NO. 4 THE ORDAZ AND DORTAL EXPEDITIONS SCHULLER 5 



Herrera imprisoned by order of Governor Antonio Sedeno. The 

 same fate met Dortal, and Ordaz, weak in health, weary and power- 

 less, sailed in May, 1533, for Santo Domingo and thence to Spain, 

 where he intended to protest at court against Sedeno's illegal inter- 

 ference with the projected settlement on the coast of Cumana, which 

 Sedeno arbitrarily claimed was within his jurisdiction. Ordaz died 

 during the voyage across the ocean. 1 



Geronimo Dortal, after being released from prison, addressed a 

 letter to the Emperor, " giving him an account of his services ren- 

 dered in the government of Cubagua and asking him for mercy." ! 



Early in the summer of 1533 Dortal was in the town of Santo 

 Domingo, where he met Oviedo ; and in the following autumn he was 

 in Spain " asking for the same position formerly held by Ordaz." : 

 That he was most successful in his " claim," is proved by the letters 

 patent entered into between him and the Crown, on October 25, 

 I 533-* By virtue of this land-grant, or " capitulacion," he was 

 appointed governor of Paria. Early in 1534 he organized the new 

 expedition, and on August 18, 1534," set sail from San Lucar de 

 Barrameda. In the autumn of the same year he was again in Paria. 



Alonso de Herrera, after his release from prison by order of the 

 royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo, was in charge of the fort of San 

 Miguel of Paria, and immediately recognized Dortal as governor and 

 superior, notwithstanding his solemn pledge of faith to Antonio 

 Sedeno. 6 



Shortly after his arrival, Dortal equipped a new expedition for 

 the purpose of searching for the famous Meta-El Dorado, under the 



1 Oviedo, cap. IV, p. 224" Herrera, Dec. V, libro I, cap. XI, p. 24 (ed. of 

 1728), "..,.. and other people said he died in Castile . . . ." 



2 Dated from the pearl island (Cubagua), January 28, 1533; in " Colecc. 

 Docs. Ineditos," Tomo XII. Madrid, 1869, pp. 46-48. 



A further proof that Oviedo could not have learned before February, 1533, 

 what happened to the expedition. 



3 Oviedo, loc. cit. 



4 Archive General de Indias, 139-1-2, Tomo III , ff. 59-61 r. 



5 Oviedo, at that time also in Spain, met him again in Seville, cf. loc. cit., 

 cap. VII, p. 236*, " . . . . yba por procurador desta nuestra cibdad de Sancto 

 Domingo y desta Isla Espafiola . . . ." ("I have been there as procurator 

 cf this our city of Santo Domingo and of this island of Hispaniola "). 



8 ". . . . con quien quedo congertado en Cubagua, .... porque le prometio 

 de la hazer alcayde de la fortalec,a que avia de hac,er en la isla de la Trinidad 

 . . . ." (".... with him he had made arrangements .... because he prom- 

 ised to appoint him alcaide of the fort which he intended to establish on the 

 island of Trinidad"). Oviedo, loc. cit., p. 232*. 



