Introductory Note.
Bonilla's Breve Compendio, of which a translation is here given, is one of several known summaries of the early history of Texas written in Spanish. 4
In 1772, Barón de Ripperdá, the governor of Texas, presented to Viceroy Bucareli a report embodying certain measures which he thought it advisable to put into effect in Texas. Thereupon the viceroy ordered that the government office “whose duty it is” should make a summary of all the previous history of the province, so as to have data upon which a junta de guerra y hacienda afterward to be held could base its action. The task fell to Antonio Bonilla, 5 then an officer of the Secretaria de Cámara of Mexico. He finished the work in fifteen days. 6
The Breve Compendio, as he called his report, consists of four main divisions: 1. A description of the Province of Texas as it was in 1772 (Secs. 1-2); 2. A summary of the history of Texas from 1685 to 1770 (Secs. 3-24); 3. A summary of Ripperdá's reports made in 1770 and 1772, and of a report of de Mezières, with such of the history of Texas from 1770 to 1772 as bears upon these reports. 4. The conclusion, which is an expression of Bonilla's personal opinion. Even though Bonilla had as a guide Altamira's Testimonio, mentioned in the list on page 1, the Breve Compendio is quite a remarkable document, especially when one considers what a mass of material Bonilla used, and what a short time he was at work. It is written in a spirit of fairness, and so far as I have had time and opportunity to compare it with other documents, is in the main correct, notwithstanding some mistakes of detail. Not counting the copies recently made by students in the United States, there are at least four copies of the Breve Compendio known to be extant, viz.: 1. A manuscript belonging to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. 7 This copy is hereafter designated in this paper as A. 2. The first document in volume 27 of the Memorias de Nueva España. A copy 8 of this, in the possession of The University of Texas, and used by me, is herein designated as M. 3. Document No. 9 in volume 43, Sección de Historia, Archivo General. 9 4. A document in volume 302 of the same collection. 10
The text from which the subjoined translation is made has been obtained by a comparison of M and A. The text is mainly that of A, which bears prima facie evidence of greater accuracy, except in a few instances. For convenience in collation, however, M is taken as the basis.
There are numerous differences between these two texts, in mechanical form and in content. A, for example, uses more abbreviations than M; it usually writes out numbers, while M, for the most part, uses numerals; it often uses older forms than M does. M often omits individual words, or even phrases or sentences, which are found in A. Occasionally, however, M is fuller than A, notably, in that it contains the appended Nota del Padre Colector, 11 which A lacks. Different words are often used at corresponding places in the two manuscripts, especially words of nearly the same form, or of nearly the same meaning. 12 As to the relationship of these four copies, nothing positive can now be stated. It is hoped that more definite conclusions can be reached later.
In addition to translating Bonilla's history, I have made a somewhat detailed comparison of it with Altamira's Testimonio, by which, as has been stated, Bonilla was aided in his work. In making this summary, Altamira was carrying out an order given in royal cédula of July 15, 1740, in virtue of which Boneo y Morales, afterwards [1743] appointed governor of Texas, was called upon to sketch the previous history of Texas. 13
Altamira's summary 14 emphasizes the question of international claims and rights. Its descriptions are more detailed than those of the Breve Compendio. Its narrative, however, except in the Sandoval case, is more condensed. A comparison with other documents will show that it is in the main accurate. 15 Besides giving additional information in the Sandoval case, it has been helpful in gaining an understanding of the Breve Compendio, and, in one case, in ascertaining the text. Bonilla was so far influenced by the Testimonio as to use, in some instances, almost its very words.
The copy of the Testimonio to which reference is here made is the reprint given in Yoakum, A History of Texas, I, Appendix A. The original has not yet come to light, either in the Bexar or the Nacogdoches Archives, to which some of the old Bexar papers have found their way. There is an abridgment of the Testimonio, known as the Puntos del Parecer. 16
The only other compendium with which comparison has been possible in this article, is the Historia of Talamantes, copies of which, made in the City of Mexico 17 in 1903 are now in the Texas State Historical Library and at The University of Texas. It consists of thirty-two sections, and is based upon Espinosa's Crónica Apostólica. Its relationship to the Breve Compendio is much less close than is that of the Testimonio; its emphasis, owing to its dependence upon Espinosa, is mainly upon the ecclesiastical side of the history. 18
It would be impracticable, in a translation of this sort, to note all textual variations. Such as are considered sufficiently important, however, are indicated, either in the body of the translation or in footnotes. Additions from M to A are bracketed and italicised. Additions to A from M are enclosed within asterisks. The translator's amplifications are bracketed. Doubtful or unusual translations are followed by the corresponding Spanish printed in Italics and enclosed within parentheses. For the sake of convenience, the section headings, which are in the margin of A, are printed in the middle of the page.
Spanish proper names are consistently retained in the form given by A. Spanish words having no exact English equivalent are also retained. For the sake of clearness, abbreviations are usually written out in full. A is usually followed in the matter of writing out numbers, instead of using numerals, except in the case of dates including months.
It has been the translator's purpose to render the meaning of the Spanish with the utmost possible accuracy, and at the same time to secure good English. With this end in view it has been necessary to break the long, involved sentences of the text, and to omit words such as y [and] and dicho [said], where they add nothing to the sense.
The annotation is by no means complete. So great was the mass of material upon which Bonilla drew that a complete set of notes, giving reference to the documents he used, would be a work of immense proportions. It is hoped, however, that enough has been done in this line to throw some light upon the character and the value of the Breve Compendio.
