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of the state recommending me to the local authorities.

This was evidently satisfactory and we were troubled no further.

This visit was a precautionary one as I learned afterwards as the lands here are held by the community under the direction of the Ayuntamiento or Council elected in the village & under certain laws of the country unoccupied lands held in this way by communities may be surveyed, denounced & bought of the government. As a consequence the communities of indians who hold lands under such uncertain tenure are very suspicious of the presence of