Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/431

Rh, November 26, 1757, that governors of frontier provinces should thereafter be military officers. Still another royal order of October 8, 1761, declared that inasmuch as the command of the presidial companies had fallen into the hands of traffickers instead of being held by true soldiers, the viceroy was to remove all captains of the former stamp without going through the formality of a court-martial or other procedure. A later one of January 11, 1764, regulated the prices of goods for presidios, greatly moderating those of the tariff of 1729. Other orders reiterated preceding ones in the sense of reforming the general regulation of presidios. Finally, in 1765, the whole matter was referred for a general report to the marqués de Rubi, who discharged the duty in a satisfactory manner. He was again commissioned by the marqués de Croix to revisit the presidios. In a letter of May 24th from Pasage he reported a bad state of affairs, demanding a change in the system of presidios, and that they should be located to better advantage. Hence the regulation of 1772, which Brigadier Hugo O'Connor was directed to enforce, as governor and comandante inspector of the provinces. The reglamento gave the number and positions of the presidios, and the economical system of each, and prescribed the mode of managing funds; the policy to be observed toward the Indians; quality and condition of arms, ammunition, horses, accoutrements, and clothing of the soldiers; mode of providing commissions and promotions, reviews and police of each presidio; powers and duties of captains, subalterns, and rank and file of