Juan de Oñate, 1596 
351 
Notification to Don Juan de Oñate . [Río de las Nazas, Nueva Vizcaya, 
September 9, 1596 .] 
At the Río de las Nazas in Nueva Vizcaya, on the ninth day of Sep¬ 
tember, 1596, by order of Don Lope de Ulloa y Lemos, captain of the 
guard of the viceroy of New Spain, my señor inspector and lieutenant 
captain-general of the people, arms, munitions, provisions, and other 
things which at present are going and are being taken on the campaign, 
and exploration of the provinces of New Mexico—I, Antonio Negrete, 
clerk to his Majesty and secretary to the said inspection, read and gave 
notice of the copy of the royal decree of his Majesty—which is at the be¬ 
ginning of the-three leaves written before this, attested by Juan Martinez 
de Guillestegui, secretary to my lord the viceroy, and of the auto of his 
lordship written on the two leaves following the said royal decree, to 
Don Juan de Oñate, who is going as governor and captain-general of 
the said people and provinces. [I did this] so that he should obey and 
carry out the orders contained in it, and, in fulfillment of it, to halt imme¬ 
diately and go no further, and not to permit the captains, soldiers, provi¬ 
sions, munitions, and baggage which he is taking, or anything else what¬ 
soever, to go on, nor to continue the said expedition, but rather to desist 
from it and to delay it until a new order is received from his Majesty or 
his lordship in his royal name, under the penalties and warnings con¬ 
tained in the auto. He took the said royal decree in his hands, kissed it, 
and place it upon his head, and obeyed with the respect due to the mandate 
of his king and natural lord. Despite the fact that—for many and very 
just reasons, and the great and extraordinary expenses which will follow 
to him and his soldiers from the suspension and delay of the said expedi¬ 
tion, in the deterioration of the supplies, losses of horses, oxen, mules, 
cattle, both great and small, which are now collected, as well as in the 
fact that many soldiers, taking advantage of the occasion, will absent 
themselves and run away as soon as they learn or suspect it—he might 
appeal from the said royal decree, he, like a loyal subject of his Majesty, 
does not do it, notwithstanding the said reasons and many others, and 
that up to to-day he has spent in this business more than 100,000 ducats 
of Castile. His captains and soldiers have spent more than 200,000 more, 
they having sold for the expedition all their property, furniture, and lands, 
through being convinced that after his Majesty and the gentlemen of his 
royal Council of the Indies should have seen the papers which, after the 
letter mentioned in the said cédula, his lordship sent by the second dispatch- 
boat in regard to the contract and agreement concerning the said expedi¬ 
tion, there would be despatched another royal decree contrary to that 
spoken of above and ordering that it be continued, and that it would 
arrive by the fleet which is now expected any time in this present month 
of September. Although the delay until then may cause the said injuries 
and losses, he is nevertheless ready to do and fulfill that which he has 
been informed by the said royal decree and auto he must do, according 
to its content. In case, however, by the said royal decree which is now 
expected, his Majesty, for further reasons, orders him to cease the said 
expedition and leave off its prosecution in conformity with what was con- 
