The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility or views expressed by
contributors to The Quarterly
Juan N. Almonte
C. E. Castañeda,
Associate Professor of Modern Languages,
College of William and Mary,
Williamsburg, Virginia
whom, then, should I dedicate the meager result of my labors
in the inspection of that country if not to you? Deign to ac-
cept, therefore, the attached Statistical Report on Texas, as its
fruit and allow me to reiterate my sincere respect and personal
esteem for your excellency.
Juan Nepomuceno Almonte.
Mexico, January 1, 1835.
When I returned from Texas, early in November of last year,
I had, in truth, no intention of publishing the result of my trip
to that interesting country, both because I did not consider it
worthy of the attention of the public, since I did not have the
time necessary to become acquainted with all the great wealth
that is contained within the vast extent of its territory; and be-
cause, being an agent of the supreme government, I did not feel
myself free to make my observations public. But since the ques-
tions that have been asked me by various persons concerning
Texas have been so repeated and frequent ever since my return
to this city I have become persuaded that the statistical data
which I was able to gather during my sojourn in the colonies will
not be received with indifference, and that although imperfect,
they will give an idea of what Texas has been and is today. What
it will be it is not difficult to predict; if the immense develop-
ment which industry has enjoyed there is considered; and if its
advantageous geographic position, its ports, its navigable rivers,
the variety of its products, the fertility of its soil, its climate,
etc., are taken into account, one must admit that Texas is soon
destined to be the most flourishing section of this republic. It
is not difficult to perceive the reason for such prosperity, if it is
remembered that there, with very few exceptions, nothing is
thought of excepting the planting of sugar-cane, of cotton, of
corn, of wheat, of tobacco; the raising of cattle, the opening of
roads, the improvement of rivers; and that the effects of our
political disturbances are seldom felt, and often are not even
heard of unless it be by mere chance.
Texas being situated as it is, at a distance of more than four
hundred fifty leagues from the federal capital, it is easy to fore-
see the rapid increase which its population and its industries will
undergo, because, out of the reach of our civil wars that have so
unfortunately devastated our resources, those inhabitants have
been and will be able to dedicate themselves to work and indus-
try unhindered by interruptions!, and succeed thereby in increas-
ing the material welfare of their country and the value of the
lands so munificently bestowed upon them by the supreme gov-
ernment.
If, then, the condition of Texas is so prosperous what pre-
vents Mexicans from enjoying its prosperity? Are they not the
owners of those precious lands? Are they not able to endure dan-
gers and toil with determination and courage? Let small com-
panies be organized, then; make contracts for the settling of
farmers and their families; let each company name its mayor
-
domo,
agent, or empresario
for its colony and I am certain that
lands in Texas in lieu of their pensions and go to settle there
where they will find peace and industry, and where their old age
will be restful, a thing difficult to realize in the central part of
the republic.
For the purpose, therefore, of encouraging my fellow-citizens
in an enterprise so noble and patriotic, and in order to satisfy
the curiosity of those who only know Texas and its mecos
[wild
tribes] by name without having any idea either of its wealth
or its importance, I asked and obtained permission from the
supreme government to publish the present statistical data which
are part of the report I made on Texas to the said government.
I regret not being more explicit and full in these notes due to
the short time in which I had to write them; but during my
second visit, which I hope soon to be able to make to Texas, I
shall have an opportunity to satisfy more fully the curiosity of
my fellow citizens and of bringing to their knowledge whatever
may lead to the development of agricultural and commercial re-
lations with that country.
The geographic position of Texas is extremely advantageous
for commerce. Located upon the Gulf of Mexico, between the
Republic of the North and the Mexican States, it is easy to see
the privileged position which it enjoys for the exportation of its
products. It is left to its selection, therefore, to choose the
market that best suits it for the sale of its cotton, furs, tobacco,
corn, lumber, salted beef and other products which the ever in-
creasing industry of its hard working settlers may produce. The
recent recognition of our independence by Spain and the favor-
able terms of the commercial treaty between the two can not help
but be especially advantageous to Texas, due to its proximity to
the island of Cuba; and there can be no doubt that it will soon
been the principal granary for that island. Above all, the abun-
dance of navigable rivers and of good ports that are found in
Texas, even though they may be navigable only for boats of
small hold, give it an immense advantage over the resit of the
states in the Mexican federation, which unfortunately do not pos-
sess the same facilities for the exportation of their products, and
whose foreign commerce can not but be unimportant for many
years to come. Besides, its climate is perfectly adapted to
European settlers, and the number of immigrants is so great that
in less than ten years its population has been increased five-fold.
Lastly, Texas is the most valuable possesssion of the republic and
may God grant that our negligence may not be the cause for the
loss of so precious a portion of our territory.
Texas lies within twenty-eight degrees and thirty-five degrees
north latitude and seventeen degrees and twenty-five degrees of
longitude west of Washington. It borders on the north with
the territory of Arkansas, on the east with the state of Louisi-
ana, on the south with the state of Tamaulipas and the Gulf of
Mexico, and on the west with Coahuila, Chihuahua, and parts of
the territory of New Mexico. It seems that this province began
to be settled in the beginning of the last century and in spite of
some obstacles there were established several large haciendas
rich
in cattle, horses, and sheep. As late as 1806 there were over one
hundred thousand head of cattle and about forty or fifty thou-
sand tame horses. But early in 1810 there was a terrible in-
vasion of wild Indians that destroyed the greater part of the
cattle and even property, razing to the ground many of the es-
tablishments located at a distance from the centers of popula-
tion. The decline of Bexar, Bahia del Espíritu Santo [Goliad],
and Nacogdoches, the only Mexican settlements that have been
able to subsist amidst the calamities that beset them, dates from
that time and unless their misfortunes are remedied they will
disappear entirely. After the independence of Mexico, Texas
was part of the empire of Agustin de Iturbide. It was organized
as a province under a political and military chief called a gov-
ernor. The last one designated by this title was Colonel José
Felix Trespalacios.
tional department in Coahuila, and recently seven departments
were created in the entire state, four in Coahuila and three in
Texas, namely: Bexar, Brazos, and Nacogdoches.
The land is, in general, flat and regular but it may be divided
into three sections fairly well defined: the first of these unbroken
and regular, the second broken or rolling, and the third moun-
tainous. The plains or lowlands lie along the coast from the
bay of the Sabine, which is the point at which our dividing line
starts, to the Nueces River and comprises an expanse of more than
one hundred and thirty leagues in length, varying in width from
twenty or twenty-five leagues to five or six in places. This sec-
tion where it touches the departments of Bexar and the Brazos is
bare of heavy timber for building and is made up of immense
plains, but it is not so in that part that touches Nacogdoches,
where pines, cedars, oaks and other large trees abound.
The broken or rolling section, which begins about six leagues
from the coast in some places and in others about twenty or
twenty-five, extends on the north to the Red River of Natchi-
toches, and on the west to the source of the Medina and the Colo-
rado. Here the mountains begin and beyond them towards the
northwest lie other immense plains that extend to the borders of
New Mexico and Chihuahua. Timber is more or less abundant
in the rolling and mountainous sections, especially along the
river banks. These run generally from north to south and all
empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The principal ones are the
Sabine, the Neches, the Trinity, the Brazos, the Colorado, and
the Guadalupe.
Texas, therefore, is well watered by these rivers, as well as
by many others of less importance from the Sabine to the Medina,
and a scarcity of water is experienced only between the Nueces
and the last named river. But even in this short stretch that
lies between the two rivers and which is not more than twenty-
eight leagues, there are some creeks of considerable size such as
the Frio, the Leona, and the Potranca where good settlements could
be established and ground cisterns, dams, or wells could be made,
all of which would be easy because rains are abundant and the
droughts are of short duration.
