to have any effect--indeed I can already perceive they are beginning to be properly appreciated.

I have the honor to be

very respectfully

Your most obedient

Servant

ASHBEL SMITH.

Source Copy Consulted: Ashbel Smith to Anson Jones, April 11, 1843, 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., 3: 1431-1433