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Ottr Cat/1olic Heritage in Texas
joy experienced at their safe return, therefore, may be imagined. Barroto immediately left for Mexico City to report in person to the viceroy all the details of the expedition. He took with him the official diary and a map. By a happy coincidence, the day that Rivas and Iriarte arrived in Veracruz, the viceroy had received a letter from the Spanish ambassador in London, enclosing an account of La Salle's voyage taken from official French sources. The remarkably accurate account of La Salle's failure to find the mouth of the Mississippi, of his landing on the Texas coast, of the wreck of one of his vessels, and all the incidents of his expedition until the time of the departure of Beaujeu, on March 12, 1685, bear testimony to the efficient spy system of Spain. This report was now read, paragraph by paragraph, to Barroto, who made comments by referring to his diary and his map of the coast he had just visited. It was concluded, and with nuch reason. that the two vessels found by Rivas and Iriarte were the oelle and the Amiable; that they had belonged to La Salle and his colonists; and that in view of the absence of any trace of a settlement along the coast, it was safe to assume that such colonists as were left by Beaujeu, when he sailed back to France, had since died, either drowned, or starved, or killed by the Indians. The failure to discover the actual site of the settlement was forgotten in the exultation felt by everybody, when they became convinced that La Salle and his men had met with total disaster in their attempt to establish a foothold on the Gulf coast. 14 With pardonable pride, the Count of Monclova wrote to the king on July 25, 1687: "The whole Gulf of Mexico has been examined with the most exact diligence possible, and no port, river, or bay along its entire coast has been found to be occupied by enemies, or Europeans, nor have any signs of settlement or fortifications of any kind been seen ... Wherefore Your Majesty's entire monarchy is to be congratulated; for , although this kingdom would never be endangered by a settlement of enemies along this coast (since they could be dislodged) it is much better that no such settlement should exist, and that the many plausible falsehoods that have been told concerning this matter both here and in Spain should be so felicitously disproved." 15 HCopia de relacion hecha al Rei Xpmo tocante a la vahia del Spiritu sst. in A . G./., A11diencia de Mexico, 61-6-20 (Dunn Transcripts, 1685-1688) . ISThe Viceroy to King, July 25, 1687, in Ibid.
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