Texas, in addition to its agriculture should also develop man-
ufacturing, because its small rivers afford the means for the es-
tablishment of all kinds of machinery and mills,, and since it al-
ready has abundant crops of cotton and raises a good many
sheep these will give it sufficient wool and cotton for the manu-
facture of rough cloth and ginghams that should have a great
demand among the poor classes in our states because of their
cheapness. Lumber, also, should be one of the main items for
exportation, and it would be already if the free importation of
this article were not allowed in Matamoros, Tampico, and other
ports of the Gulf of Mexico.
The climate of Texas varies according to the locality. In the
coast and even ten or twelve leagues from it towards the interior
the heat in the summer is extraordinary and the thermometer
rises often to ninety-six degrees, while in the winter the cold is
intense and it snows frequently. Although it can not be said
that the coast climate of Texas is deadly, one can not but confess
that it is unhealthy. Nevertheless by exposing oneself to the sun
as little as possible in summer and observing a moderate diet
during this season one can easily escape the fevers and chills that
often incommode the traders and those that stop for a short time
in the ports during the months of June, July, and August.
After the rolling or mountainous country is reached a more
benign climate is enjoyed, and although it can not be called tem-
perate, the winters are not so severe and the heat is more bear-
able. No sickness is known there; and truly, doctors in this sec-
tion will not prosper. Nowhere in Texas is yellow fever or the
bubonic plague (black vomit) known.
Texas abounds in all species of quadrupeds such as tigers, wild
cats, bears, buffalo, deer, beaver, etc., and there are various fowls
and strange birds. The abundance of plants is no less remark-
able and already a foreign botanist of the Society of Edinburgh
has penetrated that territory who will make known to us shortly
what we possess but ignore along this line. Texas also has rich
minerals, and although little attention is now given to the metals,
it is known that to the north of Bexar, where the Comanches
dwell, silver, copper, iron and lead mines are to be found.
The territory of Texas is vast and I estimate it to be twenty-
one thousand square leagues. It is suited to the cultivation of
cotton, tobacco, sugar-cane, corn, wheat, potatoes, beans, olives,
grapes, etc.
The lands best suited for cotton and tobacco are those near the
coast and along the river valleys. Those situated further in the
interior about twenty or thirty leagues distant from the sea pro-
duce wheat, olives, sugar-cane, and potatoes. But generally
speaking whatever is produced in one part of Texas can be pro-
duced in any other part with more or less abundance.
The population of Texas is found spreading from Bexar to the
Sabine River and traveling in that direction there is only one
uninhabited portion of about twenty-five leagues in which the
traveler will suffer some slight inconvenience. The most dis-
tressing part of the road to Texas' is that which lies between Rio
Grande and Bexar, which is about fifty leagues, that is by what
they call the upper road, for by the Laredo road there are more
than sixty-five leagues. The hardships of the road are not due
to its bad condition but to the uninhabited character of the coun-
try and the need of carrying everything, water being so scarce in
summer that sometimes it is necessary to carry it in small bar-
rels or gourds. As to the rest, the road is so level and so abun-
dant in grass that one may travel with a number of relay beasts
and at a good pace without fear of lacking forage.
The wild Indians are not as fierce as some travelers describe
them. It is sufficient for ten or twelve men to travel in com-
pany and well armed to go in perfect safety from Mexico to
Natchitoches.
The first empresario
for colonization that appeared before the
Mexican government was the father of Stephen F. Austin, who
as soon as the treaty of limits between Spain and the United
States was concluded in 1819 immediately conceived the idea of
colonizing the said territory. In 1821 he obtained permission
from the commandant general of the Interior Provinces to intro-
duce three hundred foreign families, which was later, in 1824
[1823], approved by the constituent Congress. The father of
Stephen F. Austin being dead, he himself carried out the enter-
prise with a steadiness of purpose truly remarkable and he has
today the satisfaction of seeing his hopes realized, his colony num-
bering over six thousand souls. The establishment was at first
harassed by the Carancahuas, the Tahuacanos, the Wacos, and
other wild tribes, but of these some have been exterminated,
while others have been forced to move further to the interior of
the country where they are still pursued by the new inhabitants
that daily migrate from the United States.
There are found in Texas also some tribes of Northern Indians
that have passed into our territory for the purpose of settling
there, some with permission from the supreme government, and
others without it. This is the result of the abandonment in
which our frontier has been left. These Indians, fortunately,
are half civilized and so far have kept on good terms with us.
The principal ones are the Cherokees, the Sawanos [Shawnees],
the Kickapoos, and the Choctaws. The first of these are fairly
well civilized and many of them are able to read and write in
their own language. But a better idea of all these matters as
well as of the organization of Texas may be gathered from the
detailed description which I make of each one of the three de-
partments immediately following.
Although the Nueces River has generally been thought to be
the dividing line between Coahuila and Texas because it appears
as such in maps, I have been informed by the state government
that the map-makers have been in error and that the true line
should begin at the mouth of the Aransas and follow it to its
source, then from there it should continue along a straight line
until it meets the Medina at the point of juncture with the San
Antonio River, and following along the east bank of the said
Medina to its source it should terminate on the borders of Chi-
huahua. The limits of the Department of Bexar on the side of
Coahuila are, therefore, those stated,
1 while on the side of the
Department of Brazos the boundary is as follows: Beginning
at the mouth of La Baca it follows along its western bank to the
southern limits of what used to be Green de Witt's colony, leav-
ing the river it runs along the said limits towards the west until
it crosses the Guadalupe River, then turning to the northwest it
follows the western boundary of the said colony to the road that
goes from Bexar to Nacogdoches, and running north from this
point it ends on the Red River of Natchitoches.
The area of this department is about ten thousand square
leagues. The seat of government is San Antonio de Bexar, and
the principal cities are: Bexar, where the political chief resides,
and San Patricio.
3
The latitude of Bexar is 29° 25', and it is located forty-eight
leagues from the coast.
its climate is temperate and remarkable for its healthfulness.
The thermometer seldom rises above 85°, and it rarely freezes.
The prevailing winds are from the north and south and they
often blow with some force. Its water is delicious, its vegetables
are the best that are known in Texas, and its meats are excellent.
Wheat grows perfectly and is of excellent quality; sugar-cane
abounds but only brown sugar loafs are made from it; cotton
grows with extraordinary facility and the same is true of tobacco,
grapes, olives, and of all the other products common to the tem-
perate zone. There are excellent fruits, the most valued of these
being figs and peaches, both of which are very plentiful in the
vicinity of Bexar, and, without doubt, they are the best produced
in Texas. The city is built between two hills near the source of the
San Antonio River, and its location could not be more favorable
for the establishment of mills, especially of cotton and lumber.
Both of these products are easily obtained in this locality. The
abundance of water and the natural fall of the river are sufficient
to be applied with advantage to machinery. The river runs di-
rectly through the middle of the city and very good fish may be
obtained in it, as well as turtles of exquisite flavor. There are
also shrimps. All the land under cultivation around Bexar is
irrigated, and as much as fourteen leagues square could be culti-
vated in a similar manner. The land is very fertile and the
principal products cultivated at present by those inhabitants are
cotton, corn, sugar-cane, beans, and other vegetables.
According to the documents in the archives of Bexar which I
personally examined, the first detachment of troops was estab-
lished there by the Spanish government in 1718. It consisted of
one officer and fifty light troopers. Twelve years later on Novem-
ber 28, 1730, a fort was erected and sixteen families came to set-
tle there from the Canary Islands,
5 numbering in all fifty-seven
persons of both sexes.
