Beginning of Seculari:;ation in San A11to11io
35 1
they feared they would be constantly invoh·ed in complaints made by the Indians and accusations of ungratefulness by officials for fa,·ors bestowed. Under the circumstances they preferred to continue to earn a scanty livelihood and lh·e on public charity as they had done up to the present, rather than to undertake to cultivate and plant the farms, build houses, and make permanent impro,·ements in the missions, while waiting for the decision of the Coma11daute Ge11ert1l as to their ultimate destination. They specifically referred to the concluding sentence of Father Ramirez de Arellano's communication and resented the slur cast upon their character by the insinuation. 10 But in all justice, it should be kept in mind that the majority of the settlers had sought out a solution by returning to Bucareli and that only those who lacked initiath·e and willingness to earn a lh·ing by personal exertion had remained in San Antonio, content to eke out a meager existence at the expense of the citizens. At this time Father Ramirez de Arellano was residing at San Jose Mission. In San Juan Capistrano was Fray Jose Luis Mariano de Cardenas, while at Mission Espada Fray Pedro Moreno was located. Mission Con- cepcion was being tended by Fray Jose Francisco Lopez, a,d the old Mission of Valero was being administered by Fray Jost! iVfaria Salas. 11 GoYernor Cabello was disappointed with the stand takl·n by the A daesa11os and seems to ha,·e tried to convince them of the ach-bability of accepting the temporary relief offered. Con\"inced of the futility of his efforts, he finally transmitted copies of the proceedings to Croix on June 1, 1778.u ' Proposal for seculari:;ation of 11/ission Valero. Almost a year elapsed before the meticulous Assessor General, on whose fair judgment Croix depended, made a report on the problem of settling the remnants of the former citizens of Los Adaes. He reviewed the whole question. It seemed that the Villa of San Fernando and the five missions on the San Antonio had claims on all the available lands suited for cultivation. Consequently, the remaining settlers from Los Adaes had to find homes elsewhere. Several sites had been suggested for this purpose, mainly on the San Marcos, the Guadalupe, and the Cibolo, but in each case the establishment of the remaining families in the localities suggested involYed the need 10 Auto del Governador Cabello, April 5, 1778; Comunicacion de Agustin Rod- riguez, Bernardo Cervante, y Miguel de la Cerda. A. G. ,1/. Hisloria, Vol. 51, pp. 412-415; 416-417; 428-429. 11 A. G. ,II. Historit1, Vol. 51, pp. 420-421. UGovernor Cabello to Croix. June 10, 1778. Ibid., p. 422.
Powered by FlippingBook