Page:Vol 5 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/594

574 years, however, more funds were provided, and according to the report for 1851 some order had been introduced, so that half of the colonies could be regarded as founded and in a fair way of development, with settlers gathering around them, while the remainder stood provisionally organized; yet the total number of recruits was still less than half of the stipulated figure,47 The 18 colonies counted 1,093 men and 140 officers, including chaplains, thus lacking 1,333 men and 51 officers. The Oriente frontier, which extended for 170 leagues, was less exposed along the lower or eastern half, owing to the growing river traffic and settlement on both banks of the Rio Grande del Norte. The most easterly colony was therefore Monterey, located at Paso de Piedra, nearly opposite Laredo of Texas, on May 15, 1850. Above this followed Pan, provisionally placed at Lampazos; Rio Grande, located on Feb. 26, 1850, at Mision Nueva, 21 leagues above; Guerrero, placed provisionally on July 19, 1859, at Piedras Negras, 14 leagues above, and opposite Fort Duncan of Texas; Monclova Viejo, located on August 1, 1850, at Moral, 8 leagues above; San Vicente, located at Agua Verde, 10 leagues above, after a provisional stay at Santa Rosa. The seventh colony, Camargo, not being required lower down the river, as originally proposed, a place was sought for it above the preceding, and as the great ford for Indian raiders lay at Paso de los Chizos, not far above the mouth of Rio Puerco, it was intended to move to this region also the Guerrero colony. At San Cárlos, founded in July 1850 at the ancient presidio, began the Chihuahua line of colonies, to cover a frontier of 160 leagues, behind which extended an area of 17,000 square leagues, with a scanty population of 150,000. Above this, near the mouth of Rio de Conchos, lay the old Presidio del Norte, and this point was also retained for the colony of the same name, founded in May 1850; while southward, along the Conchos and Florido, three military outposts were proposed, at Las Babizas, La Cruz, and Punta de la Agua (sic), to guard against Indians. Pilares was established at the same time near Vado de Piedra, 14 leagues above, and 47 leagues intervened between it and the next colony, El Paso, 14 leagues east of the town of Paso del Norte, which forms the gateway to New Mexico. It was founded on Dec. 15, 1849, close to the civil colony of Guadalupe, composed of emigrants from the north side of the river. The fifth colony of Janos was placed provisionally at the presidio of the same name, 70 leagues from Pilares. On both sides, therefore, of El Paso were long stretches of border requiring more protection, one station being proposed for Pilares, a point between Vado de Piedra and Paso del Norte, and others for Sierra de la Florida, Ojo de las Vacas, and the mining camp of Santa Rita del Cobre, west of Paso del Norte. The Occidente frontier was still more extensive, and guarded so far by presidio companies, which stood on the point of abandoning their posts, when in Jan. 1851 the inspector arrived with reënforcements of men and means, and established the six colonies provisionally at the old presidios of Babispe, Fronteras, Santa Cruz, Tucson, Altar, and Santo Tomás mission, the latter in Lower California, along an irregular line that rarely approaches the border. Few of these locations were promising, and it was proposed to move Santa Cruz 12 leagues eastward to San Pedro hacienda, whose owner offered good land, Tucson to Tabaco, Altar to Tres Álamos, 30 leagues from San Pedro, and the one in Lower California to Santa Catalina. For details see reports incorporated in ''Méx., Mem. Guer., 1850, 14 et seq.; Id., 1851, 15-39; Id''., 1852, 35-63, with documents and maps. A portion of this reproduced in ''Dicc. Univ''., ii. 450-4. Rules and provisions. ''Méx., Legisl. Mej., 1850, 199–205, etc.; Méx., Col. Ley''. and large stretches of frontier, some of