A history of Texas, from the earliest settlements to the year 1876;

Front matter

sTtzLc—t^ ,1^.

*

History of Texas,

Preface

an ardent attachment to the political institutions they have bequeathed to posterity.

The history of Texas possesses a peculiar interest. The contests for the possession of the country ; the grand old mission structures erected for the conversion of the natives ; the numerous changes of government, give to our history an air of romance.

In the summary of events in this volume these interesting topics are only briefly noticed ; but it is hoped this recital will stimulate many to a more thorough investigation • into the heroic period of our history.

H. S. Thrall.

San Antonio, Julj 1, 1876.

Contents

PERIOD I.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MISSIONS — FROM 1685 TO 1819.

Section I. — Landing of La Salle — Loss of his Ships — Erects Fort St. Louis — Starts for Illinois by Land — Assassination — Fort St. Louis

Section I. — Robert Owen’s Application Rejected — Grant to Keene

Moses Austin at San Antonio — Obtains a Grant — His Death 40

Section II. — Austin’s first Colony — Stephen F. Austin enters Texas — Chooses Location for a Colony — Schooner “Lively” lost — Arrival of

first Colonists — Austin in Mexico — Obtains other Contracts 42

Section III. — Other Colonial Grants — Edwards’s Difficulties — Fredonian War — Grants to Za valla — to Yelielin and Burnet — Galveston Bay Company — De Leon’s Colony — Grant to De Witt — to Hewitson and Powers — to McMullen and McGloin — to Leftwich, Milam, etc. 44 Section IV. — Colonization Law — Cost of Land to Immigrants — Quantity to Each — Land Bonuses — Town Lots to Mechanics and Merchants— Premium Lands to Empresarios — Land Commissioner.. . 49 Section V. — Progress of Settlements — Slavery — Austin’s Authority — Texas joined to Coahuila — Political Chiefs — Representatives — Civil

Officers — Appellate Court — Taxation 52

Section VI. — Indians — The Caranchuas — The Comanches — The Smaller Tribes — The Keechies — The Intrusive Tribes — Scalping of

Wilbarger — Number of Indians in Texas 56

Section VII. — 111 Treatment of Colonists — Arrest of Padilla and Madero — Bustemente’s Proclamation — Mexican Garrisons in Texas — Trouble at Anahuac — Fight at Velasco — at Nacogdoches — Mexican

Soldiers leave Texas 59

Section VIII. — State of the Colonies — Convention of 1833 — Austin sent to Mexico— Revolution in Coahuila — Austin in Prison — Almonte in Texas — Political Parties — Live Stock — Agriculture — Commerce — Education — Churches 64

PERIOD III.

THE REVOLUTION — THE YEARS 1835 AND 1836.

Section I. — Troubled State of the Country — Despotism in Mexico — Legislature of Coahuila Dispersed — No Civil Government in Texas — Administrative Council — Austin’s Return— Mexican Soldiers in Texas— Proscribed Patriots— Affairs at Gonzales— Capture of Goliad

— of Lipantitlan 71

Section II. — Civil Government — General Consultation— Provisional Government Instituted — Austin Appointed Military Commander — Battle of Concepcion — Capture of San Antonio— Trophies of the

Victory 75

Section III. — Executive Council — Convention of 1836 — Declaration

of Independence — Government ad interim — David G. Burnet, President— Condition of the Texan Army 82

CONTENTS.

Section IV. — Santa Anna’s Plans — His Arrival at San Antonio - Travis Besieged— Capture of tlie Alamo— Massacre of the Garrison —

Death of David Crockett — The Child of the Alamo 84

Section V. — Urrea in the Southwest — Mexicans at San Patricio — Killing of Grant— Massacre of King’s Men at Refugio — Fannin Evacuates Goliad — Battle of Coleta — Fannin and Ward Surrender —

The Massacre at Goliad 90

Section VI. — San Jacinto Campaign — Santa Anna Advances in Three Columns — Houston’s Retreat from Gonzales — Crosses the Brazos at Groce’s — Camps at the Mouth of the San Jacinto — Santa Anna at

