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Benavides used soldiers' salaries to maintain Indian alliances
Source: The Governorship of Spanish Florida #122
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No single factor weakened the Spanish position among the Indians more than the shortage of supplies. In 1722, for example, Governor Benavides declared that he had nothing with which to keep the natives contented. The 6,000 pesos Philip V awarded in 1716 for maintenance of Indian allies was inadequate. Between 1717 and 1721 costs of supporting the Indians averaged 9,516 pesos annually, over 3,500 pesos more than the king had allocated. To make up the difference, Benavides had diverted money from soldiers’ salaries, a policy that had proved exceedingly unpopular among the men in his destitute garrison. Benavides hoped too that settlement of Canary Islanders in Apalache would solve the problem. Not only would the new settlers provide a regular source of food for the Spaniards and the Indians, but profits from food production would also provide additional funds for the natives. [Note 33 gov to king 3/8/1722] The king, however, ordered only a small increase in the annual amount set aside for the Indians. [Note 34 Cedula El Pardo 10/31/1722] (Tepaske GSF)
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