Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
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Havana, set sail for Veracruz, carrying the disabled men and the two English sailors with a detailed report of the fears entertained concerning the activities of that nation. 21 But neither the viceroy nor the viceregal officials gave much credence to the tales of an English settlement. Curious enough, the fiscal, Bal t a s a r de Tobar, without any concrete evidence~ arrived at the correct conclusion and affirmed that the supposed English vessels were in reality French. 23 But his urgent recommendation that steps be taken to drive them out of the Gulf region went unheeded. It was the continued and persistent rumors of the presence of Englishmen, as reported by the Indians, which at last resulted in the issuance of orders to Arriola, when he was about to return to Pensacola at the close of 1699, to undertake the expulsion of the intruders. After setting things in order, Arriola finally succeeded in organizing an expedition to go in search of the supposed English colony. With one hundred of his best men, he set out with four vessels on March 4, 1700, to find it west of Pensacola. Both Martinez and Franck accompanied Arriola. The expedition made its way first to Mobile Bay. A few miles west a party of Indians was sent ashore to reconnoiter. They soon returned to report that a short distance away was a fort garrisoned by about two hundred men and that it was further protected by a fleet of several vessels. Before the excitement of this discovery died down, there came in sight a small boat flying the English flag. It was immediately overtaken, and, to the surprise and bewilderment of the Spaniards, it was found to contain ten Frenchmen instead of Englishmen.H The men declared that they were on their way to Biloxi, where the French had a fort which they had built in April the year before, immediately after the departure of M. Chasteau- morant; that another fort had been established twenty-five leagues up the river; and that about four hundred leagues still further up there was a third French fort. The English mystery was thus cleared up and Arriola was now faced with the accomplished fact of the French occupation of the Mississippi. He released the prisoners and sent them on to the French fort with a 22 .Martinez to the Viceroy, May 4, 1699, A.G. I., A11die11cia de Mexico, 61-6-22 (Dunn Transcripts). 23 Respuesta fiscal, June S, 1699, in Testi111011io del Segundo Quaderno de Autos ... sobrt. la Poblazon :Y fortificazion de la BaMa de Santa Ma. Calve. A. G. I., Audiencia de Ale:rico, 61-6-22 (Dunn Transcripts). %tfranck to the King, June 4, 1700, A. G. I., A11diencia de Mexico, 61-6-22 (Dunn Transcripts).
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