ceful
revolution in the political status of Cuba. For some time there had been
controversy and litigation between the heirs of Columbus and the Spanish
crown, concerning the rights, powers and privileges of the former in the
West Indies. The suits came to an end in the spring of 1537, when a
settlement was effected, one of the bases of which was the complete
renunciation, by the heirs of Columbus, of all right, title or
jurisdiction of any kind whatever over the island of Cuba. That of
course completely separated Cuba from the jurisdiction of Hispaniola,
and made it directly responsible to and dependent upon Spain. It was no
longer an adjunct to Hispaniola, but a colony of Spain.

Now thitherto the governor and most of the other officials in Cuba had
received their commissions from the Admiral or Vicereine in Hispaniola,
or from the Supreme Court there. Such was the case with Guzman, though
his Hispaniolan commission had received the ratification of the King. It
was therefore logically held that all commissions thus given in Cuba by
the Hispaniola government became null and void with the emancipation of
Cuba from dependence upon the other and smaller island. In consequence,
Guzman's second term in the governorship came to an end in March, 1537.

An interregnum ensued. The King was contemplating further reorganization
of his American domains, and consequently forebore for some time to
appoint a successor to Guzman, or indeed to any of the important
officials whose terms of office had been involuntarily ended. There had
just been, as we have seen, widespread investigations and trials of
royal functionaries for frauds, and the King was solicitous to find
someone who was indubitably trustworthy, before making further
appointments. The result was that the affairs of the island, which had
been gravely disturbed and damaged by Guzman, went rapidly from bad to
worse, and threatened to plunge into utter chaos.

Nor was the solution of this crisis for the advantage of the island. On
the contrary, it was to its still further detriment. Once before, in the
time of Velasquez, Cuba had been made to suffer greatly because of the
development of Mexico and the exodus of many enterprising Cubans to that
country. That experience was now to be repeated even more disastrously,
in the attempted development of Florida. That country had long been
known. It was placed upon the maps as early as 1502, and it was in 1513,
at the time when Velasq