The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 10, July 1906 - April, 1907 Page: 1

THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
VOL. X. JULY, 1906. No. 1.
The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views-
expressed by contributors to THE QUARTERLY.
THE LOUISIANA-TEXAS FRONTIER.
ISAAC JOSLIN COX.
PART I. THE FRANCO-SPANISH REGIMEE.
THE SPANISH INTRODUCTION.
To the average American citizen of a century ago Texas was
practically unknown, while Louisiana meant little more than a
vague geographical expression to designate a shadowy region ren-
dered marvelous by three centuries of Latin-American exploration
and occupancy. He knew only that within the unknown limits of the
Southwest conquistador and coreur-de-bois, Franciscan and Jesuit
had played uncertain parts in an ineffectual struggle to stem the
westward course of the Anglo-Saxon. In this struggle Spaniard
and Frenchman had fought each other for the sake of colonial
empires that they barely grasped before they were obliged to com--
bine against the Anglo-American invader, who threatened to dis-
possess both of their uncertain tenure. Under these circum-
stances, when Louisiana was ceded to the United States the ques-
tion of metes and bounds for the new acquisition was a puzzling
one upon which past events could throw but little light, and that
greatly distorted.
Louisiana, under French domination, had been an intrusive
colony effectually separating two portions of the Spanish empire in
North America, and because of its important strategic position it