The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 251
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews and Notices
San Antonio de Bexar, a brief account of the Indians and missions
of the vicinity, the establishment of the Villa of San Fernando,
and an appendix compose the first volume. The missions have
been the constant source of inspiration to many local historians
and numerous are the accounts to be had, though few are to be
accepted as accurate from a strict historical standpoint. Mr.
Chabot's account in general may be said to be the best effort to
arrive at an accurate account of the facts, but it leaves much to
be desired.
Particularly exasperating is the omission of references to the
sources used. That the author has made a conscientious effort to
arrive at the truth, and that he has done considerable research in
preparation for the writing of his book is evident, but his references
are often mentioned in the text in such an indefinite manner that
it is impossible to check his assertions. Quotations are often given
without indicating the location of the document used. Since he
tries to establish facts not generally known, it becomes all the more
important that where he departs from the generally accepted
accounts he should be particularly careful to base his statements
on incontestable authority, indicating clearly the source of his
information.
Had he indicated his authority for the emphatic statement that
a mission was founded on the present site of San Antonio as early
as 1716, as stated on page twenty-three, he would have made a real
contribution and set the permanent occupation of San Antonio two
years earlier than has been generally accepted. Another important
statement that, if correct, should have been substantiated is the one
found on page twenty-six: "The king of Spain approved the
founding of a villa capital at San Antonio." If he has seen a
document that declares that the Villa of San Fernando was to be
the capital, it will be contrary to the evidence found by all other
investigators and to the well established fact that Los Adaes was
the official capital of Texas until 1773. Proof of this are his own
statements that residencias were held in Los Adaes in 1741, 1744,
1748, 1754, and 1759, a thing that would not have occurred if Los
Adaes was not the capital. That the location of the capital at
Adaes was illogical and that San Antonio should have been the
capital is well and good, but the fact remains that Spanish authori-
ties regarded Los Adaes as the official capital till 1773. Indefinite
references such as "Historia, 1737, page 532" mean nothing. The251
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932, periodical, 1932; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101092/m1/255/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.