From the Haskins Archive · 1626
Havana orders the Margarita’s silver surrendered
Tomás de Larraspuru, Captain General of the Indies escort fleet, learns that Francisco Núñez Melián has pulled silver bars from the galleon Margarita at the Cayos de Matecumbe and orders every piece handed over. 29 August 1626.
“…where in the past year of twenty-two the silver galleons in the charge of the Marqués de Cadereyta were lost… he has found the galleon Margarita and taken from her a quantity of silver bars, reales, copper plates, wrought silver and some artillery.”From the translation. Havana, 29 August 1626.
Published 29 August 2026, four hundred years to the day after it was signed.
Auto (decree).
In the city of San Cristóbal de La Habana, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of August of the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-six, the lord don Tomás de Larraspuru, knight of the Order of Alcántara, captain general of the Armada de la Guardia de las Indias (the fleet guarding the Indies),
said that, by the report given to him in this city that Francisco Núñez Melián, treasurer of the Santa Cruzada, in conformity with the asiento (salvage contract) which he holds with His Majesty at the Cayos de Matacumbe — where in the past year of [sixteen] twenty-two the silver galleons under the charge of the Marqués de Cadereyta, general of the said armada [...] of war of His Majesty, were lost — having come upon the galleon Margarita, has recovered from her a quantity of silver bars, reales (silver coin), plates of copper, wrought silver and some artillery which [...]; and because of the [contract] which he holds and which His Majesty has given him, [...] the silver, pearls, copper and whatever shall belong to him and shall pertain to His royal service and to the other private parties of the regions of the Indies, he ordered and commanded that [...] Melián shall at once, without any delay, deliver to the almirante (admiral, second-in-command) [and galleons] [...] the silver that there may be [...] of the said armada: the said bars, reales, silver and artillery and the other [goods] that they may have in their possession and that have been recovered from [...], without his retaining anything for himself, provided that he give account and record thereof, so that with it notice may be given and he may be held discharged before the señores jueces oficiales (judge-officials) of the Casa [de la Contratación].
[Left margin, period hand:] New autos concerning the salvage and the embargo of the silver and copper.
Auto.
En la ciudad de San Cristóbal de La Habana, a veintinueve días del mes de agosto de mil seiscientos y veintiséis años, el señor Tomás de Larraspuru, caballero de la Orden de Alcántara, capitán general de la Armada de la Guardia de las Indias,
dijo que, por la noticia que se le ha dado en esta ciudad de que Francisco Núñez Melián, tesorero de la Santa Cruzada, en conformidad del asiento que tiene hecho con Su Majestad en los Cayos de Matacumbe —donde por el año pasado de veintidós se perdieron los galeones de plata del cargo del Marqués de Cadereyta, general de la dicha armada [...] de guerra de Su Majestad—, habiendo encontrado con el galeón Margarita, ha sacado de él cantidad de barras de plata, reales, planchas de cobre, plata labrada y alguna artillería que [...]; y por [razón de]l [asiento] que tiene y le ha dado Su Majestad, [...] la plata, perlas, cobre y lo que le perteneciere y fuere de su real servicio y de los demás particulares de las partes de las Indias, mandaba y mandó que [...] Melián, luego, sin dilación alguna, entregue al almirante [y galeones] [...] la plata que hubiere [...] de la dicha armada: las dichas barras, reales, platas y artillería y los demás [bienes] que hubieren en su poder y se hubieren sacado de [...], sin que retenga en sí cosa alguna, con que dé razón y noticia para que con ella se pueda dar parte y se le dé por entregado a los señores jueces oficiales de la Casa [de la Contratación].
[Margen izquierdo:] Nuevos autos del tenor de la sacada y del embargo de la plata y cobre.
MAIN HOUSE
Refers to: The whole document (Haskins' filing/location note for his photocopy collection)
(3)
Refers to: Sequence/page number given by Haskins to this photocopy
[underlining — heavy horizontal line(s)]
Refers to: "en los Cayos de Matacumbe donde por el año passado de beynte y dos se perdieron los galeones de platta del cargo del Marques de Cadereyta" — NOTE: these strokes may be original scribal ruling/paraph rather than modern underlining; see reviewer flags
Machine transcription and translation, produced with AI assistance and awaiting review by a paleographer. Readings marked [?] are uncertain; [illegible] marks gaps we did not fill. Corrections are welcome.
What a reviewer should check first (9)
Line 2–3: confirm the day and year — read as "beinte y nueue dias del mes de agosto" and "mill y seiscientos y beinte y seis" (1626); check whether the year is 26 or 36.
Line 10: "el año passado de b[e]ynte y dos" — confirm 22 (1622 fleet disaster) versus another figure.
Line 11–12: title/office of the Marqués de Cadereyta and the following words ("g[enera]l de la d[ic]ha armada... del g[alle]on de guerra de Su Mag[esta]d") are uncertain.
Line 13: "el galeon Margarita" — verify; the preceding word read as "encontrado con" and the following as "a sacado del".
Line 15: the clause after "alguna artill[eri]a" is largely illegible; do not accept any reconstruction without the original.
Line 20: the officer to whom delivery is ordered (read as "al Alm[iran]te") needs verification; an interlinear insertion "y galeones" appears above the following line.
Lines 22–27: the enumeration of goods and the final formula about the jueces oficiales de la Casa de la Contratación require collation with the original manuscript.
Left margin docket (vertical, period hand): reading "Nuebos autos del thenor de la sacada / y del embargo de la plata y cobre" is conjectural.
Determine whether the heavy horizontal strokes under lines 9–10 are modern (Haskins) underlining or original scribal strokes.
Named in this page: Thomas de Larraspuru (Tomás de Larraspuru), cauallero de la orden de Alcántara, capitán general de la armada de la guardia de las Indias; Fran[cis]co Nuñez Melian (Francisco Núñez Melián), thessorero de la Santa Cruzada; El Marqués de Cadereyta, general de la dicha armada [1622]; los s[eño]res juezes officiales de la cassa [de la Contratación] (unnamed) · el galeón Margarita (Nuestra Señora de la Margarita) [?]; los galeones de plata del cargo del Marqués de Cadereyta (the 1622 silver galleons)
Why Haskins kept it
What this page meant to the search
The Margarita and the Atocha sank together in September 1622. This is the paper trail of the first salvage, four years later, and the moment the Crown moved to control what came up. Haskins marked it “MAIN HOUSE.”
Cite as: New Discoveries Inc., The Haskins Archive, “Havana orders the Margarita’s silver surrendered,” new-discoveries.org/archive/havana-orders-margarita-silver-1626. Machine transcription, under review.
Help finish this page
Every document in the archive goes through expert review before its transcription is marked final. If you read early modern Spanish or English secretary hand and see an error, write to us. If you want to fund the review of the next thousand pages, the Explorer level exists for exactly this.