"In the said city, on January 15, 1793, I, the aforesaid Governor, and commissioned Judge for this partition, acting with witnesses to my proceedings for lack of a notary public hereby declares:
"That since the refugees from the abandoned Presidio of Los Adaes have been notified of the above decrees, as entered in the proceedings conducted yesterday January 14, it is necessary that the Reverend Priest, Fray Francisco Lopez, be informed of the decision of the superior authorities, consequent upon the petition of the said refugees, requested grants of land and irrigation water in the Mission of San Antonio de Valero, and which land and water will be awarded to them in accordance with the command of the Count of Sierragorda, the opinion handed down by the Advocate General of the Department of War, and the decree of concurrence by the Viceroy, Count of Revilla Gigedo.
"In order that compliance with these decrees may not be delayed, which delay would be in prejudice to the interests of the said refugees by postponing the clearance and fencing of the land in order to plant their crops, I have decided that the said record be served upon the said president of the missions, in order that he may be informed of the said proceedings and appoint, for himself and in the name of the Indian wards of the Mission of San Antonio de Valero, a person will select and designate all the lands which are provided with irrigation, although the land my not be cleared, so that, after deducting the lands granted to the said Indians, it will be possible to proceed with the partition of lands allotted to the aforesaid refugees from Los Adaes, who have been residents for many years in that portion of the said mission.
"Therefore, for this purpose, I trust and request in the name of His Majesty and for my part I beseech the president of the missions to reply immediately concerning this question so that we may proceed accordingly.
"Thus by this act, I, the aforesaid Governor and Commissioner, decided and signed with witnesses to my proceedings with whom I act as has been stated.
Manuel Muñoz, (rubric).
Witnesses: Vicente de la Cuesta, (rubric), and Alejo de la Garza, (rubric)."
"I, Fray José Francisco Lopez, president of the Missions of his province of Texas, after I had read the preceding decree declared:
"That there is no obstacle to prevent Your Highness from proceeding with the partition and grant of lands which has been assigned for distribution among the refugees from Los Adaes, who have become residents of the Mission of San Antonio de Valero. Therefore, the custodian of mission property will designate the irrigation farm lands so that Your Highness may proceed at your discretion to the distribution aforesaid.
"Mission San Antonio de Valero, January 16, 1793."
"Fray José Francisco Lopez, (rubric)."
"In the City of San Fernando and Presidio of San Antonio de Béjar, January 17, 1793, I, Manuel Muñoz, Governor of this Province of Texas having considered the reply made by the Reverend Priest of the Mission, Fray José Francisco Lopez, and in order to comply with the provisions of the decree issued January 11, I declare:
"That although the Indians of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, in the presence of the Reverend Priest, have been informed of the superior decrees issued by the Advocate General of the Department of War, His Excellency the Viceroy and the Commanding General, let them be summoned to appear in office of this government with the said Priest, who will also be requested to besought to attend as well as their governor (of the Indians), Hermenegildo Puente and the Indians Juan de Dios Cortes, Urbano Hinojosa, Ancelmo Cuevas,and Mateo Godines, and when they all had appeared they declared:
"That they represented the remainder of the Indians of this nation, to advise the governor that they had appointed their governor, Hermenegildo Puente, in the name of all the members of the tribe to be present in order to hear and sign the notices and other documents which may be executed in compliance with the decrees of which they had been informed in presence of their Reverend Priest;
"Therefore, I, the said Governor, commanded that the decree of the Count of Sierragorda, which is set forth in this record, the opinion of the Advocate General of the Department of War, the decree of concurrence by His Excellency the Viceroy, count of Revilla Gigedo, the decree of the Commanding General, and the decree issued by me, be read in clear and understandable tones;
`"Then after they had been fully instructed and given to understand that the lands of the mission were about to be apportioned among the refugees from the abandoned Presidio of Los Adaes, residents or servants of the mission, and to each of the Indian wards of the said mission at the rate of four almudes of farm land to each individual, from which a portion of land best adapted for cultivation must be set aside on which to plant the most suitable crops from which to pay the debts due the said mission when it becomes time to convey the mission to the Bishop.
"And since it is our desire that the said Indians have preference in the advantages and enjoy the greatest benefit in the arable land, it was suggested that since they know the land, they should select whichever of the two 'labores'they wished to be assigned to them for distribution and that the labor so selected would be partitioned among them by the proper authority.
To the above proposal, the Indian Governor and the remainder of the Indians present replied as follows:
"That they request they be awarded the lands situated in the place known as the Lower Labor,(lower farm lands); in which labor sufficient farm land will be granted to them to pay, with their crops, the debts which they may have incurred when the mission must be returned to the Bishop; that after said debt shall have been paid, the Labor will be dedicated to community planting of corn for the benefit of themselves and for the said refugees from Los Adaes. This was their answer which was signed by the said Hermenegildo, their Reverend Priest, Fray José Francisco Lopez, and by me, the said Governor with the witnesses to my proceedings with whom I act as has been stated, all of which I certify.
"Muñoz, (rubric).
"Fray José Lopez, (rubric).
"I sign for myself and as representative of the remaining ward of the Mission of San Antonio de Valero.
"Hermenegildo Puente, (rubric).
"Witnesses:
Vicente de la Cuesta, (rubric), and Andres Benito Curbiere, (rubric)."
