the royal armies, governor of its place and of its province, say: That, since his arrival in this government, at the first examination he made of the buildings, whilst walking about the streets, he observed that many of them were in very bad order, others near falling down, and that the greatest portion of them were reduced to a mass of ruins. This misfortune proceeding, as he was then informed, and as he has ascertained since from the said edifices having become a part of the domain of the king our lord at the time the British evacuated this province, their owners having abandoned them, and his majesty having been advised of this event by his predecessor, in order that he may receive the necessary instruction relating to the conduct which he had to observe in their distribution, reparation, or sale, if it was thought proper, and in the six years of his residence in this city, no royal resolution having come down on that subject, for which reason this precious property of the royal finances is from day to day deteriorating, (so much so that in a short time it will come to an absolute end,) more to be deprecated in Florida than elsewhere, this being a place recently acquired, poor, and very far from the possessions of the crown; and his lordship not being able to look with indolence on such a loss, considering how much it wants a timely provision, was obliged to order, and did order, with the citation and intervention of the cashier of royal finance, that the principal master masons and carpenters should proceed to valuate what is extant of said edifices, including the lot, making a separate article of each in a record, of which this act is the beginning; and having done that, that candles be fixed in the customary places by the present escribano, that on the day which his lordship will fix, after having convocated the inhabitants of the province, that they may come to the government house to the auction of all the houses of his majesty, of which mention has been made, taking notice that those who will have to take them shall give security for the payment of the goods and lots when it shall please his majesty, to whom an account, accompanying these documents, will be given by the first opportunity, and in the interval they shall pay to the royal treasury five per cent. of the valuation which shall be made; well understood that only those shall be admitted as bidders, who, besides the security already mentioned, shall give another to repair and put in good condition, within one year, the said houses, giving always preference to the natives and Spaniards before the others in equal circumstances; the plan of his lordship being not less to save his honour and conscience by due attention to the interests of the king, than to attend to the beauty, good proportions, and convenience of the public, combining all the claims of the country and of the Spanish nation; and for all that, his lordship has provided, and ordered, and signed, thus, (which I attest,) Quesada, before me, Domingo Rodriguez de Leon, escribano of government. This is conformed to the original act, which remains in my power and office, and to which I refer; and I give the present for the use of the treasury of royal finances in Florida, on the 21st of August, 1790. DOMINGO RODRIGUEZ DE LEON, Escribano of Government. JUAN DE CAZANOVA. A true copy. No. 2. In the city of St. Augustine of Florida, on the 8th of April, 1791, notice having been given for the time required by law, of the sale and auction of the houses and lots valuated in the inventory, and this day having been designated for its execution, being for that purpose at the gate of the government house, where a great part of the neighbourhood convened, and in presence of the governor and commandery general, and of the officers of the royal finances, before me, the escribano, having previously convocated the people at the sound of the drum, the auction was opened through the voice of John José, negro slave, who was used as auctioneer, in the usual style, and having admitted the several bids which took place, the time fixed for the close of the auction having come, in consequence of no one offering any more, it was concluded in favour of the persons, and for the prices which will be expressed, for the estates which are numbered, as follows: Nos. 15. This house and lot was sold to Rafael Diaz for Dolls. Reals. 470 00 550 00 32. This house and lot was sold to Don Matio Guadarama for 740 00 38. This house and lot was sold to the adjutant of the place, Don Jose Fernandez, for 860 00 45. This house and lot was sold to Don Rumualdo Micklafferrias for 810 00 66. This house and lot was sold to Don Bernardo Segui 77. This house and lot was sold to Manuel Mareschal for 80. This house and lot was sold to Diego Carreras for the price of its valuation, being 345 00 196 05 89. This house and lot was sold to Captain Don Carlos Howard for . 650 00 104. This house and lot was sold to John Sanchez for 112. This house and lot was sold to Don Miguel Hisnardi 117. This house and lot was sold to Juan Bantista Ferreira for 110 00 124. The walls of this house and lot were sold to Don Bernardo Segui for 252 00 125. This house and lot was sold to Don Fadeo de Arribas, attorney for Donna Isabella Perpal, for 127. This house and lot was sold to Pedro Frihay for the price of its valuation 1,513 00 311 02 138. This house and lot was sold to John Easton for 300 00 450 00 605 00 188. This house and lot was sold to Antonio Llambias for 192. This house and lot was sold to Geronimo Alvarez for 196. This house and lot was sold to Antonio Palena, for 222. This house and lot was sold to Geronimo Alvarez for 225. This house and lot was sold to Antonio Mestre for 227. This house and lot was sold to Pedro Cocefacio for 234. This lot, and what it contains, was sold to John Hermandez for 400 00 320 00 610 00 200 00 955 00 230 00 250. This house and lot was sold to Antonio Mirandez for 253. This house and lot was sold to Don Mateo Guada 502 00 rama, attorney of John Rodriguez, for 400 00 254. This lot was sold to Don Manuel Fernandez Bendichio for 300 00 255. This house and lot was sold to D. Nicholas Rodriguez for the price of the valuation 358 06 Lastly, the house of wood which is in the plantation formerly belonging to Donna Isabella Perpal, was sold to Don Bernardo Segui for Total 330 00 14,248 05 The items of these auctions make a total sum of $14,248 05, errors excepted; which auction was approved