By this time our strength had been considerably augmented, both by means of those formerly mentioned who had been on the expedition to Florida under Aillon, and by several who had come over along with Tapia, and by the arrival of many adventurers from the islands of Hispaniola, Cuba, and Jamaica. De Oli, likewise, had now returned from Mechoacan, which he had reduced to submission, bringing with him the principal cacique of that country and several other chiefs, with a considerable quantity of gold. Cortes therefore left a respectable garrison in Mexico, under Diego de Soto, and set out on his march for Panuco65 with 130 cavalry, 250 infantry, and 10,000 Mexican warriors. As this expedition was very expensive, Cortes, wished the charge to be defrayed from the royal funds, but the officers of the treasury refused, under the pretext that it had been undertaken from motives of private interest, to prevent Garray from establishing a colony in that place, and not for the public service. The Panuchese, otherwise called the Guastecas and Naguaticas, were numerous and warlike, and had collected a force of above 70,000 warriors, with which they fought two battles against Cortes in the course of a few days, in which three Spaniards, four horses, and above a hundred Mexicans were slain; but we obtained the victory in both actions, with such slaughter of the rebels, as deprived them of all inclination to renew the war for the present. By means of Father Olmedo and some prisoners, the Panuchese were now induced to submit. Cortes in the next place proceeded with half his army across the river Chila, to reduce the natives who had murdered the messengers whom he sent to require their submission. On crossing the river, the enemy fell upon our troops with great fury, but were soon defeated, and our people advanced to a town in which they found abundance of provisions. Some of our soldiers, on going into a temple next morning, found the remains of some of our men, and even recognized their features, a melancholy sight to us all; but we carefully collected and buried their remains. From this place our detachment marched to another, where the enemy concealed some of their troops among houses, intending to fall upon our men when the cavalry had dismounted; but as their plan was discovered it failed of success, yet they fought valiantly for half an hour, even rallying three times, contrary to the usual custom of the Indians, and three of our soldiers were so badly wounded that they afterwards died. On the ensuing day, our soldiers scoured the country, and in some deserted towns they found a number of earthen vessels filled with a species of wine in underground cellars. After having marched for five days through the country in various directions, the detachment returned to the river Chila, and Cortes again summoned the the country to submission. They promised to send a deputation for that purpose in four days, for which Cortes waited, but to no purpose; he therefore sent a large body of Mexicans, during a dark rainy night, across a lake to attack one of their largest towns, which was entirely destroyed; after which most of the country submitted, and Cortes established a town of 130 houses about a league from the river of Chila, which he named Estevan del Puerto, leaving 63 Spanish soldiers to keep the country under subjection, and giving the command of all the neighbouring country to Pedro Valego. Before leaving this country, Cortes was informed of three districts, which had now submitted, the inhabitants of which had been very active in the murder of the Spaniards at Panuco on the former occasion, and who had entered into a resolution to fall upon the new settlement as soon as he quitted the country. He marched therefore against them, and destroyed their towns, which they re-established soon after his departure. In consequence of the loss of a vessel which Cortes had ordered to bring provisions from Villa Rica, this new settlement was reduced to much distress. The inhabitants of this province of Panuco were the most barbarous of all the tribes in New Spain, being cruel to excess, exceedingly addicted to human sacrifices, drunken, filthy, and wicked beyond belief. They frequently rebelled, and were as often punished in a most exemplary manner; but all would not reduce them under good government: But when Nunez de Guzman became governor of New Spain, he reduced the whole nation to slavery, and sold them among the different Islands of the West Indies.

On his return towards Mexico, Cortes received complaints of various depredations having been committed by the inhabitants of the neighbouring mountains on the peaceable districts of New Spain66, He determined therefore to chastise these lawless tribes while on his way; but they anticipated him, by assaulting his rear in a difficult pass of the mountains, where they got possession of a considerable portion of the baggage. But our Mexican allies severely revenged this insult, and made prisoners of two of the principal hostile chiefs who were both hanged. After this victory, Cortes suspended hostilities, and having summoned the people to appear before him, they came in and submitted, on which Cortes appointed the brother of the cacique who had been put to death to the vacant government. About this time Alonza de Avila, who was formerly mentioned, returned with full powers from the royal audience and the Jeronymite brotherhood, to continue our conquests, to make settlements of land and colonies according to the established rules in Hispaniola and Cuba, and to brand slaves: And he brought notice that these tribunals had transmitted a report of the steps they had now taken to the government in Spain, whence it was transmitted to the emperor, then in Flanders. If Avila had been in New Spain at the arrival of Tapia, he might have proved troublesome, as he was entirely devoted to the Bishop of Burgos, having been bred up in his house. On this account, and by the advice of Olmedo, Cortes gave him the command of the district of Guatitlan, one of the most profitable in New Spain, and also made him a considerable present of gold, and many flattering words and promises by which he gained him over entirely to his interest, insomuch that he sent him soon afterwards into Spain as his agent, carrying a large quantity of gold, pearls, and jewels to the emperor, together with several gigantic human bones that were found in a temple at Cojohuacan, similar to those which had been formerly sent from Tlascala, as already mentioned67. Besides these things, he carried over three Mexican tigers, and many other curious things which I do not now remember. One part of the business of this agency, was to carry a memorial from the cabildo of Mexico, and from us the conquerors of New Spain, soliciting to be supplied with bishops and clergy of holy life and exemplary manners, and requesting that all offices of honour and emolument might be conferred on us who had conquered this vast empire for our sovereign, and that the supreme government might be confided to our general Cortes. We requested that his majesty might be pleased to prohibit any lawyers from coming among us, who would throw us into confusion with their learned quibbles; and we farther represented the insufficient commission of Christoval de Tapia, who had been sent out by the Bishop of Burgos, merely for the purpose of effectuating a marriage between him and the bishops niece. We deprecated the interference of the bishop in the affairs of New Spain, which had already obstructed our efforts of conquest in the service of his majesty, and had manifested great enmity against us by prohibiting the Casa de Contratation of Seville from sending us any supplies. We concluded by declaring ourselves ready to receive his majesties commands with the most perfect submission and obedience, but that we had deemed it our bounden duty to lay all these particulars before his majesty, which had hitherto been artfully kept from his knowledge. On his part, Cortes sent a memorial to the king of twenty-one pages long, in which he left no argument unemployed to serve his own and our interest. He even requested permission to go over to the island of Cuba, and to send the governor Velasquez a prisoner to Spain, that he might be tried and punished for the injuries he had done to the public service, and especially for having sent an order to put Cortes to death.