Front San Lo1·enzo to Retrocession of Louisiana, z795-z80I
2II
Spain and Great Britain became strained and eventually led to a de~la- ration of war on October 7, 1796. As early as March, 1795, the Duke of Alcudia had informed Viceroy Branciforte that a break with the British was imminent and warned him against attack from Canada on New Spain. Branciforte replied in July that he was making every effort to strengthen the defences of his jurisdiction. He pointed out that on the west coast, San Francisco had only a small garrison with eight cannons, that San Diego and San Blas were unprotected, and that Acapulco lacked the means to repel a serious attack. The immense distance from the last mentioned port to San Francisco precluded the possibility of effective cooperation between it and the outposts along the west coast. The eastern frontier was in no better position. The provinces of New Mexico, Coahuila, Texas, and Louisiana now bordered upon the inde- pendent American colonies. The common interest of the British and the Americans in the navigation of the Mississippi made their cooperation, in the event of hostilities, a serious menace. He expressed concern, fur- thermore, about the loyalty of the settlers of Lousiana, almost all of whom were French. He pointed out that this province had been a heavy drain on the resources of New Spain, as its revenue was inadequate to defray the expenses of administration and defence. He had just sent 298,000 pesos requested by Carondelet. The urgent need of reenforcing the defences of Texas and New Mexico would render further help to Louisiana impossible. 2 To the serious danger of the impending English attack was added the fear of American aggression. The negroes in Louisiana and the Indians in Texas were showing signs of increasing unrest. It was sus- pected on good grounds that American emissaries were encouraging the former to revolt and the latter to prey upon the Spanish outposts. A group of Iowas, Wichitas, and Taovayas had come to Nacogdoches with Chief Irissac to complain of damages suffered at the hands of American settlers and their Indian allies. Commandant Nava asked Munoz to make an investigation and to report how far the lands of these natives were from the American settlements, what the extent of the depredations was, and what the relations were between the Iowas and other northern tribes. 3 vVarnings were issued to the Count of Sierra Gorda in Nuevo 2 Marques de Branciforte to the Duque de Alcudia, July 3, 1795. A.G./., Papeus de Estado, Mexico, Legajo 4, Num. 7. (Dunn Transcripts, 1795-1817, pp. 1-13.) 3 Nava to Munoz, March I 3, I 795. Bexar ArcAiv,s.
Powered by FlippingBook