rity that Velasquez had exercised.
Nor was that all. Guzman was commissioned juez de residencia, to
investigate the affairs of the deposed Altamarino as the latter had
investigated those of the deceased Velasquez. Guzman appears not
actually to have taken office until April 25, 1526, and not to have
begun his inquest into his predecessor's affairs until midsummer of that
year. But he then made up for the delay with the searching and ruthless
character of his investigation. We can scarcely doubt that he was moved
by a large degree of personal vindictiveness. Certainly he seemed to try
to be as irritating and as humiliating to Altamarino as possible; the
more so, perhaps, because he realized that there was nothing serious to
be proved, and that the chief penalty the ex-Governor would suffer would
be the heckling and denunciation which he received during the
investigation. There were charges enough against him, but not one
warranted any severe punishment. As a matter of fact, all the penalties
imposed upon him were light, and they were all promptly remitted by the
King; the royal advisers at Madrid reporting to His Majesty that the
whole business had been nothing but a tempest in a teapot. Nevertheless,
the episode ended the career of Altamarino in Cuba. He at once departed
to Mexico, and was seen in the island no more.

We may now fittingly observe a certain highly significant political
development which at this time was manifested in the island. Reference
has already been made to the rise of a feeling of local pride and
municipal independence in the various provinces into which the island
was divided, and also to the marked assertion of insular patriotism
under Rojas and his colleagues. The former movement dated from as early
as 1518, when Panfilo de Narvaez secured from the King a decree giving
to some of the members of municipal councils life terms of office. In
that year, accordingly, Gonzalo de Guzman and Diego de Sumana were
appointed by the King to be life Councillors, or Regidors, in Santiago;
Alonzo Bembrilla and Bernardino Yniguez in Trinidad; and Francisco Santa
Cruz and, as we might suppose, Panfilo de Narvaez himself in Bayamo. A
little later Diego de Caballero and Fernando de Medina were appointed in
Sancti Spiritus, and Rodrigo Canon and Sancho de Urrutia in Puerto del
Principe. In addition to these there were, of course, other Councillors
appointed by the Governor for limited terms. But the life Councillors