Ottr Catholic Heritage in Texas
Reyno de Leon, and the Bahia del Espiritu Santo.... The general reconnaissance of this area can only be practiced by a general entrada, made simultaneously from the said places. The central point of the land to be explored lies more or less halfway between Tampico and Bahia del Espiritu Santo, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Rio Grande del Norte. From this point to Tampico, it is about fifty leagues (one hundred and fifty miles), slightly more to Villa de Valles, about the same distance to Cerralvo and Linares in Nuevo Leon, and to Bahia del Espiritu Santo. Only the troops coming from Coahuila, which lies more inland to the northwest, will have to march a longer distance." 11 In view of his general plan, Escandon estimated that the various groups of explorers would not take much more than thirty days in going and returning to their respective stations. He decided to set the start for January, 1747. He accordingly instructed the Alcalde 111 ayor of Panuco to begin the march on January 20 with a force of one hundred and fifty soldiers and to follow a general northern direction along the coast, noting carefully the tribes and number of Indians of each, the rivers crossed, the bays, the salines, and any other thing worthy of notice. The detach- ment from Villa de Valles was to set out on the same date with two hundred men and pursue a northeastern direction, cross the outskirts of the sierra and proceed along the plains beyond it to the Rio Grande, noting with care the same things as the troop from Panuco. Escandon was to set out from El Jaumave, located twelve leagues northeast of San Jose de Tanguachin, with a company of one hundred and fifty soldiers, on January 24. His starting point being more advanced than that of the other two detachments, he was giving them four days to get abreast of him in the general entrada. He planned to march in the same general northern direction to the Rio Grande, on the banks of which he intended to establish his camp about fifteen leagues from its mouth. It was his purpose to make a careful exploration of the river from this point to where it emptied into the sea. He made arrangements for a ship to sail from Tampico to the designated spot in order to survey the mouth and sound its waters. He asked the Governor of Nuevo Leon to make ready one hundred soldiers, which, together with the twenty posted at Cerralvo and Boca de Leones, were instructed to penetrate the new land in three detach- ments; one from Cadereyta to the east by way of San Antonio de los
llReconocimiento del Seno Mexicano hecho por el Theniente de Capn. Gral. Dn Joseph de Escandon. A.G. M., P,-ovin&ias lnte,-nas, vot 179, pt 1, p. 167.
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