Moved by piety, and a desire for peace and quietude, it has seemed to me timely to notify you regarding the Government of this Province and Garrison of St. Augustine, Fla., being as you are so high and compassionate a Minister, who is always thinking and caring for the welfare of his people. My Lord, Governor Benito Ruid Salazar, former Governor of this Province, died at the time the Sergeant-Major was absent. God, it seems, took him by a contageous sickness, and although two others have been nominated _pro tem._, by the death of Benito Ruiz, the reins of government were left in charge of the Auditor Nicolas Ponce de Leon, who governed for six months more or less, when he died suddenly. For this reason, a few of the Officials of this Garrison, who are related, met at night in different parts of the City, and with sufficient defamatory speech elected as Governor Don Pedro Ruitinez, with flattering promises to those who would give their vote. When he had been Governor one year and a half, he had given twenty-three patents of captain, the most of them to two companies of this Garrison, four positions as wardens of the Fort, three Sergeant-Majors said to be andantes--three Auditors, one Treasurer--calling himself Governor and Captain-General. In granting these patents, and other things he has done, he has thrown down the flags, and had the artillery at the Fort salute. He arrived here on the seventeenth of July, with the Auditor, Treasurer, Sergeant-Major and the two captains of infantry who all left that court at the same time. The Sergeant-Major brought a Cedula from your Majesty, for the Governor, which he presented to Don Pedro Ruitinez, and it was not possible to comply with it, it being a military promotion, placing the Sergeant-Major as Governor. Don Pedro Ruitinez had received notice that Don Diego de Rolallado had been appointed Governor and Captain-General of this Port--he sent some friends over to Havana to meet and entertain him during his stay in that City, and thus Don Pedro has maintained his friendly relations with the Governor, although he has not said a word of how he intimidated the people to elect him Governor--nor his other doings--nor how he refused to turn over the Government to the Sergeant-Major. But he did demand his pay. Your Lordship, the Governor and Captain-General arrived at this Garrison on the 18th of June, 1654, having received in Havana $20,000 sent by the Auditor and placed to the credit of this Garrison. This money he used in Havana as follows: Goods--$7,000, gaining in this purchase more than 200 per cent. He sent Don Alonzo Menendez with $8,000 to relieve the suffering and need of the infantry and others who are in your service, and he sold to advantage the remaining goods. In the month of February of this present year there arrived a vessel laden with flour, iron implements and other goods, and although it is true that the person in whose charge they came, brought over $40,000 to be delivered to this treasury, he only delivered $15,000, because in Havana the duties were so heavy and they demanded the pay. The soldier in whose care this money and goods came, is Domingo Nunez. He spent in Havana $2,000 on clothing, filling an order received from the Governor, and another $2,000 in clothing he was to bring from New Spain. The Governor after ordering this became infuriated with Domingo Nunez, cursing him, beating and slapping him in the most unheard of manner--accusing him of not bringing all the clothing ordered, and finally he had him placed in the stockade on the beach. He then had the boxes and packages taken to a neighbor’s and soldier, and opened them--finding after pricing them and adding one-fourth more than the cost to them, that they amounted to more than the $2,000. He then went several times to Domingo Nunez, demanded his papers, searched them, kept him in prison, and then without cause or reason turned him out. It is true he becomes enraged for the slightest cause. It is a positive fact, that he and another spendthrift named Fanfan, have sent out from his (the Governor’s) house, chocolate to be sold on the streets by his body guards. At the time there was such great distress and scarcity, he sent out wine to be sold at such exorbitant prices that only those compelled to have it could buy. In this tavern of his, the people sell cutlasses for bread, chocolate and tobacco. In the large store, run now by Lorenzo Josi, they sell rum and clothing--a bottle of rum costs eight dollars which is an outrage. According to Manuel Barrios, the tavern keeper, he makes thirty-one dollars on a cask. Since there is no more money left to buy these commodities for cash he has adopted another method of selling them in exchange for labor, and makes out checks for this amount.