Ottr Catholic Heritage in T ezas
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On this same date he addressed a long communication to the viceroy explaining his purpose of leaving without delay to carry out his instruc- tions. It was his intention to go immediately to the interior provinces to recruit there the fifty soldiers he was to take on the expedition, declaring that it was best for the success of the expedition to take men who had had experience in dealing with the Indians. The engineer, the master carpenter, the blacksmith, and the mason he would take from the city. In order to recruit the men and equip them without delay, he had obtained on his own credit, the money necessary, equivalent in amount to one year's pay for himself and all the men. In view of this fact he asked His Excellency to order that the officers of the treasury in Guanajuato pay him one year's salary in advance. This, together with one year's pay for the soldiers and tradesmen and the four thousand ,pesos allowed by His Excellency to aid the establishments in Texas and to provide for incidental expenses of peace and war, would amount to twenty-eight thousand one hundred fifty pesos. Since the officers at Guanajuato, he pointed out, had been instructed to send all royal funds to Mexico City by Christmas, he suggested that the viceroy order the royal treasurer in the city to pay this sum to him out of the funds sent from Guanajuato. It was his intention to start immediately to execute the command of His Excellency, and he asked that his pay and that of the men already recruited or enlisted should begin in January, 1717. To all of this the viceroy agreed and ordered the sum to be paid as sug~ested. 13 Just when Alarcon left Mexico City is not clear, but he was busily engaged in Saltillo by June, 1717, in making an investigation of the activities of St. Denis and the complicity of the whole Ramon family in the introduction of French merchandise. He even suspected Dr. Codallos, a cleric of prominence and the administrator of the estate of the Marquis of Aguayo, of being an accomplice. 14 St. Denis, who arrived at the Rio Grande on April 19, had gone to Mexico soon after to remonstrate before the viceroy against the seizure of his goods at the Presidio of San Juan Bautista. "It is necessary," declares Alarcon, "that St. Denis be not allowed to return but that he be kept safely there." He says he is going to send his wife, who is now with her grandfather, Diego Ramon, senior, to Mexico. In his opinion both Diego Ramon, senior, and Diego llAJarcon to the Viceroy, December 14, 1716. Provi11cias lnternas, Vol. 181, pp. 206-208. The order for payment was issued the following day. HHis full name is Jose Codallos y Rabal. He accompanied Aguayo in his expedi- tion to Texas and there is no foundation for the suspicion cast upon him by Alarcon.
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