On May 23, 1730, an auctioneer, Francisco Ponce de Leon AN339, an infantry private in the garrison at Fort San Marcos, opened the bidding for the [secretary] office. Three times that day he urged the curious populace assembled in the public square of the Florida capital to bid; three times they met his entreaties with stony, perhaps amused, silence. Benavides blamed Ponce for the lack of results and the next day replaced him with a drummer from the fort, Antonio de Fuentes. At first he was as unsuccessful as his predecessor. For ten days he futilely asked for a bid. On the eleventh day, however, Francisco Ponce de Leon, the original auctioneer, shattered the silence with a bid of 100 pesos, short of the minimum sale price but enough to give Fuentes some hope. Then four more days without another offer led the drummer-auctioneer back into despair. Finally, however, on June 17 Ponce added 50 pesos to his original offer, stating that this was absolutely his last bid. At this the discouraged Fuentes closed the auction. Eighteen days of shouting had elicited two bids, both inadequate. [Note: Gov to king 7/16/1730] Benavides, however, decided to forward Ponce’s offer to Spain, where the king might decide that half a loaf was better than none and confirm Ponce in office. In this the governor proved correct. Happy to secure the 150 pesos for the royal treasury, Philip V approved Ponce in the secretaryship, despite the fact he had ordered the governor of Cuba to fill the office. [Note: Gov to king 10/15/1731] Then the drama became even more ludicrous. Ponce de Leon had evidently viewed the entire episode as a joke. Perhaps he had bid on a dare by his fellow soldiers. Perhaps he had a spontaneous urge to break the terrible monotony of a bidless auction. After all Ponce himself had experienced a futile one-day stand of auctioneer and realized something of Fuentes’ frustration. Possibly the governor prompted Ponce to start bidding in the hope that it would inspire another offer for the full purchase price. In any event, when Ponce received word of his appointment, he was outraged. In a heated conversation with Governor Benavides he claimed that he was merely a simple soldier, qualified only for that profession, and that he could not possibly become secretary. [Note: Gov to king 10/15/1731] Refusing on the basis of ill-health, Ponce managed to avoid taking the position. [Note: Auto de pregon del oficio de escribano publico, 7/29/1734] (Tepaske GSF)