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height as the main building, and it was to have almenas (turrets) for the purpose of defence. Rodriguez declared that he had four carts and all the equipment necessary to fulfill his contract by June. He assured the C ahildo he would start hauling the materials by February 20, not- withstanding that he had several other jobs. 51 But in spite of his assurance and the apparent interest of the C abildo, it seems that Rodriguez failed to carry out his contract. The projected buildings remained unconstructed until the next year. Some time in 1743 a new contract was made with Manuel de Carbajal, who agreed to haul the stone for the Casas Rea/es for three hundred pesos. The original plans had been modified. The meeting hall was now to be twelve var as long and five wide, and it was to face north. Behind the hall, twelve varas to the south, the jail was to be built, which was to be six varas square. The contract was approved by Governor Justo Boneo y Morales. 52 To insure execution of the project, the Cahildo appointed Alberto Lopez Aguado overseer and contractor for the new buildings. As in the case of the previous year, this second attempt to erect Casas Reales remained a project which could not be carried out. The work seems to have been neglected for several years. That as late as 1744 there was no jail is proved by the order issued by the C abildo on September 2 of that year, that the wife of Matias Trevino, suspected of being an accomplice in a murder case, be kept in the house of Francisco Fernandez, as there was no jail in which she could be locked, pending the investigation and trial of her case.s.s Little is recorded concerning the progress made until 1749. In this year, the Cahildo met in April and discussed the question of the Casas Reales. It declared that there was not sufficient money at this time to complete the hall and the jail. The condition of the buildings may be judged from the fact that the walls, which apparently had been built at intervals to the desired height, were full of holes and there was no roof. The Cahildo appointed Alberto Lopez to take charge of the work and instructed him to raise the funds necessary to patch up the holes in the walls and place a temporary roof over the two rooms under construction. 54 This seems to disprove the claim that the present Governor's Palace was built in 1749, as deduced from a date carved on the keystone of the main entrance to the building. Judging from the SIAutos de Cabildo, January 19, 1742. Nacogdoches Arc/1ives, vol. 1, pp. 91-94. "Autos de Cabildo, 1743. Nacogdoches Arc/1ives, vol. 1, p. 97. S.SOrder of Cabildo, September 2, 1744. Bexar Archit•es. S4Autos de Cabildo, 1749. Nacogdocl1es Archives, vol. 1, p. 102.
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