by their being invited to hear the preaching, they may thus be brought to our holy faith.

With this idea, I enclose to you, sir, a copy of the statement of the said plan; in it, you will see that I ask for the same number of Irish priests which his majesty has sent, viz.: three for Natchez, and one for Finzas-in case that village should be found large enough to be erected into a parish. For the present, I have destined one of the said priests to Morila, in order that he may thence go to Finzas, whenever his majesty declares his royal determination. I therefore shall only propose to you the establishment of the two parishes of the district of Natchez.

Knowing the advantages of uniting families into towns or villages, I think it would be convenient to lay out one at the place where the church and curate's house at Natchez are now being built, near the fort, and another in the same district at Cole's creek, the two places where parishes are to be established. For this purpose, I notified Lieutenant Colonel Don Carlos de Grand-pré, commander of Natchez, to examine the ground, and to inform me respecting it, pointing out to him at the same time, that near the fort which I knew, and which belongs to Don Esteban Minor, the adjutant: In reply, he informed me, that it was in reality the most favourable spot, containing several buildings, among others, a house of fifty feet long by forty wide, galleries included, divided into a large hall and five rooms, with a separate kitchen, stable, and store house, situated in a tract of land containing three hundred arpents, on which the town could be laid out: the whole of this property the said adjutant would sell for two thousand dollars-a fair price-as it gives lodging at once to the two clergymen, which would of themselves cost more if they were to be built anew. He informs me, at the same time, that the place is peculiarly fit, as the church is being built close by the side of the house; for which reason I am of opinion that you should instantly purchase this tract, because in addition to enabling the three priests, now in this city, to proceed there at once, his majesty, in time, may regain the two thousand dollars, and much more, by charging only twenty dollars for the grant of each lot of sixty feet front by a hundred and eighty deep. With respect to Cole's creek, the said commander informs me that

the lands of Thomas Calvert are the most convenient for the establishment of the church, curate's house, those for the commander, and the small body of guards which I propose in my plan, and for the other town; its situation being in the centre of the large land establishments, distant ten leagues from the fort, and one from the Mississippi; and large boats being able to come up to the said tract, at high water; it therefore seems to me proper that you should purchase three hundred arpents of land, at that place, as whilst the church at Natchez is being built, the answer will arrive respecting my plan, which I again solicited; the priests may, in the meanwhile, officiate in the first church, receiving their pay immediately at Natchez, and being provided with ornaments, and every

thing necessary for saying mass and administering the sacrament in their own house, whilst the church is being built.

ESTEVAN MIRO.

[No. 6.]

From Don Juan Ventura Morales, Intendant ad interim of Louisiana, to Don Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, Governor of that Province.

NEW ORLEANS, August 29, 1797.

I send you herewith a copy of the commission by which his majesty appointed Don Francisco Rendon intendant of this province.

This document shows the powers which the king conferred on the said gentleman for acting in the intendency and superintendency of the royal hacienda, as sub-delegate of the most excellent secretary of state for the department of hacienda of Spain and the Indies, and the judicature of arribadas; which functions I exercise in virtue of the royal order of July 10, 1795, though not with that rank, with full authority and independence, except under the obligation of conforming, with regard to the intendency as well as the superintendency, with the royal instruction to the intendants of New Spain, in causes of hacienda, and the economical war arrangements which his majesty thought proper to separate from the government. In virtue thereof, I have to communicate to you the 81st article of the said instructions to intendants, which is one of those relating to the hacienda.

"The intendants shall be the peculiar (privativos) judges of the dependencies, and of the causes occurring in the districts of their provinces, respecting sales, agreements, and distributions of royal and signorial lands; (sobre ventas composiciones, y repartimientos de tierras realengas y de senorio,) the possessors of such lands, and those who demand grants of them, being required to exhibit their rights, and to reduce their requests to form in presence of those intendants, in order that these affairs, being properly set forth through one of my royal attorneys, (promotor de fisco) appointed by them, they may determine according to law and by the advice of the ordinary assessors, admitting appeals to the superior junta of hacienda, and informing that junta, in case recourse is had to it by the persons interested, displaying also the original acts when they shall consider them proper for settling the title, in order that these being seen by the junta, it may return a despatch then, as it may judge proper, or that before so doing it may issue the papers which it may consider necessary. By means of these the superior junta may, without new difficulties, provide for the confirmations to be delivered at proper periods; proceeding in this business as also will

the intendants, sub-delegates, and others, conformably with what is ordered in the royal instruction of October 15th, 1754, as far as not contradicted hereby, without losing sight of the salutary dispositions of the laws cited, and of the 9th of title 12, book 4." In the 306th and last article of this instruction, his majesty gives it "force of law and statute," firm and perpetual, and commands that it be kept and observed inviolably, any other laws, ordinances, establishments, customs, or practices notwithstanding, revoking the same as far as they interfere with this, and declaring them void, and prohibiting any comment from being added, it being his royal will that it remain precisely to the letter as here expressed."