New Washington — Skirmishing on the 20th of April 94

Section VII. — Battle of San Jacinto — Strength of the Two Armies — Battle-cry of the Texans — Furious Charge of the Texans — Total

Rout of the Enemy — Capture of Santa Anna 99

Section VIII. — Retreat of Filisola — Strength of his Army — President Burnet on the Battle-ground — Houston Wounded — Yields the Command to General Rusk — Treaty with Santa Anna — Condition of Affairs in Eastern Texas — Arrival of General Quitman — General

Gaines — Texas Navy .101

Section IX. — Embarrassments of the Country — Treatment of Santa Anna — Dissatisfaction in the Army — Diplomatic Relations with the United States — Election Ordered— Meeting of the First Congress — Inauguration of Constitutional Government 105

PERIOD IV.

TEXAS A REPUBLIC — FROM 1837 TO 1845.

Section I. — Houston’s First Administration — He Surrenders his Sword — Congress — A Loan Authorized — Homesteads to Emigrants — Proposed Reforms — Rejection by Acting President of Mexico of Santa Anna’s Treaty with Texas — Another Mexican Invasion Threatened— Independence Recognized by the United States — Army and

Navy — Houston’s Indian Policy — Indian Fights 110

Section II. — Lamar’s Administration — Austin made the Capital — The New Navy — Republic of the Rio Grande — Lamar’s Indian Policy — Indio-Mexican League — Expulsion of the Cherokees — Fight with Indian Captives at San Antonio — Comanches Descend to the Coast — Plum Creek Fight — Moore’s Fight on the Colorado — Santa Fe Expedition— Finances ..116

Section III. — Houston’s Second Administration — Improvement in the Finances — Raids of Vasquez and Woll — Dawson’s Defeat — Removal of the Seat of Government — The Meir Expedition — The Navy — Indian Treaty — The Snivel y Expedition — Regulators and Moderators 126

Section IV. — Jones’s Administration — Foreign Relations — Finances of the Country — Annexation of Texas to the United States 136

CONTENTS.

PERIOD V.

TEXAS A STATE OF THE UNION — FROM 1846 TO 1875.

Section I. — Henderson’s Administration — War with Mexico — Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma — Gov. Henderson in Command

of tlie Texans — Lieut.-Gov. Horton Acting Governor ... .140

Section II. — Wood’s Administration — The Public Debt — Indian Raids

— Santa Fe Controversy .143

Section III. — Bell’s Administration — Sale of Santa Fe to the United

States — New Public Buildings 143

Section IV. — Pease’s Administration — Progress of the Country — School Fund — Public Asylums — Additional Payment for Santa F6

— State Aid to Railroads — The Cart War — A Full Treasury 145

Section V. — Runnels’ Administration — Acquisition of Territory — Indian Reservations — Indian Fights — Trouble from Cortina — Evidences of Progress 147

Section VI. — Houston’s Administration — Frontier Protection — Supposed Incendiary Fires — Political Excitement — Houston’s Circular to other Governors — Action of the Legislature — The Convention

Recognized — Secession — Houston Displaced 150

Section VII. — Clark’s Administration — War Measures — Texas Ports

Blockaded 153

Section VIII. — Lubbock’s Administration — Texas Prosperous — State Military Board — The Arizona Expedition — Confederates Evacuate

Galveston — Magruder Recaptures the City — Sabine Pass 155

Section IX. — Murrah’s Administration — Cotton Bureau — The Federals at Brownsville — Fight with the Kickapoos — Dispersion of the

Confederate Army — Gen. Granger in Command 157

Section X. — Hamilton’s Administration — First Reconstruction — Convention of 1866 161

Section XI. — Throckmorton’s Administration — Indian Depredations — Government in Texas Provisional — Throckmorton Removed . . . .163 Section XII. — Pease’s Administration — Military Commander the Real

Governor — Second Reconstruction — Convention of 1868-9 164

Section XIII. — Davis’s Administration — Constitutional Amendments Ratified — Senators and Representatives Admitted to Congress — Frontier Protection — Homestead Law — Increase of Population —

Results of a General Election — Excitement at the Capital 165

Section XIV. — Coke’s Administration — Supreme Court Re-organized — Constitutional Convention Provided for — Closing Remarks — In-

crease in Population, in Agricultural Products, in Live-Stock, and in Aggregate Wealth — Railroad Progress — Telegraph Lines — Improvement of Canals, Channels, etc 169

Constitution of the State of Texas 175

History of Texas.

