343
Frenc/1, Intervention in Spain and Its Reaction in Te:ras
have exposed himself to the indignity of detention, had it not been for the American embargo. The reason he gave for writing to Governor Cordero rather than to Commandant General Salcedo was that he was certain that Salcedo would take months to decide his case, and he could not suffer the indignity of having to wait that long.u The French envoy was shrewd. He reasoned that the governor of this remote province would be less well informed on the true state of affairs than the commandant general and, consequently, would be more likely to permit him to continue his journey. D'Alvimar did more than plead. He warned, "You may block my official entrance [by way of Texas], but how can you prevent me from reaching Mexico City by some other route?" He maintained that he preferred to enter legally, but that if he was delayed much longer, he would be obliged to resort to other methods to carry out his orders. Significantly, he added that he was only one agent, and that others were to follow. He tried to circumvent the law requiring passports of strangers by declaring that it was ridiculous to demand a passport of a military envoy. He had visited almost all the other Spanish colonies, and had never before been asked to show one. As a matter of fact, he had no more returned from Madrid than he was ordered to go to America. He had spent three months in Spain prior to his embarkation from Bordeaux. His passport, dated in that port November 27, 1807, had been issued by order of Napoleon who instructed all officials, military and civil, to allow the general, an officer of the Legion of Honor, native of Paris, to proceed on a special mission to the United States, thence to the Spanish colonies. 14 D'Alvimar tactfully tried to play upon the pride of the provincial governor. Expressing his conviction that the whole thing was just a mistake, he lamented the difficulty experienced by officers in charge of such remote provinces in keeping themselves informed of what went on in the world at large. He could well understand why they, lacking information, would be suspicious. But he could not postpone his mission to the Marquis de St. Simon, who by now must be the new viceroy of Mexico. He would remember to mention to the Marquis the treatment accorded him in Texas. He felt outraged at ha,·ing to exhibit his llD'Alvimar to Cordero, August 9, 1808. Nacogdod111 Arcllii•n, XI, p. 98. 1 4 Passport Issued to General Octavlano D'Alvimar, Bordeaux, November 27, 1807: copy sent to Cordero, August 9, 1809. Nacogdoc/111 Arcl,it,11, XI, pp. 98-101.
Powered by FlippingBook