A. D. 1655-1657.
An anonymous letter to his Majesty recounts the death of Governor Benito Ruid Salazer by a contagious sickness during the absence of the Sergeant Major—The office is held by two others pro tem.—They also died suddenly after serving a short term—Certain officials of the Garrison who are related meet at night and elect as Governor Don Pedro Ruitinez—Who intimidates the people and squanders the money sent for their support—The Treasurer a partner in the illegality, and the Judge receives hush money—This Governor maltreated an official who is also a soldier and a conveyor of monies and goods for this port from Havana, for his Majesty—Traffic in amber from the Indians—Taking the iron and implements sent to be used in repairing the Fort as money to purchase this amber—Declares he will consult his own pleasure concerning the laws of the Church, taking communion once in one and one-half years—A distressing condition of mismanagement—No name signed to the letter—A report from Diego Rebolledo, 1657, concerning the necessity of having an officer to guard the port for incoming and outgoing vessels as pirates had frequently entered and landed before notice could be given—Also the appointment of an officer and twelve infantrymen to guard other ports of the coast—He desists from building more fortifications because of the opposition of the Friars, who protested that the proximity of the Spaniards would retard the conversion of the Indians—The Governor feels that the danger is far greater to the development of his Majesty’s Provinces to allow the enemy a foothold in a Province as rich as Apalachicola—The great distance of some of the Provinces—Indians dying with smallpox—The burden of carrying food such a distance on the shoulders of men—Fray Juan Gomez reports (1657) of the uprising of some of the Indian Chiefs who march to St. Augustine and hang the Governor because of his insistance on their carrying heavy loads of corn into the settlement, when they, the Indians, had vassals to perform such labors—Reports that the Island of Jamaica is heavily fortified by the English who intend taking Cuba—These reports causing much uneasiness in these Provinces.
A. D. 1655.
My Lord:
Moved by piety, and a desire for peace and quietude, it has seemed to me timely to notify you regarding the Government of this Province and Garrison of St. Augustine, Fla., being as you are so high and compassionate a Minister, who is always thinking and caring for the welfare of his people. My Lord, Governor Benito Ruid Salazar, former Governor of this Province, died at the time the Sergeant-Major was absent. God, it seems, took him by a contageous sickness, and although two others have been nominated pro tem., by the death of Benito Ruiz, the reins of government were left in charge of the Auditor Nicolas Ponce de Leon, who governed for six months more or less, when he died suddenly. For this reason, a few of the Officials of this Garrison, who are related, met at night in different parts of the City, and with sufficient defamatory speech elected as Governor Don Pedro Ruitinez, with flattering promises to those who would give their vote. When he had been Governor one year and a half, he had given twenty-three patents of captain, the most of them to two companies of this Garrison, four positions as wardens of the Fort, three Sergeant-Majors said to be andantes—three Auditors, one Treasurer—calling himself Governor and Captain-General. In granting these patents, and other things he has done, he has thrown down the flags, and had the artillery at the Fort salute. He arrived here on the seventeenth of July, with the Auditor, Treasurer, Sergeant-Major and the two captains of infantry who all left that court at the same time. The Sergeant-Major brought a Cedula from your Majesty, for the Governor, which he presented to Don Pedro Ruitinez, and it was not possible to comply with it, it being a military promotion, placing the Sergeant-Major as Governor. Don Pedro Ruitinez had received notice that Don Diego de Rolallado had been appointed Governor and Captain-General of this Port—he sent some friends over to Havana to meet and entertain him during his stay in that City, and thus Don Pedro has maintained his friendly relations with the Governor, although he has not said a word of how he intimidated the people to elect him Governor—nor his other doings—nor how he refused to turn over the Government to the Sergeant-Major. But he did demand his pay. Your Lordship, the Governor and Captain-General arrived at this Garrison on the 18th of June, 1654, having received in Havana $20,000 sent by the Auditor and placed to the credit of this Garrison. This money he used in Havana as follows: Goods—$7,000, gaining in this purchase more than 200 per cent. He sent Don Alonzo Menendez with $8,000 to relieve the suffering and need of