Velasquez Was Greatly At A Loss
In His Choice Of A Commander For The New Expedition, And Several Were
Recommended To Him For This Purpose.
Among these was Vasco Procalla, a
gentleman of high rank, and related to the Conde de Feria; but the
governor was afraid to trust a person of his bold character, lest he might
revolt, as had been already done by several dependent leaders of
expeditions.
In this state of uncertainty, several relations of the
governor were talked of as candidates for the office, such as Augustin
Vermudez, Antonio Velasquez Borrego, and Bernardino Velasquez, but of
their chances, or the reasons of their rejection, we were not informed.
All the soldiers, however, were disposed to have Grijalva for their chief.
While matters were in this state of uncertainty, Andres de Duero, who was
secretary to the governor, and Amador de Lares, the royal contador in
Cuba, entered into a private agreement with Hernando Cortes to recommend
him to Velasquez for the command of the intended expedition. Cortes was a
respectable gentleman of good birth, a native of Medelin in Estremadura,
the son of Martin Cortes de Monroy, by Catalina Pizarro de Altamirano, who
were both hidalgos of the best families in the province, though poor,
and had acquired a considerable property in the island of Cuba, where he
had been twice raised to the office of alcalde. He had lately married
Donna Catalina Suarez de Pacheco, the daughter of Diego Suares de Pacheco
of Merida, by Maria de Mercaida of Biscay; through which marriage he had
experienced much trouble, having been frequently confined by order of
Velasquez. The two officers before mentioned, who enjoyed the intimate
confidence of the governor, made an agreement with Cortes to procure the
appointment for him, for which they were to receive an equal division of
the treasure procured from the expedition out of his share, as the
commission was intended to extend no farther than the procurement of gold
by barter, without any power of settlement or colonization. For this
purpose they took every opportunity of praising Cortes to Velasquez, and
vouching for his fidelity, so that they at length succeeded in procuring
the appointment for him; and as it belonged to the secretary to draw it
out in due form, we may be sure that its conditions were sufficiently
favourable.
On this appointment being communicated to the public, it gave satisfaction
to some, but greatly displeased others, who used every endeavour to
communicate their dissatisfaction to the governor, particularly by the
following device: When the governor was going on a Sunday to mass,
accompanied by the most respectable people of the town and neighbourhood,
he placed Cortes on his right hand, on purpose to shew respect to the
person he had chosen for an expedition of such high importance. There was
at this time one Cervantes at St Jago, a kind of buffoon, generally called
mad Cervantes, who used to assume great liberty of speech under pretence
of idiocy.
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