The Founding of iJ.1ission Nuestra Senora del Refugio
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doned, an adequate garrison should be placed there to enforce the law strictly, to defend the province in case of attack, and to keep a watch on all hostile movements." Interest in the status of the missions. The mission, being a frontier institution designed to Christianize and civilize the natives on the ever widening periphery of New Spain and to serve as an outpost to reenforce the frontier against surprise attacks or insidious penetrations by for- eigners among the Indian nations, naturally became an object of concern for the king and his officers in the closing years of the eighteenth century. As early as 1784, Charles III issued an order to the viceroy instructing him to prepare a simple, accurate, and clear report on the actual condition of the missions of New Spain, and to compare the present status with that at the time of the expulsion of the Jesuits (1767), and to make suggestions for its improvement. 5 Viceroy Matias de Galvez, in June of the same year, ordered the collection of the necessary data, but the individual reports from the numerous frontier officers and mission establishments came in slowly and not always so fully and clearly as desired. Three years thus elapsed. On March 21, 1787, a royal cedula was sent to the viceroy repeating the request for an immediate report on the general condition of the missions. It included instructions to make a similar report every two or three years in the future in order that the Council of the Indies might be informed as to the progress or lack of progress made by this important frontier institution. 6 Before the required information was at last compiled by the industrious and painstaking secretary of the viceroyalty, Antonio Bonilla, many changes in the administrative system of the missions had taken place. The interest shown by the crown had called forth numerous plans and suggestions, some quite fantastic, for the improvement and expansion of missionary activity on the one hand, and for the complete abolition of the system on the other. The effect of these conflicting reports and suggestions upon the missions in Texas has already been noted in the previous chapter. "Viceroy Revillagigedo to Diego de Godorqui, April 30, 1793. A. G. /., A11diencia de Mexico, 96-2-12 (Dunn Transcripts, 1787-1791, pp. 48-53). 5 Real Orden de Enero 31, 1784. A.G./., /ndifermle General, 154-7-14, pp. 1-2. 6 Copia del Inforrne General instruydo en cumplimiento de el Orden de 31 de Eno. de 1784 Sobre las Misiones del Reyno de Nueva Espana ... A. G. I., lndiferente General, I 54-7-14, pp. 3-4.
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