Tl,e Search for La Salle, 1685-1689
settlement after all some five leagues inland from the bay, where the wrecked vessel had been found by previous expeditions. Feeling uneasy as to its fatl!, ignored by every one at this time, he was inclined to send a new expedition. To confirm his opinion, he wrote on July 19 to Captain Rivas, who was in Veracruz preparing an expedition to Laguna de Terminos in Central America to drive out the foreigners who were cutting the valuable logwood there, and asked him to consult with Andres de Pez on the advisability of making a new search. He explained that his idea was to reexplore the coast from Tampico to the bay where the wrecked vessel had been found, penetrating every inlet and river, and sending landing parties wherever necessary to examine the coast. 43 Without loss of time Captain Rivas held a consultation with Pez the same day the letter of the viceroy arrived, and on July 24, the two reported jointly to that official. They declared that in their minds they were con- vinced that there was no site suitable for settlement in the area sug- gested, but that to satisfy him, they were ready to undertake the pro- posed exploration. They expressed their belief that the Rio Grande should be examined with more care and the stream should be ascended as far as possible. The expedition should then continue as far as the Rio de Cibolas. They declared that if nothing were found in this area, it woulcl be useless to look further, as the rest of the coast was too swampy and forbidding for settlement. The two pirogues used before should be placed in condition and provisions for three and a half months provided. The viceroy approved all the suggestions and issued orders, on July 28, for Rivas and Pez to set out without awaiting further instructions. 44 Leaving Veracruz on August 8, they went directly to Tampico where they arrived three days later, but they did not continue on their journey until August 20, on account of contrary winds. Four days later, they came to a river they called Maypate or Maupate, doubtless Soto la Marina, which they explored in canoes for a distance of twenty leagues. They found the water clear but not very deep. On August 3 1, they set sail for Rio Bravo, the present Rio Grande. Next day, about four in the afternoon, they dropped anchor opposite its mouth. Finding the bar ext1emely low and the sea too rough, an attempt to send a landing party was made, but the men soon returned because of the hostility of the 43 Viceroy to Rivas, July 19, 1688, A.G. I., Audimcia tie 11fh:ico, 61-6-20 (Dunn Transcripts, 1688-1690). ••Rivas and Pez to the Viceroy, July 24, 1688, and the Viceroy to Rivas, July 28, 1688, in Ibid.
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