Benalcazar, in turn, entered into an arrangement with the two others to appoint a governor of all their territories during their absence from America, for the purpose of laying their claims before Charles V. In this representation they were not all equally successful. Benalcazar was declared independent of _Pizarro_, and was made governor of _Popayan_; Ximenes de Quesada was fined to the amount of one thousand _ducats_; was banished for one year, and was suspended for five years from office; whilst Frederman was judged to be an interloper, and obtained nothing. Shortly afterwards, however, the Emperor remitted the punishment against Ximenes, and appointed him marshal of the kingdom of _New Granada_. On his return to _Bogotá_ in 1551, he, to his credit, exhibited an energy in protecting the people of the country against their invaders, equal to that which he had displayed in effecting their conquest. Ten years later he commanded a force, organized to repel an attack from the ruler of _Venezuela_; shortly after which he was appointed _Adelantado_ of the kingdom of _New Granada_. He devoted three years, and an enormous amount of toil and money, to an absurd expedition in quest of the fabled _El Dorado_. To the search of this myth were devoted three hundred Spaniards, two thousand Indians, and twelve hundred horses; of which martial array only twenty-four men and thirty-two quadrupeds returned, mutely to tell the tale of the supreme folly of their leader. Of the life of a man who had shown himself possessed of such great qualities, in whatsoever way they had been applied, as had Ximenes de Quesada, all prominent details are interesting. It may therefore be noted that, after having founded in 1572 the city of _Santa Agueda_, this conqueror and knight-errant died of leprosy, leaving behind him debts to the amount of sixty thousand _ducats_, which circumstance would seem to have rendered it somewhat unnecessary for him to insert in his will his desire that no expensive monument should be erected over his grave. His body was transferred to _Bogotá_. The importance of _New Granada_ in the eyes of the Spaniards lay in its being the source whence the best emeralds were procured. Many of these had found their way into _Peru_; but the rude conquerors, who were under the impression that emeralds were as hard as diamonds, having submitted them to the test of the hammer, came to the conclusion that they were valueless. In this manner many were destroyed; and the loss became the greater owing to the fact that it was impossible to discover the mine whence the _Incas_ had procured them. The discovery of _New Granada_ luckily supplied this important want. The provinces of _Popayan_ and _Choco_ had the further merit of supplying gold; which was found on the surface of the earth, and which could therefore easily be gathered by the simple means of washing. [Sidenote: 1718.]