The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
assembled in the house of the high chancellor, and ordered Narvaez, with his three
companions and the agents of Velasquez into their presence. In the same way they cited
before them Martin Cortes, the licentiate Nuñez, Montejo, and Ordas. These latter
gentlemen being made acquainted with theseveral charges which had been prepared against
Cortes, replied to thefollowing effect:
That with regard to the assertion, that Velasquez was the first discovererof New Spain, and
that he had expended large sums of money in the discovery, it was entirely false, as the
whole merit of it was dueto Cordoba, who had fitted out the armament at his own expense.
Velasquez, on the contrary, in many circumstances connected with thisexpedition, had laid
himself open to the imputation of guilt, as he hadtried all in his power to induce Cordoba
and his companions, for certainconsiderations, to land at the Guanajas islands, in order to
carry away forcibly from thence a great number of the inhabitants as slaves, towork his
mines in Cuba; of all of which our agents produced undeniable proofs. Neither could
Velasquez, they continued, claim anymerit to himself when he subsequently despatched his
relative Grijalvato New Spain, as he had not commissioned him to form any settlements,
but he merely desired him to carry on a trade of barter with theIndians. Nor had Velasquez
put himself to any great expense on this occasion, as the greater part of the expenses in
fitting out the armament had been borne by the officers and soldiers themselves, one of
whom, Francisco de Montejo, now stood before the honorable commission. From this
expedition Grijalva had returned to Cuba with 20,000 pesos worth of gold, of which,
however, Velasquez had not paidone farthing into the royal treasury, but claimed the whole
amount forhimself, and sent it to the bishop of Burgos, to obtain further favoursfrom him.
In the same way he had bestowed upon the bishop greatnumbers of Indians to work his
gold mines in Cuba, without his everso much as thinking to set any of the townships apart
for the crown.Of all this they likewise produced undeniable proofs.
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If Velasquez, continued our agents, did give Cortes the chief commandof the armament he
afterwards fitted out, his appointment wascertainly by divine ordinance, and it proved most
fortunate for the emperor's interest, as every other general must have succumbed to the
immense bodies of the enemy which everywhere opposed his march intothe interior of the
country. However, Velasquez's intention in fitting outthis expedition was not to make any
conquests, or form any settlements,but merely to carry on a trade of barter with the Indians;
in proof of which,they could produce the original papers, containing his instructions. Cortes
had remained in that country, and founded a colony there, because histroops had insisted on
it, and because he himself was convinced that itwould be both serviceable to God and to his
majesty. Respecting allthese circumstances, Cortes' troops drew up an account, which they
had despatched to his majesty, with all the gold they had collected up to that moment;
indeed Cortes and his men were never for a momentforgetful of the deep veneration and the
dutiful obedience which they owed to their monarch. Our agents then gave a long
description of the great partiality which the president of the council of the Indies had
undisguisedly shown on every occasion for Velasquez; how he hadtaken all the gold, with
our despatches, from our agents, and put halfof the former into his own pocket; how he had
calumniated us to his majesty, purposely omitted to mention what great services we had
renderedto the crown, suppressed real facts, and altogether placed thingsin a false light.
But this was not all; for when our agents wished torepair in person to Flanders, in order to
throw themselves at his majesty's feet, and give him a faithful account of all the
circumstances,the bishop cast one of those gentlemen, named Puertocarrero, a relativeof
the earl of Medellin, into prison, where he died. With the same hostile feeling and party
spirit the bishop had issued peremptory ordersthat neither ammunition, troops, nor anything
else destined for Cortes,should leave the port of Seville, and every obstacle was to be laid
inhis way to thwart his designs. He had not hesitated to term Cortesand the whole of his
men a pack of traitors; and the only cause of hishatred was his own interested connexion
with Velasquez, and the intended marriage of his niece with Christobal de Tapia, in
considerationof which the latter was to receive the appointment of governorof New Spain.
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