In the meantime, Benavides had proceeded against the curate’s temporary replacement, Father Pedro Alonso Lodares Cota, close associate of the bishop of Cuba, who apparently won the appointment because of his friendship with the Cuban prelate. Almost as soon as he arrived in September, 1722, Lodares Cota clashed with the governor. When Benavides transferred four small ships from Spanish to English control, the interim curate objected. He told the governor that the four vessels should have remained under Spanish jurisdiction and threatened excommunication to all those involved in the transaction, including the governor. [Note 59: gov to king 9/30/1722] (Tepaske GSF)