The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 1, July 1897 - April, 1898 Page: 18

18 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
mouth to its source, and from its source to the 42d parallel of north
latitude.
The only area within this limit adversely occupied was the in-
habited portion of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande, known as
Santa Fe. With a view to establishing peaceful relations with that
part of the country, President Lamar had fitted out an expedition
in 1841. Upon their arrival in New Mexico, they were treated as
public enemies, made prisoners, and sent to Mexican prisons.
During the next year, Mexico made two efforts to regain a portion
of Texas, one in the spring, another in the fall of the year; but both
were driven back across the Rio Grande. Nothing further had been
done in the way of exercising jurisdiction over any unoccupied ter-
ritory when the subject of annexation to the United States began
to be agitated in both countries. Annexation was consummated in
1845 by Texas merging herself into the United States as a State.
There were certain stipulations of the terms known as Articles of
Annexation. One of them devolved upon the United States the re-
sponsibility of settling boundary disputes with other nations; an-
other provided for the erection of four additional States out of her
territory when the State desired; and another provided that the line
of 36 degrees 30 minutes should be respected as to slavery.
At the time of the adoption of these articles of annexation, the
only nation disputing the boundaries of Texas was Mexico, and
that dispute was not as to any western boundary, but was as to the
right of Texas to establish a boundary at the Sabine, Mexico still
refusing to recognize her right as an independent nation to fix any
boundary.' Annexation was fully consummated in February, 1846,
and the United States began to move her troops from the outposts
of Louisiana to the western borders of Texas. This was regarded
as a cases belli, and the troops of the United States were attacked
by those of Mexico. War followed, and, after it, in 1848, came the
treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. By this treaty, the boundary line be-
tween the two Republics began "in the Gulf of Mexico three
leagues from land, opposite the mouth of the Rio Grande; * * *
thence up the middle of the river * * * to the point
where it strikes the boundary of New Mexico; thence westwardly
along the whole southern boundary of New Mexico (which runs
north of the town called Paso) to its western termination; thence
northward along the western line of New Mexico until it intersects