The Beginnings of Present Nacogdod1es
won his confidence. Should Oconor and the Viceroy feel inclined not to grant permission for the reestablishment of the former settlers of Los A<laes at Mission Dolores, Ripperda asked the former to permit Ibarbo and his friends and relatives to return to El Lobanillo, where they could establish a small settlement of possibly sixty persons. This alternative proposal seems to indicate the personal interest of Ibarbo in assuming the leadership of the enterprise. 10 lbarbo and Flores present their petition. Late in December the two agents of the Adaesanos left San Antonio, intending to call on Oconor in Chihuahua before continuing to Mexico. By January 8, they were in Santa Rosa, Coahuila, from where they wrote a long letter to the Com- mandante Inspector at the suggestion of his assistant, Roque Medina. A vivid panorama of the sufferings of the Adaesanos was presented in an effort to enlist the sympathy and support of Oconor, who they knew would oppose the plan. More than thirty former residents of Los Adaes had died in San Antonio since their arrival in September and many were desperately ill, when the two commissioners left for Mexico. They explained how two days after their arrival a band of Indians had robbed them of the few animals they had brought from Los Adaes. From that day to the present the families had been obliged to beg for alms from the presidio, the citizens, and the missions. Some had been forced to commit petty thefts to keep from starving to death, and this had occasioned bitter complaints. Their helpless situation grew worse day by day. In view of these circumstances, Ibarbo and Flores saw no other solution than to be allowed to return east to found a settlement at Mis.sion Dolores. They argued that such a mission should be established to prevent the influx of French traders and they humbly solicited his approval and support in securing the desired permission to carry out their plan. 11 Shortly after dispatching the letter to Oconor, Ibarbo and Flores went on to Mexico, where they arrived early in February. But it was not until the 28th of this month that they presented a formal petition to the viceroy, in which they recounted their troubles from the time they received the first instructions for the abandonment of their homes in Los Adaes to the date of their arrival in San Antonio, the difficulties of finding suitable lands, and their desire to return to found a new sdtlement on the site of the abandoned Mission of Dolores, located thirty-five leagues west of
10 Ripperda to Oconor, December 11, 1773, Ibid., 267-269. 11 1barbo to Oconor, January 8, 1774. In Ibid. . J59-266.
Powered by FlippingBook