The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947 Page: 284
582 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Through the kindness of life member George Wythe, of the
Cosmos Club of Washington, D.C., the Quarterly has been fur-
nished with copies of a memorandum by Carlos van Bellinghen,
first secretary of the Belgian Embassy in Washington.
BELGIAN RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
During the existence of Texas as an independent Republic, from 1836
to 1845, the diplomatic relations between Texas and Belgium were ex-
tremely cordial. Belgium was one of the first European powers to
recognize the new Republic, and your diplomatic representative at Brus-
sels, General James Hamilton, reported in his dispatches that the
friendly attitude of the Belgian government was of great utility in
securing the official recognition of Texas by Great Britain.
Our Sovereign at that period was Leopold I, grandfather of our present
King. He manifested deep interest in the new Republic and had many
personal conferences with your diplomatic agents, with a view to pro-
moting commercial intercourse between Texas and Belgium. In order
to study local conditions and develop commercial relations, a Belgian
diplomatic agent was dispatched to Texas in the person of Maj'or Pirson,
who afterwards was elected to our House of Representatives.
Your Republic was, at that time, in need of settlers to develop your
vast resources, and your government paid us the compliment of wishing
to obtain Belgians. One of your diplomatic agents reported that the
Belgian government was in favour of this plan, and he added: "They
[the Belgians] are among the best of emigrants, being sober, industrious,
enterprising and peaceful. . . . Indeed, for all practical results touching
commercial emigration, Belgium may be as important to us as England
or France."
It is gratifying to know that your ancestors held such a high opinion
of our people, and I trust, as do all Belgians, that the present generation
may equally merit your regard.
At one time, there were negotiations on foot for still closer relations
between Belgium and Texas. Your young Republic wanted to issue
a loan of about seven million dollars, and several propositions were
discussed. Under one plan, the Belgian government was to guarantee
the loan in return for a privileged position in respect to import duties
on certain Belgian products and in consideration of special privileges
for Belgian vessels in your coastwise trade. Under an alternative plan,
the Belgian government was to advance on guarantee three and a half
million dollars and to buy from you for another three and a half million
dollars, a strip of land along the disputed boundary between Texas
and Mexico, the territory thus acquired being designed as a colony of
Belgium. This was, I believe, the first effort of the Kingdom of Belgium
to establish an outlet for her crowded population in an overseas colony--
an inspiration which was not realized until half a century later, when
our wise and far-seeing ruler Leopold II acquired the vast territory in
central Africa which is known today as the Belgian Congo, and which
was explored by an American, Henry Stanley. I may mention as a
curious coincidence that the flag adopted for the Congo was identical284
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 50, July 1946 - April, 1947, periodical, 1947; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101117/m1/331/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.