NOTES AND FRAGMENTS.

A Correction.—In the changes incident to correction in the proof of The Quarterly for October, 1901, p. 109, one line was repeated and one lost. This left the beginning of the last paragraph on the page in confusion. It should read as follows: “Shortly after Beaujeu's departure La Salle organized an expedition to explore the river on which he was situated in order to clear his doubts about its being an arm of the Mississippi. This expedition resulted,” etc. In the same article, p. 106, l. 14, the words in sympathy should be inserted after “Jesuit.”

Notice of Texas by a Traveler.—Mr. Schabelitz, in 1888, collected into a pamphlet of 164 pages, entitled Ueberseeische Reisen, the accounts of the travels of Amand Goegg, which had been published in the Hamburg Fremdenblatt and the Frantfurter Zeitung.

Mr. Goegg first visited America in 1851. He consequently found a considerable change when in 1876 he arrived in New York en route to Australia. An account of this trip occupies the first 33 pages. The period 1880-1882 he spent in Brazil, and contributed much useful information respecting that country.

His remarks on Texas occupy pages 125-142. The first letter is dated from San Antonio, in August, 1882, at a time when the Southern Pacific stopped at Morgan City, whence the traveler was taken by steamer to Galveston.

He gives a short account of the German colony of New Braunfels, and notices with pleasure the number of German newspapers.

The few remaining pages describe a trip through Mexico.

William Beer.  Howard Memorial Library, New Orleans.

Rose's Escape from the Alamo.—I have been advised by a friend whose position entitles his opinion to high respect, that it is incumbent upon me to answer the question as to why the narrative of this escape was not published before 1873, and I do so according to my knowledge of the subject.

I have elsewhere explained what I believe to be the cause of the silence, till that date, of others on this subject. ¹⁰¹ Therefore, it remains only to explain why I did not publish the facts sooner.

Be it remembered that my account of Rose's escape and journey was not the principal purpose of my article in the Texas Almanac for 1873; that story was merely incidental to, and in proof of, my version of the substance of Colonel Travis's last speech to his comrades. The compilation of that speech was a work of much study and long deliberation, besides repeated conversations with my mother, to refresh my memory. Though I often thought of the speech, and wished that it could be rescued from oblivion, I did not, till 1871, believe that I or any other person could perform such a task.

In 1871, after much reading of early events in Texas—mainly in Richardson's Texas Almanac—I experienced a phenomenal refreshment of my memory of what I had seen, heard, and read of during my earlier life. Among other things, I recovered scraps of Travis's speech, as Rose had disconnectedly repeated them to my parents, and they had likewise repeated them to me. I then felt that I owed to posterity the duty of preserving all that I could of that speech. By the assistance of my mother, whose memory was yet bright, I committed to writing all that we could remember of the speech, according to our recollection of its substance; but its parts were disconnected, and we did not think that they included all that Travis said. Then I wished so to arrange the parts as to approach, as nearly as possible, toward their proper connection. Accordingly I rewrote and transposed the parts many times, and the result was the speech as it was afterwards published. My success was as much a surprise to me as it could be to any one else.

Having reproduced Travis's speech, as nearly as it could be done, it was necessary that I should explain how I had obtained it. This explanation consisted in Rose's statement in full. To repeat this was comparatively an easy task, as his narrative was one of successive events which he stated in the order of their occurrences and was easily remembered. I accordingly wrote his full statement, embracing the speech, and this was the form in which both the speech and the narrative were first published. I hoped to have my article published in the Texas Almanac for 1872; but it was not ready in time for that year. It was published in that for 1873, which was the last issue of that valuable annual.

On request of Mrs. Pennybacker I prepared for her use separate copies of my versions of Travis's speech and Rose's escape and journey to my father's residence, both of which are inserted in her History of Texas for Schools. ¹⁰²

Summary (Here I condense my explanation to twenty words) : Prior to 1871, I did not believe that the substance of Colonel Travis's last speech could be rescued from oblivion.

W. P. Zuber.

“De los Mapas.”—The following fragment was copied in Spanish from an original document in the archives of the Diocese of San Antonio (Bautismos, Casamientos, Entierros, 2 B, 1731-1760. San Fernando. Pp. 197-198) by the Rev. Father Edmond J. P. Schmitt, deceased. The caption, “de los Mapas” stands in the margin of the manuscript from which the copy was made, opposite the portion extracted. The order here set forth is of interest as throwing light upon the means taken by the Church to administer its affairs. It is not known how the order was executed nor what the result showed, but it is safe to say that if the returns could be found they would doubtless constitute valuable material on the early history of Texas. In translating the extract the capitalization and punctuation of Father Schmitt's copy have not been followed, but otherwise the form and mode of expression of the manuscript have been preserved so far as is consonant with rendering the somewhat corrupt Spanish into intelligible English.

