In the meantime, conditions in Florida had not improved. Governor Montiano reported in November, 1737, that Oglethorpe intended to seize control of the Bahama Channel by taking Saint Augustine and that the defenses of the town could not withstand a sustained attack. One or two English frigates, claimed the governor, could break the lifeline to Cuba and starve out his colony. His description of colonial defenses was dismal. The walls of Fort San Marcos were crumbling; quarters for soldiers were hardly fit for human existence; storehouses and powderhouses leaked. No cannon could last a full day’s firing, and there was not one trained artilleryman in all Florida. With 600 new troops and 100 horses, however, Montiano believed he could avoid disaster. [Note 18: gov to king 11/11/1737] (Tepaske GSF)