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Lt. Gov. Middleton claimed he had no orders regarding border negotiations

Source: Historical proof of the right of the Catholic King to the territory held to-day by the British King under the name of New Georgia #558

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15. In the first council assembled after the arrival of Don Francisco Menendez and Don Joseph Primo, to which they were summoned, after exhibiting their commission and the despatches of their Catholic and British majesties, they represented to the council what seemed best to them and most in harmony with his Catholic Majesty's unquestionable rights of possession. The reply which they got was that the officials of Carolina had not received direct orders from their King in regard to the matter, but if they had them they would do what was proposed without opposition; and that as soon as they received them a meeting would be arranged to carry out the orders of the two sovereigns. In a letter of September 10/21, 1725, to the governor of Florida, Mr. Middleton, governor during the absence of Nicholson, who was in London, reiterating the reply given by the Council, added that, as long as he had no definite order from the King his master, he would maintain the fort and the dispute concerning the territories, in which, in view of his duty, he would take special care. 70. [Bolton note: The letter is printed in Serrano y Sanz, Documentos Hist&ricos de la Florida, 255-257; Carroll, Historical Collections, I, 269-271, gives a sketch of the relations between Carolina and Florida.]

16. It will be seen, therefore, in what manner were eluded the repeated complaints of the Court of Spain in regard to the unwarranted construction of the fort of Tamaja, and the agreements of both crowns that the two governors should communicate to each other the orders for the adjustment of the boundaries and the termination of these controversies.

17. Truly, words are lacking with which to characterize this sort of bad faith, practiced with such perfidy, although at that time it was not known who was to blame for it, whether the Court of London, through not having given the orders agreed upon, or the government of Carolina, through not having obeyed them. It is only known that there cannot be any nation, either civilized or barbarous, that would not be amazed to see the laws of friendship and good understanding broken with such effrontery, the sacred faith of treaties violated without concealment, the rights of man transgressed, and the mandates of justice trampled under foot. In short, it is fully established and proved that Spanish dominion was usurped as far as Santa Elena 71. [Bolton note: He means that the occupation of the region south of Santa Elena is a usurpation of Spain's domain.]by the very fact that the English avoided the reply and the fulfillment of the pact between the two courts.