RUINS OF THE ALAMO— 1837.

PERIOD I.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MISSIONS.

From the Landing of La Salle, in 1685, to the Treaty between the United States and Spain, in 1819. — Texas a Province of Spain.

Section I. Lauding Of La Salle. — His Subsequent Movements And Death

1 . The coast of Texas was visited by Kobert, Cavalier de La Salle, on the 16th of February, 1685. La Salle sailed

Section I.-l. When did La Salle land in Texas? At what point? What became of La Salle’s principal ships ?

MOVEMENTS OF LA SALLE.

from France with, four ships, and upward of three hundred persons, to plant a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. Misled by inaccurate charts, the fleet sailed too far to the westward, and entered a bay named by the French San Bernardo, since called Matagorda. A succession of disasters befell the expedition. One of the vessels was captured by the Spaniards, on the outward voyage. Another was wrecked in attempting to cross the bar. Early in March, the naval commander, in a pet, sailed for France in a third. The Indians, at first friendly, soon became hostile, and some of the French fell victims to their tomahawks.

2. To secure a more eligible site for a permanent fort, La Salle crossed the bay, and ascended a river which, from the buffalo upon its banks, he named Les Yaches {Lavaca). Here he erected Fort St. Louis, since known as Dimmit’s Point. The transfer of the colonists, and the erection of necessary buildings, occupied the summer months. In October, La Salle, with some companions, started eastward by land to find the Mississippi. The only remaining vessel, the BeUe, was sent across the bay and lost in a gale. After weeks of absence, in which the Colorado was discovered, La Salle returned and found his colony in a languishing condition. Many were sick, some had died, provisions were her coming scarce, and some of the reckless adventurers began to exhibit signs of mutiny.

3. Relief must be obtained, and La Salle determined to cross the country to the French settlements in Illinois. He started on the 22d of April, 1686, with twenty picked men. The country was flat, and the numerous streams swollen by spring rains. While at a village of the Hasson ite Indians, on the Neches ( nay' -dies ) River, La Salle and his

2. Where did he erect his fort? What became of his only remaining vessel?

3. How did La Salle propose to reach his countrymen? When did he start ? Why did he return to Fort St. Louis ?

THE SPANIARDS IN TEXAS.

nephew were attacked with fever. When they had sufficiently recovered to resume their journey, it was found that their ammunition was nearly exhausted, and it would be necessary to return to Fort St. Louis for a fresh supply. Only eight men survived to reach the fort, on the 22d of October.

4. The number in the fort had also greatly diminished. But La Salle again started across the continent, taking, as before, twenty companions. They left on the 12th of January, 1687. Fort St. Louis, with its small garrison of twenty persons, including seven women, was left in charge of Barbier, who had married one of the maidens that came out from France. La Salle had reached the neighborhood of his former encampment on the Neches, when a mutiny broke out, and he was cruelly assassinated by one of his own men. This was about the 16th of March. The feeble fort was soon afterwards attacked by the Caranchuas, and its inhabitants killed or captured.

Section II

THE SPANIARDS IN TEXAS. — EL PASO. — SANTA PE. — DE LEON.— INDIAN TRIBES.

1. The country, thus temporarily occupied by the French, was claimed by the King of Spain. As early as 1582, a company of Spaniards, under Espejo ( ays-pciy'lio ), visited the upper Rio Grande, and established missions at El Paso ( ctyl pah- so) and Santa Fe. When the Viceroy of Mexico heard of the landing of La Salle, a small force was sent to dislodge

4. When did he start the second time? Give the particulars of his death. What became of the fort ?

Section II. — 1. What European sovereign claimed Texas? Where had the Spaniards established missions? Who was sent into Texas by the Viceroy of Mexico ?