4. The following is a list of such documents: 1. Testo. de un Parecer dado en los Auttos fechos en Virtud de Real Cedula en qe S. M. manda se le informe sobre surttos abusos comettidos en la Provincia de Texas en el tiempo que se expressa: y Tambien de un Parrapho de ottro Parecer dado en los proprios Auttos, uno y ottro del Sor Audittor Grâl de la Guerra, 1744. 2. Expediente formado sobre las variaciones, y mutaciones qe han tenido los Presidios internos, esquadras, y demas Tropas, desde qe. los arregló el Exmo. Sor. Marques de Casafuerte. “Signed by Domingo Valcarcel, and dated August 17, 1760. Folios 20-28 are on Texas.” 3. Memoria Acerca de los limites de la Luisiana, sacada de varias Autores y Mapas, y Cartas Geograficas por el Padre Doctor Don José Peredo, Presvitero del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri de Mexico, 1770. 4. Breve Compendio, 1772. Full title below, p. 9. 5. Historia del Descubrimiento y población de la Provincia de Tejas hasta el año de 1730. Escrito por el Pe. Fr. Melchor de Talamantes, c. 1808. 6. Quadernos trabajados por el Pe. Dn. José Antonio Pichardo de la Congregacion de Sn. Felipe Neri; sobre la linea Divisoria entre las Provincias de los Texas, y Luisiana. Volume 301, Sección de Historia, Archivo General.
5. Numerous documents among those noted by Dr. Bolton in the Sección de Historia, Archivo General, bear the signature A. Bonilla, perhaps the same officer. Some of them are dated as late as 1807 (see The Quarterly VI, No. 2, and VII, No. 3).
6. Breve Compendio, Sec. 25.
7. Formerly a part of the collection gathered in Mexico and carried to Europe by Ramirez, a member of Maximilian's cabinet. After Ramirez's death, his collection became scattered. This document, together with two others, was bought for the College in 1881 from Bernard Quaritch, in London. It is temporarily in the possession of The University of Texas.
8. Copied by Professor Lilia M. Casis and Mr. R. C. Clark for The University of Texas and for the Texas State Historical Library.
9. See “Some Materials for Southwestern History in the Archivo General de Mexico,” by Herbert Eugene Bolton, in The Quarterly, VI 103-112.
10. Cited by Dr. Bolton in The Quarterly, VII 212.
11. Probably the religious appointed to collect the Memorias. See “The Archivo General de Mexico,” by Professor George P. Garrison in The Nation, May 30, 1901.
12. The copy in volume 43 (No. 3 in the list above) is apparently also more complete than M. Like M, it contains the Nota; and it contains in addition, marginal notes by Padre Fray Manuel Vega (The Quarterly, VI 108).
13. His death soon after his arrival in Texas prevented his doing the work (Bonilla, Breve Compendio, Sec. 18). Altamira, in the opening paragraph of the second part of the Testimonio, mentions this same cédula and two later ones to the same effect. The long delay in carrying out orders he explains by a reference to the voluminous evidence and the numerous appeals in the Sandoval case.
14. As this document is brought before the reader only in fragments, it may be well to give here an analysis of its contents:
1. The second opinion (otro parecer), mentioned in the title, urging resistance to French encroachments (Sec. 1).
2. The opinion mentioned in the title (Secs. 2-58). a. Introduction, stating the occasion of bringing forth the document, and giving a general description of its contents (Sec. 2). b. A general survey of the Spanish and French possessions in North America (Secs. 3-22). (1) A bird's-eye view of the actual status in North America (Secs. 3-14); (2) A statement of the right of the Spanish to all the territory west of the Mississippi (Secs. 15-17); (3) A more detailed description of Texas, its physical features, its resources, its state of settlement. Incidentally, its boundaries are partially defined (Secs. 18-22). c. A brief summary of Texas history, 1685-1744 (Secs. 23-58); (1) The history, 1685-1730 (Secs. 23-34); (2) Reflections on the conditions and the needs of Texas (Secs. 34-41); (3) The history, 1730-1744, with especial attention to the Sandoval case (Secs. 42-58).
15. Some of its errors of historical detail may be, like many of its mechanical imperfections, slips of the scribe or the printer.
16. Bancroft, North Mexican States and Texas, I, lists in his bibliography: “Altamira (Marques), Puntos del Parecer, 1744. MS. in Texas, Doc. 491. Mayer MSS. No. 28.” Document No. 13 of volume 28 of the Memorias de Nueva España bears the title: Puntos del Parecer que el Señor Auditor de Guerra Marques de Altamira expuso al Exmo. Sor Virrey Conde de Fonclara, en 4 de Julio de 1744. Bancroft's is no doubt the same as this.
The Puntos del Parecer, as has been said, is an abridgement of the Testimonio. It omits sections 1-2, and 53-58. It is signed by Thorivio de Urrutia, and is dated at San Antonio de Vexar, November 25, 1749. The Testimonio is signed by Felix de Sandoval, and is dated Mexico, July 4, 1744.
So far as it goes, the Puntos is practically the same as the Testimonio, though variations are found by the score. The two most striking differences are the occasional omission in the Puntos of individual words or even of phrases or sentences which occur in the Testimonio, and the absence of the peculiar doubling of the t's which is a characteristic feature of the Testimonio. Often the Puntos text helps in correcting that of the Testimonio.
17. By Dr. Herbert Eugene Bolton.
18. The occasion of the compilation of Talamantes's Historia is told in The Quarterly, VII 196-213.
The references to Talamantes in the notes are to an unpublished translation by Miss Mattie Austin, Fellow in History in The University of Texas.
How to cite:
"BONILLA'S BRIEF COMPENDIUM OF THE HISTORY OF TEXAS, 1772. (An Annotated Translation.) ", Volume 008, Number 1, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 3 - 8. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v008/n1/article_4.html
[Accessed Tue Dec 2 0:25:19 CST 2008]