in its efficient form by his lordship, reserving to himself to take other dispositions about the other lots which are not included in this sale, some of them for not having been bidden for, and others for having on them houses belonging to individuals, likewise other houses which had been valued, having been excluded from that auction, being destined to the service of his majesty, by which this record was concluded; the purchasers having due notice of what is provided in the act which is at the beginning, upon the manner and form of payment of the said properties, and they did sign it, together with the aforesaid gentlemen, of which I certify, Quesada, Gonzalo Zamorano, Bartoleme Benites y Galvez, Carlos Howard, Jose Fernandez Marcial, Pedro Cazifacio, Geronimo Alvarez, Miguel Hisnardis, Rafael Saavedra de Espinosa, Antonio de Miranda, Rafael Diaz, Miguel Sevallos, Antonio Lambias, Juan Bantista Ferreira, Bernardo Segui, Juan Houston, before me, Domingo Rodriguez de Leon, escribano of government. This is conformed to the originial, which is among the records of the affair to which I refer, and the present is given for the use of the VOL. II. 49 treasury of royal finances, St. Augustine, in Florida, dated as afore said. [L. S.] A true copy. DOMINGO RODRIGUEZ DE LEON, No. 3. The King. Governor and commandery general of the province of St. Augustine, of Florida: Your predecessor, by letter of the 20th of November, of 1791, advised me, including the documents, of measures which he had taken, and sales which he had made of the lots and houses, which, having been evacuated by the British, escheated to my royal patrimony, according to the 3d article of the preliminaries of peace agreed with that power; and likewise of what had been done with several estates, the possession of the widow Donna Isabella Perpal, bought from the British in a suspicious manner, but that, besides being a widow, she was a poor Spaniard, and perhaps had acted in good faith, which did give her a claim to my royal clemency, and to which case, others were very similar, of inhabitants who were suspected of having bought houses after the time given to the British to sell had elapsed, and without your permission and interference, and as it would have been necessary to make a very long inquiry, it seemed to you better for the service to avoid it; and as the said edifices are falling in ruins, the order to proceed to their sale at public auction, having had them fresh valued by competent persons, and having given notice that those who should take these estates should give security for the payment of the goods and lots when I should think proper, besides repairing and putting in order the said houses within one year, paying, in the meanwhile, five per cent. a year, which was accordingly done so, after the purchasers had obliged themselves to pay them upon the capital sum, and this auction having taken place, the total sum of these sales amounting to 157,974 reals and 1 cuar; including the value of the houses which were said to belong to the aforesaid Donna Isabella Perpal, Don Matea Martin Hernandez, and Don Manuel Hexxera, which were declared to belong to my royal patrimony, their sales having been fraudulent; afterwards, in a letter of the 20th of October, 1798, you showed me, with due evidence, that some refused to pay the five per cent. under pretext of the concession of lands made to the strangers who should settle themselves in that colony, and that the houses and lots of that city being not comprised in that concession, and seeing that the number of taverns and stores increased in it, without a similar increase taking place in agriculture and other branches of commerce, you did give me an account, not only of these events, but likewise of the others remaining undecided, from the time of your predecessor, in order to obtain my royal decision: having seen all that was reported on the subject to my council of the Indies, what has been reported by the general treasury, what my fiscal has exposed, and, after considering upon it, on the 17th of April last, I have resolved to condemn the debtors of rents to the payment of the capital and rent of the houses and lots which they purchased, and to approve the sales and other measures adopted by your antecessor, issuing to each a deed of possession and property, in order to ensure them the ownership of the estate henceforward, for such is my will; and of the present note must be taken in the aforesaid general treasury. Given in Aranjuez on the 17th of June, 1801. I, the King. By the order of the king our lord: ANTONIO PERCELL. To the governor of Florida, notifying him to have condemned the debtors of rents in that city, to the payment of the houses and lots which they acquired at the evacuation of the British, and for other purposes therein contained: Let this be registered in the 7th department of the general treasury of the Indies. Madrid, 9th of July, 1801. PEDRO APARICI. St. Augustine of Florida, February, 1802. Let this royal cedula be registered in the treasury, and let it afterwards be annexed to the record of which he treats, and afterwards it shall be sent to the assessor general, that he may consult me upon it HENRY WHITE. This royal cedula was registered in the principal treasury, of which I have charge. St. Augustine of Florida, 18th of February, 1802. GONZALO ZAMORANO. This is a copy of the royal cedula which is registered in this office, of which I certify, in order to be sent to the tribunal of accounts. Havana, 7th of February, 1823. A true copy. GONZALO GARCIA DE PRADO. JUAN DE CASANOVA. No. 4. Act. Seen. Let all that his majesty has ordered, in his foregoing royal cedula of the 17th of June last, be observed, accomplished, and executed, by posting it up for that object in the accustomed place, and inserting it at length for what relates to the royal donation and grace of the houses and lots which were sold at auction here, as belonging to the royal patrimony in the year 1791, and of the annual rent of five per cent. upon the value of the estates to which the purchasers oblige themselves. Let, likewise, be published the royal approbation of the aforesaid auction; and in consequence of the aforesaid royal grace, let the hypothecary securities, which the purchasers had then given to secure the capital and interest, be cancelled, as well as those which they have progressively given to other possessors to whom they had alienated them at the same time, |