Benson Latin American CollectionRare Books and
ManuscriptsInventory
Muse Collection
relating to Mexico, Texas, and California
Prepared by the Mexican Archives Project
February 13, 1995
Introduction
The Muse Collection relating to Mexico, Texas, and California
was acquired by the Benson Latin American Collection in 1968 from
Benjamin Muse, Jr., a bookdealer with Parnassus Book Service in Yarmouth
Port, Massachusetts. The materials were described by the Benson's
Mexican Archives Project in July 1994.
The physical extent of the Muse Collection is seven inches. Its
materials are in Spanish.
The suggested citation is "Muse Collection Relating to Mexico, Texas, and
California, 1830-1844, Benson Latin American Collection, General
Libraries, University of Texas at Austin."
Scope and Contents Note
Letters and official communications pertaining to Mexican military and
governmental affairs during the years 1830 to 1844, especially to Mexican
internal affairs during 1831-1832, the Texas Revolution in 1835-1836, and
events in Veracruz in 1839.
In Series I, documents from 1831 are primarily about internal rebellions
in Mexico and largely concern military efforts to subdue them; many
relate to Nicolás Bravo, who commanded defending forces, and
Vicente Guerrero and Juan Álvarez, who led rebel forces. Items
from 1832 relate almost exclusively to the Veracruz garrison, commanded
by Tomás Illanes, and its need for money and supplies. Materials
from 1843 and 1844 pertain to Pedro de Ampudia; they deal mostly with
administrative matters during his tenure as Comandante General in Tabasco
but include his 24-page account of Francisco Sentmanat's 1844 attack on
Tabasco and Ampudia's response to it. Only two items date from 1830.
In Series II, materials dated 1835 are about the Texas Revolution; they
often concern Mexican generals Martín Perfecto de Cos and Domingo
de Ugartechea. Documents dated 1836 and 1837 pertain to Mexican plans
for an invasion of Texas and related military matters, to the unsettled
situation in California, and to an expedition to San Blas, California, to
be led by José Urréa. Items in Series III illustrate the
aftermath of the 1838 French invasion at Veracruz; they concern the
fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, the treaty ending hostilities, an
investigation into a loss of money at the Veracruz residence of Antonio
López de Santa Anna, and the Comandancia General of Veracruz
(headed at this time by Guadalupe Victoria and his successor, Francisco
Toro).
Series
The Muse Collection was processed in July 1994 as part of the Mexican
Archives Project. Its documents have been rearranged into series by
topic (in essence into a chronological arrangement which falls naturally
into topics), then chronologically (not numerically) within
folders. This arrangement is fully expressed in the attached container
list. The series are:
I. Mexican internal affairs, 1830-1832 and 1843-1844.
II. Political and military affairs in Texas and California, 1835-1837.
III. The French in Veracruz, 1839 (aftermath of the Pastry War).
Please ignore all item numbers, whether stamped or pencilled, which
appear on the documents; also to be ignored are all notations of folder
numbers. Such markings are obsolete with respect to arrangement.
The item numbers can be used to access item cards prepared before the
Muse Collection was processed by the Mexican Archives Project. Because
the item numbers are not unique, however, the item card for a specific
document can be found only by the combined use of the item number and
either a chronological or alphabetical approach. To go to a specific
document from an item card requires reliance primarily on the date of the
document. The date should be used to select a folder from the container
list, within which one may find the item by its date.
