Ayala’s pleas, coinciding with the English attack on Florida, emphasized the importance of the colony in the growing competition for empire in the Southeast and made the agent’s task easier. Yet despite the generosity of his benefactor, Ayala found it difficult to obtain what had been granted him in royal and conciliar decrees. [Note: Consejo 4/12/1703 and 4/30/1703] Those responsible for providing him with artillery could not find suitable cannon in Spain to fill his needs and furnished the Floridian with only six 10-pounders out of the 28 originally requested. In small arms he obtained 250 rusty muskets and arquebuses—hardly fit for use—and 200 pikes and 1,000 grenades in better condition. [Note: king to Cevallos 9/16/1704] A one-year search turned up a 74-ton vessel, half the size of the ship originally intended for Ayala. Of the 150 Spanish soldiers ordered to Saint Augustine, only 20 unfortunates were ready to sail by September, 1704, the time of Ayala’s departure, and they had to be forcibly detained in temporary prisons to keep them from deserting. [Note: Consejo 9/16/1704; Junta de Guerra 9/16/1704] Still, by Florida standards, Ayala’s mission could be counted a success. He had obtained men, ships, money, and supplies from the king and Council of the Indies, who were now aware of the conditions in the colony and its place in the contest for the Southeast. The new king had also ordered aid to Florida from the wealthier provinces of New Spain and Cuba in an attempt to bolster the struggling colony. Misfortune—the English siege of 1702—had, it appeared, brought the Floridians good fortune. The assault had renewed the interest of officials in both Spain and the Indies over the fate of Florida. (Tepaske GSF)