already drawing near. He fell into some violent disputes with the
citizens of Havana, over the appointment of alcaldes, a duty which they
charged him with neglecting. He was also charged with packing the town
council with his own creatures, with tampering with the mails so as to
prevent people from writing to Spain any complaints of his
maladministration, and of other misdemeanors. Bartolome Sanchez, who had
returned from Spain and who had a bitter personal grudge against the
governor for supplanting him as builder of the fort, petitioned the King
to have a judge sent from Hispaniola to investigate him, but the King
refused. Mazariegos, learning this, and feeling unwarrantably secure in
royal favor, adopted a more arrogant attitude toward his opponents and
critics, which did him no good.

In the spring of 1565, Garcia Osorio de Sandoval was appointed to
succeed him as governor. Mazariegos thereupon wrote to the King, asking
that there be no unnecessary law suits brought against him, as he was
old, and ill, and poor. (He was not yet fifty years of age!) The King
granted his request, and in consequence instructed Osorio to make his
investigation as little annoying as possible. Osorio obeyed, and
although the report of the inquest filled three big volumes, Mazariegos
was not brought to trial on any charges and had no fines assessed
against him. He remained living at Havana for some time, and then
completed his career in the King's service as governor of Caracas,
Venezuela. His administration had been a stormy one, but on the whole
advantageous to Cuba, and had confirmed the Seville government in its
policy of appointing others than mere lawyers to the insular
governorship.

Garcia Osorio de Sandoval became governor of Cuba on September 12, 1565.
As he was not a lawyer, the precedent which had been set in Mazariegos's
case was followed in his, of appointing a lieutenant governor who was a
lawyer to serve with him. His lieutenant was Luis Cabrera, who did not
reach Cuba until later in the year, having suffered shipwreck and been
obliged to put back to Spain and await the sailing of another vessel.

Osorio appears to have been a soldier, though probably retired from
active service at the time of his appointment to the governorship. At
any rate he made it his first care to improve the defences of the
island. It is related that he bore with him from Spain to Havana a cargo
of arms and munitions, including four brass cannon.