The city of Goliad
6 is built upon the left bank of the San An-
tonio River, but its location is not the most favorable since it is
immediately at the foot of a hill having a very uneven surface.
It is southeast from Bexar at a distance of thirty-eight leagues
and about ten leagues from the port of Cópano.
Victoria is located upon the Guadalupe River, nine leagues
from Goliad and about ten from the coast.
San Patricio is located upon the Nueces River, about twenty
leagues distant from Goliad and five from the coast. In both of
these cities abundant corn is raised, as well as some vegetables,
but no cotton as yet.
The department of Bexar has the same general aspect as that
of Texas, and may be divided into three well defined sections.
The first of these is flat, the second rolling, and the third moun-
tainous. The entire coast from the river Lavaca to the Nueces
is extremely low, with the exception of spots here and there; and
the plains that cover this area form a sort of belt about four
leagues in width. Heavily wooded areas and clusters of large
trees are apt to be found here and there in these plains, and a
fair amount of timber is also found along the banks of the rivers
and creeks. The rolling lands begin about four or five leagues
from the coast, and following a general northwestern direction
they gradually rise in height until they reach the mountain chain
about seventy or eighty leagues from the sea. This section, al-
though not lacking in timber, is not as heavily wooded as the
rest of Texas. The most common tree is the mesquite, and it re-
sembles greatly the tree of Peru, although it is not as high. Wild
cochineal of good quality is to be found in the cacti in this area.
It is sold at four and even six reales
*
a pound in the presidios
at
Laredo and Rio Grande.
The mountainous section of Bexar and even that of the whole
of Texas is a branch of the great Cordillera system separated,
from the main chain by the Puerco River where it joins the Rio
Grande. Taking a northeastern direction, it enters Texas along
the headwaters of the Nueces, and stretches along in the same
direction to the source of the Colorado, where it turns to the east
and finally ends in the rolling section of the department of Brazos
without crossing the Brazos Eiver.
On the other side of the rolling lands to the northwest are
found immense plains until now little known and practically un-
explored, where it is said that bison and wild horses abound and
whence they come during certain seasons of the year as far as
Bexar and Goliad. The rolling lands are dotted with hills and
low peaks among which those of San Saba, which reach a height
of five or six thousand feet, are considered the highest. They
abound in pines, evergreen oaks, cedars, and other trees of less
importance.
destiny of Texas and undertakes to improve its condition by
sending there a competent military force to punish the savages,
Mexicans will fly to settle those fertile lands that are inviting
the settler to work. The highlands have, furthermore, the ad-
vantage of enjoying a healthful climate, which is not to be found
on the coast, and they are especially suited for raising sheep and
goats. I believe that the department of Bexar will be in the
future the provider of foodstuffs for the other two departments
of Texas; for the inhabitants of the latter are likely to cultivate
nothing but cotton for a long time, since it is the most profitable
crop for the export trade.
At present, everything raised in Bexar is consumed within the
department, and, as no capital exceeding ten thousand pesos
is to
be found there, no enterprise can be undertaken on a large scale.
Those of Bexar are usually made of mortar and stone, the same
being true of those of Goliad; not so, however, in Victoria and
San Patricio, where they are built of wood. The reason for this
is that the former are located in a quarrying district and the
wood must be brought from a distance, which would naturally
make the building of wooden houses more expensive than the
building of stone ones.
Bears and wild cattle abound in Texas, while tigers, otters,
beaver, deer, wild cats, hares, rabbits, and many others are found
in great numbers.
The only poisonous animals known are some snakes, tarantulas
and a few small insects.
The most common birds and fowls found are the Mexican eagle,
the hawk, the crow, the wild turkey, very abundant in some places
the partridge, wild hens, ducks, mocking birds, woodpeckers, and
humming-birds.
Fish abound in the bays and rivers of Texas, and there is not
a creek half a yard deep where they are not found. Those most
valued are the haddock, the trout, and the sea-fish. In the ports
are found also many oysters and other shell fish. Shrimp is
abundant in the large rivers and creeks, and here mussels are
found containing at times pearls of fair purity.
Wild horses are so common that very seldom does their value
exceed twenty reales,
especially if they are sold immediately after
they are caught.
Cattle are also cheap. A cow with a calf is worth only ten
pesos,
and a hull or young bullock not more than four or five.
The number of sheep and goats is small at present, and does
not exceed five thousand.
Cópano seems to be the deepest port in Texas, according to the
information which I have been able to gather in Bexar. It has
from fifteen to eighteen feet of water at the bar, and ten or
twelve throughout the bay of Aransaso. Ships of small draught
can anchor within a very few yards of land. Although there is
no running water at Cópano there is abundant rainfall, and cis-
terns could easily be built. The port of Cópano is admirably
situated for a maritime custom-house. The land is high, and
there is a good deal of timber in the neighborhood. The Aransaso
River is less than three leagues distant, and Refugio Creek is
almost the same distance away. There are two roads from this
port to Goliad, one over which vehicles may travel, and another
suitable only for horse travel. The distance to Goliad is about
ten or twelve leagues. The bay is excellent and it can accommo-
date more than one hundred ships. The distance to the bar,
which may be ascertained from a map of Texas, is about eight
leagues. The entrance to the bay can easily be guarded by a
small fort at the bar. This department has also two other ports:
that of Corpus Christi to the south of Cópano, and that of Sa-
binito which is to the north in Matagorda Bay and at the con-
fluence of the San Antonio and the Guadalupe Rivers. In order
to reach the latter one must enter by way of Paso del Caballo
and follow a westerly direction. Ships with a draught of not
more than six feet can arrive safely at Corpus Christi and at
Sabinito. The port of Cópano was frequented until recently,
but at present there is only one house there.
The most important rivers of the department of Bexar are the
Lavaca, the Guadalupe, and the San Antonio, but of these only the
Guadalupe will ever be navigable and that with some difficulty.
At present it is navigable for a distance of about four or five
leagues from its mouth.
The empresario,
Juan McMullen, has a plan to make part of
the waters of the Rio Bravo del Norte flow into the Nueces for
the purpose of making that river navigable. But this enterprise
does not seem as practical to me as the one proposed by the same
individual to the state of Tamaulipas to change the course of the
Rio del Norte in order to make it empty into el Brazo de Santi-
ago, increasing the waters of this port and making possible the
navigation of the river as far as the village of Matamoros. I
believe that his proposition was not accepted.
The fruits and crops produced in this department being so lim-
ited up to the present, nothing is exported. Therefore, at present,
the export and import trade is reduced to eight or ten thousand
pelts of different kinds and to a few articles imported from New-
Orleans for the trade of Bexar, where they are sold in exchange
for pelts and money. If the road between Cópano and Bexar
were to be extended as far as Chihuahua, there would be un-
doubtedly an immense trade between this department and the
states of Durango, Chihuahua, and New Mexico.
leagues and the road is bad, while to Chihuahua it is little less
than six hundred leagues. In addition the risk of attack from
wild Indians along that route is much greater than by way of
Texas because one must pass through the regions more thickly
inhabited by them. Persons who understand such things have
assured me that the trade now carried on between Missouri, New
Mexico, Chihuahua, Durango, etc., amounts to more than two
million pesos.
Consider, then, whether it would not be impor-
tant to open a road that offers no great difficulties and lessens
the dangers. The wild Indians are not as numerous along this
new route as they are by way of the upper road, and the natural
topography makes travel easier, being principally across prairies.
