263
Withdrawal of Queretara11 ilfissionaries from Te:xas
He informed the college that he was consulting the Franciscan Province of Guadalajara and the College of Zacatecas to ascertain if they were willing to assume the administration of the six missions stipulated. The Guardian of the College of Querctaro promptly notified the viceroy that he was pleased with his wise determination. He took occasion to state, however, that unless capable and worthy ministers could be found to take care of the six missions in Texas the college preferred to continue to care for them in spite of the great sacrifice entailed.' Acceptance of tl,e missions b·y t/ze Province of Guadalajara and the College of Zacatecas. Both the Province of Guadalajara and the College of Zacatecas informed the viceroy and the College of Queretaro that they were ready to receive the six missions in Coahuila and Texas. In view of their ready acceptance the viceroy on July 28, 1772, issued a formal decree for the transfer, after first having consulted the Fiscal. Since this decree marks the formal withdrawal of the missionaries of the College of the Holy Cross of Queretaro from Texas and the Rio Grande, it should be quoted in full. "The offers made by the holy Colleges of Guadalajara and Zacatecas having been approved by me," declared the viceroy, "in accord with the opinion rendered by the senor fiscal, whereby they agreed to receive the missions administered by your reverences in the Province of Coahuila. known as San Bernardo and San Juan Bautista, as well as those known as San Antonio. Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion, San Juan Capistrano, and San Francisco in the Province of Texas, I have issued on this date the corresponding orders to the reverend prelates of the said colleges. In consideration of the urgency which attaches to the effective fulfillment of this useful measure involving the welfare of the gentile Indians, the tranquillity of the interior provinces, and the service of God and the King, they are to send the respective number of missionaries as soon as possible to the said missions, selecting for the purpose those worthy of the greatest trust to receive them from the ministers actually in charge of them. The transfer is to be effected with all due formalities under an exact inventory of the spiritual and temporal belongings of each one of them. Every person in each mission is to be included in the inventory . 1 6 /bid., p. 439. 1 The Viceroy to the Guardian of _Queretaro, cited by Arric!vita in Cronica S,miftca, p. 439; Carta orden in "Testimonio de los Bfenes de la misi6n de San Juan Bautista del Rio Grande. Ano 1772," Saltillo Arc/rives, Vol. 3, pp. 76-80.
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