Our Catlrolic Heritage in Texas
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have adopted to close the doors to all immigration into that pro\·ince from Louisiana are to be understood by Your Lordship to apply literally to the entire frontier and Gulf coast and to all individuals in accord with the explicit terms of my orders transmitted on June 22, [which were and are] dictated by the necessity of putting a stop to all communi- cation, direct or indirect, with a foreign country." He added that this order fulfilled the express wishes of His Majesty, and was horn of his own six years' experience. Good Spanish subjects desirous of immigrating to New Spain, he informed Bonavia, could enter by way of Vera Cruz on the condition that they secured the viceroy's consent. That official would inform the immigrants what they could or could not bring into the country. The reason these petitioners gave for requesting permission to bring in goods - that they could not dispose of their property in Louisiana for cash - was but a pretext, for they could secure drafts if not specie or currency. The royal order of September 24, 1803, which first permitted such immigration, clearly stated which goods the immi- grants could bring. 89 The commandant general added in a postscript to Bonavia that an examination of the documents in the archives of the commandancy- general, copies of which were in the possession of Bonavia, revealed that all the Spaniards and former Spanish subjects admitted from Louisiana were either libertines, smugglers, fugitives from justice. atheists, or restless rovers who had caused the authorities trouble from the moment they had set foot on Texas soil. He cited the cases of Minor, Vidal, Despallier, Clouet, Lausat, and Bastrop. These men and many others had taken advantage of the generosity of the king and the trusting nature of the Spaniards. The commandant general resented particularly the attitude of those immigrants who considered themselves benefactors of Spain and expected to be rewarded for con- descending to live among the Spaniards. They expected every petition and request to be granted and became more of a nuisance every day. Nemesio Salcedo concluded with the remark that the immigrants from Louisiana, regardless of race or nationality, were "crows who some day will peck out our eyes." 90 So emphatic a denial as this should have convinced Bonavia of the finality of Commandant General Salcedo's determination to put a stop 19N. Salcedo to Bonavia, August 21, 1809. A . G. I., A1uiie11da de Guadalajara, 104-2-25 (Dunn Transcripts, 1800-1819, pp. 217-219). 90/bid., pp. 217-219.
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