Item No: #362002 The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico. N. Doran Maillard.
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico
The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico

Anti-Slavery, Anti-Texas Republic

The History of the Republic of Texas, from the Discovery of the Country to the Present Time; and the Cause of Her Separation from the Republic of Mexico

Notes: A classic Texas book, illustrated with a folding lithographic map. This early Texas history was written by a British attorney who tried practicing law in 1839 and 1840 in the new Republic of Texas. He returned to England and immediately began denouncing Texas at every opportunity. In particular, he argued the Texas and the Texans were a bad investment and that supporting the new Republic would encourage slavery, which the United Kingdom had just abolished.

The impetus for Maillard's book was the publication of the panegyric, Texas: The Rise, Progress, and Prospect of the Republic of Texas (London, 1841). Maillard writes in the introduction, "My object is to present to the public an unvarnished account of what Texas and the Texans really are; of the true origin and history of their rebellion against Mexico...; of their inhuman treatment of the Negro and Indian races...; and to prevent more of my own countrymen from sharking in the ruin and wretchedness of too many others who have emigrated to Texas" (p. iv).

Maillard argues against British investment in Texas because the funds would go directly to the slave trade. "What would be the consequences of England's granting a loan to Texas? ... First,—In the permanent establishment of a new slave market [and it] would consolidate an unjust and daring aggression in the south."

The book is perhaps best known for its epic put-down of Texans, describing the place as, "a country filled with habitual liars, drunkards, blasphemers, and slanderers; sanguinary gamesters and cold-blooded assassins" (p. 206).

The map is interesting, as it shows the large boundaries claimed by the Texas Republic, but Maillard designates only a small area along the Gulf of Mexico as actually controlled by the government. His intent, apparently, is to show the myth of Texas alongside its reality. Most of "Texas" is demarcated to the various tribes of Native Americans in the region.

xxiv, 512 pages. Folding map with outline color.

VG, rebound, map silked.

Edition + Condition: First edition (first printing). A very good copy, rebound in quarter moroco, with raised bands and the title in gilt on the spine. The map has a few tears and has been partially laid down on silk. There is a short split at one fold. Some copies are cited as having 13 leaves (26 pages) of publisher's ads. This copy does not include the ads.

Publication: London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1842.

Item No: #362002

Sold

Inquire
See all items by