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necessary for the administration of the holy sacraments, the celebration of Mass, and the temporal welfare of the Indians congregated? What means have they employed to secure these supplies? Have they complied with all their duties? Have they reported regularly the needs of the missions and been solicitous to protect at all times the interests of the neophytes? Have they succeeded in attracting all the unconverted tribes in the vicinity by visiting them, regardless of the distance of their habitat? Have they explored the country and attempted to locate suitable sites for new missions among more distant tribes? Would it be better to bring all new converts to the missions already established, or would it be advisable to found new ones for those too far removed? Have the neophytes reached a stage of development sufficient to justify turning over to them all the property of the missions and their administration to a secular priest? Has the general policy followed until now been the best ?" 71 The questions are significant in indicating the desire of the missionaries to extend their labors beyond San Antonio and in vindicating them from the numerous false accusations presented against them both by the officials and the Canary Islanders. The College of Queretaro was already seriously contemplating branching out into the land of the Apaches and establishing missions for these fierce enemies that had desolated the Spanish outposts and missions incessantly during the past few years. It is evident that the missionaries earnestly felt that their efforts in San Antonio had not been a failure, but that they were ready now to advance to new frontiers, using the prosperous missions on the San Antonio as a base for their new activities. On June 25, 1745, Mateo Perez, lieutenant of the Presidio of San Antonio de Bejar; Juan Galvan, alferez; Bernave Carbajal, sergeant; Francisco Flores, Nicolas Carbajal, and Jorge S. Carbajal, corporals; Antonio Rodriguez Mendero, dean of the Cabildo and attorney for the Villa of San Fernando; Mateo Carbajal and Francisco Hernandez, coun- cilmen; and Domingo Flores, Antonio Jimenez, Francisco de Estrada, Lazaro Chirino, Pedro Perez Becerra, and Geronimo Flores, first settlers in the province, were summoned by Captain Toribio de Urrutia and given the list of questions prepared by Father Ortiz. "They all declared unanimously and in full accord: first, that they are aware of how, since the establishment of these missions, the reverend
11Preguntas prepared by Father Francisco Xavier Ortiz for the examination of witnesses, June 22, 1745. San Francisco el Grande Arc/1ives, vol. 3, pp. 80-82.
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