Page:History of the War between the United States and Mexico.djvu/60

48 were so apparent to the Texan officers in 1836, that in the convention entered into with Santa Anna, it was agreed that that river, from its mouth to its source, should constitute the south-western boundary of the country. But this agreement, or convention, was never ofﬁcially conﬁrmed by the Mexican government. He had, previous to his capture, exercised dictatorial powers, and good faith might have required Mexico to ratify his acts, though she preferred to disavow them. Texas, however, decided to adhere to the Rio Grande as the boundary, and on the 19th of December 1836, an act was passed by her Congress, establishing that river, from its mouth up its principal stream to its source, as such boundary. From the source of the river, the line on the north and east was declared to be "as deﬁned between the United States and Spain." In compliance with a call of the Senate, pending the discussion on the treaty of 1844, President Tyler sent in a map of the country proposed to be ceded, upon which the boundaries, as above described, were marked in red lines. The act of the Texan Congress was unrepealed, at the time of her ﬁnal admission in 1845; the new constitution adopted, impaired its validity in no respect, as it expressly provided for continuing all prior enactments in full force; and on the 31st day of December, two days after she was admit — ted as a state, the Congress of the United States passed a law establishing "a collection district in the State of Texas," and Corpus Christi, west of the Nueces, was made a port of delivery, for which a surveyor was afterwards appointed. At the opening of the session, President Polk had informed Congress that the army had been "ordered to take a position in the country