Ou1· Cat.holic Heritage in Texas
was decided. In a subsequent letter he attempted to demonstrate the importance of utilizing De la Rosa's vessel to bring sorely needed supplies, such as iron, paper, glass, china, and general food supplies, directly from Vera Cruz by way of Matagorda Bay. To this suggestion the commandant replied that Bonavia was to carry out his explicit in- structions: that De la Rosa and his family were to be settled in Coahuila or Nueva Vizcaya-as far removed from the coast as possible; that he was to require De la Rosa to make a sworn statement on all the goods he had sold or handled, in addition to the 19,000-peso order for the Texas troops; that he could dispose of the ship as he saw fit; that the proposal for trade between Vera Cruz and Matagorda Bay had not been authorized, since conditions had arisen which made the opening of the latter port inadvisable at this time; and that there was no need of Bonavia's worrying about the De la Rosa family, because the case had already been decided. 42 In the meantime, De la Rosa, who had sailed supposedly in ballast for Vera Cruz, stopped on the way in the Port of Tampico, and was detained by the officials for carrying contraband goods. As usual, he managed to extricate himself from the embarrassing situation and continued to Vera Cruz, where he must have arrived early in October. He presented his draft to the royal treasury and received the 19,000 pesos. Before his departure, however, orders were received from Viceroy Lizana, in accordance with Bonavia's request which Bonavia had promised the commandant general he would make. De la Rosa, thereupon, was asked to return the money to the royal treasury to be held until the case was decided. Thoroughly aroused by the warning of the com- mandant general, the viceroy refused to engage De la Rosa for trans- porting the supplies. Whether or not he obtained a cargo of merchandise to take back to Texas or Louisiana, and what his activities were during this trip will never be known. On November I the Elena sailed out of Vera Cruz with her master Francisco de la Rosa, who, for some reason, insisted on leaving without further delay-in spite of the storm warnings that had been issued by the port officials. The next day the Elena was shipwrecked in a severe storm at Boquilla de Piedra, a short distance from Vera Cruz. All on board were drowned except one of the two soldiers who had taken passage for Matagorda Bay. Don 41 Bonavia to N. Salcedo, September 20, and November 29, 1809; N. Salcedo to Bonavia, October 27, 1809. A. G. I., A11diencia de Guadalajara, 104-2-9 (Dunn Transcripts, 1800-1819, pp. 242-244; 245-246; 269-273).
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