INDIAN TRIBES.

him. under the command of Captain Alonzo De Leon (day lay'-on). As De Leon advanced into the country, he took pains to conciliate the natives. He found Fort St. Louis in ruins, hut recovered a few of the French from the Indians, and humanely sent them to their friends.

2. When Texas was first visited by Europeans, it was occupied by various tribes of Aborigines. The Cennis, Nassonites, Hacogdo'ches, Anadaquas ( ali-nah-dali’ quahs ), Ayish, Ytass'ies, Tehas (tay' -halts), etc., inhabited the territory between Buffalo Bayou and the Sabine. They lived in villages, possessed domestic animals, and cultivated patches of corn, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, and a variety of garden vegetables. When La Salle reached the villages of the Hasson ites, he was hospitably entertained, and furnished with horses and provisions to continue his journey. These Indians were supposed to belong to the same race with the Aztecs of Mexico.

3. A number of nomadic tribes roamed over the western prairies, who subsisted by hunting and fishing. The Caranchuas, a tall, athletic,- and warlike race, lived upon the coast. The Comanches occupied the country between the Brazos and Guadalupe () gwhah-dah-loo'pay ) rivers, with their main lodges on the upper Colorado. Then, as now, this tribe lived mostly by plunder. They have been called the “ Arabs of the prairies.” The Apaches hunted over the highlands between the San Saba and the Rio Grande, with their headquarters about the Bandera (hahn-day'-rah) Pass. The principal village of the Wacoes was on the Brazos ( hralizos ), where a city of the same name now stands. The Tehuacanas (tay-whah' -cah-nalis) gave their name to a range of hills in Limestone county. The Lipans', Ton'kawas, and Muscalar'oes, were small and kindred tribes.

2. Name some of the Indian tribes of East Texas. How did they live ?

3. What tribe lived on the coast? Where were the main lodges of the Comanches The Apaches ? Wacoes ? Tehuacanas ?

MISSIONS.

4. It has been said these prairie Indians were cannibals. This is probably a mistake. In their war dances, they sometimes tasted morsels of the flesh, and perhaps of the blood, of their enemies. This was done to make them more courageous. Those best acquainted with the manners and customs of these tribes, say they never used human flesh as food.

Section III. Mission Establishments. — Their Object. — How Conducted. — Presidios

1. The Europeans, in coming to this continent, had two objects in view. Eirst, the acquisition of territory for their respective sovereigns. Second, the conversion of the natives to Christianity. The establishment of missions, it was thought, would accomplish both these objects. Possession of the country was secured, and many of the Indians received Christian baptism, and gradually adopted the habits of civilized life. In Texas, these missions were under the supervision of monks of the order of St. Erancis. In the west, points were selected capable of irrigation, and a tract of land, several miles square, was given to each establishment* The Fathers, with a few domestics and soldiers, took possession, and by persuasion or by force, Indians were induced to congregate in the neighborhood.

2. A substantial house (generally of stone) was erected, which answered the double purpose of a place of worship in time of peace, and a fortress for defense in time of danger.

4. Were the Indians cannibals?

Section III. — 1. What objects did the Europeans propose to accomplish in coming to America? How did the establishment of missions aid them ?

2. What purposes did the mission church serve?

INDIANS DOMESTICATED.

Suitable houses were also built for the priests, and rude huts for the Indians, who were employed in taking care of stock, and cultivating the ground to supply food. In return for this comparatively light labor, the Indians received religious instruction, food, and clothing.

3. These domesticated Indians were called In' dibs redu’- cidos , while those who still remained in their savage state were called In' dibs brd'vos. If a mission proved prosperous, and a considerable population collected around it, it was erected into a presidio, and finally into a village or city. In Mexico, and other States of Central and South America, these missions were instrumental in converting almost the entire native population to Christianity, and since the establishment of republican institutions in those countries, full blooded Indians have risen to the highest offices in the various departments of their respective governments.

