Conception was founded some two miles below San Antonio; while in the heart of this "City of Missions" rises the scarred visage of the Alamo, a name hallowed by its

ALAMO MISSION.

baptism of blood.* In Menard County, on the San Saba River, in 1734, was founded the San Saba Mission. All went well unti! a silver mine was discovered near by. Miners, flocking from all the country around, committed so many outrages upon the Indians, that the savages

rose in revolt, and butch

ered the entire white population of the little town. There were many other missions founded, some of which have entirely disappeared, while others still stand majestic monuments to the patience of the Spanish priests.

St. Denis (deh ne').—Texas was during this period ruled by a governor, appointed by the Viceroy of Mexico, with the sanction of the King of Spain. Yet the French had by no means given up their claims to the country. In 1714, St. Denis, a bright and energetic young Frenchman of noble family, was sent out by the Governor of Louisiana to open a trade with Mexico. His career was

a checkered one: in prison, his goods seized, in favor with the Spanish authorities, marrying the daughter of

* A detailed account of the Alamo will be given later.

a Mexican official, winning the friendship and love of the Indians; again imprisoned, an escaped fugitive, establishing an illicit trade with the Mexicans-he, after some years passed in such experiences, was forced to give up his task in despair. One of his achievements was the laying off of the San Antonio road, which still exists.

Company of the Indies.-Finding that he was sinking money, Crozot (1719) gladly gave up his charter to the Company of the Indies. Under the management of the company, in spite of the stringent laws of Spain, a certain amount of trade was carried on between Louisiana and Mexico, Texas being the thoroughfare. Attempts were made at colonizing, but they were unsuccessful.*

* In 1719, this company sent out a thousand colonists to Louisiana. It happened that the captain of one of the ships, making the same mistake that La Salle made, sailed past the mouth of the Mississippi, and entered Matagorda Bay. A boat was sent out for fresh water. While the sailors were thus occupied, Monsieur de Belisle, a French gentleman, having obtained the captain's permission, went on shore to hunt. He was accompanied by four of his brother officers. Some hours passed, and the hunters did not return. The ship was ready to sail. The captain grew angry at being thus detained. "I'll give them five minutes more," he finally said; "if they are not here then, I shall wait no longer." The moments passed, the men were nowhere in sight. The captain kept his word, the ship sailed away. The feelings of the officers, when they returned, may be more easily imagined than described. There they were in an unknown country, with no signs that human footsteps had ever trod those wilds. They had no food; no hopes of seeing another ship enter that bay. For days they wandered about from place to place, living on bugs, worms, and roots. Belisle gave the little dog, he had brought with him, to his companions for food. But the animal managed to escape. The four men died of hunger, leaving Belisle expecting to share the same fate. Just as he lay down to die, he heard a rustling sound in the bushes, and turning, saw his dog with an opossum that it had caught. Revived by the food, he determined to leave the coast and journey inland, hoping that he might there find some traces of men. Day after day he wandered on his lonely way, living on insects and roots, till-oh! joy to say it-he saw footprints.

Spain Colonizes.-The Spanish authorities finally became convinced that to make Texas prosperous, missions alone would not suffice. Colonists were needed. In 1728, therefore, Spain spent some $75,000, in bringing over from the Canary Islands thirteen families of pure Spanish blood and marked religious fervor. These people, with others from Mexico, settled about the Plaza of the Constitution, which is still to be seen in San Antonio.

Louisiana Ceded to Spain.-France, having her hands

Following them, he found a group of Indians seated around a fire, drying buffalo meat. They seized him, tore off his clothes, divided them among themselves, and looked so fierce that he fully expected to be killed. On the contrary, taking him to their village, they sent him to an old squaw, who used him as her servant, but gave him plenty to eat and was not cruel toward him. As his strength returned, he learned their language, and soon gained so much influence over the savages, that they began to look upon him as their chief. But they took good care that he should not escape. One day some Nassonite Indians came to visit the tribe, and were brought to Belisle's hut, to admire the white prisoner. On looking at him, one of the Nassonites said: "We have near us many pale faces like this." Belisle's heart beat fast with happiness as he heard that his own people were near. Mixing soot and water, he made some ink. A stick did for a pen. On his officer's commission, which he had managed to keep through all his misfortunes, he wrote a message, and begged one of the visitors to take it to the white chief. The Indian, being promised a great reward, took the paper to the French captain at Natchitoches, who was none other than St. Denis. As soon as St. Denis read the paper, he began to make signs of the deepest grief, after the manner of the red men. As the savages loved St. Denis, they were troubled to see him so distressed, and crowded around him to find the cause of his trouble. "Alas!" said he, "I weep for my dear brother, who is a lonely prisoner among the Indians you have just left." "Is that all?" asked one of the warriors. "Then let our pale chief weep not, for ten of our braves will go, and in two moons bring your brother to you." Having received horses, guns, pistols, and clothes from St. Denis, the Indians returned to the village where Belisle was a captive. They rushed up, fired their guns, and frightened all the Indians into running. The Nassonites, quick as a flash, seized Belisle, placed him on a horse, and galloped away back to St. Denis. Belisle afterward became an officer in the Louisiana army. He was sent out to settle a colony in Texas, but was un

successful.

full at home, had neither soldiers nor money to send her colonies in Louisiana. She feared that they would fall into the hands of the English, who were already pressing dangerously near. Rather than see Louisiana belong to her enemies, she ceded it, in 1763, to Spain. The effects of this change upon Texas will be shown in the next epoch.

The Last Mission.-In 1790, the Spanish founded the mission of Our Lady of Refuge, at Refugio. This being the last mission ever established by them, marks the end of the Mission Period.

Condition of Texas.-At the close of this epoch, it still seemed that Texas would never be a populous, cultivated region. In spite of all the money that had been spent in founding missions, and importing colonists, in 1744 Texas contained only fifteen hundred people. In 1765, there were only seven hundred and fifty Europeans in all this grand State, that now boasts of two and a half million inhabitants. The causes of this condition of affairs were numerous. The Indians were troublesome; the quarrels between the Spaniards and French were constant; the massacre at San Saba gave a mortal blow to the missions; but more than all these, Spain governed her colonies most tyrannically; she permitted none but Catholics to settle in her lands. The colonists saw around them rich fields, but they could not plant what they 'wished. They had many fine opportunities for trade, but Spain said, "No, you shall buy from and sell to none but me." They breathed the bracing air of liberty, wafted

(1685-1790.)

to them from the north, where young America was preparing to break her chains, but Spain said, "You have too much freedom already; crush this foolish ambition. It is not for you to prate of liberty." It is not then to be wondered that more than a hundred years after settlement, this goodly land, Texas, was scarcely more than a wilderness.

ERA I.

DISCOVERIES AND MISSIONS.