the infantry and others who are in your service, and he sold to advantage the remaining goods. In the month of February of this present year there arrived a vessel laden with flour, iron implements and other goods, and although it is true that the person in whose charge they came, brought over $40,000 to be delivered to this treasury, he only delivered $15,000, because in Havana the duties were so heavy and they demanded the pay. The soldier in whose care this money and goods came, is Domingo Nunez. He spent in Havana $2,000 on clothing, filling an order received from the Governor, and another $2,000 in clothing he was to bring from New Spain. The Governor after ordering this became infuriated with Domingo Nunez, cursing him, beating and slapping him in the most unheard of manner—accusing him of not bringing all the clothing ordered, and finally he had him placed in the stockade on the beach. He then had the boxes and packages taken to a neighbor’s and soldier, and opened them—finding after pricing them and adding one-fourth more than the cost to them, that they amounted to more than the $2,000. He then went several times to Domingo Nunez, demanded his papers, searched them, kept him in prison, and then without cause or reason turned him out. It is true he becomes enraged for the slightest cause. It is a positive fact, that he and another spendthrift named Fanfan, have sent out from his (the Governor’s) house, chocolate to be sold on the streets by his body guards. At the time there was such great distress and scarcity, he sent out wine to be sold at such exorbitant prices that only those compelled to have it could buy. In this tavern of his, the people sell cutlasses for bread, chocolate and tobacco. In the large store, run now by Lorenzo Josi, they sell rum and clothing—a bottle of rum costs eight dollars which is an outrage. According to Manuel Barrios, the tavern keeper, he makes thirty-one dollars on a cask. Since there is no more money left to buy these commodities for cash he has adopted another method of selling them in exchange for labor, and makes out checks for this amount. My Lord, in the month of July of last year, there came to this Garrison a party of Indians, who live on the coast near the Bahama Channel with a large quantity of amber, some of which they presented to the Governor, the rest they gave in exchange for goods, and because a few of the soldiers bought some in exchange for clothing he was exceedingly angry. When these Indians left the land he had them followed by two rowboats with soldiers. He finally sent Don Alonzo Menendez with goods that he should bring him all the amber he could obtain, he also sent out others. The Lieutenants were Don Alonzo Menendez and Juan Dominguez and Alonzo Garcia. This trading for amber was carried on for six months. They used up all the iron implements. At first we thought that these implements were broken and thrust aside as worthless, soon, however, we discovered they were used to trade for amber, as well as five hundred tons more of iron which was brought from New Spain. All this was paid for from your Treasury. The amber was sold in Havana for the sum of forty thousand dollars. In the meantime the Fort has been allowed to suffer, it is falling to pieces in many places, the timber that was cut in the forest has rotted and the troops’ time and iron implements are all used in the trade for amber. The infantry and other persons drawing a salary from your Highness have been on several occasions in a great rage with the Treasurer who abuses them and threatens them that Don Diego Rovellado will have them killed in the field—the guards, for the slightest offense, are beaten through the streets, and even imprisoned in the Church of San Francisco, and at times when he can catch them in his own house he slaps and beats them unmercifully. In a year and a half that he has been Governor he has only once complied with the laws of the Church, confessing and receiving the communion publicly. He says that every one can do as he pleases; that he does as he pleases. At the Fort he does not have the flag hoisted, only two guards at night and their round is an easy one, but he takes the men to guard his house every night, paying them a few dimes, and in the day he takes others to whom he pays two or three dimes, notwithstanding that your Majesty sends money each year to pay these men, but I am told that Don Diego Rovellado has paid the judge some five or six thousand dollars and he can escape free from any charge made against him. All that I state to your Highness in this letter, you may be quite sure is the truth, and I hope you will deem it proper to relieve your vassals from this unnecessary suffering. May God guard you and make you happy for many years.
No Signature.
St. Augustine, Fla., November 20th, 1655.
A. D. 1657.
His Lordship: