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Our Catl,olic Heritage in Texas
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the village where Orobio had set up his camp. At its widest point, the bay was about two and one-half leagues, but it narrowed to one league toward the hill. During the next two or three days Orobio attempted to reach the point where the English had cut the wood but without success. On June 22, he examined carefully the mouth of the Trinity where it entered the bay. He found that it was one hundred and six varas wide (about three hundred feet) and that from the east bank to the middle the depth increased gradually to two fathoms. But the main channel ran close to its west bank, where a depth of five fathoms was discovered. Opposite the mouth there were sand banks and the water appeared to be shallow. After inspecting the neighboring streams, which he called San Antonio de Padua and Nombre de Dios, both of which were found to be large creeks and apparently permanent, he took leave of his friends on June 25 and started his return march to the Guadalupe. He followed the most direct route, and finding no high waters, he arrived in La Bahia on July 4, from where he made his report to the viceroy.' Trade witli tlie Bidais and t/1e Orcoqttisacs. Although the recom- mendations of Orobio y Basterra for the establishment of missions among these Indians were disregarded at this time because of the San Xavier enterprise, when Governor Barrios y Jauregui arrived in Los Adaes in 1751 he seems to have realized the possibilities of a friendly trade with them. An investigation held in 1760, after his departure, disclosed how he had established a practical monopoly in which there are some indications that the missionaries of East Texas shared. The trade was carried on by his personal agents, Marcos Ruiz, Domingo del Rio, Juan Antonio Maldonado, and Jacinto Leon. The business appears to have been well organized. Governor Barrios y Jauregui obtained the goods in Natchi- toches, in open violation of the strictest orders of the viceroy, and sent them in pack-trains escorted by a small guard of soldiers to the country of the Bidais and the Orcoquisacs. The goods consisted of French knives, scissors, beads, cloth, tobacco, c·ombs, and even firearms, in spite of ·the serious offense which it was to supply arms and ammunition to the natives. In exchange there were obtained corn, horses, buckskins and buffalo hides; The corn and horses were sold by the governor to the garrison at Los Adaes, while the skins and hides were either traded at Natchitoches for YQrobio y Basterra to the Victroy, July 22, 1748, San Francisco el Grande Arcl,ive, Vol. 19, pp. 9 5-1 oo. This report has not been used before by historians. It is for this reason that it has been cited here in detail.
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