No. 395. lately came over, will soon be employed. We have three new Missions to provide with Fathers, namely, la Soledad del Cavallapi, San Raymundo de Caravaxi, and San Félix de Villacova, besides these there are two others begun, devoted to female Caribs, one in charge of Rev. Father Benito de la Garriga, and the other in charge of Father Alexos de Villajar; another of Arawaks in charge of Father Buenaventura de Santa Coloma; another of Guaycas in charge of Father Thomás de San Pedro; another for Guarano Indians, in care of Father Manuel de Greixana; another for Cachiricotos, in charge of Father Raymundo de Olod, and another of Pariagotos, in charge of Father Mariano de Sabadel. These Pariagotos we took out of the Cupapuy Mission, which, on account of its numbering nearly 800 souls, cannot be well attended to, nor instructed in our Holy Catholic Faith, and we put them in a place shut in by the Carony river which serves us as a stopping place for a great number of Nations. All these incipient Missions, within a year and a half at most, will have to be provided with Priests. Whence you will infer that it will not be long before we are all occupied, and there will not be enough. Seizures from the Dutch at Barima in 1768, by Francisco Cierto, Captain of Pioneers. Order for sale, Apr. 9, 1768.... Notice of sale, Apr. 11, 1768... Sale, Apr. 14, 1768... Declaration of F. Cierto as to seizure, Apr. 18, 1768 66 359 359 360 360 361 Declaration of M. Cubas as to seizure, Apr. 18, 1768.... In the year 1768. Copy of the "Autos" made on the seizure of the utensils and implements, taken from the Dutch foreigners in the Creek of Barima by the Captain of Pioneers, Don Francisco Cierto. A list of the effects which Don Francisco Cierto has on this day delivered to this Royal warehouse under my charge, and which are as follows: * * * So that the effects enumerated above are the same which are under my charge to await the disposal of the Commandant-General. And for its validity I have signed it in this city of Guayana on the 11th February, 1768. No. 396. "Auto" ordering the sale of the effects. In this City of Guayana on the 9th of April, 1768; We, Don Manuel Centurion Guerrero de Torres, Captain of the Royal Artillery Corps, Commandant-General of this Province, and Don Andres de Oleaga, Royal Accountant therein; having seen the entries contained in the foregoing Inventory of articles which the coast guard vessels of this said Province under the Captain of the Company of Pioneers, Don Francisco Cierto, seized in the Creek of Barima from the Foreigners who had established themselves clandestinely in the said Creek, for trade and exportation of woods and other products. Wherefore we had to order and do order that, being for the greater part spoiled from exposure to damp, they be sold by public sale without delay, being first valued and cried, in order to place the amount produced in the Royal "Contaduria"; and therefore that the declarations of the said Captain of Pioneers and others of the crew be taken as required. For all which, and in order that they may not further decrease in value, we appoint as Third Valuers, Estevan Arnaud, Master-Blacksmith, and Diego Marino, of the "Plateria," inhabitants of this city, to whom the present witnesses, with whom we are acting for want of a Notary, shall communicate this order, so that each one for himself may undertake to execute faithfully the office with which they are entrusted. And in like manner they shall summon the said Captain Cierto to be present at the act of valuation, and at whatsoever else may be required until the sale. And by this And by this "Auto" which we have drawn up we thus command and sign, together with the aforesaid witnesses, on ordinary paper, stamped paper not being current, whereunto we certify. * * * * First Notice [of Sale]. On the 11th day of the Month of April, 1768: I, Don Andres de Olega, Royal Accountant of this Province: Being with the undersigned Witnesses in the chief door of this Royal Contaduria which opens into the street, about four o'clock in the afternoon, I ordered that by the voice of Francisco Moreno, a slave who acts as crier in default of a regular one, the first announcement should be given of the goods and utensils contained in the foregoing valuation, which are the same that were seized by the Captain of the Pioneer Corps, Don Francisco Cierto, by means of the revenue vessels and men under his command, from the foreigners clandestinely settled for commerce and traffic in the Creek called the Creek of Barima, Jurisdiction of this Province; and although the announcement was repeated several times in a loud voice by the same crier, no bidder appeared, and consequently it No. 396. was ended until the morrow and in token I have signed it with the said witnesses, whereunto I certify. In this City of Guayana on the 14th April, 1768. We, Don Manuel Centurion Guerrero de Torres, Captain of the Royal Artillery Corps, Commandant-General of this Province; and Don Andrés de Oleaga, Proprietor, Royal Accountant, constituting a tribunal therein, at the principal door of this Royal Contaduria which opens into the public Road, and accompanied by the witnesses with whom we act in default of a Notary, in order to make a sale and auction of the implements and other utensils and articles which are entered in these "Autos" and which have been valued by intelligent and conscientious persons, do command that by the voice of Francisco Moreno, a slave who fills the office of crier in default of a regular one, an announcement be made; stating the implements, utensils and other things which were seized from the foreigners who were clandestinely settled in the Creek of Barima, Jurisdiction of this Province, for the purpose of exporting woods and other products; and the articles valued are a clock at 35 dollars, a grindstone at 6 dollars * * * * * * * [The same articles enumerated again for sale, and again as sold or reserved; with names of purchasers and prices given.] And the amount of the said items was paid at once and each [buyer paid] separately in current money, and I, the said accountant, received the said moneys into the Royal Contaduria from the said auctioneers, wherewith I am content; and the said moneys were given against deliveries of the articles specified; and in this same act we, the said Commandant General and Accountant, caused to appear before us Nicolas Martinez, Constable and Warehouse Keeper of this Fortress, whom