Translations of Early Texas Session Laws .—The State Library has recently secured by purchase three rare items belonging to the early legal bibliography of the Republic and State of Texas. The most valuable of these is a translation into Spanish of 116 of the important general laws passed by the first three Congresses of the Republic of Texas, 1836-1841. The volume was printed at Houston in 1841 and the translation was made by S. P. Andrews. In addition to the laws, it contains translations of the Declaration of November 7, 1835, of the Plan and Powers of the Provisional Government of Texas, of the Declaration of Independence, and of the Constitution, adopted March 17, 1836.

The second item is a translation into German, printed in Roman type, of 101 of the general laws of the third session of the State legislature, 1849-1850; it was translated into German by Albert Max von Germar and was printed at Austin in 1850.

The third item is a German translation, printed in German type and transliterated, of 62 of the general laws and 17 of the special laws of the fifth State legislature, 1853-1854. The translator was Alexander Rossy; the press “der San Antonio-Zeitungs-Office,” 1854.

The State Library already had a German translation of part of the laws of the fourth State legislature made by C. N. Riotte and printed at Galveston in 1853.

The rarity of the volumes is apparent from the fact that they are not mentioned in Raines's Bibliography of Texas nor in any other bibliographical aid as far as has been discovered. Further, their existence was not known to the Library of Congress, the library of Harvard University Law School, the New York Public Library, or the New York State Library, which are the largest law libraries in the country, until an inquiry was addressed to them by the State Library at Austin.

Translations of session laws into German, Spanish and Norwegian (this in 1858) were authorized at various times between 1837 and 1858 but it is not definitely known just how many authorized translations were actually made. And of those made it is not known how many are still extant. Copies of these laws no doubt exist in localities where Spanish, German and Norwegian are spoken, since the laws authorizing the translations in the early days specified that they should be distributed where they would be of most use. Any one who will aid in locating additional copies of these laws or in furnishing information relative to them will receive the hearty and deserved thanks of the State Library, which is endeavoring to collect and preserve the annals of the State.

John Boynton Kaiser .

How to cite:
Kaiser, John Boynton, "Translations of Early Texas Session Laws", Volume 015, Number 1, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 87 - 88. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v015/n1/review_20.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 11:29:05 CST 2009]