In order to encourage sea trade between Texas and ports of the
Gulf of Mexico, it would be, perhaps, advisable to extend the per-
mission granted to foreigners by the law of April 6, 1830, article
12, allowing them to carry on a coastwise trade between the col-
onies in Texas and the ports of Matamoros, Tampico, and Vera-
cruz. Only thus will we succeed in making the Texans build
closer connections with the rest of the republic (which up to the
present they ignore) and send their products to the interior,
especially their cotton, which they now prefer sending to New
Orleans, due to the direct connections they enjoy with that port
and notwithstanding the fact that they sell it there at six or
eight per cent less than they would at Veracruz or Matamoros.
*
In the neighborhood of Goliad there are found a few remnants
of the Cujanos, Cocos, Carancahuas, and Jaramies. Of the first
two tribes there must be some ten or twelve families settled in
the neighboring country; of the Carancahuas about ten or fif-
teen; and of the Jaramies about fifteen or twenty. The Caran-
cahuas used to live at the mission of Kefugio, now abandoned,
but which used to be located near the port of Cópano, and they
were in the habit of taking their children to Goliad to baptize
them. But some time since they committed a number of rob-
beries and they are now scattered along the coast of the great
bays. They are excellent fishermen and good swimmers. They
are practically reared in the water, and I believe that they could
be advantageously used in the navy. Up to the present they are
the best pilots in Matagorda and Aransaso bays. They use no
arms except the bow and arrow. They have been accused of be-
ing cannibals, but I believe this is merely a fable.
The Jaramies are a very peaceful tribe living in a place called
el Oso, situated about six leagues from Bahia, on the San Antonio
Eiver. They have built at this place a small village, and they
occupy themselves with the cultivation of corn, onions, garlic, and
other vegetables which they take to Goliad for sale. A mission-
ary from Zacatecas
7 was the founder of this small community,
and he spent all he had in its development. He is worthy, there-
fore, of the gratitude of all its inhabitants as well as of all those
who interest themselves in the welfare of mankind. But unfor-
tunately, those Indians will never make any progress in civiliza-
tion if the Mexicans themselves living in those regions are lack-
ing in it. Therefore, it is not strange that little progress has
been made, and that those settlements seem to become more back-
ward with time, instead of more progressive.
There used to be other friendly tribes which have been exter-
minated by the Comanches and the Tahuacanos. Today only the
Lipans are left, but they live in Coahuila.
Of all the departments of Texas the one which is harassed the
most by wild Indians is that of Bexar. The principal enemies
are the Comanches and the Tahuacanos. The former inhabit the
headwaters of the Guadalupe and San Marcos, while the latter
live along the Ugalde Canyon and the headwaters of the San
Saba, roaming on the other side of the mountain range in a
northwesterly direction as far as Chihuahua and New Mexico.
It is believed that the Comanches are composed of more than ten
thousand souls and they can muster from three to four thousand
warriors, but as they never move in great numbers because they
do not have a leader to direct them and because all do not recog-
nize any one as such, they never undertake a general and con-
certed plan of attack, but rather act in small bands of fifty or a
hundred each under a chief, though some times as many as five
hundred will be banded together. Therefore, with a force of
six hundred men the whole country could be overrun in any di-
rection, and by engaging them in detail, I believe that in the
course or two or three years they could be totally eliminated.
Generally, they all ride horseback, and they are good riders.
Their arms consist of the bow and arrows, and in addition lances,
knives, and at times American rifles. Their tactics are simply
to make an impetuous charge at the beginning of an attack, di-
viding their force in two columns', but if they are unfortunate
enough to lose three or four warriors in a charge, they seldom
make a second charge even when the force of their opponents is
inferior to their own. It is generally estimated that a Mexican
is equal to five of them. The Tahuacanos do not exceed two or
three hundred men, but, although they are much less numerous
than the Comanches, they do more damage because they are more
crafty and know how to use their rifles much better. They gen-
erally go about on foot and are seldom seen on horseback.
One reason why the wild Indians are not able to move in great
numbers is their lack of provisions, for as they live chiefly by
hunting, if they should form a body of one or two thousand men,
they could not depend on the returns of hunting for their main-
tenance, and the noise would naturally scare away the game.
Furthermore the water and pasture lands would not be sufficient
for the immense number of horses they ordinarily take with them,
for no Comanche goes on the war-path with less than three horses.
Those of the department of Bexar and of Texas in general are
good, and one may travel from Mexico to the United States by
coach during at least six months of the year, starting in May or
June. The best months for travel are September, October, and
November, as the weather has become cooler by that time and the
roads are still good.
After this season the rains begin and winter sets in, and, al-
though they rarely have frost in Bexar, this time of year is dis-
agreeable for travel because of the floods, the mud-holes, and the
other bad spots in the low places. The rains last from December
until April, and sometimes as late as May. Going by way of the
settled districts in Texas one can travel as far as the Sabine,
through Bexar, over rolling but not mountainous country and
without many stones. But this road today is not considered as
safe as that by way of Bahia or Goliad, although the latter is not
as good as the former during the rainy season because it is very
low and abounds in mud-holes.
The dryest season is usually in June, July, and August, but
by the beginning of September there are often storms which refill
the water-holes from which the traveler gets his supply. How-
ever, one has to travel eight or twelve leagues at times before
reaching a watering place.
Between the Rio Grande and Bexar there are no settlements
either along the Monclova on the Laredo roads, and one must
take along supplies for ten or fifteen days for any emergency on
the road, even though the uninhabited region may not be more
than fifty or sixty leagues. By way of Matamoros or Goliad,
which is generally called the lower road, the town of San Patricio
is found between Rio Grande and Goliad; and, consequently, the
uninhabited region is smaller, but this is the only settlement
found between the two places. From Bahia or Goliad to San
Felipe de Austin there are a few ranches situated at intervals of
ten or twelve leagues, and from San Felipe to the United States
ranches are found every two or three leagues. This is not true
between Goliad and Bexar where in the entire distance of thirty-
eight leagues there is not one single inhabitant to be found. The
same is true between Bexar and the Colorado, but from here on
houses are seen at intervals until one reaches Nacogdoches. From
Bexar to Gonzales there is only an uninhabited stretch of twenty-
five leagues, and from there to San Felipe houses that can accom-
modate eight or ten travelers are not lacking.
The food most generally used among the Mexicans in Texas is
the tortillas
[corn cakes], beef, venison, chickens, eggs, cheese,
and milk; and sometimes bread, chocolate, coffee, tea, and sugar
may be secured. Among the Americans the most common is
bacon, and corn-bread, coffee sweetened with bee's honey (when
available), because they have no cane sugar, butter, butter milk,
and sometimes crackers. Notwithstanding the cheapness of cat-
tle, rarely do the Anglo-Americans eat beef, and it is difficult to
secure even a piece of it. Only in Nacogdoches and Bexar are
they in the custom of slaughtering beef regularly every two or
three days to supply the people with meat. It may be said that
out of the three departments of Texas, the one which offers the
least comfort for the traveler is Brazos, in spite of the fact that
it is the best cultivated. The reason for this is that each settler
lives independent of the whole world, having at home everything
which he needs for himself but nothing for travelers.
The boundary between the department of Brazos and that of
Bexar has been previously described. The line between Brazos
and Nacogdoches is as follows: it begins at Cape Bolivar,
8 in
Galveston Bay, follows a course north and west between the San
Jacinto and Trinidad Rivers, then along the divide that separates
the waters of the said rivers to the source of the San Jacinto,
and thence follows the heights that separate the Brazos and Trin-
ity Rivers to the headwaters of the latter and ends north of the
source of said river in the Red River at Natchitoches.
