Texas Colonization, Indian Depredations, Overland Mail Between Texas and the United States
Rare 1826 Nota Estadística for Coahuila and Texas
"An invaluable summary..." - Streeter
At the time of this publication Texas was part of the Mexican state of Coahuila and Texas, which had been organized on August 15, 1824. Rafael Gonzalez, the governor of Coahuila and Texas, has signed the report (in print), which is dated at Saltillo the 26th December 1826, and addressed to the Mexican Secretary of State for Internal and Foreign Relations. Of great interest for the early history of Texas colonization is Gonzalez's statement that he had entered into six colonization contracts with empresarios which would settle 3100 families from the United States in Texas over the coming six years. Mention is also made of additional contracts to settle 400 English families in Texas, pending government approval:
Colonizacion. Se han celebrado seis contratas con otros tantos empresarios para colonizar en los valdios de Tejas con un total de tres mil cien familias de los Estado Unidos del Norte, que deberán introducir en el término de seis años. Otra empresa de cuatrocientas familias inglesas, pende de la aprobacion del Supremo Gobierno.
In addition to the above note about Texas colonization by American and English families, the report provides a statistical snapshot of conditions in the state, with several mentions of the Texas frontier, including incessant conflict with the "Indios barbaros." Indian incursions are singled out as an ongoing problem on the frontier, precipitating the establishment of a special militia at San Antonio to combat them:
Con motivo de las hostilidades de los indios bárbaros se han tomado providencias para que el vecindario de la frontera se reduzca á milicia nacional en comapañas sueltas de caballeria, bajo el plan que previene el último reglamento y órdenes posteriores con el importante objeto de atender á su propria seguridad ... á excepcion de S. Antonio de Bejar, donde se levantó una compañía de cien hombres á las primeras novedades de los indios.
Details on public health issues are given, including an epidemic outbreak of measles and intermittent fevers in Texas, which casued numerous deaths. Also an interesting recommendation that an overland mail route be established over the border with the United States:
Seria muy útil abrir una comunicacion por tierra con los Estados-Unidos del Norte: se lograria saber el estado político de la frontera de Tejas, el de los nuevos establecimientos coloniales, y poner en contacto el puerto de Galveston, donde se establecerá necesariamente una aduana marítima.
In sum, a notable Texas rarity, with historically valuable references to early American colonization during the Mexican era.
Rarity
While fairly well represented in institutional collections, this Texas item is quite rare in commerce. As far back as 1963 the Eberstadts offered an example of this book with a then-hefty price tag of $900. While Streeter located only four copies (Univ. of Texas, Yale, Biblioteca Nacional de Mexico, and his own example), we can note seven additional copies, those at the Library of Congress, SMU, Iowa, Indiana University, and three other UT campuses.