O,,r Catlzolic Heritage in Texas
was being carried on even at the time of the visita as he himself had noticed, and was not prohibited by the instructions concerning the intro- duction of foreign goods in the dominions of the king in America. Regarding the appointment of a lieutenant and an alferez by the new governor, subject to the approval of the viceroy, he believed that since the places had become vacant as the result of the poor health of the former incumbents, His Excellency should officially approve them. Unless the viceroy had others in mind for these appointments, the men named by the governor could be given their official commissions.7'' The viceroy took nine days to weigh the various recommendations made by Rivera in this case, which he must have considered important. On July 30, he ordered that the corresponding instructions be drawn up for the information of the new Governor of Texas in the various matters he had reported to the viceroy. In these, the recommendations of Rivera were to be followed as outlined in. his communication on the subject and the commissions for the lieutenant and alfirez of Los Adaes were like- wise to be drawn up and sent to the interested officials as soon as possible. The two men temporarily selected by the Governor were thus issued their appointments on August 17, 1731. 75 There was one other officer of importance replaced at this time. It will be remembered that Captain Nicolas Flores was reinstated as commander of the Presidio de San Antonio de Bejar in 1728, by order of the viceroy. .He continued in this post until his death which seems to have occurred either in the fall of 1729 or the spring of 1730. When the vacancy was reported to the viceroy, he filled it temporarily by assigning Don Juan Antonio Perez de Almazan, probably related to Don Fernando of the same name who had been governor, subject to the approval of the king. In informing the king of the choice, he said that the captain ad interim had seen service in Texas before and had taken part in different cam- paigns against the Indians. The king approved the recommendations of the viceroy on June 6, 1731, and issued him a royal commission as captain of the Presidio of San Antonio with a salary of six hundred pesos a year as fixed by the new Ordinance. 16 74Qpini6n del Brigadier Rivera, July 21, 1731. A. G. N., Provincias lnternas, Vol. 236. 15 /bid. 76Don Juan Antonio Perez de Almazan-Patente de Capn. Comandante del Pre- sidio y Compa. de Sn. Antto. de Vejar, uno de los de tierra adentro en la Na. Espana. June 6, 1731. A. G. /., Audie11cia de Gt1adalajara, 104-6-8 (Dunn Tran- scripts, 1710-1738).
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