No. 336.

States would grant him nothing in the matter, but ordered him by word. of mouth to have recourse to Reynor or Paulo, burgomaster of Amsterdam, who would give him a fair hearing. The latter told him by word of mouth that the States could take no decision in the matter until it was seen whether or no the truce was to continue; but that when the Ambassadors of the Confederate Kings and Princes resolved as to the cessation or continuation of the war of Juliers, a decision would also be arrived at as to the breaking up or the continuation of the universal truce.

The Admiral and chiefs of the Fleet alluded to remain in possession of the money for the crew and provisions, until it is known whether or no the truce is to last.

It is also worthy of note that in Pernambuco, close to Brazil, there is a very rich monastery possessing ten millions of gold, in gold and precious stones, which those who have undertaken the populating of America have the intention of sacking on their first arrival under the pretext that it is situated past the equator, and they mean to do the same to a very rich monastery close to Truxillo, past the Island of Margarita and the coast of Havannah, as far as the said Captain can remember.

Official letter from the Duke of Lerma to the President of the Council of the Indies, enclosing extract from letter from Holland with news as to a fleet that, under the orders of Guillermo Uselinx, was to establish some Dutch colonies in Wiapoco, Caena, Surenama and Essequibo, 1615. [Translated from certified copy of original in Archivo General de Indies, Seville, Stand 147, case 5, bundle 17.]

His Majesty, by way of Flanders, has received the inclosed information. His Majesty has ordered me to transmit it to your Excellency (as I now do), so that the War Department of the Indies may be duly advised, and may in due time adopt such measures as may be proper. God guard your Excellency. Madrid, February 2nd, 1615. The Duke, President of the Indies.

[INCLOSURE.]

A certain person, named Guillermo Uselinx, pretends to be a Commander and General of one hundred and twenty ships of war, armed with six thousand soldiers, in addition to the necessary crew, to found and populate certain colonies at three or four places on the shores of America and the West Indies which are called by the Indians, Wiapoco, distant onehalf of a degree from the equinoctial line; the second, Caena, distant four

No. 337.

degrees from the line; the third, Surenama, distant five and one-half degrees from the aforesaid line; the fourth, Essequibo, distant about six and one-half degrees, where there are some persons, from twelve to fifteen Spaniards, who there till the soil to raise the root of Casavia, from which bread is made for the Governor of Trinidad and Orinoco, Don Fernando de Borrea.

Extract from Order of the King of Spain appointing Diego Palomeque de Acuña Governor of Trinidad and Guayana, and Ordering him to try to Dislodge the Enemy; December 12, 1615.

[Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, p. 210.]

DON FELIPE DE BIAMONTE Y NAVARRA,

My Governor and Captain-General of the

Island of San Juan de Puerto Rico,

Considering how much it imports to my service that I appoint a person for the Island of Trinidad and Guiana to govern that country and maintain it in defence, I have, therefore, appointed as my Governor and Captain-General, Diego Palomeque de Acuña, who will, with all despatch, go to serve me in that post.

And, as it has been understood that in the region of Guayana the enemy have made some settlements in which they are planting a very great quantity of tobacco, and to which ships go very commonly to be laden therewith, and on the way they traffic and do all the other injury they are able.

And as I desire that the said Governor be commanded to try to dislodge [them] from here, by taking from them the said settlements, And it is hoped that for that object he will do all in his power, and as it may be that with the forces in the country he might not be able to put into execution a matter which imports so much, it has appeared to me well to command you, as I now order and command you, to place a garrison of fifty men there, that will be sent in the fleet of New Spain, next year, 1616. The number of three hundred effective men which belongs to the Garrison will be filled up, And you will be able, without causing any want there, to send to Trinidad from seventy to eighty soldiers; you will send them when the said Governor requests you, sending you this despatch by means of a person of confidence, that with them and the men of the country he may be able to bring together he may try to do me this service, by taking the necessary measures to extirpate the enemy from every point of that island on which they have taken footing.

No. 339.

Extracts from an undated (circa 1621) manuscript account of the Destruction of Santo Thomé by Sir Walter Raleigh in January, 1618, and an appeal for help.

[Reprinted from Blue Book, No. 3, pp. 207-209.]

The City of Santo Thomé and Island of Trinidad, of the Province of Guayana and “Dorado," represents that in the month of January 1618 Guatarral (Walter Raleigh), an English pirate, with ten ships and launches, ascended the River Orinoco to the said city of Santo Thomé, 40 leagues from the sea, and disembarked 500 men about a league from it, and the ships ascended to its port.

And the Governor, Diego Palomeque, who with all diligence put it in a state of defense with the few solders he had, attacked him with very great courage. And there being nothing else to be done, he engaged him at 11 at night in order to defend the city, seeing himself in want of men, artillery and forces, they being very few, and the two forces began slaughtering each other, and the enemy remained in possession of the place for twenty-nine days, during which time he succeeded in attracting to himself the peaceful Guayana Indians nearest to the town, who at once rose in rebellion, doing much damage, in order to favour the enemy.

