How Cortés sent a Ship to New Spain, with a follower of his named Martin de Orantes as Captain, with letters and decrees appointing Francisco de las Casas and Pedro de Alvarado as Governors if they were there, and if not then Alonzo de Estrada and Albornoz.

Now as Gonzalo de Sandoval could not induce Cortés to embark, for he was still intent on conquering and settling that country, which at this time was thickly peopled and said to contain gold mines, it was settled that without further delay he should send by ship to Mexico one of his followers named Martin Dorantes, ¹ an active man whom he could trust in any business of importance, and he went as Captain of the ship and took with him decrees appointing Pedro de Alvarado and Francisco de las Casas (if they had returned to Mexico) Governors of New Spain, until Cortés [himself] arrived and if they were not in Mexico, the Treasurer Alonzo de Estrada and the Accountant Albornoz should be Governors, in the same way as he had given them authority before, and he revoked the powers given to the Factor and the Veedor. He wrote very amiably to the Treasurer and also to Albornoz, although he knew of the hostile letters he [the latter] had written to His Majesty against Cortés. He also wrote to all his friends the Conquistadores, and to the monasteries of San Francisco and the Friars. He ordered Martin Dorantes to go and disembark at a bay between Panuco and Vera Cruz, and he also impressed this on the pilot and sailors, and moreover he paid them well not to put anyone ashore except Martin Dorantes, and as soon as they had put him ashore to up anchor, make sail, and go to Panuco. He had given them the best of the three vessels which there were, and had provisioned it, and after having heard Mass they set sail, and it pleased our Lord to give them such good weather that in a few days they reached New Spain and went directly to the bay near Panuco which Martin Dorantes knew very well.