Fueros reports very rich gold deposit at Cieneguilla. Too hot, not enough water to work claims in June, July, but plans to have workers in mine 24 hours a day when conditions improve. Corbalan dispatches troops to Chihuahua apparently to guard transport of gold. Mentions establishing Villa at Cieneguilla with church, houses, jail, etc. Discusses costs of operation. (A. Dean, August 1989)

Documents concerning formation of stockholders' company to mine gold in Sonora, Sinaloa. Mention rich mineralization, but no locations. Letters of intent from people interested in buying in. List of stockholders. (A. Dean, August 1989)

Letters from Corbalan to virrey concerning issues of provincial value of gold that Former sent to latter for subsequent transfer to Mexico; informing virrey of peaceful state of Indian tribes in province; informing virrey that Corbalan has Corbalan will send account of expenses incurred by California province; cover letter, certification of gold sent from Fueros virrey that Corbalan will remit informe concerning nuevo arreglo de misiones in next mail shipment. (J. H. Ochs, February 1988)

Correspondence between Corbalan, virrey concerning issues shipments to California; mandate that all gold, silver be taxed (quintado). Attached is index of viceregal orders received by Corbalan from 7 September through September 29, 1773. (J. H. Ochs, January 1988)

Order allows exception for Bonavia in that he is allowed to ship metals out of southern ports if and when he makes sure that shipments reach Spain directly; letter advising the virrey the deleterious effect that some of Bonavia's measures are having on the fiscal condition of the real hacienda, real tribunal de Mineria, and miners in the Provincias Internas de Occidente, petition that virrey order Bonavia to terminate measures described, measures in question have been discussed in detail in the preceeding folios of this volume starting with ff.147 and in general terms include donations of metals to mint, allowing unlimited entry to metals into the area from other areas and the related trade in contraband, allowing of gold and silver to come into ports in Provincias Internas de Occidente from Peru, Guatemala etc. Instead of being shipped directly to Spain, charging of duties on metals going to Mexico City instead of the duty being Charged there; sagaxruxieta advises virrey on how to proceed with petition of the administrative bodies cited above I terms of transmittal of communications; a summary of the provisions adopted by the junta provisional, the provisions adopted by the real tribunal general de Mineria in response as well as those by the real hacienda; letter from virrey making decision to decide in favor of the request of the real tribunal general de Mineria to terminate the contributions of metals to the mint established in Durango. (O. Velez, September 1989)

Concerns establishment of a mint that was desperately needed and near demise of this project because of a lack of silver, this was reason for the order stating that one third of all metals had to be turned in in exchange for coinage mentioned earlier in Vol. 227 ff. 0147-0159; said order was contested by a Series of institutions, reconvening of the junta de la real hacienda to investigate 4,000 Marcos de Plata missing from the treasury, prohibitions on enacting above were rescinded, also need regulation concerning minting of coinage in Nueva Vizcaya; Bonavia's plan to have the real hacienda sell tobacco at a markup have not produced the income he had expected, cites the epidemic of previous year, price, and black market in cigars as factors in low sales, convenes a junta provisional to discuss revenue producing measures, proposed instituting a 'patriotic loan' to be exacted from unidentified sources, paid for with taxes on mining activities (which include the one third provision mentioned earlier), Bonavia stresses the inability of the settlers of the area to provide any more revenue from contributions; letters mentioned in miscellaneous notes discuss in general terms revenue and costs in Provincias Internas de Occidente; letter from junta Superior requesting documents from the junta provisional convene by Bonavia, comments on mint establishment states that metals involved were to be remitted to the capital and that metals to be contributed to mint more than cover the shortage of revenue discussed, letter includes an excerpt from another letter that points to the exceedingly large troop strength as a cost that can be reduced, mentions the taxes imposed on some mining functions (mentioned earlier in Vol. 227 ff. 147-159) whose effects have been a duplication of taxes because Mexico City similarly taxes same items, mentions returning money collected in Durango, mentions a tax imposed on the shipment of livestock into other provinces imposed by Bonavia as being an unauthorized measure and letter recommends that virrey rescind said tax, letter mentions that fiscal's interpretation of patriotic loan is that he does not See the benefit of such measure given the way it will be paid back. (O. Velez, September 1989)

Index of letters that are in this Series which list the taxes an measures taken by comandante general; comandante general calls U 3 juntas de real hacienda to discuss subject of funds, or lack thereof, cites the revolution with increasing costs and decreasing income, little help from Mexico, have come to the conclusion that a loan of 160,000 pesos would be enough to cover the cost of the most urgent needs, plan for this includes encumbering a certain percentage of the income of properties (both rural and Urban) for a year and using this as a type of collateral for a one year loan, another source of funding would be donations as was given by marques de Bustamante, employees of the real hacienda are the only ones who currently are paying a certain percentage of their salaries to finance the provincias yntrnas, Bonavia states that next year salaries, pensiones, and rents paid out by the real hacienda will have a certain percentage encumbered except the salaries of soldiers, calls for more effecient administration of the tobacco tax now that no one can claim ignorance of the law, results of the latest meetings o the junta Superior are the charging of duties on the right of transport, mining, refining of metals, separation and refinement and consumption of metals, the funds to be borrowed are to be sought by the ayuntamientos and the diputaciones consulares D las poblaciones, Urban and rural farms will be have incomes taxed at rates of 4 and 5 percent respectively for a period of two years, 1 percent on all the goods passing through customs, arrangements to have these orders published and communicated to all the gobernadores intendentes. (O. Velez, September 1989)

As required by viceroy, Barri submits accounts. Sent on Goleta Sonora. Details provided on contributors to final report which addresses problem of losses to royal treasury due to careless control of metals in province. expediente contains copy of Galvez' 1768 instructions and subsequent ordinances for control and reporting methods. Barri discusses difficulties of cooperation and trust of his subordinates. Viceroy orders him to Mexico for review and removes him from post while audit in progress. Barri claims innocence, poverty; complains of hardship of post, difficulty and cost of travel to Mexico. (j.m.johnson, June 1989)

Autos concerning the reported discovery of Almagres along the Colorado River in southern Texas in 1755. Miranda sets out with Ramon, Seguin and a group of men from the presidios San Antonio, Bahia del Espiritu Santo and San Xavier and a couple of Indians as guides. After a month of travel north from San Antonio, the group returns early March 1756 with a sample of the Almagres. Summary of trip, development potential of the mine area for settlers and the granting of a portion of the mines to the men, from ff. 17 - 19. Testing is performed on top and deep samples to determine quality and consistency. Small amounts of silver, greta, plomo and Magistral are found. Debates as to costs, practicality and richness of mine based on experienced Miner's opinion. (E. Wilson, November 1989)