The fiftieth anniversary of the secession of Texas, March 2, 1911, was not marked by general public observance. The thirty-second legislature was in session at the time in the City of Austin as the eighth legislature had been in session in that city about the same time (January 21-February 9 and March 18-April 9) in 1861. The thirty-second legislature made an appropriation, the first of its kind in the history of Texas, for the publication of a volume of historical archives. The Library and Historical Commission considered it appropriate to select for the subject matter of this initial volume the Journal of the Secession Convention of Texas. This Journal appeared in the newspapers at the time the Convention was in session, but on account of an empty treasury it was not printed in book form. In importance the Secession Convention ranks with the convention that declared the independence of Texas. Its acts and proceedings have hitherto been almost inaccessible to the reader.<br><br>The Journal as recorded by the secretary of the Convention has been carefully followed. In some instances, where the secretary did not record ordinances submitted, the original drafts, and in a few cases printed copies, were found and regarded of sufficient importance to be inserted. A few reports of committees and some communications to the Convention have likewise been inserted in the Journal. In every case such additions and their source have been indicated. Wherever the original has been available it has been followed verbatim et literatim. However, in the case of the Journal and of documents for which the originals were not at hand the editor disregarded peculiarities of spelling, capitalization and punctuation. The signatures to the ordinance of secession are reproduced after a photograph made from the original parchment. The photograph, however, had to be retouched to produce an engraving that would give a clear impression.