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Ot1r Catliolic Heritage in Texas
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that centered around the San Antonio River offered a much more fertile and favorable field for their work of evangelization. The location of La Salle's colony, although much more accessible both by land and sea than East Texas, had the great disadvantage of being surrounded by the fierce and much more barbarous Karankawan tribes, who proved hostile to both the French and the Spaniards and who had little or no influence over the other tribes, being hated by all alike. The country was barren and unhospitable. Only the possibility of the Bay of San Bernardo being used as a base for French incursions prompted the king to order its occupation in 1718, 53 which resulted in the establishment of a presidio at La Bahia del Espiritu Santo by Aguayo. Why Urrutia did not accompany Ramon. As to Urrutia, St. Denis had faithfully conveyed the message of the Tejas and informed Spanish officials that they wanted Father Hidalgo and Captain Urrutia to be sent to them. The Fiscal in his recommendations of August 15, 1715, advised that Urrutia be sent along with the missionaries. But when the expedition set out Urrutia was not among its members, nor Father Olivares, 54 who was also supposed to go. On February 26, 1716, Father Margil wrote an interesting letter to the viceroy from Boca de Leones in Nuevo Leon. After thanking him for having asked the friars from the College of Zacatecas to take part in the expedition and assuring him that the Padres would all work together for a single purpose, "the salvation of souls," he says: "The reason for troubling Your Excellency with the present [letter] is that all those who, because of their experience, consider without passion this entrada, realize how much Captain Joseph Urrutia will be missed. Having been reared with the Tejas, and knowing their language, they love him as if he were their father ... It is necessary, in the opinion of many, that Your Excellency be pleased to order said Captain to enter on this occasion, giving him some title, such as Sergeant Major, or Protector, without this affecting in any way Captain Domingo Ramon. . . . He will be a great help to him for many reasons ... The French, who have the Indians very much on their side, resenting the loss of their 53 Real Cedula de Junlo 11 de 1718. /,i Reales Cedulas, 1678-1772, Mexico, ,frcl,;vo Ge,ieral (ijolton Transcripts, University of Texas). WFather Olivarez: did not go, because he asked his superior to excuse him on account of his age and Infirmities. There Is no foundation for the story that he refused to go because of animosity against Father Espinosa and the machinations of St. Denis. See letter of Father Diez: to the Viceroy, February to, 1717. Pro- v;,rcias /11/er,ias, Vol. 181, p. 220.
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