Section IV. Dates Of The Principal Missions In Texas. — Missions Secularized

1. Under the direction of De Leon, who again visited Texas in 1 690, a mission was established at Presidio (praysee'-de-o ), on the Rio Grande, and preparations made for another, at Fort St. Louis. Missions were also projected at other points. In 1691, Domingo Teran succeeded De Leon as military commander at Monclova. Teran took measures to plant settlements in Texas.

3. What name was given to domesticated Indians ? To wild Indians? How was a presidio formed ? What was the effect of these missions in Central and South America?

Section IV.— 1 . In what year was the mission at Presidio commenced ?

DATES OF PRINCIPAL MISSIONS.

2. In 1692, a village called San Fernandes (now San Antonio), was begun near the head of the San Antonio River. Besides fathers for the missions, Teran sent into the province soldiers, accompanied with laborers, who brought cattle for domestic use, and seeds for planting. The Mission San Antonio de Valero was commenced on the Rio Grande in 1703, and removed to the San Antonio River in 1710, and to the plaza, in the city, in 1715. In 1714, Don Domingo Ramon, to secure a settlement on the Guadalupe River, and for the irrigation of the valley, projected the Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Mission Valley). In 1715, *Ramon also commenced missions at La Bahia ( lah-bdh-hee' -ah ), Nacogdo'ches, on Ayish Bayou, and at Adaes, on the east side of the Sabine.

3. San Antonio was erected into a presidio November 28, 1730, and the next year, under orders from the King of Spain, citizens for the new city were brought from the Canary Islands. The transportation of sixteen families, consisting of fifty-seven persons, cost the royal treasury $72,000. On the 5th of March, 1730, was laid the foundation of La Purisima Concepcion, and during this period of prosperity, the Missions la Espa'da {lah ays-pah' -dah), San Juan, and San Jos6 were commenced. The foundation of the Al'amo was laid in 1744.

4. In 1734, a mission was established among the Comanches on the San Saba {sail' bah) River. In 1758, a rich silver mine was discovered in the neighborhood. This collected a large number of miners. The miners and the Indians quarrelled. To avenge some real or fancied wrong, at

2. In what year was San Antonio settled ? When was the mission San Antonio commenced ? When was it located in the city ? What mission was projected in 1714 ? What missions were commenced in 1715 ?

3. When was San Antonio erected into a presidio ? Give the date of the foundation of the mission Concepcion. The Alamo.

4. When was the San Saba mission established? When broken up ?

THE FRENCH AGAIN IN TEXAS.

a time when all the soldiers were absent, the savages fell upon the defenseless missionaries, and put them all to death.

5. In 1778, Senor Gil y Barbo laid the foundation of the old stone-house in Nacogdoches ; and in 1790, the Mission of our Lady of Refuge, Refugio ( ray-foo'-yeo ), was commenced. This was the last mission undertaken by the Franciscans in Texas. For a century they had labored for the civilization of the Indians. Some of their mission churches have disappeared. Other massive structures still stand, monuments of the religious zeal and enterprise of their founders.

6. On the 8th of April, 1794, Don Pedro de Nava, Governor of Chihuahua ( chee-whah'-whah ), issued a decree secularizing all the Texas missions, thus transferring them from the control of the monastic orders to the regular clergy. Texas was, at that time, under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Guadalaxara ( gwali-dah-lali-hah' -rah ). In 1805, it was included in the new bishopric of Nueva Leon, and the bishop, Don Primus Feliciana Maria, paid a visit to the province in company with Governor Cordero. He brought with him a number of priests for the various missions.

SECTION y.

THE FRENCH AGAIN IN TEXAS. — CROZAT. — ST. DENIS — LA HARPE. — BELISLE. — SPANISH GARRISONS.

1. Under the right of prior discovery by La Salle, the French still laid claim to the country. By a royal charter,

5. When was the stone house built in Nacogdoches ? When was mission Refugio commenced ?

6. When were the missions secularized ? What Bishop visited Texas in 1S05? Section V.— 1 . To whom did Louis XIV, of France, give Louisiana?