The area must he about 5,400 square leagues more or less. San
Felipe is the seat of government and the chief cities are San
Felipe, Brazoria,
9 Matagorda, Gonzales, Harrisburg, Mina [Bas-
trop], and Velasco. The land included in the district covered by
these towns is what is generally known as Austin's Colony.
The colonies that have prospered the most in this department
are those of Austin and DeWitt. To the northwest of San Felipe
there is now a new colony under the administration of a certain
[Sterling C] Robertson. This same colony used to be in charge
of Austin.
The latitude of San Felipe is 29° 50' north, and its longitude
is 19° 10' west of Washington. It is situated upon the west bank
of the Brazos River, about one hundred yards from it and on
rather low land. Back of the town there are immense plains and
it is unprotected on all sides. For this reason it is very cold in
winter and frosts are not infrequent, but in the summer, although
it is hot, there is always a good south breeze, and up to the
present it is the most healthful spot in the department. The
rest of the settlements are visited by fevers and chills during the
summer, which do not result in immediate death but which de-
stroy the vitality of even the strongest man if not attended to in
time. San Felipe is about one hundred miles distant by land
from the mouth of the Brazos River or Velasco, seventy-five from
Brazoria, one hundred from Matagorda, one hundred and fifty-six
from Bexar, two hundred and ten from Nacogdoches, thirty from
Harrisburg, and forty-five from Galveston. The food supplies are
scarce and of poor quality in San Felipe. Fresh beef is eaten
very little, and wheat bread very seldom. Bacon and corn bread
are the most abundant. The river water is slightly brackish and
that which is used comes from wells.
This settlement was founded in 1824, and its population has
not increased much from that time to the present, because the
Anglo-Americans do not like to build large towns where there is
land for expansion. One finds an artisan here and there, but
everything comes ready made from New Orleans and there are
stores well supplied with clothing, dry goods, etc.
The houses are generally built of wood. There are one or two
houses made of brick.
Brazoria is situated below San Felipe, on the same bank of the
Brazos River, in the midst of a wooded region which is impassable
in time of floods on account of the mud. Its location is one of
the most unhealthful in the department. Ships of small draught
reach Brazoria, which is forty-five miles distant by water from
Velasco, that is, the mouth of the river, and twenty-eight by land.
From 1829 to 1832 this town flourished as the result of the trade
carried on through there, but the cholera epidemic and the opening
of the new port of Matagorda, as well as its unhealthful climate
which makes it the worst place in the department, have caused it
to suffer a great decline. There are well supplied stores in Bra-
zoria, and Mexicans often go that far from Monclova and Bexar
to buy goods, because as there is no custom-house there, they pay
no duties.
Matagorda is found at the mouth of the Colorado River upon
its left bank, and has good hopes of development, for its climate
is fairly healthful in spite of the fact that it is situated only one
and a half leagues from the sea. Its topographical situation is
advantageous for the import and export trade. The custom-house
of this place will perhaps be the second in importance in Texas.
Its population is increasing, and it is believed that it will soon be
the most populated town in the department.
Harrisburg was important only as long as troops were sta-
tioned in its neighborhood. It has declined rapidly since. It is
eighteen or twenty miles from Galveston and is situated on Buffalo
Creek. It has a saw-mill for cutting boards.
Gonzales is situated upon the eastern bank of the Guadalupe
River and is making some progress.
Mina [Bastrop] is on the road that connects Bexar and Nacog-
doches, upon the right bank of the Colorado River and is pros-
perous, also, in spite of the depredations committed by the wild
Indians.
Teran established two posts in this department, one at the
mouth of the Brazos, which is Velasco, and the other at Tenoxtit-
lan, four leagues above the road between Bexar and Nacogdoches,
and on the Brazos River. These posts, as well as all the rest of
Texas, have for the present been abandoned by our troops.
*
For the present the principal products of this department are
cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, and Irish potatoes. It is believed
that sugar-cane, tobacco, and the indigo plant can be cultivated.
But cotton being the most profitable of all the plants raised, it is
very likely that no other staple will be cultivated in Brazos for
some time to come. The land likewise seems to be especially
adapted to this crop along the banks of the Brazos, as well as
along the Colorado and the Trinity.
In the year 1833 they exported about two thousand bales of
ginned cotton, each bale about 400 or 500 pounds,
10, and it is
believed that last year there were not less than five thousand.†
There are three or four cotton gins and as many presses. The
number will soon be increased for they were expecting several more.
The corn, although the crop exceeds fifty thousand barrels a year,
is all consumed within the department, while the cattle are often
taken to market at Natchitoches. There must be about twenty-
five thousand head of cattle in the department. Few horses are
raised because there is a fatal ailment in the country to which
they are subject and which causes early death.
height but which cannot be properly called mountains. The plains
in Brazos are intercepted every fifteen or twenty miles by strips
of thick forest containing good wood for the construction of houses,
the best known being the walnut, the poplar, the cedar, the oak,
and the pine. In the higher section of the department the same
woods are found, but the pine and the live-oak are especially
abundant.
It is said that at the headwaters of the Brazos River there is an
enormous deposit of metal which weighs several tons. A piece of
this metal secured from an Indian was taken to New York, and
after assaying it in the belief that it was platinum, it was found
to be nothing but a very soft iron ore. This fact is verified by
several persons in Texas and Natchitoches, but whether the whole
mass is all iron ore or contains any other metal, cannot be affirmed.
But be this as it may, it is evident that a discovery of this nature
is very valuable. It is said that the Comanches adore and pay
tribute to this enormous mass.
Fifteen miles from San Felipe on the road that goes from there
to Gonzales there is a deposit of pitch exactly in the middle of
St. Bernard's River. I bathed there at six-thirty one afternoon
in August, and the water was so hot that I could not stand it for
more than one minute. Perhaps by turning the stream, a great
amount of pitch could be taken out. This would not be difficult
because the river has at this point only a depth of about half a
vara
[about nineteen inches] and a width of only four or five varas.
When this department was first settled the wild horses were
plentiful, but now they are hardly ever seen and one may say that
they are to be found only in Bexar.
In the lower section of the Brazos, deer, bears, tigers, coyotes,
wild cats, and leopards are found. In the higher portion there
are bison, beavers, berrendos
[a native animal of Mexico similar
to the deer], otters, etc.
The poisonous animals are snakes, which are found in great
numbers, tarantulas, and sometimes centipedes.
The most common birds and fowls are the same that are found
in Bexar. The department of the Brazos has more wild chickens
and bees. The thrushes are also very common and cause consid-
erable damage to the corn crop.
There is not as great a variety of fresh water fish in the Brazos
as in Nacogdoches. The bagre
is the most abundant but it is of
very poor quality.
The price of cattle seems to be the same throughout Texas. In
Brazos as in Bexar a cow with calf is not worth more than ten
pesos,
and a bull not more than six pesos.
There are no sheep
or goats.
There is an abundance of hogs in this department, and the
number of them is not less than forty or fifty thousand.
Those enjoying the greatest trade at present are Brazoria and
Matagorda; but the best and better situated is, without doubt,
Galveston. Its bay is large and secure, its anchorage is protected
by Pelican Island, and its entrance would be made entirely safe by
fortifying that island, the Island of Galveston, and Cape Bolivar.