In virtue of this, and because the government, notwithstanding it delivered up the intendency, reserved to itself the distribution and granting of the lands owned by his majesty in this province, and there is no reason why the royal will should not have effect in this part, I am under the necessity of requesting that you, sir, in case there be no order, disposition, or provision of his majesty of later date than the commission of Don Francisco Rendon, abolishing, breaking, or annulling, in this province, what is observed in compliance with the said 81st article, in all the American dominions, (and in case there should be such, I hope that you will communicate it to me,) will no longer interfere in causes concerning sales, agreements, and distributions of lands belonging to his majesty, which may hereafter occur, leaving it to the possessors, and to those who demand grants, to exhibit their rights, and reduce their requests to form, before me; and not oppose the intendency in the free and open jurisdiction appertaining to it, in particulars with which the collection of the revenue being interested, no one has a right to meddle.

JUAN VENTURA MORALES.

[No. 7.]

From Don M. G. de Lemos to Don Morales.

NEW ORLEANS, August 30th, 1797. Being an enemy to discussions which embarrass and obstruct the course of business, to the detriment of the king's service, and having considered what you communicate in your official letter of yesterday, claiming cognizance of causes respecting sales, agreements, and distributions of royal lands, I have resolved to submit the question to higher authority, and to allow no innovation until the resolu tion of his majesty be made known.

MANUEL GAYOSO DE LEMOS.

[No. 8.]

From M. G. de Lemos to the Prince of Peace.

NEW ORLEANS, August 31, 1797.

Don Juan Morales, the intendant ad interim of these provinces, being determined to use every means, in his power to weaken the authority of the government, yesterday sent me an official letter, of which I enclose a copy (No. 6) to your excellency, asserting his right to take cognizance of causes of sales, agreements and grants, of the royal lands. My reply was, as by copy, (No. 7,) being resolved not to permit the slightest innovation; basing it, first, upon the royal order of August 24, 1770, (No. 2,) communicated to this government, by the Marquis de Grimaldi, by which his majesty, being informed of the dispositions and propositions of General Count O'Reilly, approved them; and also determined that the governor, Don Louis de Unzaga, and his successors, should alone possess the power to grant (repartir) the lands; secondly on the terms of the 81st article of the royal ordinance for intendants of New Spain, having in view the care of his majesty's interests in the collection of duties on sales, agreements, and grants of lands, which here pay no duty, or only five per cent., for the purpose of the expenses of the office, so that they may cost the king nothing; thirdly, on the reflection, that if these grants, be made by any other than the governor, his authority becomes null; it having been already much reduced by the separation of the intendency. Therefore in order not to be troublesome, I repeat what I said in my former letter, resigning myself to obey, as I ought, the orders of my sovereign; and I merely solicit a favourable decision on this point, from the conviction that it is convenient and useful, and that the king's service, the quiet and good order of these provinces, their peopling, and the advancement of their agriculture, require the preservation of its prerogatives to the government, without innovations, which create difficulties, and do nothing in favour of the royal hacienda, or of the strict administration of justice.

MANUEL GAYOSO DE LEMOS.

[No. 9.]

From Gilberto Leonard, Comptroller, to Don J. V. Morales.

NEW ORLEANS, September 30, 1797.

Under date of January 7, 1788, (No. 5,) Don Estevan Miro, then governor of these provinces, proposed to the Intendant, Don Martin Navarro, the purchase of a tract of three hundred arpents of land, in the district of Natchez, for the establishment of a parish, and a

curate's house, and at the same time for laying out a town at that post. This purchase was made on account of the royal hacienda, for the sum of 2,000 dollars, paid to the owner Don Estevan Minor, under the conviction, as stated by the said governor, that his majesty would be repaid the said sum in time, by only demanding 20 dollars for the grant of each lot of 60 feet front, by 180 deep; this also appears more particularly, from the original despatch of the governor, Miro, now in the office of the intendency; but the motives which prevented the said restitution of the funds, are not to be gathered from the archives of the chief comptroller's office. I therefore communicate this to you, in order that you may do whatever in your judgment may promote the king's interest, requesting of you, at the same time, to inform me of the results with regard to these despatches. GILBERTO LEONARD.

[No. 10.]

From Don J. V. Morales to Don Pedro Varela y Ulloa.

MOST EXCELLENT SIR:

NEW ORLEANS, October 16, 1797.

This intendency being deprived of one of its principal privileges, that of taking exclusive cognizance of the business and causes occurring in its district, with regard to sales, agreements, and grants of royal lands; and considering the arrival of a new governor as offering a proper oppurtunity to reclaim that privilege, I did so with moderation, as your excellency will perceive by my letter of the 29th of August last, to Brigadier Don M. G. de Lemos, of which I send you a copy, (No. 6.) I have not sent a copy of the commission of the intendant, Don F. Rendon, which is therein cited, as I have quoted in the letter all that refers to the case in point, and as, it having been issued by the department of hacienda of the Indies, if your excellency wished to examine it, you have it already in your power. As we have a right to assert our claim to that which justly belongs to us, I did not consider that my first letter could be viewed as evincing a disposition to excite dissensions to the injury of the king's service. And as it has been my custom not to act without reason and forethought, I did not expect that a request, based upon a decisive royal determination, which has the force of law and of firm and perpetual statute, could have been disregarded by this governor, without any other observation being made, than that it would be submitted to higher authority; thus depriving the intendency of the exercise of its rights, until the royal pleasure can be known. Your excellency may see by the copy of the said brigadier's answer, how my demand was received. In consequence thereof, although as intendant ad interim I am merely working for