GROZAT—ST. DENIS.

dated September 14, 1714, Louis XIV. granted to Anthony Crozat the whole of Louisiana, including all the territory drained by the Mississippi. Crozat was an enterprising merchant, and hoped to build up a profitable trade with the northern provinces of Mexico, and, if practicable, carry on extensive mining operations.

2. Under the advice of Crozat, Condillac, then Governor of Louisiana, sent Huchereau St. Denis on a trading trip to Mexico. The company, consisting of twelve Frenchmen and a few friendly Indians, started from Natchitoches in August, 1714. They arrived safe on the Eio Grande, and were kindly received by the Spanish commander at Presidio, who hoped to derive a profit from the prospective trade. But when Gaspardo Anaya, Governor of Coahuila, heard of the arrival of the French, he ordered the whole party arrested. St. Denis did not long remain in prison, though it is uncertain how he obtained his liberty. He still maintained friendly relations with the commander at Presidio, and before leaving the Eio Grande, married the daughter of that officer.

3. In 1716, St. Denis again visited the Eio Grande with a supply of goods for traffic. This trip was more unfortunate than the first. The men to whom he entrusted his goods acted dishonestly, and he was again thrown into prison. A second time he made his escape, and, taking his wife with him, returned to Mobile, then the capital of Louisiana.

4. In 1718, the territory of Louisiana passed to the control of the Company of the Indies, of which John Law, the

2. Who was sent into Texas ? When did St. Denis leave Natchitoches ? How was he treated by Governor Anaya ? To whom was St. Denis married ?

3. When did he again visit the Rio Grande ? Was that a fortunate trip ?

4. What company controlled Louisiana in 1718 ? What European nations were engaged in war? What Frenchmen entered Texas ? With whom did La Harpc find a refuge ?

LA HARPE— BELISLE.

celebrated financier, was the leading spirit. In the latter part of this year, Avar broke out between France and Spain. As soon as this was known in America, St. Denis, then in command at Natchitoches, in conjunction with La Harpe, collected a few soldiers for the invasion of Texas. The French expelled the Spaniards from Nacogdoches, and advanced as far as San Antonio. Here they encountered an army of five hundred Spaniards, under Marquis de Aguayo, whom the Viceroy had sent to hold the Province. St. Denis hastily retreated to the Sabine. La Harpe, however, remained in Texas, having found a refuge in one of the villages of the Nassonites. He claimed the country for France, and carried on a lengthy correspondence Avith De Alarconne, the Spanish commander who succeeded De Aguayo. The controversy as to the ownership of Texas was kept up by different parties for more than a century

5. In 1720, the Company of the Indies sent out an expedition to plant a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. This fleet, like that brought out by La Salle, was driven too far to the westward, and also entered Matagorda Bay. While the captain of one of the vessels was taking in a supply of water, M. de Belisle and four companions Avent ashore to hunt. The hunters overstaying their time, were deserted by their countrymen. Belisle found his way to a Nassonite village, and contrived to send word to St. Denis at Natchitoches. The fate of his companions is involved in obscurity. The report that they immediately perished from starvation, in a country abounding in fish and game, is too incredible for belief.

6. The next year the governor of Louisiana sent a com-

5. AVhat company attempted to plant a colony in Texas, in 1720 ? How came Bolisle and his companions to be left? Their fate ?

6. For what purpose did Belisle and La Harpe again enter Texas? Did they sue ceed ? Where did Governor Aguayo place garrisons ?

INDIAN COALITION.

pany, under Belisle and La Harpe, to form a settlement on Matagorda Bay. But while the Nassonites were friends of the French, the Caranchuas were allies of the Spaniards, and Belisle met with serious difficulties and his party soon returned to Louisiana, leaving Texas to the Spaniards. To secure the country, Governor Aguayo, in 1722, placed garrisons at the most important posts: one hundred at Adaes; twenty-five on the Neches; ninety at the Bay of San Bernardo ( Matagorda ), and fifty-three at San Antonio de Bexar.

