Escandon and Settlement of Lower Rio Grande, z738-z779
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mares, sixteen hundred mules, over a thousand donkeys, four hundred horses, and three thousand head of cattle. 40 While visiting the distant outposts of his far-flung diocese in Texas, Bishop Martinez de Tejada of Guadalajara stopped at Dolores on his way back from La Bahia. He was much perturbed by the lack of a resident priest in this community and immediately placed a secular to administer to the settlers temporarily until the arrangement could be approved by the king and the viceroy. This must have been early in January, because Escandon later declared that in February, 1760, he had informed the viceroy that the Bishop of Guadalajara had placed a secular priest in Laredo to minister to that settlement and Dolores. This is borne out by the fact that on May 12, of that year, the Bishop wrote a detailed report of the incident to the king and stated that he had already sent a priest to take care of Dolores temporarily. The conditions described by the Bishop moved the king to action. On January 12, 1762, he issued a royal cedula ordering the viceroy to send immediately a secular or religious priest to remedy the situation, and to make diligent inquiry if similar conditions existed in any of the other settlements founded by Escandon in the Nueva Colonia de Santander. The cedula did not arrive in Mexico until May 16, 1763. It \Vas at once referred to the Fiscal, who rendered his opinion on July 5. He declared that the spiritual welfare of the new settlements in the Province of Santander had been entrusted to the Co1lege of Zacatecas. The College, however, had repeatedly protested that it could not take care of civil settlements, because it was against its institute, and in 1762, it had formally resigned its duties in this respect. Consequently it would be necessary to appoint a secular priest for Dolores. He recommended that the Bishop of Guadalajara be requested to present three candidates in order that the viceroy might select one for the post. The appointee was to be allowed the usual stipend out of the royal treasury. The recom- mendation was approved by the Auditor on the same day, and on July 16 40 The facts given here are summarized from Peticion de Jose Vasquez Borrego, February 15, 1753. A. G. M., Provincias Internas, vol. 72, pp. 236-244; Grant of Petition by Escandon, same date, Ibid., 244-247; "Mapa de las fundaciones. . .." Escandon, August 8, I 7 5 5, in Estado General de las Fundaciones, (Publicacio,us del Arc/1ivo General, vol. 14, pp. 35-36, 434-440); "lnforme de Don Jose Tienda de Cuervo" in / bid., XV, 121-123 ; Agustin Lopez de la Camara Alta, Descripcion Ge11eral de la Nueva Colonia de Santa11der, February 1, 1758. A. G. M., Historia vol. 53, 141-1 42; Hill, L. F ., Jose de Escandon, 98-99; Natalie Walsh, Tl,; Fo1111di11g of Laredo and San Agustin Cl,urcl,, 53-58 (M. A. Thesis, University of Texas).
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