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CHAPTER XI
TEXAS ON THE EVE OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION
The hesitant policy of the commandant general in regard to the vital question of immigration had defeated the sanguine hopes of the liberal officials in. Texas. As the year 1810 neared its end and the ominous clouds of rebellion darkened the horizon in New Spain, Governor Salcedo reported that the vast province under his care had a population of 3,122, and a military contingent of 1,033 men, a total of only 4,155. The jurisdiction of Bexar had a civilian population of 1,700; La Bahia, 405; Villa de San Marcos, 82; Trinidad de Salcedo, 91; Nacogdoches, 655; and Bayou Pierre, 189. For more than half a century, the governor declared, Spain had neglected to settle this remote but rich province. The presidia! system adopted for its occupation, he continued, had afforded inadequate protection to the few, scattered centers, and offered little or no inducement to the development of commerce and industry. The retrocession of Louisiana to France and its subsequent sale to the United States, he asserted, had aroused the fear of foreign aggression. Under the liberal leadership of Cordero, wholesale immigration from Louisiana had been encouraged, a larger number of troops had been brought to the province, and trade restrictions had been slightly modified. In spite of the earnest efforts of Texas officials to improve the general condition of the province and to strengthen its defences, however, little had been accomplished, the disappointed governor commented. Governor Salcedo reviewed the circumstances that were responsible for the backward condition of Texas. It was impossible for trade and industry to develop because the nearest legal port open to its settlers was Vera Cruz, more than 500 leagues distant. Blessed by nature's abundant resources and rich lands, the colonists had endured untold hardships and privations as a result of the unreasonable trade regula- tions. A different policy in this respect and in regard to immigration would have to be adopted, he maintained, if Texas and the rest of New Spain was to be saved. Making an about-face, he now admitted that the United States, bordering upon Spain's American possessions, represented a serious danger. He advised that the number of troops in Texas be increased regardless of the sacrifice which such a measure might entail. He insisted, likewise, that the population be augmented either by encour- [ 400]
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