The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944 Page: 44
456 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
afternoon of February 1.27 Mier y Teran remained the guest
of General Bustamante for twenty days; Bustamante formed
a very high opinion of the former Minister of War during this
time. An intimate friendship began which lasted until Mier y
TerAn's death in 1832.
The notes made at Laredo will serve to give an indication of
the type of work which was engaged in by the commission.
There is a brief historical sketch accompanied by population
statistics, and a few notes on Indian tribes, a list of agricul-
tural products raised and consumed in the community, the num-
ber of soldiers in the local presidio, their condition and habits,
and recommendations for their improvement. On the scientific
side, the instruments are brought into play and the elevation
above sea level, temperature, atmospheric pressure, latitude and
longitude, and general weather conditions are all recorded. Side
expeditions brought in information on the condition of the soil,
the mineral possibilities, the general lay of the land, the depth
of the Rio Grande at Laredo and the velocity of its current,
and on the local fauna and flora. All this information was
written up by Berlandier and Chovell, and it is interesting to
note that Mier y Teran entered intelligently into their several
discussions and that his opinion was respected and recorded by
both.28
The journey from Laredo to B6xar, begun on February 20,
lasted eleven days. As the country between these two places
was uninhabited, it was necessary to pay particular attention
to provisions. More pack mules were added to the caravan,
both to lighten the loads on the wagons and to insure an addi-
tional supply of food for the "desert journey." Berlandier noted
that the maps were wrong in showing the Nueces River as being
half way between Laredo and B6xar. It was a four-days' journey
from Laredo to the Nueces and it required seven days to travel
from the Nueces to B6xar. The caravan attracted considerable
2The manuscript diary of Mier y Teran from Mexico City to the Salado
River breaks off suddenly January 31. It is resumed on April 13, at B6xar.
The printed diary made from the notes of Berlandier and Chovell gives
a day by day account of the expedition from Mexico City to Bexar. The
SAnchez diary, of which Castaiieda's translation is used, begins at Laredo
February 1. At the Rio Grande on that date, SAnchez wrote, "He
[Bustamante] offered me a drink of aguardiente [firewater], which I took
with plenty of water, and I recovered my failing strength." C. E.
Castaieda, "A Trip to Texas in 1828," in The Southwestern Historical
Quarterly, XXIX, 250.
28Diario de Viage, 92-97; L. Berlandier, Diario, MS.44
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 47, July 1943 - April, 1944, periodical, 1944; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146054/m1/48/?rotate=270: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.