to become governor of Jamaica, had resolved to devote his great wealth to extending his fame as explorer and colonizer. On learning from Alaminos and his fellow voyagers of the coasts discovered in this direction, he resolved to revive the famed projects of Ponce de Leon, and with this view despatched a small fleet in 1518, under Diego de Camargo.[1] Driven back by the Floridans with great slaughter, says Gomara, the expedition sailed down to Pánuco River, again to be repulsed, with the loss of some men, who were flayed and eaten. Torralba, steward of Garay, was then sent to Spain, and there, with the aid of Garay's friends, obtained for him a commission as adelantado and governor of the territories that he might discover north of Rio San Pedro y San Pablo.[2] Meanwhile a new expedition was despatched to Pánuco, under Alonso élvarez Pineda, to form a settlement and to barter for gold. After obtaining some three thousand pesos, Pineda sailed southward to take possession and to select a site for the colony.[3]
And now while the notary is endeavoring to arrange matters with Cortés, Pineda waits for him a little distance from the shore. At that moment
- ↑ Armo Francisco de Garay tres carauelas en Iamaica, el año de mil quinitos y deziocho, y fue a tentar la Florida.' Gomara, Hist. Ind., 55. Determin de enviar á un hidalgo, llamado Diego de Camargo, á descubrir é continuar el descubrimiento que Grijalva habia hecho, con uno ó con dos navios; el cual descubrió la provincia de Panuco, ó, por mejor decir, comenzó de allí donde Grijalva se habia tornado, que fué desde Panuco, y anduvo navegando por la costa cien leguas hácia la Florida.' Las Casas, Hist. Ind., iv. 466; Herrera, dec. ii. lib. iii. cap. xi.; Galvano's Discov., 133-4.
- ↑ See Hist. Mex., i. 29, this series. El Rey se las concediá el aéo de 819, estando en Barcelona.' Las Casas, loc. cit. Torralua ... ruxo prouisiones para que fuesse Adelantado, y Gouernador desde el rio de San Pedro, y San Pablo, todo lo que descubriesse: y por aquellas pruisiones embi luego tres Nauios con hasta dozientos y setenta soldados.' Bernal Diaz, Hist. Verdad., 41.
- ↑ Bernal Diaz intimates that Pineda had remained at Rio Pánuco to colonize, while one vessel was sent down to take possession where Cortés met the men. After giving an account of two expeditions in 1518 and 1519, Gomara says: 'Otros dizen, que no fue mas de vna vez. Sino que como estuuo mucho alla cuctan por dos. Hist. Ind., 55. But Las Casas mentions distinctly that it was on the strength of Camargo's discoveries, in 1518, that the grant was made to Garay in the following year. ubi sup. Garai auia corrido mucha costa en demda de la Florida, y tocado en vn rio y tierra, cuyo rey se llamaua Panuco, donde vieron oro, aun que poco. Y que sin salir de las naues aui rescatado hasta tres mil pesos de oro.' Gomara, Hist. Mex., 67; Cortés, Cartas, 56-7; Oviedo, iii. 262-3; Herrera, dec. ii. lib. vi. cap. i.