Container List
| Box | Folder | Folder
Title | Dates |
| Series, Mexican Internal
Affairs |
|---|
| Subseries, Internal
Rebellions |
|---|
| 1 | 1 | Internal rebellions | 4 - 5
Jan 1830 |
| 1 | 2 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 3 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 4 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 5 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 6 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 7 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 8 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 9 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 10 | Internal rebellions | Jan -
Feb 1831 |
| 1 | 11 | Internal
rebellions | Undated |
| Subseries, Illanes' Command at Veracruz,
1832 |
|---|
| 1 | 12 | Illanes' command at
Veracruz | 15 Sep - 18Dec 1832 |
| Subseries, Pedro de Ampudia |
|---|
| 1 | 13 | Purchase of printing press as
General en Gefe, Divisionde Operaciones sobre Yucatán | 30
Mar - 21Apr 1843 |
| 1 | 14 | Ampudia's command at
Tabasco | 22 Jan - 23 July 1844 |
| 1 | 15 | Ampudia's command at
Tabasco | 6 - 17 Sep 1844, and undated |
| Series, Political and Military Affairs in
Texas and California, 1835-1837 |
|---|
| 1 | 16 | Political and military affairs in
Texas, 1835 | 22 Jun - 5 July 1835 |
| 1 | 17 | Political and military affairs in
Texas, 1835 | 6 - 21 July 1835 |
| 1 | 18 | Political and military affairs in
Texas, 1835 | 2 Aug - 18 Sep 1835 |
| 1 | 19 | Political and military affairs in
Texas, 1835 | 31 Oct 1835 |
| 1 | 20 | Political and military affairs in
Texas, 1835 | 2 - 30 Nov 1835 |
| 1 | 21 | Mexican preparations to invade
Texas, 1836.1837 | 16 Oct - 5 Nov 1836 |
| 1 | 22 | Mexican preparations to invade
Texas, 1836.1837 | 8 Feb - 26 Mar 1837 |
| 1 | 23 | Mexican preparations to invade
Texas, 1836.1837 | Undated |
| 1 | 24 | Political and military affairs in
California, 1836 | 29 Sep - 1 Dec 1836 |
| 1 | 25 | Urréa expedition to San
Blas | 23 Jan - 13 Jun 1837 |
| Series, The French in Veracruz, 1839
(aftermath of the Pastry War) |
|---|
| Subseries, San Juan de Ulúa, 20
March - 30 October 1839 |
|---|
| 2 | 1 | San Juan de Ulúa | 20
Mar - 29Apr 1839 |
| 2 | 2 | San Juan de Ulúa | 29
Apr - 26Aug 1839 |
| 2 | 3 | San Juan de Ulúa | 30
Sep - 30 Oct 1839 |
| Subseries, Comandancia General de
Veracruz |
|---|
| 2 | 4 | Guadalupe Victoria | 6 Apr -
6 June 1839 |
| 2 | 5 | Guadalupe Victoria | 8 - 22
June 1839 |
| 2 | 6 | FranciscoToro | 24 June - 4
July 1839 |
Subseries, Investigation into
disappearance of funds
at Santa Anna's Veracruz
residence |
|---|
| 2 | 7 | Investigation into disappearance
of funds at Santa Anna's Veracruz residence | 22 - 30 May
1839 |
| 2 | 8 | Investigation into disappearance
of funds at Santa Anna's Veracruz residence | 30 May 1839 |
| 2 | 9 | Investigation into disappearance
of funds at Santa Anna's Veracruz residence | 30 May 1839 |
| 2 | 10 | Extracts from investigation into
disappearance of funds at Santa Anna's Veracruz residence | 3 - 10
June 1839 |
| Yellow Cards |
|---|
| | Descriptions of documents in folders
2-6 | |
| | Descriptions of documents in folders
7-10 | |
| Notes and translations by Mrs.
Muse |
|---|
| | Notes from folder 2 :
Tabasco | |
| | Notes from folder
3 | |
| | Typescript notes from folder
4 | |
| | Manuscript notes from folder
4 | |
| | Notes from folder 5B1
(5A?) | |
| | Notes from folder
5B2 | |
| | Notes for folders 6a-d:
Transcriptions | |
| | Notes for folder
7 | |
| | Notes for folder
8 | |
| | Notes for folder
9 | |
| | Notes for folder
9B | |
| | Notes for folder 10
| |
Partial List of Names Associated with the Muse
Collection
Alamán, Lucas
Ampudia, Pedro de
Austin, Stephen F.
Bowie, James
Bravo, Nicolás
Bustamante, Anastasio
Cos, Martín Perfecto de
Filisola, Vicente
García Conde, Francisco
Gritten, Eduardo
Guerrero, Vicente
Illanes, Tomás
Inclán, Ignacio de
Paredes y Arrillaga, Mariano (one item only)
Santa Anna, Antonio López de
Ugartechea, Domingo de
Urréa, José
Victoria, Guadalupe
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