We, the Dr. Dn. Diego Rodriguez de Rivas, by the divine favor and [that] of the Holy Apostolic See, Bishop of Guadalaxara, New Kingdom of Galicia and of Leon, provinces of Nayarit, [the] Californias, Coahuila, and Texas, of the Council of His Majesty:

To all our curates, secular and regular, we make known that the piety of the King our Lord has given orders most fitting and suitable for the convenience of the curates in the administration of the Holy sacraments [and] the spiritual welfare of the parishioners, for which, and in order that the holy intentions of his majesty may be put into practice, we order and command that each one of the curates make a map or plan of the territory of his parish, marking the settlements, stating the number and condition of the parishioners, the[ir] temperament, the employments and occupations by which they live and sustain themselves, the condition of the roads from settlement to settlement,—that is, whether they are level, broken, or wooded; whether there are intervening rivers of considerable volume, and how they are crossed, in time of rain or in dry weather, or [and] with what dangers or inconveniences one travels from one settlement to others [another]. And considering that some of the curates may find themselves embarrassed in the execution of this our mandate, through want of practice in making map[s], or by [their] not understanding well that expressed in this despatch, let them observe and practice that which, for illustration and example, is placed on the other side. And in consideration of its being of so much importance for the curates and the spiritual welfare of their parishioners, we order and command that within thirty days counted from the receipt of this despatch, they remit to our Secretaria de Cámara y Govierno the map[s] and the description of all the aforesaid, under penalty to the secular curates of two hundred pesos, and to the regular [curates] of four months' suspension from office and benefice, during which time a secular priest shall serve the parish (doctrina), ¹⁰³ and let him have the income of the parish. Given in the City of Guadalaxara, on the eleventh day of the month of May, in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five; signed in our own name and hand, sealed with our seal, and countersigned by our undersigned Secretaria de Cámara y Govierno. Diego, Bishop of Guadalaxara. By order of the Most Illustrious, the Bishop, my Lord Pedro de Madrid.

Secretary,  Br. [?] Jph Antto. Ildephonso d la Peña.  Herbert E. Bolton.

Some Interesting Documents.—The documents printed below are copied from originals in possession of Mrs. Adèle B. Looscan, of Houston, Texas.

The Guadalupe and the Montezuma mentioned in the letter were two Mexican vessels of war that had been built in England, and were attacked, when they were brought over, by Commodore Moore on the coast of Yucatan.

The bill of lading consists of a printed blank filled in with a pen. The written parts of the bill are here put in italics.—Editor Quarterly.

New Orleans August 14, 1843.  Andrew Brisco Esq

Dear Sir The prospect of a peace will bring our Lands into Market have you done anything towards getting settlers on our Montgomery location, how is it situated with regard to Taxas &c. and is their any demand for it., I have directed several Emigrants to you, who were in pursuit of good locations but have not heard from them since. there are a number more expected this fall and I wish to be prepared for them. you will therefore do me a favor of writing all the particulars

I came from Galveston a short time since on business and shall be detained here awhile. should you write me address to care of Texas Consul,. I hope to be able to return in the Winter. Speculations is rife on the subject of the Treaty to be effected with Santa Ana, Abolition, Relinquishing Territory, assuming 5 million debt to English bond holders, &c. &c. are among them. I think we have suffered enough to entitle us to an Unconditional recognition, Atho assuming the 5 million debt to pay when we can, would be better than to spend that amount in a continuance of a ruinous War, Gen Green &5 of his comrades have escaped from the Perote Prison &took pasage from here in a Scho. bound to Matagorda. they are full of fight &want to be revenged on Santa Ana for his Cruel &Villanous treatment to them, Doctor Sinnickson &Capt Reese have published thanking letters for favors received from Mexicans, they may possibly produce better treatment to those left behind,

I have seen &conversed with the surgion of the Mexican Steamer Guadalope. he compliments Com Moore on his gallantry says 3 shots struck the steamer. but not a man was touched, he says if Com Moore could have got along side he must have captured them, as there was only 15 English on board &the rest of the crew some 4 or 500 were Mexicans, so alarmed that they were in each others way &would have made poor defence The Accounts from the Montezuma are that, the approach of the Texas Vessels produced the utmost Consternation, the Mexicans exclaiming here comes the Texas Devils, The Continued heavy rains has kept back the yellow fever. 8 or 10 cases however have been reported yesterday &today. James K Brown &his Sister Jesse have escaped from the danger, by going to Saint Louis, Business is, as ever, at this season flat, every body that can afford it have gone to some retreat or Watering place. so that few remain for the Yellow fever to opperate on, let me hear from you soon Very Respectfully Yours

Edward Hall

Mr Bryan is still at Galveston attending to the Naval affairs

SHIPPED in good order and well conditioned by Nathaniel Lynch on board the Schr called the Kosciusko whereof A Burns is master, now lying in the port of Anahuac and bound for New Orleans To say One Hundred Dollars—Seventy Dollars of which is in Bank Notes and thirty in Eagle Dollars being marked and numbered as in the margin and are to be delivered in the like good order and condition at the port of New Orleans unto A Brisco or to his assigns, he or they paying freight for the said at the rate of one per cent with — In witness whereof the master or purser of the said vessel hath affirmed to this. Bills of Lading, all of this tenor and date one of which being accomplished the others to stand void.

Dated in Anahuac the 31 day of October 1836

A Burns