Captain Juan de Lezama remained governing as Alcalde ordinary, who, by all the means he could, tried to prevent the natives from communicating with the enemy. And he collected and closely united sixty and more Indians, with their arms, to whom he explained how much it imported to the service of your Majesty to drive the enemy out of the country. And that for the future there would be help and great defence. And with them and twenty-four soldiers, after twenty-six days, he attacked the enemy in the town from different points from midnight to daylight, and he killed many of their people. And having met the Indians with the enemy, they discovered to him all that he wished to learn of those in the interior. And on another day following, when a launch and small boat of theirs went to the plantations on the other side of the river, the said Captain and six soldiers, with thirteen or fourteen Indians, drew them into an ambush, and there killed fourteen English, on account of which they soon embarked, leaving the city, church, and monasteries [sic] burned to their foundations, and carrying away all there was in it, and having excited and raised all the native Indians in rebellion, at their pleasure, who dwell on the sea coast, Amacas, Chaguanes, and Caribs of that province, who renounced obedience to your Majesty.

The city was again begun to be rebuilt in the place where it was before, and on account of the straits in which it was, it was ordered that the said Captain Juan de Lezama should go to the Audience of the new Kingdom of Granada for the purpose of giving an account of the event, and request

No. 339.

that the help of some soldiers should be sent for its defence. And this having been done, it was provided that, in regard to the soldiers, they should refer the matter to your Majesty, in your Royal Council of the Indies. And the Governor, Don Fernando de Berrio, was ordered to go to his Government, and on his arrival at the coast with forty-four soldiers he dispatched forty of them last year, 1619, to the Province of the Aruacas, which the enemy kept and keeps in rebellion on the sea-coast, to reduce them to their former obedience to your Majesty. Among these Indians there were six of the enemy's ships, trading and negotiating with them, and doing all in their power to dissuade them from acknowledging your Majesty's jurisdiction, and urging them to kill all the Spaniards of the town, for a mighty fleet would be sent by them to settle and fortify themselves therein.

There were five soldiers of the forty killed in the encounter they had with the Indians; and the enemy carried off to England one named Alonzo de Matos, who has come to this Court, and gives an account of all the designs of the enemy; and that they were only awaiting the end of the truce to return to the city and devastate it and fortify themselves therein, which ought not to be allowed.

With the help that is requested, a great number of natives in the said provinces of Guayana would be restored; and, in the contrary case, there would be no means of bringing them to a knowledge of the holy Catholic faith; and numbers of Spanish villages would remain unpeopled where there are very rich agricultural lands for cultivation and also for cattlebreeding, with many other products, and a great quantity of gold in places, which would be extracted by settling them; and the discovery of the Province of Dorado, so much desired, would not take place, as the way thereto is nearer and surer for it through the said Province of Guayana, concerning which there are new reports, which the Indians of the Peñoles have furnished, a province which is near the said Dorado, according to a letter in the possession of Captain Juan de Lezama, from the City of Santo Thomé, and the Governor, Don Fernando de Berrio, to whom is confided the said discovery and settlement, cannot carry it out until he has placed the city in a state of defence, so as not to leave it unprotected, for only one ship of the enemy is enough to rob and ruin it, and as he must take as many soldiers as possible in his company for the discovery, in which he himself, his father, Governor Antonio de Berrio, and his uncle, the Adelantado Don Gonçalo Ximenez de Quesada, have spent more than 300,000 ducats, and the expense incurred will have been without result, and the native Indians that have been converted to the Christian faith will go over to the enemy, becoming heretics and continuing their old bad ways, and all those souls will be damned which might be saved by the Royal protection of your Majesty.

No. 339.

It will be very important to your Majesty's service that the Council of War examine this request for help which is petitioned for and implored, together with the papers that have been presented, dispatched, and forwarded by the Audience of the new Kingdom of Granada and from the City of Santo Thomé, with a map of the River Orinoco and its navigation, and where the forts referred to may be built. And in case it be still considered well to await the Governors' Reports before establishing the fort, assistance ought to be sent in the meantime by dispatching 100 soldiers from Puerto Rico, whose expenses might be defrayed from the account of salary, or they might be sent from the Audience of the new Kingdom of Granada, sending from these parts eight pieces of artillery with artillerymen, so that the enemy may fear him who defends the entrance which he desires to pass, covetous of the gold there is in these provinces which he has discovered, and carrying away with him barrels full of earth to England, from which they have taken very rich specimens.

Governors of Puerto Rico and Cumana Ordered by the King of Spain to send help to Santo Thome, September 18, 1618.

[Reprinted from Blue Book No. 3, p. 211.]

I have been informed of your letter of the 26th January of this year, in which you relate what happened in the taking of your city, and the death of the Governor, Diego Palomeque de Acuña, and how badly situated the inhabitants thereof have thereby remained. And I am particularly grateful to so good and loyal subjects, for, being so few and unguarded, you defended the place valiantly. And thus I charge you to continue to do on all other occasions that may present themselves, For apart from the fact of you, yourselves, being interested in fulfilling and complying with such glorious ends, it is of the greater importance on account of it being the Catholic religion opposed to heretical enemies; its cause will not remain without satisfaction, and the matter is now being treated with the earnestness it demands.

And in regard to whatever may happen to you in this respect for the future, you will correspond with the Governors of Puerto Rico and Cumaná, whom I have commanded to help you with men, And now for the present the Governor of Puerto Rico will send you eight quintals of powder, twenty muskets and as many arquebuses with all their appendages, and two quintals of gun-matches and four of lead, which is what has appeared necessary in conformity with the number of men that has remained, And of these arms and munitions you will make use with the greatest care, preserving them in some public place where they may be at hand at the