ABSTRACT
Your majesty should command that the fort of the port of Las Isletas must regularly keep twelve quintals of powder, the alcalde being bound to do so on pain of losing his post immediately he is found without such a supply. It should be requisitioned from the council and each regidor should be under penalty of 200 ducats if the powder is not delivered. This should be enforced by the governor, since it is for the benefit of the island. That day there were 200 quintals available and when the governor sent to ask the alcalde whether he was supplied he replied that he was, but later said that he was not. He fired no more than four guns during the fighting. It was because the fort did not fire and because the guns had not enough balls to bring down the ships' topsails that the enemy left not a single ship behind ... 1
22. Statements of prisoners captured at Grand Canary2 (a) Vincent Bluq
At Canaria on 10 October 1595 [statements were received before the audiencia from two prisoners in the manner following]. 3 1 The alcalde in charge of the fort was later criticized for his parsimony in the use of
2 Simancas, Guerra Antigua, legajo 432. Extract. The document consists of depositions attached to the audiencia' s report. The first three statements, by Spaniards, merely corroborate the official report. The text then continues as given here. Following the three prisoners' statements come depositions by the peasants who captured them and finally certain statements relating to a petition protesting against the informaciones inspired by Alvarado and calling for the preparation of the relacion verdadera by the audiencia.
