leave another two hundred soldiers. This will be the key to all the fortifications of this country, because from those to the new land it does not have to be founded. Inland, about eighty leagues, are to be found a range of mountains, at their base an arm of sea which leads to the New Land. This arm of the sea enters the New Land which is navigable seventy leagues where there is another sea turning northeast and we suspect it leads to the South Sea. The Indians send many cattle from New Spain which were found on these plains by Francisco Basques Coronado. They carried the hides to the New Land in canoes to sell to the French in exchange for barter. From here, in the past two years, they have carried in their fishing boats more than six thousand hides. The French can go from here in their vessels to the foot of the mountain range four hundred leagues from the mines of San Martin and New Galicia and can mine them to their heart’s content. It would be well to fix our frontier lines here, gain the water-way of the Bahamas and work the mines of New Spain. This key and strength is necessary that your Majesty should become Lord of all of it, because by it you will be master of the world. I have written to Pedro del Castillo to send me three hundred soldiers and supplies for eight hundred persons. It would be useless not to have the three hundred soldiers to serve your Majesty and to provide the necessaries. Thus on, from the first of February, your Majesty can send a hundred mariners and the equipments and let them bring everything necessary to found a town in the Bay of Juan Ponce, as this river is part of San Mateo, which we captured from the enemy. Eighteen leagues inland from this bay, and from one bay to the other, we can easily trade with the multitude of Indians that are there and make them soon learn the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this Bay of Juan Ponce is the Province of Appalache, an indomitable people with whom the Spaniards have never been able to treat. Thus will all difficulties be overcome so far as New Galicia which is about three hundred leagues, and so many more to Vera Cruz, and the same distance to Yucatan. From there this town will be provided with corn, as there is much of it. As we found the place and build a good City, there will be no need of founding others in Florida. We will then proceed to the New Land, easily work the many mines of silver which are found there, and are the mines of the Zacatecas. In a few years the silver worked from them will support this country and be a treasure to your Majesty and a suburb of Spain which can be reached in forty days from these Kingdoms. With the scarcity of supplies in the Forts we are suffering much hunger as the grain was burned and so, unless we receive aid soon, we shall suffer terribly. I trust your Majesty is satisfied that we serve you faithfully and with love and in all truth. Without extending myself further, but promising