the governor and Cortes.  Many seditious persons, knowing the dissatisfaction of Cortes, offered him their services if he would set himself up as an independant monarch in New Spain, and he even received similar offers from many persons in Mexico.  He immediately arrested all of these men who were in his reach, threatening to put them to death, and wrote to inform the bishop of Tlascala of their treasonable offers.  The bishop waited on Cortes, and found his conduct in every respect satisfactory, of which he sent word to Mexico; and finding that Cortes was positively determined upon going to Spain, the prelate added to his letter a severe censure from himself upon the misconduct of those who had driven him from thence.

[1] The harbour of Medelin is fifteen or twenty miles south from Vera Cruz;
    but I suspect the place named St Juan de Ulua in the text is the
    modern town of Vera Cruz, the harbour of which is protected by the
    island and castle of St Juan de Ulua.  The ancient town of Villa Rica
    de la Vera Cruz, now called Antigua, is about twenty-five miles north
    from modern Vera Cruz.—­E.

[2] Diaz is frequently inattentive to dates, and does not on this occasion
    inform us of the year:  By reference to Robertsons History of America,
    II. 266, 12mo. ed Lond. 1800, it certainly apoears to have been in the
    year 1524.—­E.

[3] It may be proper to remark in this place, that the cacao nuts were
    used by the Mexicans before the conquest as a medium for purchases of
    small value instead of money, and the practice was continued under the
    Spanish dominion, as the markets were supplied by the original natives. 
    Clavigero, I. 366. says that the Mexicans used five substitutes for
    money. 1.  Cacao, which they counted by xiquipils, or in sacks
    containing each three xiquipils, or 24,000 nuts. 2.  Small cotton
    cloths, called patolquachtli. 3.  Gold dust in goose quills. 4. 
    Pieces of copper in the form of the letter T. 5.  Thin pieces of
    tin.—­E.

SECTION XXII.

Narrative of Occurrences, from the Departure of Cortes to Europe till his Death.

About this time likewise, Cortes received letters from the president of the council of the Indies, the Duke of Bejar, and several others of his friends in Spain; strongly urging the necessity of his appearance at court to counteract the malignant accusations of his numerous enemies[1].  By the same conveyance, he received notice of the death of his father.  Having performed funeral obsequies in memory of his father, he ordered two ships to be purchased, which he stored so abundantly with provisions of all kinds, that after his arrival in Spain the overplus might have served for a voyage of two years.  I am uncertain whether Cortes returned to Mexico in order to arrange