condition they are absolute masters of the Indians. May God preserve your Catholic Majesty. DIEGO REBOLLEDO. St. Augustine, Fla., October 18th, 1657. * * * * * A. D. 1657. Things are in a most disastrous condition in Florida, there will soon be no government left, if God does not help us. The Casique of Tarihila refused to send some of his principal Indians to St. Augustine with heavy loads of corn. I don’t know why the Governor insisted on this labor, but the Casique gathering together the other Casiques insisted that their principal Indians should not be made to do this work that they had vassals to perform their labor. The Governor took the refusal much to heart, and as a man of so little experience insisted until he caused them to rise. They said they were not slaves; that to obey God they had become Christians--they had never been conquered, but had listened to the word of God the Priest had taught them. So the Casique of San Martin at the head and all the Casiques who would follow him, which were the Casiques of Santa Fe, Potano and San Pedro, who marched from San Francisco and San Mateo with the others, making in all eleven Casiques, entered and hung the Governor. Think, your Fatherly Majesty, of such happenings. In a land where such war is carried on, I cannot tell you of the atrocities perpetuated by these poor Florida Indians. Nor do you understand how the Island of Jamaica is settled by the English, who have it well fortified with three strong Forts, and all the harbors are guarded. All prisoners from there tell us, and all who come from there tell us that now, in this month of May forty store ships arrived for them, and it is their intention to take Cuba. This has been known here and in Havana by mail, which has come. It is very important to notify you of all this, for soon it will be impossible to travel from here to Spain nor from there here. By giving this information I feel that I fulfill my duty, and you can act towards your vassals in a fatherly manner. FRAY JUAN GOMEZ. St. Augustine, Fla., April 4th, 1657. CHAPTER IX. A. D. 1662-1670.