Luís de Velasco, 1597 
423 
cise the commission contained in this other part in the service of your 
Majesty, and in virtue of it I have seen him execute many diligencias, 
autos, and proclamations, in these mines and camp of Chalchuites, as well 
as in the valleys of Súchil and Apoana. I have also seen that through his 
great efforts and care he brought it about that Captain Francisco de Sosa 
Peñalosa, lieutenant-governor and captain-general of the expedition to 
New Mexico, got ready and went upon the expedition in which he ren¬ 
dered services of much necessity and high value. I understand that he 
could not have gone out unless the said captain had assisted him with 
great care and assiduity, as he did. This is public and well known by 
report and rumor in all this country, and I have heard it repeated as stated 
above. I have also seen the said captain exert himself greatly with the 
rest of the captains and soldiers, married and single, and with other per¬ 
sons, officials of the governor, who had enlisted to go in the service of his 
Majesty on the expedition, with their households, wives and children, and 
he forced them out with a great array of people, wagons, carts, oxen, 
cows, sheep, and other things. In all this Captain Don Luís de Velasco 
has had a great part, and in it all he has served the king, our lord, like 
a good, faithful, and loyal subject and servant. I have seen also that his 
diligence and good management have been very important in bringing 
about the end which your Majesty wishes to result from the expedition, 
and I have observed his good judgment and management generally with 
all those with whom I have seen him have dealings. He is a person in 
whom all the requisites concur for his Majesty to make use of him in 
affairs of a character suitable to his person, according to all my truthful 
knowledge and understanding. In order that what is stated above in his 
petition may be made clear, I issued the present in the Valley of Súchil, 
district of Nueva Galicia, on January 8, 1597, the witnesses being Captain 
Domingo Sánchez Ervalexo, Juan Martin, and Pascual Carrasco, resi¬ 
dents and permanent citizens of this valley. I, Gabriel Ramirez, clerk of 
the council and public [clerk] of the town of Nombre de Dios and its 
district, for our lord, the king, and resident of the mines of Chalchuites 
of Nueva Galicia, caused it to be written and affixed my signature in tes¬ 
timony of the truth. Gabriel Ramírez, public clerk. 
Señor clerk of our lord, the king, and secretary of the muster and in¬ 
spection which by order and commission of the illustrious viceroy of New 
Spain has been taken from me by Señor Francisco de Esquivel, commis¬ 
sary, of the things which I listed with the señor viceroy and the supplies 
to be taken on the expedition to New Mexico: I declare, as is evident to 
the señor commissary from the manifest that he has taken from me, and 
which I have given and supplied with a thoroughness far beyond my obli¬ 
gations, and as is also known to his grace and to his Majesty, that in the 
commission which was given to Señor Don Lope de Ulloa y Lemos his 
lordship does not alone order that a manifest be taken from me of what 
I have listed, but also of all the things that are to go on the expedition— 
mine as well as those of the captains, soldiers, and people with the army; 
for, besides what I have already placed on the manifest, I have more than 
40,000 dollars more to declare of slaves—negroes and Chichimecos, male 
and female—clothing, silverware, and many other materials that go to 
