of the Mexican populace had been affected, too, by the late events on the Texas frontier. Thus, when the Texan prisoners reached Monterey, they were ordered on to Mexico City.

While the Texan commissioners were yet at Monterey, two Mexicans who had been captured by a party of Texans near Goliad, succeeded in making their escape and arriving in town. Their report "produced a great excitement among the liberal party, the friends of Texas," reported Morris, "and two Americans, Drs. Tower and Cottle, were in a day or two placed under arrest." Hostile movements on the frontier on the part of Texans, he continued, could "result in no beneficial effect, but . . . render many who are now firm friends, in self-defence, our most inveterate foes. Could Matamoros be destroyed," he said, "good might result for these all are Centrals, and all most bitter enemies of Texas."[30]

After twelve days at Monterey, where they "received every attention from Arista, his officers, and all the people," Morris and Van Ness, feeling that nothing more could be accomplished, departed for home under an escort of an officer and eight soldiers, who accompanied them as far as the Río Grande. The two commissioners reached Béxar on the evening of September 7.[31]  At San Antonio, they were reported as saying that General Arista had assured them that he contemplated no hostile movements against Texas, and that he had given orders that no Texan citizen should be molested east of the Río Grande and had remarked that if any of his officers had injured any citizens of Texas east of that stream, they should be punished.[32]  At this time Arista probably had his hands full protecting the northern frontier against the barbarous Indians without wishing to antagonize the Texans by making raids across the Río Grande. Upon their return home the Texan commissioners reported that "the whole open country beyond the Río Grande" had been laid waste by the Comanches, who had extended their ravages close to the very streets of Monterey, driving off immense herds of cattle and droves of horses and mules.[33]  "One thing is cer-