Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
Protest of tlie civil authorities. The commander of San Juan Bautista felt considerable apprehension and feared the complete abandonment of the missions by the neophytes would follow the withdrawal of the mis- sionaries from Queretaro. The garrison and the civil settlers at San Juan Bautista drew up representations, which they sent to the viceroy posthaste, protesting the proposed change in the administration of the missions. They expressed their fears and cited numerous examples in which the change of missionaries had caused the abandonment of missions. Further- more the discontented neophytes might ally themselves with other hostile tribes and lead their new friends to the settlement to take vengeance for their feigned wrong. The viceroy referred the matter to the Fiscal, who advised that the Guardian of the College of Queretaro should be consulted concerning the matter. The Guardian called the Discretor-io of the College. and after some deliberation, prepared a memorial in which the objections raised by the well-meaning settlers of San Juan Bautista were answered. They assured the viceroy that the Indians themselves would be entirely indif- ferent to the change. It was the nature of the natives to be ungrateful. Their attachment was not deep. As a matter of fact, like most persons with a childish mind, they were inordinately fond of change and were more likely to view with pleasure the coming of new missionaries to take care of them. In the final analysis, if they should attempt to run away, granting that they should resent the change, the garrison stationed at San Juan Bautista was sufficient to prevent their flight, or to bring them back if they succeeded in their ill-advised design. The reply of the College of Queretaro to the protest appears to have satisfied the viceroy, who repeated his previous orders and instructed the commander of San Juan Bautista and the governor of Texas to witness the transfer in person or delegate persons to represent them. The College of Nuestra Senora de la Santa Cruz and the Provincial of the Province of Guadalajara were to send sworn copies of the inventories of the transfer and the names of the missionaries assigned to the new missions in order that the corresponding instructions might be issued to the officers of the treasury for the payment of their respective salaries.• Transfer of missions at San J11an Ba11tista. On November 22, 1772, Governor Jacobo de Ugarte y Loyola of Coahuila issued the necessary orders to the Captain of the Presidio of San Juan Bautista for the official transfer of the two missions in his jurisdiction to the representative of
•Arriclvlta, o;. ·cit., 440-44 J.
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