we ordered to take under his charge, in his said warehouse, the articles ordered to be reserved for His Majesty's Service, which are a grindstone, two slates, &c. * * * And the said Warehouse Keeper took them into his charge and undertook to give due account of them whensoever it might be demanded, and has signed this, together with us the auctioneers and witnesses, who act in default of a Notary; whereunto we certify. Declaration of First Witness, Francisco Cierto. On the 18th April, 1768: We, Don Manuel Centurion Guerrero No. 396. de Torres, Captain of the Royal Artillery Corps, Commandant-General of this city of Guayana and its province, and Don Andres de Oleaga, sole Royal Accountant therein; in continuation of what we have ordered in the "Auto" made on the 9th of the current month, being in the tribunal of this command, have caused to appear before us Don Francisco Cierto, Captain of the Company of Pioneers, and consequently of the Coast Guard which protects the ports of this said Province, who was admitted upon oath which he made by God our Lord and a sign of the Cross, under obligation whereof he promised to God and the King to tell the truth so far as he might know and might be asked, and having been questioned according to the tenor of the foregoing and above mentioned "Auto," he declared: That the Commandant General there present having received information that in the Creek called the Creek of Barima, which is close to the great mouth of the River Orinoco and falls into it, sundry Dutch families were established, despatched him with instructions to warn them once, twice and thrice to quit the whole of that territory because it belonged to the said Province, in virtue whereof the Declarant went in his vessel, with another accompanying him, in search of the said Creek, and having arrived at the mouth he saw several Indians of the Carib nation, and these, before the Declarant could reach the establishments and farms of the said foreigners, gave them intelligence, and thereupon they took to flight without giving an opportunity for the notification; and they only found the deserted houses and the effects, implements and utensils contained in the inventory, which they put on board the two vessels and then set fire to the said houses, in order that they should not form settlements in future, and destroyed the farms as far as they possibly could. And this is all that happened, and that he can declare under obligation of the oath which he has made, wherein it is affirmed and ratified, and if necessary he will repeat it, and he is 47 years of age, more or less, and has signed this with us, the Commandant-General and Accountant, and with the Witnesses, with whom we are acting in default of a Notary, on ordinary paper, because stamped paper is not current, whereunto we certify. Declaration of Second Witness, Manuel Cubas. On the same day, month, and year [Apr. 18, 1768]: We, the Commandant-General and Accountant, caused to appear in this same tribunal Manuel Cubas, Mariner of the Coastguard Vessel of this Province, in order to take his declaration, whom we admitted upon oath which he made by God our Lord, and a sign of the Cross, under obligation whereof he promised to God and the King to tell the truth in what he might know and might be asked; and having been questioned according to the tenor of the foregoing "Auto," he declared: That having gone, as Mariner, down the river in the Coastguard Vessel, under orders of the Captain of the Company of No. 396. Pioneers, Don Francisco Cierto, without any knowledge of whither they were going, upon arriving at the mouth of the Creek of Barima, which falls into the River Orinoco close to the great mouth, they made a stop, and the said Captain told them that on behalf of the Commandant-General present he was under orders to give warning once, twice, and thrice to the foreigners settled in the said Creek to quit it, seeing that it is territory belonging to this said Province, and no stranger is permitted to settle there; and while this took place they saw a body of Carib Indians. who at once gave intelligence to the said foreigners, for when the Declarant and the others reached the place they did not find a single person, but only deserted houses and the implements shown in the Inventory, which implements they took on board, and afterwards set fire to the said houses and likewise destroyed the farms as far as they could; and having performed these duties they returned immediately up the Orinoco and anchored at the Fortress of old Guayana. And this is all that occurred, and that he can declare under obligation of the oath which he has taken, wherein it is affirmed and ratified, and if necessary he will repeat it, and he is about 21 years of age, and has signed it with us, the Commandant-General and Accountant, and the Witnesses with whom we act in default of a Notary, on ordinary paper, because stamped paper is not current, whereunto we certify. Declaration of Third Witness, Juan Francisco Rodriguez. On the same day [Apr. 18, 1768], for the certification of that which we have commanded in the foregoing "Auto;" we, the Commandant-General and Accountant, caused to appear in this tribunal Juan Francisco Rodriguez, Seaman of the Coastguard Vessel, who was admitted upon oath which he made by God our Lord and a sign of the Cross, under obligation whereof he promised to tell the truth concerning what he might know and might be asked; and upon being questioned according to the tenor of the foregoing "Auto," he said: That as one of the crew of the Coastguard Vessel under the Captain of the Company of Pioneers, Don Francisco Cierto, he went therein down the Orinoco, without knowing whither they were bound, and as soon as they reached the Mouth of Barima, which falls into the said Orinoco close to its great mouth, the said Captain made them a long speech, saying that he was under special orders and instructions from the Commandant-General present to give warning once, twice, and thrice to the foreigners who were settled in the said Creek of Barima, that they should depart immediately, as it was not permitted to establish any Colony in this Province; and being ready to enter the said Creek they saw a canoe of Carib Indians going before them to give intelligence to the said foreigners, who in consequence of the intimation they received completely abandoned their houses and left the implements contained in the inventory; and when the Declarant and |