Ottr C atlzolic H e1·itage in T ezas
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Ugarte, commander of Nacogdoches, pointed out the advisability of establishing one or two settlements in the vast region lying between this distant outpost and San Antonio. Ugarte had reached this conclu- sion after the prohibition of all trade with Louisiana was strictly enforced. The proposed settlements would make it easier for the garrison at Nacog- doches to secure necessary supplies. When the governor was consulted, he admitted that San Antonio was a long way from Nacogdoches, and that in the intervening country there were numerous streams to supply the fertile valleys with an abundance of water. He admitted, too, that these valleys were well suited for such settlements, and that they might prove very useful. But he pointed out that these sites were no better than those in the vicinity of San Antonio, where much of the land could be irrigated, and where settlers could help considerably to strengthen this old post. The idea of founding new centers of population was good, but the difficulty was in securing settlers. He gave a discouraging summary of the poor results of previous efforts, pointing out that from 1718 to the time he was writing, only three permanent settlements had been established: San Antonio, La Bahia, and Nacogdoches. Civil estab- lishments had failed because the Spaniards in Texas were not agricul- turists. He concluded by declaring that the proposal of Ugarte would be impractical unless settlers could be brought from other provinces and given adequate protection against the Indians.' The governor had analyzed the situation with remarkable clarity and frankness. Ugarte's proposal was a bit premature, for conditions in the frontier province had not as yet become desperate, nor had officials decided to give the French and the Americans of Louisiana a trial as settlers in Texas. 5 Governor Elguezabal, in fact, had already pointed out the deplorable condition of Texas and indirectly advocated a more liberal policy for its development. In a general report made to Salcedo in June, 1803, he estimated the population of Bexar as 2,500, that of La Bahia as 618, and that of Nacogdoches as 770. The total population of the province, including the settlers in the various missions, was about 4,000. He deplored the absence of all industry and the backward condition of agriculture. In a country filled with fine pastures and large rivers, 'Governor of Texas to the Commandant General, January l 8; 1804. Quaderno Borrador, January 4, 1804, to December 19, 1804. Bexar Archives. SThe best and most detailed study of the opening of Texas to colonization is to be found in M. A. Hatcher's The Opening of Texas to Foreign Settlement, 1801-1821. (University of Texas Bulletin, No. 2714, April 8, 1927.) The work is indispensable for the study of Texas colonization, but it is unfortunately out of print.
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