Documents concern naming of officials for new presidios in Janos, San Carlos and San Buenaventura. Details discussed appointments to fill vacated posts; transportation arrangements, including delays due to travel difficulties caused by drought and deserts; replies of receipt of travel orders by officials and granting of passport. Other documents concern supplies for soldiers, need for recruiting volunteers to transfer to California, instructions to presidio habilitados (paymasters) and new regulations in effect. (J. M. Johnson, February 1989)

Lists of volunteer recruits from Sonoran presidios for California. Documents include instructions for transporting them; debts they owe before leaving posts; vacancies created in presidios; data on individual personnel and necessary supplies; problems with recruitment and desertions for family reasons back to Former posts. (J. M. Johnson, February 1989)

Correspondence is between comandante general Croix and viceroy Mayorga about aid requested by gobernador Neve for 1) new missions and presidios to be established in the Canal de Santa Barbara and 2) comisiones to Rivera y Moncada in escorting settlers through Sonora to Alta California. Details involve transporting families and livestock to new establishments; supplies for these and troops at missions and presidios; salaries for soldiers and workers. Departures of fragata Santiago, favorita and Goleta Sonora with provisions for California. Interesting details on furnishings and religious objects for new chapels at missions. Recruitment of priests and transportation of same by ship or overland with Rivera. Weapons and canons for Santa Barbara presidio. (J. M. Johnson, November 1988)

Alarcon is assigned the post of governor and the command of the colonization of Texas. The aims of this enterprise are the elimination of foreign trade (mainly French) and expansion of the Spanish one. General instructions for the expedition, and later colonization of the area and reduccion of Indians are given. They emphasize the need to found two villages in the area to prevent the meddling of foreign traders in the coast of the seno Mexicano and the main navigable rivers. (A. Nielsen, November 1989)

Guindo (marques de San Miguel de Aguayo's agent) accuses Ossorio (corregidor of Zelaya) of having extorted the residents of the city by putting them in jail and confiscating their possessions in order to force them to go to the presidio of Texas. Guindo was in charge of moving the people, and in his report provides a complete list of them including name, age, ethnic filiation, marital status, number of children (if any) and a physical description of each adult male (total 117). Almost all of them are said to have been in prison for one or one and a half months before the expedition. A medical doctor examined all of them and those who were sick are listed with a description of the desease. The authorities send an agent to Zelaya to find out about the accusations. He takes declarations from several vecinos but none of them support the charges against Ossorio. Prospective soldiers were imprisoned because most of them were vagrant and fled to the countryside when they knew about the levy. Therefore, Ossorio had to send commissaries to bring them back, and had to keep them in jail in order to provide the number of persons he was required to have, but he did not take any profit out of it. Finally, Ossorio wants to start a process against Guindo for calumny. (A. Nielsen, November 1989)

Dionis went to Diego Ramon's presidio to present the map of the summary of autos written in 1688 and 1689 on the Asinay and Tejas Indians, their lifestyle, descriptions of the presidio called Espiritu Santo or San Luis or San Bernardo, its need to be populated by Spanish settlers rather than French and the measures taken to convert the Indians, establish security and trade. Leon sets off from Coahuila in 1684 to investigate a French settlement near the Rio Grande del Norte. Its location in degrees and minutes is given. Boat wreckage from French settlers is found. Leon suggests that presidios into the Tejas provinces be established for at least 1 million Indians could be converted and land is very fertile for farming. Very little progress made until after 1693 (reasons listed on ff. 440-445). Details of the Indians lifestyle and the settling of the Tejas provinces continues through ff. 451. Continuance of hearing of French spies trespassing into Tejas provinces (See Vol. 181.iii) in front of tribunal from ff. 452 - 471. Equiping of presidios and missions is covered in detail. List of those living at the San Antonio Paraje is on ff. 508. (E. Wilson, March 1990)

Captain Joseph Ramon recruited men for the presidio to be established at Nuestra Senora de Loreto, Bahia del Espiritu Santo. He spent from December 20, 1719 to February 10, 1720 traveling to Zacatecas, Querataro, San Luis Potosi and San Luis de la Paz recruiting forty men. Fifty men from the batallon de San Miguel de Aragon joined the presidio on March 4, 1722. Both groups of men had different pay dates the fiscal considered confusing. Discrepancy in pay is discussed ranging from 1/2 year to Ten months owed the fifty men and 2/3 year to a year owed the forty recruited men. Proposals are made to justly unify the pay dates for both groups. (E. Wilson, January 1990)