A ship-yard at this point would be of the greatest importance to
the government, for by such means the coastwise trade could be
encouraged and the settlers brought into closer contact with the
rest of the republic. Besides, wood for building abounds on all
sides of the bay, and there are two saw-mills for cutting boards,
one at Harrisburg and one at San Jacinto, both of which are only
ten or twelve leagues by water from Pelican Island. This port
is also admirably situated for a naval school, because its climate
is healthful, its proximity to New Orleans makes it easy to secure
any nautical instruments that may be desired, and the young men
in training can become acquainted with their profession at once,
by watching daily the maneuvers of the ships that enter and leave
the port. I have recommended this measure to the supreme gov-
ernment because I believe it to be of the greatest importance and
the only means of awakening in our youth a love for the sea. I do
not desire that Mexico should become a maritime power, but I
wish she would cease to depend on foreigners to command the few
ships she has which are indispensable to the protection of her
coastwise trade. This port is all the more important because only
by having there an able navy can the slave-trade carried on by a
few adventurers that enter Texas be stopped, and the coast pro-
tected from a foreign invasion.
Matagorda is no less important. It is situated in the central
part of Texas [that is, of the coast] and abounds in excellent
woods for construction. The coast guards could well be kept at
Galveston, Matagorda, and Matamoros while their commanders are
making good charts of these ports.
The principal ones are the Brazos and the Colorado. The first
of these is navigable for steamships for a distance of two hundred
and fifty or three hundred miles from its mouth, while the second
will be also, for a distance of one hundred or one hundred and
fifty miles if a raft which obstructs navigation, and which is found
about eight or nine miles from Matagorda is removed. This raft
must be about one and a half leagues in length, and it could be
removed with little expense. There is already a small steamboat
that makes trips between San Felipe and the mouth of the Brazos,
and there soon will be others on the other rivers. The above men-
tioned rivers overflow their bounds during the rainy season for
one or two leagues, especially the Brazos. Many crocodiles are
found in these rivers.
A company was organized in order to bring from New Orleans
a steamboat, which, as has already been stated, is now operating
in the Brazos. The New York Company,
*
that bought or took
charge of the grants made to Zavala, Burnet, etc., is going to
undertake the navigation of the Trinity and the San Jacinto
Rivers by way of Galveston, and it is even rumored that it will
build ships in Galveston. This is another reason why that port
should be looked after in preference to all others.
thirty thousand pelts were exported. Last year, it is believed that
the crop was at least five thousand bales of ginned cotton
and
about fifty thousand furs.
The excess of fifty thousand pesos
on import goods is due to the
balance which generally remains in the stores.
I have seen only one school in the whole department of Brazos,
near Brazoria, attended by thirty or forty students, and kept up
by private subscription. I believe that those settlers who have the
means prefer to send their children to the United States for an
education, while those who do not have the means care little about
educating their children as long as the children are able to use
an ax to fell trees and are skilled in hunting deer.
Those which harass Gonzales and Mina most frequently are the
Tahuacanos and Wacos, but they are almost invariably chastised
by the settlers. The Comanches are rarely seen in this depart-
ment.
Pasturage and water are abundant throughout the department, and
of good quality even in time of drought.
The rains set in about November and often last until April.
Northers begin to blow at about the same time they do in Vera-
cruz. The greatest heat is experienced in June, July, and August
but the thermometer does not rise above 90° at San Felipe. On
the coast it often rises higher. Some prefer to travel in winter
to avoid the heat, but I believe it would be preferable to travel in
the summer at night. In the Brazos one travels no more in un-
settled country and very rarely is one obliged to sleep outdoors.
The eight thousand inhabitants of this department are scattered
in all directions, and as it is not difficult to open roads in the plains,
they communicate easily with each other.
The department of Nacogdoches is bounded on the north by the
Red River of Natchitoches, on the east by the Sabine, on the south
by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by the department of
Brazos, whose boundary has been described.
Its area must be about 5,600 square leagues. The principal
towns are Nacogdoches, the seat of government, San Agustin de los
Aises, Liberty, Beeville [Bevil], Teran, Tanaha, Johnsburg, and
Anahuac.
At present, it seems that the New York Company which bought
or acquired rights to the lands granted to Zavala, Burnet, and
Vehlein, empresarios,
who were to colonize the vast tracts which
they obtained from the government of the state of Coahuila-Texas,
and which today are designated on the maps as lands belonging
to the Galveston Bay Company, is going to begin to settle these
lands. According to the transaction it appears that almost three-
fourths of the department of Nacogdoches belong to the said com-
pany, including the twenty conterminous leagues that lie between
the town and the Sabine. Of the Zavala, Burnet, and Vehlein
grants some of the contracts expired last year, while the others
must run out this year. The supreme government, if it wishes to
stop the pernicious stock-jobbing which some foreigners and Mexi-
cans are carrying on with the lands of the nation, must without
delay take steps to avoid the further entanglement of the contracts
drawn with the empresarios
which daily causes greater discontent
among the settlers. They resent the monopoly exercised by com-
panies or persons who have acquired lands so cheaply not for the
purpose of colonizing them, but merely for speculation.
The colonies of this department have not prospered, therefore,
because their empresarios
have not fulfilled their contracts. The
population found here is composed of private individuals who have
obtained grants of one or more leagues directly from the govern-
ment of the state, and of persons who have established themselves
where they chose, in virtue of the colonization laws which invited
foreigners to come in. But these settlers do not hold legal titles
to their property yet. It would be advisable to issue them such
titles in order to free them from the cruel uncertainty under which
they have lived during the last four or five years, as many of them,
especially those living on the Red River, are ignorant of whether
they are under the jurisdiction of the United States of America
or of Mexico. As these settlers came at their own expense, it seems
natural that the empresarios
within whose grants they have settled
should not receive the premium which the law establishes for such
a settlement, since they were put to no expense in introducing
those families. But both the state and the central government
have shown too much negligence in the enforcement of the terms
of the contracts entered into by those empresarios,
and it is to be
hoped that they will from now on give their serious consideration
to so important a matter.
Nacogdoches is situated at a distance of sixty-four miles west
of the Sabine, one hundred and fifty from the bay of the same
name, two hundred and ten from San Felipe, and three hundred
and forty from Bexar, and has a latitude of 31° 40' north. It
lies between two small creeks, one called La Nana, which is the
one that has the most water, and the other Bañito. Rising from
the banks of those creeks and following the same direction in
which they flow there stand on either side opposite Nacogdoches
two beautiful mountains, one of which commands the town entirely.
Nothing but the situation of Bexar can be more picturesque than
that of Nacogdoches. Its climate is excellent, and not to be sur-
passed by that of Bexar. The water is delicious and the food is
also the best found in Texas. It is the only place not visited by
the cholera in the whole section, and the only phenomena notice-
able during the epidemic have been a few fevers. The fields in
the immediate vicinity of Nacogdoches are very beautiful in the
spring, all dotted with a thousand different flowers. Such wild
fruits as currants, plums, grapes, blackberries, and others are
abundant. The cultivated fruits are strawberries, peaches, apples,
plums, and sometimes figs. Families from Natchitoches frequently
come to spend a few days in this town, for it is famous in that
neighborhood as the best place for a change of climate.
According to the notes which I made during my stay in Nacog-
doches it seems that the first settlers came from Louisiana, when
that province still belonged to Spain, that it was founded in the
year 1778, and that it had always been under the jurisdiction of
San Antonio de Bexar, whence came the regular detachment of
troops on guard at that place. At present there are no troops
there, nor on any other point on the frontier of Texas. How
long will it remain in such a state? It is not for me to say.
