Anno Sexto Victoria Reginae. Cap. XV. An Act for Carrying into Effect the Treaty Between Her Majesty and the Republic of Texas for the Suppression of the African Slave Trade... [caption title]

London: Printed by George E. Eyre and Andrew Spottiswoode, Printers to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, 1843. Very good plus.. [165]-180pp. Neatly extracted from a bound volume. Soft horizontal folds. Otherwise clean. A rare British diplomatic act which provided formal consent and additional instructions for carrying out the Treaty Between Her Majesty and the Republick of Texas for the Suppression of the African Slave Trade signed on November 16, 1840 between Great Britain and the new Texas republic (Streeter Texas 1416). By virtue of the agreement, Britain recognized the Republic of Texas as an independent nation. Still technically in a state of war with Mexico, Texas was unable enjoy the full benefits of independence and diplomatic relations with other nations due to its equivocal status. In hopes of speeding annexation to the United States, President Sam Houston appointed General James Hamilton a "Commissioner on the part of said Republic to treat with any Commissioner Agent or Minister which may be duly appointed by the Republic of Mexico to negotiate for Amity, peace, and boundaries with the Republic of Texas, aforesaid, and to open said negotiation either at London or elsewhere, either through the intervention of Her Britannic Majesty's Government or of any other power which he may select for that purpose." Hamilton successfully negotiated three treaties with Great Britain: one of commerce and navigation, another providing for British mediation in the Texas-­Mexico peace negotiations, and the treaty calling for the suppression of the slave trade. Although signed in November 1840, various bureaucratic delays postponed the ultimate adoption of the treaty until July 28, 1842.

The Treaty established an agreement between the two parties to suppress the African slave trade by declaring such trade as piracy. The Treaty, consisting of eighteen Articles, is reproduced in the present Act on pages 165-172, together with Annex A (being two Forms of Warrants and Orders to visit merchant vessels suspected of being engaged in the African slave trade) on pages 172-173, Annex B (being six additional Instructions to cruisers) on pages 174-176, and twelve additional Clauses on pages 177-180. According to Streeter: "The act has provisions relating to seizing ships 'liable to suspicion' and to division of bounties, amounting to five pounds each slave seized, among the officers and crews of British warships making the seizure." The reaction to the treaty in Texas was summarized by Eberstadt: "Since Texas was a substantial importer of African slaves, this treaty did not sit well at Austin. Yet, as the price demanded by Britain for recognizing the Republic, it was proclaimed by President Houston on 16 September 1842” - Eberstadt (referencing Streeter 1416). The Treaty was nullified in 1845 when the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States. Slavery continued to be lawful in the Republic of Texas, in connection with the slave trade that existed prior to the 1840 Treaty.

OCLC shows four holdings, at NYPL, Azusa Pacific University, Yale (Streeter's copy), and UT-Arlington.
Streeter Texas 1456 (also listing a copy at UT-Austin). Streeter Texas 1416 (ref). Eberstadt 162:843 (ref). (Inventory #: 5704)