The inhabitants of Los Adais and those residing around the missions in the Nacogdoches area were rebellious and Baron Ripperda extended his ultimatum to five days.
Antonio Gil y Barbo and Gil Flores became the heroes of the evacuation of Los Adais, some five hundred men, women and children moved to the vicinity of San Antonio. The former inhabitants of El Camino Real were not happy. They longed for the fertile soil and forests which abounded in wild game of the East Texas and West Louisiana area. Flores and y Barbo were sent with a petition to the Viceroy of Mexico. The two returned with the news that the people would be allowed to settle in a new area. They moved to a settlement on the Trinity River at Robbins Crossing, the present day location in Madison County, Texas.
Floods and the danger of hostile Indians soon forced the settlers to seek a new environment. They moved eastward to Nacogdoches under the leadership of y Barbo. There in 1779 was established the Town of Nacogdoches.
Y Barbo and a party of followers went back to Los Adais and dug up four of the six cannon buried there just prior to the evacuation of the area. They returned to Nacogdoches and re-established La Presidio de Neustra Senora de Los Delores de Nacogdoches and in the same year Antonio Gil y Barbo was appointed Commandante of the Presidio.
At Natchitoches in 1773 Commandante De Mezieres kept contact with all of this vast area by assigning traders to establish trading posts among the different Indian tribes and suppliers were assigned to each trader:
Pierre Bison was sent to the Calcasieu Indians, the supplier was Reme Poissot; Louis Pablo Villeneuve De Blanc to Caddoquopois, Bisadorewas to supply him; Jose Antonio Bonetis was sent to Atachapois, this man was an independent trader; Pierre Blot was sent to the Nacogdoches Indians and Joseph Blancpain was to supply him; Caesar Barme was sent to the Yatasses near Campti, Louisiana;
Nicholas Chef was an independent trader to the Tokawanes; these were in an area fifty miles northwest of the present-day city of Fort Worth, Texas. It was one of the most remote trading posts from Natchitoches and De Mezieres assigned a supply-patrol of the militia at the Natchitoches Post to supply the necessary trade goods. Sergeant Joseph Trichell, who had been assigned to the Natchitoches Post in 1749, was to command the patrol which consisted of Corporal Nicholas Tournier and an accountant, Nicholas Le Noir. Four musketeers, Francois Hugue, Louis Moinet, Nicholas Pent and Andries Compiere. Domingo De Soto was to act as interpreter.
This patrol was responsible for the arrest of four Englishmen who had crossed the Mississippi River and were trading among the Tokawanes. The four men were William Warden, John Cross, John Hamilton and Jerome Matalinche.
De Mezieres was vexed with Sgt. Trichell for allowing the Englishmen to sell all of their trade goods to the Indians and threatened him with imprisonment, but Trichell explained that the Indians would have gone on the war path if they had not been allowed to trade for the English merchandise. Trichell countered with the fact that all of the profits of the English traders were now in his hands and that there was no difference if De Mezieres had the trade-goods or the profits. De Mezieres paid the Englishmen in French and Spanish coin equal to the original cost of the merchandise, and this same patrol was ordered to escort the Englishmen fifty miles east of Natchez before setting them free. The Englishmen were charged with the Patrol’s expenses.
Luis de Quindise was an independent Spanish trader and was sent to the Adais Indians. Pierre Dupain was sent to the Peticaddo; Andre D’Hutrive was sent to the Bidias on the Trinity River; Alexis Grappe was sent to the Ais and Guierlero Lestage was to supply him.