French Legation

In 1836 Texas declared and won her independence from Mexico and established a republic. Foreign countries were invited to establish diplomatic relations and send.ministers to Texas. In 1840 France established a legation in Austin and sent Alphonse de Saligny as Charge d'Affairs of France in Texas. Saligny had been a minor official at the French Embassy in Washington, D. C. It is probable that France's action in opening the embassy was not entirely one of good will, but closely associated with a scheme that .later became the Franco-Texienne bill in the Texas Congress. 3y I8k0 the new republic, never on the solidest of financial ground, was in serious economic difficulty. 'The idea was for France to lend Texas seven million dollars in return for three million acres of land which would be occupied with as many as twenty forts and a large number of French settlers. Had the bill not been defeated by the Texas Congress it would have made the young republic virtually a colon;r of France.

However, the defeat of the Franco-Texienne proposal was not the only reason that Saligny was upset with the state - Richard Bullock's pigs continually ate Saligny's corn. Bullock was the owner and opera-tor of the Bullock House* a hotel where Saligny had established the legation until his own residence was completed. When Bullock insulted Saligny by presenting the impetuous Frenchman with a hotel bill, the mutual dislike between the two neighbors settled into a rich, warm feud that only ended with Saligny's recall. 'The story begins with the fact that Bullock raised pigs and Saligny raised com to feed his prized horses. One day, after the pigs had been feasting on the com crop for some months, Saligny lost his temper and ordered his cook to kill the pigs that were again in the field. Bullock, infuriated by the lose of his swine, soundly beat the cook on an Austin street several days later. Saligny demanded that the government punish Bullock, but without a trial the authorities could do nothing—besides, they were really too amused about the matter to want to do anything. Saligny, unable to understand the English trial by jury system, only became more irate. The dapper little minister had made a nuisance of himself over the Franco-Texienne bill, by continually harassing legislators, but with this second cause for crusade he became unbearable to Texas officials and the republic asked the French Foreign Minister to recall Saligny. He left Texas and headed toward Hew Orleans, stopping at all points in between to deliver a diatribe against the Republic of Texas.

Saligny's legation home remained as one of the pleasanter memories of his stay in Texas. He bought the land for the house from Anson Jones, the fourth president of the Republic , for $1,000. Saligny had brought door locks, keys, hinges, etc. from France for his new home. After Saligny left the house passed through several owners, the last being Joseph W. Robertson. In 1945 the State of Texas in cooperation with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas purchased the property for $31,000. It is maintained by the DRT as a museum. The Texas State Historical Survey Committee designated the French Legation an historic landmark in 1967.