In January, 1745, for example, a convoy of ships from New Spain, escorted by frigates of the Windward Squadron, dropped anchor in Havana harbor, carrying the Florida subsidy in its holds. In Havana officials of the Havana Company immediately took charge of the specie and purchased the supplies requested by the governor and his junta. Co-operating closely with the Florida accountant, Francisco de Castilla, these officials then drew up a plan to carry the goods and remaining specie (worth 47,000 pesos in all) to Saint Augustine in a fleet of two small galleons, a frigate, and a brigantine. All went well in Havana until Castilla attempted to seek a larger naval escort from the governor of Cuba, Francisco de Guemes y Horcasitas. Blocked at every turn by Guemes’ supercilious secretaries, he failed to obtain an audience with the governor and ultimately had to sail for Florida without securing adequate naval protection for his two vessels. Not long after the four ships left the harbor, a violent storm broke. During the tempest the foremast shattered on the small galleon carrying the 47,000 pesos, separating it from the rest of the fleet. A cannon shot fired as a distress signal failed to attract the attention of the other ships, long since out of range, and the disabled vessel had to take refuge in a sheltered inlet of one of the Bahamas. Here the captain and crew assessed the damage wrought by the storm and took stock of their predicament. Caught halfway between Saint Augustine and Havana, the ship badly in need of repair, and separated from their escort vessels, the Spanish sailors had to decide whether to proceed to Florida or go back to Cuba, once they had put their ship in seaworthy condition. After some debate the crew voted to chance the voyage to Saint Augustine. This, the majority believed, was no more dangerous than returning to Havana, where they might also fall prey to English corsairs. The Spanish captain never had the opportunity to know whether his men had made a wise decision. While he waited in the Bahama harbor for a favorable wind to take his ship north to Florida, an English man-of-war carrying 29 men, six cannon, and smaller armaments sailed into the inlet. Initially the Spaniards resisted with a few feeble volleys from their small arms, but the English ship was undeterred and finally came close enough for its crew to throw out grappling hoods to draw the two vessels together. With the odds three-to-one against them and facing almost certain annihilation in hand-to-hand fighting, the Spaniards surrendered. The English captain then took his prize in tow to Providence Island, where British authorities confiscated the supplies and money on board and released the Spanish crew, which finally made its way back to Cuba on a French vessel. Incidents like these dealt a serious blow to the hard-pressed Floridians and also set off investigations in Spain. Eager to find a scapegoat, the king and the Council of the Indies hoped to avoid a similar occurrence and to find a culpable party who might be made responsible for paying the sum which was lost. But in this case the Council could not fix the blame despite the attempt of the Florida accountant, Francisco de Castilla, to incriminate the governor of Cuba. Castilla stated that the governor should have issued specific instructions to the four ship captains in case they became separated. If Guemes had fulfilled this responsibility, claimed Castilla, the 47,000 pesos would now be resting in the treasury at Saint Augustine. Castilla also condemned Guemes for his failure to provide adequate naval protection for his ship. The Council, however, did not hold the Cuban governor responsible. It was apparent that no amount of gubernatorial instructions could have controlled the vagaries of nature, and the Council finally placed the blame for the loss on the storm, requesting the viceroy to deliver an additional 47,000 pesos to Havana as soon as possible. Meanwhile the Floridians suffered. (Tepaske GSF)