A. D. 1708-1723.

The Governor’s Letter.

A. D. 1708.

Your Lordship:

My principal care since assuming control as Governor has been to procure by all possible means to prevent the enemy from destroying at once this Province, and the few natives of it who have remained. When I took possession I called a meeting of the Board to discuss matters and we decided to retire the troops from the town of Santa Fe, adding those of San Francisco and the infantry that was at the pass of Salamototo river, as I have already informed you on the 20th of November, 1706, so that with a larger force we might resist the enemy, and the citizens of this City feel some relief. I had built on the line a thick palisade, as I informed you. I have also organized a company of cavalry who should go about on the skirts, as they have done, to gather up stores and guard the carpenters and persons who go out to work cutting timber for the Royal buildings. This has not sufficed to stop the enemy from continuing their scalping and hostilities which are being constantly felt. They come from the Indian villages bordering on the Carolinas, aided by the English, who supply them with guns, ammunition, knives and pistols; at times they even accompany them, which strengthens and encourages them so that all the terra firma along the southern coast is desolate. And each day the number of families these Indians carry off is increased. The Christians have all disappeared, no doubt they have taken and sold them into slavery—more than ten or twelve thousand persons have gone. I have about three hundred with men, women and children. Even these are being carried away daily, when they go out to gather (guano) palmetto with which the Indians clothe themselves—and wild roots which they use for eating, not having sufficient with the Royal Rations which we daily allow them. Today they bring me an account of how they carried off —— to Mica, who had gone out in search of roots—in all they have carried today twenty-eight persons, four of whom escaped and have brought the news. The fact of there being some capitulation of peace would be much added to the service of God and your Majesty by relieving us of these miserable Indians. All the natives from this Province are sold, imprisoned or detained in the Carolinas. If a treaty could be made with England to prevent the English in Carolina from supplying them with arms, ammunition, etc., for it is with this they make war against us, and the dexterity with which they use them is amazing—as though they had been brought up to their use. Unless such a treaty can be immediately reached, hostilities will continue, and in this America there will never be anything but war. And the English will always have the Indians on their side, as they protect them and furnish them with arms and ammunition, as they have done heretofore. Unless this treaty can be effected immediately, the best thing for us to do will be to abandon the place entirely, as you have sug-gested, before they desolate it. But as it is so important to the Crown and the vast importance and revenue which will and can be derived from it would make it deplorable to give it up now. Besides the great importance of spreading the Holy Gospel, as it is being done, has made me delay in giving you this necessary information.

May God guard you for many years as a true Christian.

Francisco CÓrcoles y Martinez.

St. Augustine, Fla., January 14th, 1708.

Letter of the Governor of Florida to His Majesty.

A. D. 1708.

Sire:

The continued coming of the enemy who took up quarters at San Francisco Garrison, caused the natives to retire to this Garrison to seek protection under the Royal arms. From the same fear, the palisade castle of Salamototo having been attacked, the few natives withdrew, running from the cruel ravages of these enemies. About eight or nine persons having called a meeting to discuss the matter of evacuating these Garrisons, the board decided that for the safety and better security of these natives it would be best to evacuate them. A more extensive account is given you in the testimony of each thing that I remit with this information, so that you may be well notified of the reasons for retiring from these two towns and others near them, that had already been deserted. We have assigned them land near by, in line of the cannon of this Royal Fort, and we are maintaining them and helping with the best we can at your expense and from the Royal warehouses so that they may not perish until they can till the land and raise a crop to help support themselves, until things take a better turn. I hope your Majesty will approve and accept in good faith the step taken by the Board and that I am working and maintaining these natives for the best and greatest service of your Majesty. May God guard you as a Christian.

Francisco CÓrcoles y Martinez.

St. Augustine, Fla., November 30th, 1708.

Letter of the Governor of Florida to His Majesty.

A. D. 1709.

Sire:

I write to give you an account of the Friars of San Francisco. Fray Francisco, Teacher of the Gospel at Santa Maria de Guale, and the guardian of this Convent, Fray Martin de Molina, have been trying to get up lawsuits and have had disputes with the Pastor of this Parish, Don Pedro Lorenzo Acevido. These Friars are opposed to having the Pastor marry the soldiers or any Spaniard to the Indians or mixed Indians, wishing themselves to administer this and the other sacraments to them and their children. For this they have drawn up Autos and presented them to me that I might grant them justice. I referred them each to your Majesty, suggesting that they draw up their testimony and I am to reserve the right of informing you on the subject. I therefore call to your Royal attention how these law suits, occurring daily, only tend to disturb the peace. This is all done, because these Friars, to obtain the fee, wish now to administer these sacraments, which have been administered for the last thirty years by the parish priest of this parish, who has performed the marriage ceremony and had them watch (velar) from the fathers down to the grandchildren, without once interfering with the rights of these Friars to administer to their own people, the Indians in the towns they have charge of, and whose language they understand, and as is customary, if a soldier or any one wishes to marry an Indian or mixed Indian they must do so in the Parish and church to which the Indian belongs—thus, by degrees, leaving off all Heathen customs. Your Majesty after seeing the Autos and receiving this information will decide as he thinks best and most desirable for the good of all. May God preserve your Royal person that you may show justice.

Francisco CÓrcoles y Martinez.

St. Augustine, Fla., September 12th, 1709.

