Juan de Oñate, 1606 
415 
that was sought for in the discovery and settlement, favoring and greatly 
encouraging the said Don Juan in case he was to continue it—for, since 
it was so advanced and the natives so well disposed to receive the Catholic 
faith, it was not well to stop and fail to go on with what had been com¬ 
menced—and that you should inform me of all that was done. In ful¬ 
fillment of this, in a letter of March 31, of the past year, you wrote me 
that, having examined the papers and proceedings sent by the said Don 
Juan de Oñate and those which the said Count of Monterey had made in 
the matter, and being of the opinion that it was important and that many 
of [the papers] resolved themselves into appeals for justice made by 
people who demanded satisfaction from you, you determined not to de¬ 
pend upon your own opinion alone, and called a secret council of three 
oidores , those freest from individual friendship and relationship to the 
parties, the fiscal being present, and all examined the autos pertaining to 
criminal offenses. Of the result of the said council you made a sum¬ 
marized report, with its opinion, and after this had been examined in my 
royal Council of the Indies and consideration given to the behavior and 
offenses and crimes of Don Juan de Oñate and his maestre de campo and 
some of his captains, and the manner in which he is carrying out his con¬ 
tract in regard to the said exploration, and what poor results have come 
from it up to now, and the poverty of the country, according to what you' 
wrote me, and that the purpose of those who undertook the enterprise 
is its continuance for their own special ends—having taken advice, I de¬ 
termined to order you, as by these presents I do order you, as soon as you 
receive this, to cause the said exploration to cease and go no further. And 
you shall, with tact and discretion, cause the said Don Juan de Oñate to 
be recalled for some sufficient reason, as seems best to you, so that he 
may come without disturbance; as soon as he has come you will detain 
him in the City of Mexico, disband whatever military force he may have, 
and appoint a satisfactory governor, discreet and Christian, to govern 
what has been discovered in the said New Mexico, and you will endeavor 
to maintain it in justice and peace, and to protect and treat with 
kindness the native Indians, providing them with religious to instruct 
them, and if any of these wish to go into the interior of the country to teach 
with Christian zeal you will permit it, so that fruit may be drawn from it 
and by this road certain information of what is to be found in that prov¬ 
ince may be had without recourse to arms. And of what you do in all 
you will inform me, so that I shall learn and know how my order is car¬ 
ried out. Done at Madrid, June 17, 1606. I the King. Countersigned 
by Juan de QiRigA and signed by those of the Council. 
Reply to the Marquis of Montesclaros in the matter of the campaign to 
New Mexico. [San Lorenzo, August 19, 1606 .] 
The King. Marquis of Montesclaros, my relative, viceroy, governor, 
and captain-general of New Spain: Your letter of the twenty-eighth of 
October of the past year, which treats of the affairs and state of the cam¬ 
paign to New Mexico, which is in charge of Don Juan de Oñate, has been 
