305
Establislzment of San Fernando de Bejar, 1723-1731
before. In surveying the town common, he was unable to follow the exact instructions given by the viceroy, as he had done in the case of the town site because there was no room to extend the line on the south- east side. The one thousand ninety-three varas of the city had carried the boundary to the San Antonio River in this direction, and since this stream formed the boundary between the mission lands of San Antonio de Valero, located on the east side of the river, it was impossible to lay out in this direction the corresponding part of the ejido or town com- mon. Because of this fact Captain Almazan increased the length of the lines on the other three sides, to allow for the additional land designated in the original order. On July 6, Captain Almazan and the Canary Islanders undertook to continue the survey and to mark off the pasture lands for the cattle, horses, and other stock, in accord with the instruction of the viceroy. But as in the case of the ejido, it was impossible to carry out the sur- vey as indicated because there was no room for further extension to the southeast. Consequently, it became necessary to add a corresponding amount of land on the three remaining sides to make up the area desig- nated. Beginning at the farthest extremity of the central cross on the northeast side, a line was run in the same general direction with a fifty- vara chain, for three thousand eight hundred twenty-five and one-half varas. Having placed a large stone at this point as a permanent marker, the line was extended from its farthest extremity in the opposite direc- tion for an equal distance to the southwest, where a large stone was buried in the ground to indicate the exact spot of limit. This was directly opposite to the crossing of the San Pedro at the place known as El Paso de los Nogalitos. From here they went to the third extremity of the cen- tral cross on the northwest, from where the line was extended for three thousand three hundred sixty-eight varas and an adequate marker placed. In this manner the area intended for pasture lands was properly sur- veyed. They were roughly bounded as follows: on the northeast, they extended from the head of the main spring of the San Antonio River, along a straight line to the Arroyo del Novillo, hence to the west to the Real of Nicolas Hernandez, which lies slightly to the northwest, hence to the south along the Llano del Leon and the Real de la Escaramuza to the place known as Los Jacalitos, hence to the east northeast to the Paso de los Nogalitos, where the survey closes. To the east are the farm lands which extend as far as the San Antonio River, which runs from north to south.
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