The Beginnings of Present Nacogdoches
337
country of the Tejas, the oldest and best friends of the Spaniards in the province. 71 lbarbo repeated most of the arguments ad,·anced by Father Garza. He declared, however, that the reason for his decision to establish the settlers at Nacogdoches had been primarily the existence of the old chapel which v,:ould allow the Padre to exercise his sacred ministry. The character of the land, the bunclance of water and good pastures, and the easy access to materials for the construction of houses, coupled with the safety and security afforded to the settlement by the friendly Indians, made Nacog- doches an ideal haven for the unfortunate settlers of Bucareli.:: Croi:i:'s inclination to fa-vor a new site.. E,·en before he recei\"ecl the reports of Father Garza and lbarbo, the Co111111ada11te General had expressed his open-mindedness on the question in a letter to Governor Cabello. The hardships and sufferings of the wretched settlers had enlisted his sympathy. He authorized Go,·ernor Cabello, on i\lay 21st, to decide whether they should return to Bucareli or settle permanently in any one of the places suggested by Father Botello, such as the Neches, the Angelina., the Atoyaque, or the former site of the Nacogdoches Mission. Croix reminded the governor that he had requested a detailed report on the whole question of the return of the settlers to East Texas on July 30, 1778. 73 In a long report in reply to the request of July 30, 1778, Governor Cabello narrated the antecedents of Bucareli. The opposition of Oconor to the project from the very beginning had resulted in the hasty selection of the site at Paso Tomas, notwithstanding that others better suited to the purpose might ha,·e been found. Although subsequent events had conclusively proved that the choice had been ill-advised, nevertheless, the settlement of Bucareli by the wandering exiles from Los Adaes had been beneficial to the interests of the King and to the propagation of the faith. As a result, Father Jose de la Garza had been able to induce forty Xaraname families to return to the Mission of Espiritu Santo after se,·enteen years of apostacy. lbarbo and his companions had successfully kept a watch on the coast and pre- Governor Cabello defends Nacogdoches.
: 1Father Jose Francisco Mariano de la Garza to Caballero de Croix, April 30, 1;79. A.G. ,11., Historia, Vol. 51, pp. 521-524.
72 lbarbo to Croix, l\fay 13, 1;79. In Ibid., pp. 517-521. 73 Teodoro de Croix to Governor Domingo Cabello, July 30, l\fay 21, 1779. A.G. 111., Historia, Vol. 51, pp. 478, 499-501.
I 778; same to s:imc,
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