served in this, find some one in whom your Majesty can place more confidence, confer with them and let them take charge of affairs--although it would be far better for your Majesty to do this at your own cost, and with all brevity and secrecy which is the most important thing. Also, he says: That should there be French in this land or on the sea awaiting the merchant vessels from the Indias, it would be necessary to increase this squadron to four more galleons and one thousand men, principally marines--the cost of which for six months would be five hundred thousand ducats more or less. PEDRO MENENDEZ. THE KING. _To Gen. Pedro Menendez de Avilez, Knight of the Order of Santiago, and our Governor of the Province of Florida_: Know--Having understood that from the Kingdoms of France and England many war vessels have been sent out with a great number of sailors and soldiers, with intent of going to that Province, and that now again they are arming and equipping vessels for the same purpose at Havre de Grace and other Ports of said Kingdoms of France and England. And that you may do everything to defend yourselves and capture the Forts they have built and thrust them from the land, that you may hold it in peace. You might overlook the damage they have done to navigation. We have arranged for and ordered 1,500 infantrymen to join you and those you have with you and we send them with the fleet and also all the necessaries--and we have provided as Captain-General of the fleet Captain Sancho de Archimiaga, an expert and experienced man of the sea, ordering him to go to said Province, and in joining you, it gives you protection by sea as well as by land. Your flag alone must float, as our Captain-General, and all undertakings must be done under your flag. And for all enterprises to be undertaken by land we have appointed a Field Marshal and five Captains to be under him, and that both they and the infantry are to be directly under you as our Captain-General and Governor, because this is our will, and we have expressly ordered it. That your person must be carefully guarded. With your experience both by land and sea we are perfectly satisfied, still, that you may the better succeed, and that there may be conformity and good will, as it is important, affairs that between you and said Captain Archimiaga and Field Marshal and the other Captains accompanying him as they are men of much experience in war. It is our will, and so we order you, that in all things occurring on sea as well as on land concerning the war, you will call these Captains and consult with them, more especially Captain Archimiaga and the Field Marshal--that in this way alone must you decide upon questions of war--because thus it suits us and our service. That I trust in them to look into matters and provide all that is deemed advisable in such undertakings--and they will follow and obey you as our Captain-General.