In the royal presidio of Nuestra Senora del Pilar de

Transcription

1 1,,Cross, 82 In the royal presidio of Nuestra Senora del Pilar de. los Adaes on the fifth day of the month of November of the year one thousand seven hundred fifty=seven, I, Don Jacinto de Barrios y Jduregui, lieutenant colonel of.the cavalry, governor and captain general of the province of Texas, commandant of its presidios, conversions, and frontiers, with military command over Cuabila and Pansacola, assistant to the governor of the new kingdom of Le6n, and participating in the government of San Francisco de Cuabila for His Majesty: On my return from the presidio of San Agustin de AumAda, I'learned that Monsieur de San Dionis is building a house on a ranch for ganado ma.yor in a place z called Arroyo de.la Cdscara, and since I do not know whether this location is under the jurisdiction of His Majesty, I order and command, for the purpose of enact-- ing the measure that is most just, that Lieutenant Don lv Juan Antonio Amorin, Alf6res Don Phelipe //MuPios de Mora, and Alf6res Don Pedro Granados meet today at my hous'e in order that they may state to whom the said place belongs' and in consequence thereof the most

2 2 suitable proceedings may be instituted to maintain the rights of our government. Thus I decreed, ordered, and signed with the witnesses I use as ues reseptor in the absence of a notary as there is none in the terms prescribed by law; all of which I certify. Signed: M. Jacinto de Barrios Attendant Witness y Jduregui r Eugenio Ferndndez Attendant Witness Juan Mu^i6s de Mro,ra RubriG,,in A.D.S. E., November 5, 1757, pp, l-1v.2

3 3 On the said day, month, and year, in the said presidio, I, the said governor, in conference with those cited in the above decree, have cqnsidered this matter with the care demanded by an affair of such gravity from 2 which serious //difficulties may ensue because, upon completion of the ranch which it is said Don Zuis de San Dioftis is going to establish, it will be necessary for his stock to graze in our pastures as there are none in the place where it is presumed the said panch^sis being established because the Colorado River, approximately one league distant prevents their existence, and the stock of the reverend fathers and the men in the presidio at Expfritu S;anto extend as far as -te, sai.d place; wherefore, it was unanimously decided that the said place belongs to the jurisdiction of His 'Ma.jesty. We based our opinion on the fact that when the aforesaid Don Luis dd San Dionis was born, his father wished him to be baptlzed by the lvlost,reverend Father Friar Francisco Ballexo, who is now president of the missions, but the parish priest of Natchitos objected and, in order for the said father,ballexo to perform ihe baptism, they considered this part of the river where the said baptism was performed by the said Reverend Father Ballexo, as a boundary of Spain, although it is true that the said baptism -vas performed where they had their presidio at that time namely, on the other side of the river, and although they had to wait more

4 4 0 than six months for the Capuchin father, who wasthen the parish priest, to leave before the ceremony could be performed. In support of the belief that this territory belongs to the j urisdictpion of our sovereign,_hieutenant Don Joseph Gonsales and Alferes Don Pedro de Sierra agree in saying that when Do4la Manuela Sanches Nabarro came to go to her husband7 Monsieur de San Dionis, an order arrived instructing that she be taken to meet him at the place where the jurisdiction of Spain terminated and that they went with the said woman and Don Fernan= do Peres de Almasdn to the banks of the Colorado River where the transfer was made and they turned back from that point...for these reasons they are convinced that the banks of the Colorado.River form the boundary be- 3 tween the two nations. Although the presidio //of Natchitos is on this side of the said river, its location there was an act of aggression that could not be nrevented; and they all affirmed and ratified their statements, and none of them deviated from this unanimous opinion; and they signed with me, the said governor and the witnesses I use as Jues rese> tor in the absence of a public or royal notary since there is none in the

5 a terms prescribed by law; all of which I certify. 5 (Signed) M. Jacinto de Barrios y Jduregui,R.ubric, Juan Antonio de Amorin Felipe Mun6s de Mora Joseph G. Phelipe de Sierra Serra 8 Antonio Gregorio Cordob6s r Pedro Granados Attendant Witness Juan Muf96s de Mora Attendant Witness' Eugenio Ferndndez r ^A.D.S. in E., November 5, 1757, PP 1v-3,

6 0 In the said royal presidio on the said day, month and 3v year, I, the said governor, //in view of the foregoing proceedings and the proper deduction obtained therefrom, should order and did order that an exhorto be dispatched at once to Monsieur de Blan, commandant of Naehitos, in the name of our sovereign, asking him one, two, and three times to have Monsieur de San Dionis suspend the said construction of the house and ranch because it is in a foreign jurisdiction, and that his reply be attached to these proceedings. Thus I decreed, ordered, and signed as stated above; all of which I certify. s (Signed) M. Jacinto de Barrios Attendant witness y Jduregui Eugenio FernAndez Attendant Witness Joseph.Begeyina r.a.d.s. in E., November 5, 1757, pp.3-3v.

