Pla11s for the Reorganization of tl,e Frontier
249
purpose. Their respective locations could be determined after a more careful exploration of the entire area. 60 "How painful and assail- able to many," explains Rubi, "would be the proposal I would like to make now, the abandonment of the site of the villa and the five wealthy missions of San Antonio de Bejar, located on the banks of the river of the same name, removing them to this side (Mexican) of the Rio del Norte, within the protection of the new line of presidios, such as the missions of San Juan and San Bernardo at San Juan Bautista. Such a removal, which undoubtedly involved many difficulties, could be justified by repeated examples of what has been done with other larger colonies to promote their development or security. But I do not dare go so far, nor do I trust my own judgment sufficiently to propose so great an innovation. Let the Presidio and Villa de San Antonio de Bejar remain in their present location." The establishment of this settlement, the bringing of the colonists from the distant Canary Islands, the erection of its church, the expense of supplying the settlers with the means to start life anew, all these things had cost too much to the royal treasury to abandon the site now, he reflected. Its five missions, too, should remain on their pleasant locations. Recommendations concerning San Antonio. From San Antonio to San Juan Bautista, however, there were more than fifty leaghes. The intervening country was being overrun by the faithless Apaches. With the abolition of San Saba, the northern tribes would be .attracted to San Antonio, whose north and west fronts would be left exposed to their hostilities. Furthermore, if Los Adaes was either abolished or incorporated in Louisiana, and Orcoquisac was suppressed, San Antonio would be left as the most advanced and exposed frontier outpost in New Spain. Since its abandonment was out of the question, in order to maintain this settlement, the garrison should be increased to constitute a respectable and adequate force to defend it against both native or foreign attack. Under the rtorganized frontier San Antonio would become the front line of defense and would require not less than eighty men. The twenty-two now stationed there were totally inadequate. How could this be accomplished without additional cost to the treasury? By utilizing a portion of the garrison of the Presidio de San Saba, which if not abolished would need only fifty men on its new location near the Rio Grande, or from the men stationed now at Orcoquisac. '°Rubi, Digttamen, April Io, I 7 68. A. G. I., A udiencia de Guadalajara, 104-6-1 J (Dunn Tr., 1768-1772), pp. 20-26.
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