In 1819, the town of Nacogdoches was completely destroyed
during the war for independence. The inhabitants were dispersed
by the Spanish troops and many families took refuge in the state
of Louisiana, near Natchitoches, where they lived on the hospital-
ity of those generous inhabitants. They remained thus until 1822
and 1823, when, upon hearing of our glorious independence, some
of the old inhabitants began to return and, gradually, the old
town has become resettled, and today it has a population of about
five hundred Mexicans. Many Mexicans are still in the United
States because of lack of means to return to their homes. If the
supreme government should as an act of justice and kindness
authorize our consul in New Orleans to help each Mexican who
desires to return to his native country by giving him ten pesos
and the assurance of a tract of land on which to live, I believe
that more than fifty families would return to Nacogdoches, their
native land.
The houses of Nacogdoches are generally of wood. Brick and
stone houses are found here and there, however. The stores are
well supplied with dry goods, notions, and foodstuffs.
On the road to Natchitoches, and at a distance of about thirty-
six miles from Nacogdoches, San Agustin is situated. It is a new
town which has a good prospect of growing. It has already about
three hundred and fifty inhabitants and there is considerable traffic
for so small a place. The cotton fields are located between this
town and Sabina.
It is situated upon the left bank of the Trinity, at the point
where the road from San Felipe to Opelousas (state of Louisiana)
crosses. Although its location is not very agreeable, it is impor-
tant because it is the first town founded on the Trinity. It must
be about thirty miles from Galveston Bay and about one hundred
and fifty from Nacogdoches.
Johnsburg is situated upon the west bank of the Red River of
Natchitoches, thirty-two miles above Pecan Point. This town, al-
though evidently within our limits, is subject to the jurisdiction
of the territory of Arkansas, and will, in all probability continue
so until the final survey of our boundary. Its climate is uniform.
Its lands are almost as good as those of the Brazos for the cultiva-
tion of cotton. Many people are settling there without the consent
of either the supreme or the state government.
Anahuac is situated about a league from the mouth of Trinity
River upon its left bank. Its location is very picturesque. While
troops were stationed there it enjoyed a fair trade, but since then
it has almost been abandoned.
Beeville [Bevil] is a town situated on the east bank of the Neches
River at the point of juncture with the Angeline. It is making
good progress and it will flourish as the result of the navigation of
the said rivers and of Sabine Bay.
Teran is another small town situated upon the Neches River
above Beeville, about forty or fifty miles from Nacogdoches. It
has only eight or ten houses and most of them have been aban-
doned since the removal of the troops from that point.
Tanaha, a town to the northeast of Nacogdoches, at a distance
of about thirty-five miles, and situated on the creek bearing the
same name, is made up chiefly of fugitives from the United States.
They are peaceful now, and are dedicated to the raising of cotton,
corn, and other products.
There are three primary schools in this department: one at
Nacogdoches, which is very poorly equipped; another at San Agus-
tine, and one in Johnsburg. Texas needs a good public school
where Spanish may be taught, otherwise this language will dis-
appear. Already almost nothing but English is spoken in that
part of the republic.
The first settlers that emigrated from the United States to
Texas, being from the southern states of that republic, who are
considered there as the least advanced in civilization, introduced
customs that were somewhat crude. Although fundamentally
sound, these customs were not compatible with the manners prac-
ticed by persons of good breeding. Lately, however, very honor-
able and highly cultured families have begun to establish them-
selves in Texas, especially at Nacogdoches.
In addition to the military post in Nacogdoches, Teran estab-
lished two others in this department. The first of these posts is
well situated, but I doubt the usefulness of the second, for any
military post for the protection of the coast should be located at
the entrance of Galveston Bay to protect it, and not at the base
of it, which only vessels of very small draught, and sometimes only
row boats can reach, due to an oyster bank that hinders navigation
at this point.
Cotton, corn, rye, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and all kinds of
vegetables are the chief products of Nacogdoches. Grapes grow
abundantly in the fields, and there is no doubt that that region will
in time be devoted entirely to vine culture because in my opinion
the cultivation of this plant will offer greater advantages to the
farmer than the raising of cotton, which is cultivated in many
parts of the United States and Mexico. Wheat is also raised abun-
dantly, but at present its cultivation is not worth while.
The land in this department offers only two aspects: one level
and regular, the other rolling. The plains extend from the coast
about seventy miles to the north, and are covered by excellent tim-
ber such as pine, evergreen oak, cypress, cedar, sabine, and others.
The sugar tree, which abounds especially in this department, is
also remarkable. From this point on as far as the Red River of
Natchitoches the land is rolling, and abounds in water, pastures,
and wood.
There is much iron ore and also hard coal in all of this depart-
ment. At a distance of about thirty-six miles, to the northwest
of Nacogdoches, there are some salt mines of excellent quality from
which the people in the department are supplied with salt. Salt-
petre also abounds, and thermal springs are found near the Trinity
River on the road that goes from Nacogdoches to San Felipe.
The trade of this department amounts to 470,000 pesos.
The
exports consist of cotton, deer, otter, and beaver skins, corn, and
cattle. About two thousand bales of cotton will be exported this
year,
* ninety thousand furs, and five thousand head of cattle.
12
)13.
The excess of sixty thousand pesos
which appears in the imports
is due to the balance which is found always in the warehouses.
Adding the whole commerce carried on in Texas we find a total
of 1,400,000 pesos
as follows:
This commerce is increasing daily as the result of the great
cotton crops and the increasing consumption of goods due to the
continued emigration from the United States to Texas.
Money is very scarce in Texas, and one may say with certainty
that out of every hundred transactions made not ten involve specie.
In its commerce; Texas presents nothing more than a true and
continued fair throughout the year. The way to trade there is to
take to market the equivalent of what is needed, or to secure it on
credit. The money in circulation consists of the provisional revo-
lutionary pesos
and paper bills from the United States. Many are
the frauds committed in both of these, and I myself have been
deceived in exchanging pesos.
Counterfeiters of both pesos
and
United States paper money appear daily, and it is difficult to know
what to do with them after they are arrested. Sometimes the
Alcalde
of Nacogdoches calls the settlers together and with a dilap-
idated drum they lead the counterfeiter to the outskirts of the
town and there he is told to leave, after shaming him publicly
(as if such a person could be shamed) and he is warned that he
will be given a severe beating if he is again seen in the neighbor-
hood.
There are two or three cotton gins and as many cotton presses.
There is also a tanning plant, and there used to be a regular shoe
factory, but it was not operated very long because it could not
compete with the shoes made in the United States, which, like all
goods, are brought in free of duty. They are planning to estab-
lish an iron foundry for iron pots, and to erect a distillery for the
making of whiskey. They already have a still but it will not be
used until the plant is established. There are several wood-mills
[saw-mills] also, and two steamboats are expected, one for the
Neches and another for the Trinity. The Sabine is not navigable
yet, except for very small boats.
The principal ones are that of Galveston previously mentioned
and that of Sabine Bay.
14
The most important are the Trinity, the Neches, the Sabine, and
one may add, the Red River of Natchitoches, the navigation of
which is common to both Mexico and the United States. The
Trinity River is navigable for steamboats of not more than four
or five feet draught during the flood season to a point above the
road from Bexar to Nacogdoches. The products of the western
part of the department of Nacogdoches can be exported by way
of this river. It is a pity that its banks are unhealthy for more
than one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. This river
often overflows its banks for more than four leagues, and there are
many crocodiles in it.
15
The Neches is navigable for steamboats to the point of juncture
with the Angelina, which is only thirty miles from Nacogdoches.
It is also navigable as far as Teran, but only for small boats. The
Angelina, the Attoyac and the Ayish Bayou are also navigable for
large boats as far as the road from Natchitoches to Nacogdoches.
