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Samuel Bangs Printed Broadside Decree by Comandante General Joaquín de Arredondo. ...
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Description
Streeter's Copy of a Scarce Bangs Broadside Promoting Business and Industry in the Borderlands
Samuel Bangs Printed Broadside Decree by Comandante General
Joaquín de Arredondo. One page, 8.25" x 12.5", Monterrey;
December 5, 1820.A royal decree first issued by King Ferdinand VII of Spain on May 16, 1820 and ordered by Arredondo, commanding general for Spanish royalist forces in Mexico, seven months later. Translated into English, it promotes the establishment of new business in Spanish-controlled Texas, reading, in part, "All Spaniards and settled foreigners, or those who have settled in the Monarchy's towns, may freely establish factories or businesses or whatever office that pleases them, without any permission or license whatsoever, provided that they follow regulations adopted for the courtesy and safety of those same towns...They may also freely exercise whatever skills or official positions they may have without any license, title, or inclusion in their respective guilds, whose ordinances are revoked in this region." The document is signed by Arredondo using his rubric and is countersigned by Captain Rafael Gonzáles, future colonial governor of Texas. Housed in a custom green quarter morocco slipcase with a stamped and gilt spine to the overall size of 9.25" x 13".
This is Thomas W. Streeter's personal copy with pencil notation, "early Monterrey printing" in his hand. Very scarce, with copies located at the Bancroft Library, Yale, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Nicknamed the "Butcher of Béxar," Joaquín de Arredondo served the Spanish Crown in numerous roles throughout Mexico's decade-long fight for independence. After receiving command of an infantry regiment in 1810, Arredondo was instrumental in suppressing Hidalgo's Revolt, widely considered the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence, and received an appointment as commandant of the eastern division of the Provincias Internas, including Texas, in 1813 as a reward for his ruthlessness. From there, Arredondo continued on to San Antonio where he defeated rebels at the Battle of Medina and ordered "bloody purges of suspected collaborators among the civilian population and the imprisonment and forced labor of hundreds of women" in the city.
Less than a month after the issuance of this Royal decree promoting new businesses, Arredondo approved Moses Austin's petition to bring settlers to Texas. He later publicly endorsed Agustín de Iturbide's Plan of Iguala and formally swore his allegiance to the Mexican nation. The Plan of Iguala not only proclaimed independence from Spain, but also granted social and political equality to all inhabitants regardless of place of birth. These factors set the stage for settlement in the colonization of Texas.
Upon Arredondo's order, Samuel Bangs printed and distributed the circular featured here. The first printer in Texas, Bangs had originally arrived in the area to participate in the ill-fated Mina expedition to liberate Mexico from Spain in 1817. Arredondo captured the young man and only allowed him to live because of his useful printing skills. After serving three years in a chain gang, Bangs became Arredondo's primary printer despite knowing almost no Spanish. This deficiency led Bangs to create some highly unusual imprints. Because Bangs did not have a full complement of Roman type, he was often forced to substitute some letters with italic type. This mixture of Roman and italic types is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Bangs' early imprints.
Condition: Creased along the center fold with a stain at the center, affecting text. Irregular margins and pencil notations to the top margin.
References: Dorothy Sloan Rare Books; TSHA Handbook of Texas.
Auction Info
2023 December 2 The Ted Lusher Texas History Collection, Part One Signature® Auction #6281 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2023
2nd
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
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