“Item.  You will say to their Highnesses, although it is already written in the letters, that I do not think it will be possible to go to make discoveries this year, until these rivers in which gold is found are placed in the most suitable condition for the service of their Highnesses, as afterwards it can be done much better.  Because it is a thing which no one can do without my presence, according to my will or for the service of their Highnesses, however well it may be done, as it is doubtful what will be satisfactory to a man unless he is present.

          ["Let him endeavour that the amount of this gold may be known
          as precisely as possible.]

“Item.  You will say to their Highnesses that the Squires who came from Granada showed good horses in the review which took place at Seville, and afterward at the embarkation I did not see them because I was slightly unwell, and they replaced them with such horses that the best of them do not appear to be worth 2000 maravedis, as they sold the others and bought these; and this was done in the same way to many people as I very well saw yonder, in the reviews at Seville.  It appears that Juan de Soria, after he had been given the money for the wages, for some interest of his own substituted others in place of those I expected to find here, and I found people whom I had never seen.  In this matter he was guilty of great wickedness, so that I do not know if I should complain of him alone.  On this account, having seen that the expenses of these Squires have been defrayed until now, besides their wages and also wages for their horses, and it is now being done:  and they are persons who, when they are sick or when they do not desire to do so, will not allow any use to be made of their horses save by themselves:  and their, Highnesses do not desire that these horses should be purchased of them, but that they should be used in the service of their Highnesses:  and it does not appear to them that they should do anything or render any service except on horseback, which at the present time is not much to the purpose:  on this account, it seems that it would be better to buy the horses from them, since they are of so little value, and not have these disagreements with them every day.  Therefore their Highnesses may determine this as will best serve them.

["Their Highnesses order Don Juan de Fonseca to inform himself in regard to this matter of the horses, and if it shall be found true that this fraud was committed, those persons shall be sent to their Highnesses to be punished:  and also he is to inform himself in regard to what is said of the other people, and send the result in the examination to their Highnesses; and in regard to these Squires, their Highnesses command that they remain there and render service, since they belong to the guards and servants of their Highnesses:  and their Highnesses order the Squires to give up the horses each