Plans for t/1e Reorganization of tlee Frontier
215
so important a matter. While expressing the king's reluctance to believe the rumors, his secretary thought it would be best to make a thorough investigation. The viceroy was instructed to send intelligent and trust- worthy agents by land and sea, if he had not already done so, to explore the bay and the reputed islands along the coast. If the English were found, they were to be asked to leave. Should they refuse, they were to be driven out by force. On July 31, the order was repeated in more urgent terms and implicit orders given to find out when and how the English had come to settle on the coast and to drive them out at any cost. 21 Be it said to the credit of the Marques de Cruillas, the viceroy, that while faced with numerous problems of grave importance in the closing months of his administration, he did not neglect his duties in safeguarding the Texas coast. From the time the first rumors reached him, he had taken every measure at his command to ascertain the truth and meet every eventuality. In addition to the request sent to Escandon for information, he commissioned Ortiz Parrilla to proceed to La Bahia and from there conduct a thorough inves- tigation. If the English were found to have settled anywhere on the coast, they were to be expelled by force. Re-ports of Escandon on Padre Island. The first to report was Escandon. In his letters he summarized all he had been able to learn concerning the islands along the coast and the prP.sence of foreigners. Since here are found many details concerning an area heretofore neglected by historians of Texas, it may be well to give a full account of the exploration and investigation conducted by both Escandon and Parrilla as a result of the English scare. Upon his arrival in Nuevo Santander Escandon dispatched a detach- ment of soldiers from Camargo to explore the coast. Under the leadership of Jose de la Garza Falcon, the twenty-five men set out from Camargo on June 19, 1766, and went to Santa Petronila. This was a ranch owned by Blas Maria de la Garza Falcon, located about five leagues southwest from Rio de las Nueces and not far from the coast. This would place them in the· vicinity of present Chapman ranch, due south of Corpus Christi. After a few days in Santa Petronila, the men secured a number of Indian guides, who told them that the Islas Blancas (White Islands) were opposite the coast from the ranch. The guides led the little band across shallow and marshy lakes to a long, narrow, flat island, that 27 Arrlaga to the Viceroy, February 10, 1767; same to same, July 31, 1767. A.G./. A,uJiencia de Guadalajara, I 04-6-13 (Dunn Transcripts, I 767) pp. 37-39; Cidulas Rea/es, 1768-1772 (Bolton Transcripts) p. 146.
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