The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941 Page: 89

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that of La Bahia are distant and at peace since the heathen
nations that surround them are not committing depredations.
The settlers, soldiers, and missionaries are fearful of the
ruin of San Antonio, as they reported in the complaints which
[the governor] has forwarded. On this matter the auditor gave
Y [our] Ex [cellenc]y his opinion, which was to the effect that
Don Joseph de Urrutia, placed in this presidio by Y [our]
Ex[cellenc]y, might set forth his [opinion], which he did; his
[opinion] was in agreement with the governor, the ministers
of those missions, the soldiers, and the settlers because of the
experience he acquired during a period of seven years that he
spent among these tribes, having been made chief of those that
were hostile to the Apaches. He stated that in order to repel
them it would be necessary to increase its garrison by twenty-
five men, who might be taken from La Bahia, since they are
not so urgently needed there; and that, as Y [our] Ex[cellenc]y
has ordered, the settlers who have been enlisted and those who
may be enlisted later should be aided with the cost of the farm-
ing implements for the cultivation of the lands assigned to
them and those that may be assigned to them later, in accord-
ance with the founding of that villa. Thus, he believes, it may
be protected with a competent force to repel and punish the
Apaches, who harass it so relentlessly. In view of the fore-
going statements, and giving due consideration thereto, [it may
be assumed] that, if this captain enters into an alliance with
the tribes hostile to the Apaches, which he managed while he
was among them, and if he is reinforced with the number of
soldiers he has requested, he will be able to free that villa from
its terror. The facts should be kept in mind that there are
only forty-three soldiers in that presidio, including officers and
men, and those who are stationed as guards in the missions;
and that the Presidio of La Bahia del Espiritu Santo is garri-
soned by forty men, and that it has no tribes to guard against
except those of the coast (who, the governor assures us, are at
peace) ; and that the Presidio of Los Adies is garrisoned by sixty
men, who serve only as a barrier to the colony and presidio of
the French, whose captain is Monsieur de Saint Denis, who has
now, and always has had, a special affection and esteem for
the Spaniards.
If Y[our] Ex[cellenc]y wishes, orders may be issued to the
effect that fifteen men be detached from the Presidio of La
Bahia, leaving twenty-five there for the protection of that coast;
and that ten or fifteen more be detached from the [Presidio]
of Los Adaes; and that both of these [groups] be transferred to
the Presidio of San Antonio and placed at the orders of its
captain for the duration of the Apache hostilities; and that this
captain should attempt to make an alliance with the tribes that
he governed while he lived in their country, in order that by
augmenting his forces with theirs, he may be able to subject the

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941, periodical, 1941; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146052/m1/97/ocr/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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