Permanent Occupation of Tezas, 1715-1716
37
sented on September 4, a long inventory "of the goods which are neces- sary to outfit the twenty-five men that are to march to the Province of the Tejas." It seems he had come to Mexico with St. Denis, perhaps in charge of the soldiers who brought the Frenchmen to the capital. That same day, the viceroy ordered the list sent to the factor of the royal treasury, with a request that he report on the portion of the goods that could be bought in Mexico and those that could be secured in San Luis Potosi with an estimate of the cost of each. Ramon had stated, in sub- mitting the list, that in his opinion the goods suggested could be pur- chased for 5,000 ,pesos. To this amount it was necessary to add, he pointed out, 6,500 ,pesos for the purchase of horses, 11,250 ,pesos for the salary of the twenty-five soldiers at 450 ,pesos a year each, 6 and 2,277 ,pesos for the purchase of gifts for the Indians and the cost of transportation. The list is of great interest for the concrete picture it affords of the supplies that were taken on an expedition of this sort. In addition to the guns, powder, swords, saddles, bridles, necessary clothing, food, and other mili- tary equipment naturally included, there are a number of items that appear incongruous, such as one dozen lady's silk hose, twelve bolts of assorted laces, eighteen bolts of various kinds of ribbon, four dozen men's and lady's shoes, and eighteen pair of silk hose for men. But for the Indians, he suggested blankets, tobacco, blue and red woolen cloth, butcher knives, pocket knives, beads of various colors, medals, ribbons and hats. For the mission he listed such implements as hoes, tillers, a.xes, hack saws, hammers, chisels, cooking pots of various sizes, hand bars, yokes for oxen, and various kinds of seeds. 7 Within five days, the factor, Ignacio Joseph de Miranda, made his report of the cost of the supplies asked by Domingo Ramon. According to his estimate, based on the current prices in Mexico City, the total amount for equipment of the soldiers, the Indians, and the mission wouk be 6,166 ,pesos, not including the powder nor the expense of packing and transportation which was estimated at about 1,500 ,pesos. He analyzed the items of the expedition as follows: for the soldiers 5,121 ,pesos; for 6It is to be noted that Ramon suggests the salary of the soldiers in his estimated cost of the expedition. Up to this time the viceroy had not fixed the actual rate of pay of either the soldiers or the officers of the expedition. This was not done until September 30, when the leader of the expedition was also officially named. See note Io of this chapter. 7 Memoria de los generos que son necesarios para el avio de los 25 ombres que Pasan ala probincia de los Texas. Provincias lnternas, Vol. I 8 I, pp. 2 5-30. Copy also in San Francisco el Grande Arcnive, VIII, 45-48.
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