e
had expended in fitting out the armament.

They confirmed the pope's appointment of Cortes as governor of New
Spain; every division of land which he had made should stand good, and
further power should be granted to him to distribute the lands in
future, according to the best of his judgment; as it was quite evident
that in everything he had done up to the present moment he had strove to
promote the service of God, and the best interests of his majesty; and
it was therefore to be supposed he would continue to do so in future.

With respect to the accusations brought against Cortes concerning
Garay's death, the commissioners could not pronounce judgment at
present, but would thoroughly investigate this matter on some future
occasion: neither could they at present come to any decision with regard
to Narvaez's charge that his papers had been taken away from him, as the
defendant Alonso de Avila was then a prisoner in France; but they would
apply to the French king for his release in order to examine him. With
respect to the pilot Umbria and the soldier Cardenas, the commissioners
would petition his majesty to grant them each a commendary in New Spain
that would produce them an annual rent of 1000 pesos.

With regard to the Conquistadores themselves, they would propose that
lucrative commendaries should be bestowed upon them all, and that they
should take precedence in the churches and in all other places.

These several decisions were then drawn up in proper form, and
despatched to the royal court at Valladolid to receive his majesty's
confirmation.

His majesty not only confirmed the decision to which the commissioners
had come, but issued other royal letters by which Cortes was empowered
to banish from New Spain all deserters and those Spaniards who strolled
about the country like vagabonds, as they obstructed the conversion of
the Indians to Christianity. Further, all lawyers were forbidden to
settle in New Spain for a certain number of years to come, for they only
created lawsuits, quarrels, and dissensions among the inhabitants.

These royal letters were given at the court of Valladolid on the 17th of
May, in the year one thousand five hundred and so many years,[40]
countersigned by the above commissioners, by Don Garcia de Padilla, and
by the royal secretary Don Francisco de los Cobos, who subsequently
became comendador-mayor of Leon. Besides all this, his majesty wrote
letters to Cortes and all of us the vet