Count of Monterey, 1596 
381 
would come in February. According' to this it seems a certain thing that 
Don Pedro Ponce could not have left at the time of the arrival of this 
vessel, even though the agreement had been made with him, of which 
one may justly doubt, since I wrote in March by the second despatch-boat 
of the advanced state of this expedition, and especially since the order 
brought by this decree has not been corroborated, as it is to be believed 
it would be, if the contract were being carried out, by some letter at least 
to Havana in the sealed packets of which news has come in these days. 
For these reasons, and because it is clearly objectionable to all persons of 
good judgment for the contract to be changed and a person sent from 
Spain, I myself have felt obliged to inform your Majesty of these 
[reasons] and set them before you as soon as it became known that the 
report of them can arrive in good time and before Don Pedro, if he has 
been appointed, embarks. Considering how very possible it is that your 
Majesty may be pleased to grant, since the entrance of Don Juan is so far 
on the way and with such reasonable hopes of success, that it be put into 
execution, it has occurred to me, as one who has the matter before him, 
that there is good reason for doubt on the decision of this case and that 
perhaps I would be choosing the right course if I should give permission 
to Don Juan to continue and carry out what has cost so much labor up to 
now and has been so long desired, and send to your Majesty by this vessel 
information of this decision. But it has seemed to me that I cannot be 
certain of my own judgment in such a business, with but short experience 
in this land, nor that your Majesty must change your opinion solely upon 
my advice and judgment, I being but recently arrived, and I feel that there 
would be many dangers and great difficulties if Don Juan de Oñate should 
have entered in case your Majesty should still order Don Pedro Ponce or 
some other person to come. Therefore, I have resolved not to come to a 
decision in a matter so important unless the Audiencia shall change its 
first opinion, and to this end I have again consulted with it upon this 
affair. Since it has been learned that ships are not to be expected from 
Spain until the spring, they perceive the same objections to the dismantling 
of the expedition in its present state as I perceive, and the same impossi¬ 
bility that the project, which, proportionably to their means, Don Juan 
and his relatives have put in motion, can be held and detained without the 
people and the rest or most of it being quickly scattered. Also they see 
the difficulties that there are in the coming of a person from there [Spain] 
and judge of them with more conclusiveness than I in proportion as they 
have more knowledge of the affairs of the Indians. But with all this they 
do not venture to decide that I shall settle this matter by giving permis¬ 
sion to Don Juan to leave it thus commenced or to go on with it, although 
the decision of your Majesty, which, according to the decree, might be 
expected soon, has been delayed many months. The nature of this busi¬ 
ness has compelled me to weary your Majesty with a detailed and long 
report, so that the state in which it was when the decree arrived, and the 
perplexity which this news has caused may be understood, especially with 
the delay of the letters and the anxiety in which the affair remained, with¬ 
out possibility of remedying it. 
26 
