The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 8, July 1904 - April, 1905 Page: 129

De Witt's Colony.

the political chief. Four times a year a report must be made of
the births, marriages, and deaths among the colonists of the
municipality; of the births and deaths among the slaves in the
community; and of the condition of the local national militia.
Twice a year were to be sent in censuses, reports of the condition
of the primary schools, and accounts of unclaimed property in the
jurisdiction. At the end of the calendar year there must be sent
certified accounts of the funds proceeding from city property; an
estimate of the annual expenses together with a statement of the
available proceeds of municipal duties if the funds should fail; an
account of improvements made in building or repairing prisons, or
any other such work that might be done; certified accounts of the
funds of the civic militia and of the school funds; and a report of
the election of the ayuwitamiento. At the end of the fiscal year in-
formation must be given concerning all state funds that had been
collected, and concerning all foreigners who had entered the juris-
diction.1
The ayuntamientos, however, seem to have been very lax in send-
ing in these reports. In 1833 the inconvenience caused the gov-
ernment by delayed communications from the ayuntamientos of
San Felipe de Austin, Liberty, and Gonzales was so great that the
governor decreed that for the first failure to report in the pre-
scribed method a fine of fifty pesos would be imposed on the munic-
ipality; for the second, one hundred pesos, and for the third two
hundred.2 This threat seems to have availed little. In December
of the same year the secretary of the governor complained that on
account of remissness on the part of the three ayuntamientos men-
tioned above, it had been impossible to make out the statistics for
the department of Texas.3
In March, 1834, the political chief repeated the complaint that
not a letter had been received from the towns of Austin, Liberty,
and Gonzales.4 In May, 1834, the political chief was able finally
to forward to the governor reports that had been sent by the ayun-
tamientos of Gonzales and San Felipe de Austin.5 No record is
1 Instructions from Ram6n Musquiz to alcalde of Gonzales, November 16,
1832. Bexar Archives.
2 Secretary of the governor to political chief, August 5, 1833. Bexar
Archives.
3 Secretary of the governor, J. Miguel Falc6n, to political chief, De-
cember 11, 1833. Bexar Archives.
4 Political chief to secretary of the governor, March 10, 1834. Bexar
Archives.
5 Musquiz to secretary of the governor, May 19, 1834. Bexar Archives.

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