Establislmtent of ,~fissions in East Texas, 1689-1693
36r
proposal involved considerable expense and required the official approval of the king; the second, was more economical and more appealing to the Christian spirit of the officials. Aside from these considerations, it should be kept in mind that the viceroy had been obviously displeased with the failure of Alonso de Leon to investigate the nature of the buoys observed in the bay and the rumors of the French settlement to the east, as a result of which the maritime expedition of Llanos had been found necessary. It is not strange, in view of these facts, that when the whole matter was once more referred to the Fiscal, he should have favored Father Massanet's proposal. On October IO, he recommended its approval, objecting only to the suggested settlement on the Guadalupe, which he considered a premature undertaking. In his opinion, this matter should be postponed until the king could be informed of the project and the missionary establishments had proved a success. 33 On November 16, the recommendations of the Fiscal were duly approved by the Junta de Hacienda. The suggestions of Father Massanet were to be followed almost completely. No presidios were to be established, and only such soldiers should be provided as the missionaries desired. Eight missions were authorized: three among the Tejas, including in this number the one already founded, four among the Cadodachos, and one on the Guadalupe, to be cared for by fourteen missionaries and seven lay brothers. All the supplies suggested were to be furnished at the expense of the royal treasury and orders for their purchase issued as soon as possible. Other details were to be decided at a subsequent Junta. Accordingly, the viceroy lost no time in sending instructions to Nuevo Leon for the gathering of the necessary supplies. 34 Tlte expedition of Domingo Teran de los Rios, 1691-1692. Prepara- tions being sufficiently advanced by November 28, the viceroy called a ltmta to pass on the final arrangements for the new entrada to the country of the Tejas. The officials had not forgotten the reported activities of the French. Since these might prove more than rumors, it was thought advisable by the Junta that a responsible person with military experience should be provided as leader for the proposed expedition. Alonso de Leon, who had taken charge on previous occasions, it was declared, could not be spared this time, his presence being indispensable in Coahuila on account of the unsettled condition of the Indians on its frontier. Tact-
33 Report of the Fiscal, October 10, 1690, in Ibid., 87-88. 3 ~Junta de Hacienda, November 1 6, 1690, in Ibid., 87-97.
Powered by FlippingBook