7 In the royal.presidio of los.adaes on the thirteenth of November of the said year, in view of the reply given by Monsieur de Blan, commandant of Nachitos, to the requisition that I sent him in the name of our Catholic Monarch, and in order to respo'd, thereto with the tact and consideration demanded //by so delicate a subject as the argument which originated over whether or not the Arroyo de la'cdzcara is the property of our sovereign, I have considered his reply and the reasons he gives to the effect that it belongs to the arreye His Most Christian Majesty, and I conclude that an answer may be made by conceding to or d.enying his claim for the reasons stated, keeping in mind that it is necessary to set forth practical cases that can and must be valid, such as whether it is of.record that Don Prudensio de Orobio Basterra, while he was governor of this province, designated the Arroyo Ondo as the boundary between the two jurisdictions and whether it is known that he had orders to that effect or whether he acted of his own free will; considering all this judiciously, I order those who participated in the first meeting recorded in these proceedings and the rest of the vecinos who are now in this presidio to appear at my house today. When they are in-

8 Ii-v formed of this my //decree and of Monsieur de Blan's letter of reply, they shall state their opinion freely, being careful not to create any displeasure that may affect the harmony existing between the two nations, simply stating whether the rancheria that Monsieur de Blan presumes he had on the said arroyo is under French dominion or ours. Thus I decreed ordered, and signed with my attendant witnesses as stated above, all of which I certify. (Signed) M. Barrios Attendant Witness Eugenio Fernandez Attendant -Witness Joseph Begeyina,A.D.S. in E., November , pp. 3v-4v,

9 0 In the said royal presidio on the fourteenth of the said month and yearl before me, the said governor, appeared the persons named in the first proceedings and also the reverend fathers Friar Francisco Vallejo, the superior of his apostolic college and president of these missions, r ather Friar ^Lnasttasio de Thoffi6s Romero, and 5 Caiettano Games, Gil Flores, //and Andres Chirinos; and when all of them had aseembled and had examined individually the letter of reply of Monsieur de Blam, they were of the opinion that we should relinquish the claim we established to the Arroyo de la Cascara whiek 4..n because at the time of the first meeting we were not aware of the circumstances stated in the aforesaid letter from Monsieur de Blam, and the reverend father president said that in the course of the thirty-eight years that he had been in this province the said arroyo had always belonged to the French nation and that he had never heard that Don Prudencio de Orobio had designated Arroyo Ondo as the boundary, and that although he had always been very closely associated with this governor and had gona with him twice to Nachittos, he had never heard hiin speak on that subject as no such incident had ever occurred nor is there any record of his having been commissioned for that purpose, and that with-

10 10 0 out such a commission the said assertion was not valid. The same reply was given by all those in attendance, 5v and they added that the rancheria //of the Aanacacha, which was located on the said Arroyo de la Cdscara, b longed.to,th.e:french; and finally by unanimous agreement it was decided that a letter be written to rmonsieu.r dp Blan granting'that the said place should remgin in the possession of France not only for the reasons he had stated but also because the presidio of Nachittos had no other.outlet for its provisions and the supplies for its people. But they would not agree to the statement that the boundary should be at Arroyo Ondo. They left that question unsettled as it has been up to now and until our respective corttes shall designate the boundary. It was decided to attach the letter written to.monsieur de Blan and his reply to these proceedings in order that they may be of permanent record. And they signed this with me, the said governor, and my attendant witnesses with whom I act as 'uez6recenttor in the absence of a public or royal notary //since there is none ih. the terms ;prescribed by law,; all of which I certify. (Signed) M. Barrios Fr. Fran,cisco;Vallejo.

11 11 Juan Antonio Affiorin r Fe1ipe Muri6s de Mora Phelipe d Sierra r F. Anastasio de Ths.,Romero, Joseph Gsl uric, Pepe de Serra Antonio Gregorio Cordob6s Attendant.Witness Eugenio Ferndndez Attendant Witness Joseph Begeyina O.S. in E., November 1757, pp. 4v-6.,