wiNsmi] GUZMAN, TORRE, AND ONATE 351 



city, Guzman collected a considerable force and inarched away toward 

 the west and north, determined to win honor and security by new con- 

 quests. He explored and subdued the country for a considerable dis- 

 tance along the eastern shores of the Gulf of California, but lie could 

 find nothing there to rival the Mexico of Motccuhzoraa. Meanwhile 

 reports reached Charles V of the manner in which Guzman had been 

 treating the Indians and the Spanish settlers, and so, March 17, 153G, 1 

 the King appointed the Licentiate Diego Ferez de la Torre to take the 

 residencia 2 of Guzman. At the same time Torre was commissioned to 

 replace Guzman as governor of New Galicia, as this northwestern prov- 

 ince had been named. The latter had already determined to return to 

 Spain, leaving Don Christobal de Ofiate, a model executive and admin- 

 istrative official, m charge of his province. Guzman almost succeeded 

 in escaping, but his judge, who had landed at Vera Cruz by the end of 

 1536, met him at the viceroy's palace in Mexico city, and secured his 

 arrest before he could depart. After his trial he was detained in Mex- 

 ico until June 30, 1538, when he was enabled to leave New Spain by an 

 order which directed him to surrender his person to the officers of the 

 Casa de Contratacion, ;! at Seville. Guzman lost no time in going to 

 Spain, where he spent the next four years in urging his claims to a right 

 to participate in the. northern conquests. 



Torre, the licentiate, had barely begun to reform the abuses of Guz- 

 man's government when he was killed in a conflict with some revolted 

 Indian tribes. Ofiate again took charge of affairs until Mendoza 

 appointed Luis Galinclo chief justice for New Galicia. This was merely 

 a temporary appointment, however, until a new governor could be 

 selected. The viceroy's nomination for the position was confirmed by 

 the King, in a cedula dated April IS, 1530, which commissioned Fran- 

 cisco Vazquez Coromulo as governor. 4 



Cortes had been engaged, ever since his return from Spain, in fitting 

 out expeditions which came to nothing, 5 but by which he hoped to 

 accomplish his schemes for completing the exploration of the South sea. 

 His leisure was more than occupied by his efforts to outwit the agents 

 of the viceroy and the audiencia, who had received orders from the 

 King to investigate the extent and condition of the estates held by 

 Cortes. In the spring of 1535, Cortes established a colony on the oppo- 

 site coast of California, the supposed Island of the Marquis, at Santa 



'The best sources for these proceedings is in Mota Padilla's Historia de la Nueva Galicia (ed. 

 Irazbalceta, pp. 104-109). A more available account in English is in H. II. Bancroft's Mexico, vol. ii, 

 p. 457. 



5 An official investigation into the administration of an official who is about to be relieved of his 

 duties. 



3 The best account, in English, of the Casa (le Coutratacion is given by Professor Bernard Moses, of 

 Berkeley, ( 'allfornia. in the volume of papers read before the American Historical Association at its 

 1894 meeting. 



J Sn- Fraguientoa de una Historia de hi Nnevn ( ialicia, by Father Telle (Icazbalceta, Docnmentos de 

 Mexico, vol. ii, p. 369). 



'■Mrmlozn, in the ''premiere lettre," gives a brief sketch of the efforts which Cortes had I u mak- 

 ing, and then adds: "II ne put done jamais en faire la conquete ; il semblait menie que Dieu voulut 

 miraculeusenient l'en eloigner." Teruaux, Cibola volume, p. 287. „ 