The Sabine is navigable as far as fifty miles above the said road.
It frequently overflows for more than five miles during the rainy
season. The Red River will be of great importance if they suc-
ceed in removing the raft that obstructs the navigation of steam-
boats at a point eighty miles below Pecan Point. The govern-
ment of the United States has already spent more than 150,000
pesos
in that great undertaking which will increase considerably
the value of the neighboring lands if the final end is reached. The
general congress of those states has just lately appropriated 100,000
pesos
for its conclusion.
All of Texas abounds in the same kind of game, but beaver and
otter are more abundant in this department. There are so many
hunters, however, that unless some measure is taken so that they
may be hunted only during a given season of the year, the most
valuable fur bearing animals will be exterminated.
Snakes and tarantulas are also the only poisonous animals found
in this department.
The principal birds and fowls are the same as those found in
Bexar and the Brazos, except for the greater number of linnets and
humming-birds seen in Nacogdoches.
It is estimated that there are about fifty thousand head of cattle
in the whole department. Their value is the same as in Brazos,
and even lower. There are no sheep or goats, nor is the land very
suitable for raising them.
Their number exceeds sixty thousand, and I have no doubt that
in the near future they will become another important article of
export.
It is in this department that the greatest number of those In-
dians that have emigrated from the north are to be found, and
they are distributed as follows: the Cochates to the southeast of
Nacogdoches, the Choctaws to the south and east, the Cadoes to
the northeast, and the Cherokees, Sawanos [Shawnees], Creeks,
Kikapoos, and Texas to the north. Each of these Indian tribes
forms its own camp. They plant, raise cattle, and are fairly well,
civilized. In general, they are attached to the Mexican govern-
ment, and they have addressed a petition to his excellency, the
president, asking that he grant them lands. The report which
accompanies the petition gives an idea of those who are friendly
as well as of those who are at war with us in Texas. The depart-
ment of Nacogdoches has no hostile tribes.
Those of this department are usually excellent even in time
of rains, and there are houses where one may find lodgings in
whatever direction one is traveling.
They usually begin in November and last to the end of March.
The cold is somewhat severe, and the heat is uncomfortable. The
fall is very enjoyable, even more than the spring.
If my estimate with regard to the area of Texas is verified and
it should be found that it is, in fact, twenty-one thousand square
leagues, then since its population today is twenty-one thousand
inhabitants, not counting the peaceful and hostile Indians, there
is one inhabitant to each square league. I intended to accompany
this report with a map of Texas, which I have in my possession
in order that the area of that immense territory could be better
judged at a glance, but since this has been impossible because of
the difficulties which are always encountered in our country in
engraving or lithographing such works, I recommend that the
reader secure one of those maps published in New York, which
can be obtained in the book stores of this capital.
At the end of this report will be found an itinerary of my
journey from Natchitoches to this city, and likewise several tables
showing the population, commerce, number of wild Indians, and
other facts concerning Texas.
I am far from believing that this report will give a complete
idea of the territory which I have tried to describe in it, but I will
be satisfied if, in a way, it answers the curiosity of my fellow-
citizens and awakens in them also that spirit of speculation and
enterprise which is so much needed.
(The numbers in the first column give the distance between
consecutive places; those of the second column represent the total
distance from Natchitoches.)
Notes corresponding to the Itinerary:
The letter P means that the stream is permanent, S that it is
dry in summer, and A. S. that the water is brackish. ... [In
the remainder of the notes, the writer repeats his observations re-
garding conditions in the different sections of Texas in so far as
they affect traveling. A table giving the population and the lati-
tude of the different towns has also been omitted.]
FOOTNOTES:
Your Excellency:
a federal government, Texas was joined to Coahuila,† and out of
the two provinces was formed what we know today as the State
of Coahuila y Tejas. The constituent assembly of this state later
divided its immense territory into three departments, one of them
being made up of all that vast territory included between twenty-
eight degrees and thirty-five degrees of north latitude and called
Texas. Later still a new division was made, erecting an addi-
that it should be subject to Rio Grande. It is under the jurisdiction of
Bexar, which, is the departmental head nearest to San Patricio.
ayuntamiento of the capital of the department, and whose duty
is to look after the enforcement of the general state laws. He is
appointed by the state government from the list of candidates
submitted by the various ayuntamientos in the said department.
of them are occupied, the others are abandoned. The same is
true of two others that were near Bahia del Espíritu Santo. 4
They also were the first settlers of Montevideo, now the Republic of
Uruguay.
gram of the word Hidalgo, although the absence of the h is noteworthy.
limestone, and other minerals. It is believed that precious min-
erals also abound, and according to tradition, it seems that in
times past a silver mine was operated profitably, but the wild
Indians destroyed everything and the enterprise was consequently
abandoned. Iron, lead, copper, and coal are found in abundant
quantities in the department of Bexar, and as a general rule in
all Texas. At a distance of about eight or nine leagues from
the city, on the west bank of Cibolo creek there are a number of
thermal springs which are held in high esteem for the treatment
of rheumatism and other ailments of a similar nature.
miento [city council]; but it seems that its funds have been re-
duced to such an extent that it has not been able to maintain
even this most useful establishment. What fate can there be in
store for those unfortunate Mexicans who now live amidst bar-
barians without a hope of civilization? Goliad, Victoria, and
even San Patricio find themselves in the same plight, and in
such a state of affairs it is not difficult to foresee the outcome,
There is only one priest in the whole department, the vicar hav-
ing died last September with cholera.
committed suicide a short time ago. The reason for it is not known,
although some claim it was due to the neglect which he observed every-
where among the Mexicans on the border.
miles from Brazoria, upstream.
three sections, the appearance of the country really presents but
two. From the seashore to San Felipe immense plains are ob-
served, very similar to those found in the lower part of Bexar.
From San Felipe to Natchitoches there are only hills of varying
these places after the evacuation of other posts in 1832.--E. C. B.
New Orleans where it pays an import duty of 2½% and it is sold at
ten and ten and a half cents per pound net, that is, all freight expenses,
etc., being paid.
mer and bad in winter because of the mud holes. Rocks or stone
are seldom found in them, and when the rivers overflow it is
necessary to travel three and even four leagues in a canoe at times.
was all consumed in the department.
pality of Johnsburg or Pecan Point on Red River.
canal. In time of rains, I have been assured that small vessels can
pass from one to the other. The same could be done regarding the
Brazos, which is not far from the end of the bay. Convicts could be
employed in accomplishing both of these projects.
to take travelers across in time of high water, and the price charged
for one person varies from one real to two pesos, according to the extent
of the flood. All the rivers in Texas are fordable in the summer, and
very rarely is there enough water to require the use of a boat to cross
them.
*Municipalities.
†Villages.
Note.—ln the 8000 inhabitants are included about 1000 negroes introduced under
certain conditions granted by the state government. Although it is true that certain
African slaves have been introduced, this has been in spite of the opinion of the honest
settlers who have been unable to prevent it. It is to be hoped that a stop has been
put to this abuse by now. It would be well that the maximum time for which negroes
ran be introduced in Texas as servants of the settlers be fixed by a law of Congress
and of testate This, in my opinion, should not exceed ten or twelve years in order
that after that time they may enjoy their absolute freedom.
Table II--Various Tribes of Indians in Texas With the Numbers Living in Each Department
How to cite:
Juan N. Almonte, "Stastical Report on Texas", Volume 28, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v028/n3/contrib_DIVL1982.html
[Accessed Thu Dec 4 12:40:32 CST 2008]