Section VI

INDIAN" COALITION. — OWNERSHIP OF LOUISIANA. — TEXAS AT THE CLOSE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

1. In 1729, a number of powerful Indian tribes formed a coalition for the expulsion of all the Europeans from the country between the Mississippi and the Bio Grande. The Natchez and associate bands, were to fall upon the French in Louisiana, while the Comanches, Apaches, and other prairie tribes, were to expel the Spaniards from Texas.

2. The ever vigilant St. Denis, at Natchitoches, hearing of this coalition, did not wait to be attacked ; but hastily collecting some troops, entered the territory of the Natchez, and dispersed them before they were prepared to resist him. The Spanish commander failed to act with equal promptness ; and for two years the settlements in Texas wrere liarrassed by the Comanches, who sometimes ventured to the very walls of San Antonio. But, in 1732, Governor Bustillos

Section VI.— 1. What league was formed by the Indians in 1729 ?

2. What measures did St. Dennis adopt ? Did the Spaniards act with equal vigor f When did Bustillos chastise the Comanches

TEXAS AT THE CLOSE OF THE CENTURY.

organized a military expedition, entered the Indian territory, chastised the savages, and secured peace to the settlements.

3. In 1762, France transferred her Louisiana possessions to Spain. This was a fortunate change for Texas, as all restrictions heretofore existing were removed from trade, which was freely carried on across the Sabine. Texas was attached to the Intendency of San Luis Potosi ( po-to-see ), commerce extended in that direction, and, upon the whole, this was an era of quiet and prosperity. In 1800, Spain retroceded Louisiana to France, and in 1803, Bonaparte sold it to the United States.

4. At the close of the eighteenth century Texas had no seaport, though her bays were occasionally visited by piratical vessels belonging to the buccaneers. On the Rio Grande, the towns of Presidio and El Paso had a settled population, and enjoyed many of the luxuries of life. Wheat was extensively cultivated ; grapes grew luxuriantly, and the inhabitants were well supplied with garden vegetables and fruits. The interior of the country had a population estimated at about six thousand, of which one third were in San Antonio ; and there were permanent settlements at Goliad, Nacogdoches, and some other points. Almonte estimated that at this period one hundred thousand cattle, and forty thousand horses, grazed upon its broad prairies.

5. But Texas was connected with Mexico, and under the dominion of a Spanish Viceroy, and Mexico herself already began to exhibit premonitory signs of a coming revolution. She felt the influence of the young republic which had grown up in North America, and was further affected by

3. To whom was Louisiana transferred in 1762 ? When was it again retroceded to France ? When sold to the United States ?

4. What vessels entered the harbors of Texas ? What is said of the number and condition of its inhabitants at the close of the eighteenth century ?

5. With what was Mexico threatened ? Why ?

SPANISH JEALOUSY.

the changes which the career of Bonaparte was producing in Europe. The Spanish authorities viewed the United States with distrust, especially after that government had acquired Louisiana and revived the French claim to Texas.

Section VII. Spanish Jealousy Of The United States. — Philip Nolan

— PIKE AND FREEMAN. — CORDERO AND HERRERA. —

WILKINSON.— HOSTILE FORCES ON THE SABINE.

1. The increasing prosperity of the American republic and the claim that Texas was included in the purchase of Louisiana, excited the jealousy of the Spaniards, who adopted a most proscriptive policy. They forbade any citizen of the United States from entering Spanish territory without a passport, and that could be obtained only by persons whose object was scientific exploration. This hostile feeling was well expressed by Don Salcedo, general of the Eastern Internal Provinces, who said that, “had he the power, he would stop even the birds from flying across the boundary line between the United States and Mexico.”

2. Notwithstanding the hostility of the Spaniards, Americans occasionally entered Mexican territory. In 1800, Philip Nolan, Ellis P. Bean, and eighteen others left Natchez, Mississippi, avowedly to hunt wild horses in Texas. The Spanish Viceroy, believing that Nolan wras engaged in some enterprise much more important than catching mustangs, sent word to the commander at Nacogdoches to arrest