Your Majesty orders me to advise you of the mines of the Ygolotes, [15]
and the success of the nutmeg of La Laguna. The latter is considered as
wild nutmeg, and now as of no importance. I shall endeavor to ascertain
whether it may be cultivated, and shall attempt to do so. More than
fifty thousand pesos were spent in the mines, but nothing was found
at last. A quantity of rocks were sent to Nueba España, in order
to be assayed there, as we had no one here who understood it; and,
the soldiers having been withdrawn, that exploration was abandoned,
as a matter that did not have the desired result.

[_In the margin_: "Seen; have Don Juan Niño de Tabora inform me more
minutely of this."]

I found this city without regidors, because the Audiencia had removed
those who held that office. By virtue of a decree of your Majesty,
the observance of which was demanded by the fiscal, those offices were
offered at auction; but only two of them were sold. The purchasers were
persons whose standing did your Majesty but know, you would surely
not consider yourself served that [these offices should be sold] for
so small a price as is two thousand pesos for each--and one thousand
pesos of that sum was paid in due-bills. They should be discontinued,
to be conceded to the persons of highest standing in this community,
who because of their good character will attend more carefully to
your Majesty's service, and the conservation and increase of the
community, than do those who buy them; for the latter generally try to
get from the community the sum that the offices cost them. However,
I am ordering the proclamations to be continued; and if there are no
persons to buy the offices, after the time-limit has expired I shall
appoint the most suitable persons to them, with the guarantee that,