From here:
"And in 1840, the Republic was financially broke. Again, de Saligny appeared upon the scene to assist the beleaguered Texans. This time he was to lobby for a piece of legislation known as the Franco-Texian Bill. This bill, properly titled, "An Act to Incorporate the Franco Texian Commercial and Colonization Company", if passed by the congress in Austin, would charter 8,000 French families onto three million acres of Texas with French military rights to establish and maintain twenty military forts and garrison ten thousand French troops tax-free for twenty years."
Ex-President David Burnet, always opposed to anything involving Sam Houston, had also grown tired of the pompous Frenchman. The fact that Houston was backing the Franco-Texian bill in Congress was enough to cause Burnet to get involved. Bail for Bullock was immediately posted by John Chalmers, who also happened to be the Texas Secretary of the Treasury. Bullock used the occasion to attempt an assault on de Saligny himself and the situation was really turning ugly.
Convinced that crude Texas law was an affront to the dignity of France, de Saligny left Austin for New Orleans effectively suspending diplomatic relations between the Republic and France for a year.
De Saligny, true to his word, used his influence with his brother-in-law to defeat the French loan to Texas. The Franco-Texian Bill, after passing the Texas House on January 23, 1841 was never addressed by the Senate and died through inaction. No French soldier ever was garrisoned in the Republic of Texas as a result of de Saligny’s initiative.
----
I've copied and pasted selected bits, if you want the whole thing, follow the link. Long story short, the Franco-Texas bill fell through due to a "Pig War", one of those silly diplomatic disputes that erupt between nations. But what the Texan and the French diplomat are able to work out their problems, and the act doesn't fall through? A substantial number of French troops will be in Texas, decreasing the chance of US annexation and making it a de-facto French client. How will this effect US and Texas history?
"And in 1840, the Republic was financially broke. Again, de Saligny appeared upon the scene to assist the beleaguered Texans. This time he was to lobby for a piece of legislation known as the Franco-Texian Bill. This bill, properly titled, "An Act to Incorporate the Franco Texian Commercial and Colonization Company", if passed by the congress in Austin, would charter 8,000 French families onto three million acres of Texas with French military rights to establish and maintain twenty military forts and garrison ten thousand French troops tax-free for twenty years."
Ex-President David Burnet, always opposed to anything involving Sam Houston, had also grown tired of the pompous Frenchman. The fact that Houston was backing the Franco-Texian bill in Congress was enough to cause Burnet to get involved. Bail for Bullock was immediately posted by John Chalmers, who also happened to be the Texas Secretary of the Treasury. Bullock used the occasion to attempt an assault on de Saligny himself and the situation was really turning ugly.
Convinced that crude Texas law was an affront to the dignity of France, de Saligny left Austin for New Orleans effectively suspending diplomatic relations between the Republic and France for a year.
De Saligny, true to his word, used his influence with his brother-in-law to defeat the French loan to Texas. The Franco-Texian Bill, after passing the Texas House on January 23, 1841 was never addressed by the Senate and died through inaction. No French soldier ever was garrisoned in the Republic of Texas as a result of de Saligny’s initiative.
----
I've copied and pasted selected bits, if you want the whole thing, follow the link. Long story short, the Franco-Texas bill fell through due to a "Pig War", one of those silly diplomatic disputes that erupt between nations. But what the Texan and the French diplomat are able to work out their problems, and the act doesn't fall through? A substantial number of French troops will be in Texas, decreasing the chance of US annexation and making it a de-facto French client. How will this effect US and Texas history?