Military personnel and civilians are sworn to testify in response to questions on; how they heard of the French trespassing the Colorado River into Spanish territory; when they first heard of it; how much land they believe the French have occupied; and what outposts or presidios the French may have built on said land (ff. 163 - 171). Ratifications (ff. 171 - 180). Indian interpreter relates French trade activity with the Indians. Spaniards describe black slave mistreatment by the French and consider their potential to become loyal Spanish subjects. Junta de guerra y hacienda considers weight of testimonies and action to be taken, if any (ff. 208 - 215). French crown has paid multilingual spies planted, which the Spaniards condemn. (E. Wilson, December 1989)

Signed. Concerns defense of Escandon; begins with minimization of charges and a briefly history of Escandons' ascendant career, merits from king; Escandon was in arms and participating in the ejection of British in Laguna in 1720; 1728, was named by virrey as sargento mayor later virrey gave him the title of Coronel; November 15, 1741, Escandon was named as teniente general de la Sierra gorda he gave missions to Franciscanos religious from San Diego de pachuca and San Fernando; he founded and establish four villages with no cost to the royal hacienda; September 3, 1746 in a royal decree full of eulogys virrey gives to Escandon all responsibilities in the mission of pacification de los barbaros de la Sierra gorda and he is named lugar teniente de la Costa del Seno Mexicano; December 1748, founded the first village in area which by 1759 had 20 villages; on folio 182 details of population; in 1757 virrey sent comission to investigate colony; in 1765 virrey orders Escandon to found five new villages in strategic places to stop the continual Indians attacks; strongest defense allegation is envy of Resendi family against Escandon and their plan to get him out of the colony and appeal to the virrey for the titles for their family; in folio 229 is a Spaniards description of Indians; defense by Escandon who defends himself charge by charge; since Escandon was commissioned by the virrey y la junta real de hacienda, they knew that it was a project that was subject to failure, in other words he was not obligated to succeed in his attempt; in selecting captains Escandon never chose the most specialized but selected the ones that were dedicated to the well being of the village; all that the fiscal imputed to Escandon was never supported with real evidence only anonimous statements from someone who heard rumors but had no hard evidence; not even fray Garcia was found in his mission to testify against Escandon to the auditors Osorio and Palacio; in regard to the murder of Indians by Escandon's captains, the fiscal never found witnesses; some of the crimes were investigated by Escandon and he found that the actions benefited the pacification and well being of the village. Escandon repremanded the captain and notified the capitania general. The women and children were placed in missions when the men were murdered or sent to a presidio but never were they sold and sent to Querataro in a collera as the accusations assert; in treatment of criminals, Escandon always followed the royal laws which permitted pardons of criminals if they serve the king. These people were serving the king by risking their lifes in the establishment of the colony; in regard to his rejection of Apaches, he argues it is well known that Apaches don't want anything except trading, and that Spain suffers terribles consequences when it assumes Apaches will remain peaceful in missions. He argued that too often they will suddenly murder, rape and destroy a village. For this reason Escandon avoided Apaches. On March 29, 1763, the royal cedula expired which authorized captain trenda y el ingeniero de la Camara alta to make the first audit of Escandon and nothing wrong was found except for the plot of the Resendi family, 17800 question the official informe by saying that it was corrupted by la voz de oro y Plata de Escandon pudo mas; but in the second audit nobody knew about it, not even the fiscal o el auditor and the results were no different. Escandon is exonerated from all charges. Descendants of Escandon have the right to claim what Escandon left them. (D. Bautista, November 1989)

Concerns the beginning of the populating of new presidio of Sacramento. Soldiers and families are sent to the new presidio. Distribution of land begins, but irrigation problems resulted due to site of presidio being higher than the level of the River. Falcon reports on the events and activities in the new presidio. Patrols and reconnaissance operations are made in the presidio's surroundings. Reasons for the selection of San Diego as place for new presidio are give. This place is said to be more strategic for defense of provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Texas and Rio Grande. Difficulties in agricultural work are encountered due to the position of the presidio with respect to the River. (M. Marroquin, January 1989)