A. D. 1722.

Sire:

By your Royal dispatch of May 25th of last year, 1721, you commanded me that taking advantage of the suspension of arms and the friendly relations I had observed with the English of the Carolinas since then; that your request at the Court of London had been granted. That under all these circumstances I should go in my official capacity to the Governor of Carolina and arrange with him to observe strictly the Treaty, that the vexation among the Indians who were allied to the two nations should cease. I immediately complied with your order and sent the Contador, Don Francisco Menendez, accompanied by other officials, from this Garrison, with the commission of having a firm agreement with the Governor of Carolina to make the Indians attached to his nation and to cease aggravating those with us, and thus live in peace and tranquility, pursuing agriculture. This peace being as important to one nation as the other, for, should war be declared, there would be no end to it. To this proposition and others as certified in the accompanying letter which I take this occasion of sending you, the Governor and Parliament of the Carolinas replied that they had received no such orders from the King of Great Britain, but that notwithstanding he would try to enforce peace during the suspension of arms. Immediately upon the arrival of Don F. Menendez in the Carolinas he was notified that the English had constructed a wooden fort on the tongue at the mouth of Talauje Province on your Majesty’s territory, where, for many years the Indians and Guajas were settled and by reason of the siege this nation put on this Garrison, they had retired to where they still are. Don Francisco Menendez hearing this, considered it wrong for them to trespass upon your Territory, and so stated it to the Governor, and also that he feared harm would result from it. The reply given was: that the King of Great Britain had ordered them to strengthen his dominions with fortifications in any form they deemed expedient. Under different pretexts the “Contador” tried to have them show the order, but they refused to do so, saying it was sufficient that they said they had the order, and the Governor of Florida had nothing at all to do with it. From which I infer, your Lordship, that with the arrival of this new Governor in these colonies, not only will he complete the building of this Fort and settlement, but that he will also settle all the islands belonging to this jurisdiction, thus making the Carolinas impregnable and reducing this Garrison to a more lamentable state than it is in today on account of its easy access to the Indians who would immediately come to possess themselves of the ammunition and arms which it is the very heighth of their ambition to obtain. So Menendez learned that provision had been made by the English Government to equip this Colony, and they were awaiting, at any moment, vessels with supplies and arms. Then, at a moment’s notice, they will invade this Castle, it being their great ambition, and the only and sole aim of it, to capture this Fort for the protection of the New England, and the great use they could make of it in capturing your Majesty’s vessels coming through the Bahama Channel. In giving you this information I feel that I not only comply with my royal duty, but also discharge the debt to my conscience in showing you the danger of this Province. With this intelligence you can act as most agreeable and convenient. May God preserve your Royal personage for many years.

Antonio Benavides.

St. Augustine, Fla., Apr. 21st, 1722.

The letter accompanying it:

St. Augustine, Fla., Feb. 11th, 1722.

Finding myself with an order from the King of Spain, my Lord and Master, for security with this and that government of reciprocal relations regarding the hostilities which on one and the other side has been completed, for the welfare of the Indians, I resolved to send to the Carolinas the “Contador” Don Francisco Menendez Marques, with other officials accompanying him, to confer with his Excellency and the Lords of Parliament for some agreement by which the annoyances of the infidel Indians toward those attached to our nation, might cease, and they be allowed to continue their agricultural pursuits without further disturbances and incentives—and not forgetting the agreement with Don Francisco Menendez Marques that during the suspension of arms, they try not to hostile the Indians of this Nation. That I, for my government, will keep them in subjection as I have done ever since the news of suspension of arms arrived, but that, if they should in any way fail in their agreement, they might rest assured that I shall take vengeance, and nothing shall deter me but their absolute subjection to our agreement. I shall make all necessary provision and watch with zeal, as I am fully persuaded that the keeping of this reciprocal agreement is the only foundation for tranquility and peace. Your Excellency will acknowledge receipt of this, and the agreement reached with SeÑor Menendez Marquez, that I may report to our King and Master.

Antonio Benavides.

To the King From the Governor of Florida.

Sire:

I place in your Royal hands the testimony of the letter written me by the Commandant whom I have in charge of the Garrison and Fort of San Marco, forwarded to him by Lieutenant Don Diego Pena who, by order, was sent to visit the Province of Apalachicola, with clothing and trinkets to gratify the Casiques and Chiefs. Both inform me that the Province of the Talepuses and others partial to the English of the Carolinas, are restless and trying to destroy the nation of Arinaco who yield obedience to this government. That they are making all preparations for war, which from the evil designs we may soon expect. The number of the discontented is far in the ascendency of those who seem to be on our side, but in whom we can place no confidence, they being so deceitful. Then again, the fear they may entertain seeing that the English are mustering the Indians of so many nations and spreading dissatisfaction among them, against the Spaniards. The news given us by the Lieutenant that some of those we should and ought to trust have him detained in Colache from where he wrote this letter which, with the one from the commandant, I attach to these “Autos.” Of the steps taken by the Council of War, whom I called together to discuss this matter, I will not send you testimony nor in any way trouble you. I shall only make known to your Royal intelligence that the Council of War decided to send a vessel to Havana with letters to the Governor of that place, that he might aid us in sending provisions, arms and men—the latter to land at some point further down and, taking horses, make their way in by land. The enemy may already have the place blockaded. Should you decide that this plan ought not to be carried out I am willing to sacrifice my life to have the disturbances among these Nations cease, and that all under control of this Government should live in peace, without any of the prejudices of those who disturb them. Besides, as is written in the Holy Gospel, “we will ravish the enemy, punish and destroy them.” But, my Lord, the condition of this garrison is such that it will be impossible for us to hold out for any length of time. The rapidity with which they are gathering and preparing indicates we are to have serious and trying times. Ever since 1702 our forces have been falling off, and we are weak. In giving you this information I am stating truths and fulfill my duty. Act as in your judgment with the aid of God is best.

Antonio Benavides.

St. Augustine, Fla., August 18th, 1723.